The Bachelor, Week 7

Ding dong, the witch is gone! It has finally happened...Michelle has left the building. I do have to say that now there will be less entertainment on the show without her around. Of course, now is the time when we get down to business. We are past the "crush" stage and well into "crazy" for all involved. Of course, when the guy likes you back, there is a lot less of the crazy stage, so maybe we are in the "new relationship" stage. Either way, now we meet the families!

Besides Michelle leaving (who clearly was not about to share her emotions on national television...did you see the eye blinking in the limo?), Britt also left this week. Britt used to be a gymnast, but she looked much too tiny for that. I don't want to imply that Britt actually has an eating disorder in this blog. I take that very seriously and I wouldn't ever want to make an assumption about her eating habits. Some people are just little! But, if she was leaning toward anorexic tendencies, the DSM IV says to look for a refusal to maintain body weight at or above a minimally normal weight for age and height, intense fear of gaining weight or becoming fat regardless of actual weight, disturbance in the way which one's body weight or shape is experienced/denial of seriousness of low body weight, and the possible absence of at least three menstrual cycles. As you can see, extreme skinniness is just one sign of a possible eating disorder and there are several other factors involved that depend on the mental state of the person. I do not have enough, or any, information to say that Britt has an eating disorder of any sort, just that for the purpose of this blog entry, her small figure lends way to one diagnosis to discuss.

On the "group date from hell" (so dubbed on the show), the crazy was definitely coming out! I truly believe that much of Ashley and Chantal's attachment to Brad comes from their desire to deeply connect with a male figure in their lives. Of course, I also see a little bit of myself in Chantal as she cries almost every episode. If it were me on the show, I would probably do the same. Although, most people who know me know that I cry at Cheerios commercials so maybe I wouldn't place too much weight on that comparison. I also would like to take into consideration that it's not normal to have deep feelings for a person and be in a situation where you MUST be ok with him seeing two other people simultaneously with you on a date. Not normal in the LEAST! So I give these girls credit for airing their "crazy" stage on national television in such extenuating circumstances.

Finally, I want to apologize for yet again posting this blog so late after the airing of week 7. I have a much deeper appreciation for people who can fit in longer blogs about the show on a weekly basis. Props to you! Until next week after family fun...