Bachelor talk: the reunion!

After last week, I felt a bit uneasy about the course of this season of The Bachelor. As if I knew something wasn't quite right. The women's alliance seemed to have burst apart after Yvonne's comments towards Eline. The two who seemed most like friends turned against each other, and after the reunion was filmed, the TikToks with false comments back and forth appeared.

During this reunion, we first get to look back at everything that has happened, especially between the women. A number of women present, I think I have never seen before, which is impossible, because they really participated in the program, but just like with the bachelors, they apparently didn't make an indelible impression on me. The iconic moments we look back on are of course related to Amber's theories about biology, because according to her, saliva stays ‘in your system’ for a week. Unfortunately for her, there is also something called Google, and the rest quickly found out that this is total nonsense. Fortunately, they don't let the reunion go by without a look back at all of Beate's outraged moments. Monica rightly calls her a main character, and of course everyone has been looking forward to seeing her again. I am eagerly waiting for new inspiration from our oracle; I hope she will still come up with some badass comments. In classic Beate style, she says that she has only read positive reactions. Fortunately, because when it comes to self-respect and setting boundaries, many women can learn something from Beate. Although I really enjoy hearing how the women reflect on their own moments with the bachelors, we are mainly waiting for the reunion to get to the most important reveals: how are the women and their bachelors doing?

That Femke and Rien come in together is no surprise to us; photos had already leaked that these two lovebirds were wandering around Ibiza together. Maybe not smart of them, but on the other hand, no one really expected anything else. Although they don't want to label it yet (they haven't seen each other for three months), Femke does come in wearing a kind of bridal bikini. That she then says she is moving to Ibiza is no surprise. More exciting is the wait for the reveal of Paul. Are he and Josephine still together? They come in separately, and that confirms my premonition: Josephine felt nothing for Paul right after returning home. They saw each other once before Josephine broke up with him. I had guessed that it wouldn't become a serious relationship, but I expected that to come from Paul. Although it's nice to be right, I'm not very surprised; the reunion doesn't bring me the juice I was hoping for.

When Monica asks how things are going in the love department for the women, we get an answer from someone I think I have never seen before, except during this reunion. So I don't really care that her mother set her up, but it's great for her that she's happy. What strikes me is that Paul nervously grabs his glass of water. And here it comes: I. WAS. RIGHT. AGAIN. Paul and Eline are dating! That they haven't been able to meet outside (due to spoilers, of course) might actually be a recipe for success, as we have already seen with Femke and Rien, who only planned teeth-brushing dates in the bathroom after the ‘last rose’ moment. Despite the fact that Josephine was very satisfied with her breakup with Paul, there is still room for a jab at Eline: ‘She is the second choice.’

Now the moment has come; we have to start detoxing. The early rising to minimize the chance of spoilers via social media, combined with the cozy Thursday morning texts from colleagues (‘Are you already watching?’), followed by enthusiastic discussions in the editorial office where no one really understands each other because everyone is shouting over each other; I enjoyed it. What will our next obsession be?