Episode 1 - May 31
My nightmare has come true... for someone else... in
reality-show form. One person, Skipper Kress, will have
to choose from seven different women one to be his
soulmate. The thing is... he's had relationships with
all of them.
But before we meet the
ladies, here's Skipper. Southern gentleman and bartender
from Charlotte, NC. Ladies' man. Self-described flirt.
Freelance consultant. Golfer. Only room in his heart for
one. Wants badly to love and be loved. "I'm undeserving
of a lot of things, but I definitely deserve to be in
love." Yeah, you were in love seven times before.
That's how you got yourself into this mess. And he's
risking it all for a second shot.
So what's a guy in his
position to do? Go south of the border from Carolina
proper to Carolina... un-proper. Skip is planting
himself in a mansion in McClellanville, SC. He has no
idea who will show up, which is weird because he knows
all of them.
First up, Erin Dagenhart,
who knows Skip from high school. Erin wanted a
commitment that Skip couldn't give. "She expects a lot."
Next, Kristi Simpson,
whom Skip had a crush on for five years. He's hoping
that five years is long enough for him to prove that
he's ready to commit.
Katie Gray dated Skip
three years ago. It was a summer fling. They are both
crazy. The two of them = explosion of fun. But Katie's a
bit more down to earth.
"Lemme tell ya 'bout
Mindy Chambers," Skip's best friend who wants more. He
would be hurt by her the most.
Then comes Skip's most
recent conquest, Grace Koy, your classic love-hate
relationship. Skip sees this as the last chance for
their "relationship".
Amy McIlwane, co-worker
with a 2-year crush on Skip. She watches him flirt. He
thinks she's cute. "To be the Skipper's girlfriend...
could be the adventure of a lifetime."
And finally, Mallory
McCombs, Skip's childhood sweetheart from 6th grade.
They dated around the same time Skip was dating Katie!
So the past has come
back to haunt him. Big time. Starting off with...
Bikinis! And from a westerner's point of view living in
the south for 12 years, I can tell you... They have NO
problem showing off the stuff... But they do have a
problem calling dibs. And the girls note that this may
be a little unnerving to our hopeless romantic.
And, to prevent this
from getting any more tedious, 15 minutes in, and it's
elimination time. Formal dinner party. Very tough,
especially with all seven at once. For one, he can't
remember where any of them first met. Hoo boy.
After the dinner,
one-on-one time, where Skip says that he wants to change
as a man and that he wants the ladies to help him.
Example from Amy: "You're a man. What man hasn't done
what you've done?"
*raises hand*
Grace doesn't think that
Skip has it in him to change. Erin is trying to choose
between the honest Skip and the party Skip. Mindy's
hoping to put Skip in check. And Erin, the biggest
standout so far, gets the extra-special version, as they
wonder if they're on the same page of music. Skip
reassures Erin that he's going to make some changes.
Well, procrastination is one of his vices, as she asks
what is keeping him from finally growing up.
Next day, fishing. Hard
to be one of seven people simultaneously dating a
schizophrenic. Amy has no problem with it. And Skip has
no problem with Amy.
Wish I could say the
same for Grace, as she's just stand-offish. "You and I
have something that none of those girls have. But you
also have something with them that you and I don't have,
so which one's stronger?" Argument ensues. Resolved.
Much to Erin's dismay, who's now questioning everything
she had thought prior.
Next up, 20 Questions on
the beach. Like the WLTI game of the same name, the only
rule is that you must answer completely and honestly. We
find out that Erin thinks that Kristi or Amy is the most
jealous, Amy is intimidated by Grace, Skip's biggest
myth is that he's heartless, Skip thinks that Mindy or
Mallory are the most likely to break his heart, and that
after tonight, three would remain.
Would one be Mindy? She
goes off with him for a while, where she says that she
wants to stick around. Skip tries to prove it with a
kiss. Mindy's scared of being hurt. But it was worth
taking a risk, she figures, as she goes in for the kill.
Impending elimination
talk. Everyone's scared of opening up. Grace is
bitching. Skip is nervous. Very nervous. So nervous that
instead of just telling the girls outright, he writes
them all letters, which you can see for yourself at
NBC.com. The four letters on his plate are addressed
to... Katie ("Actions speak louder than words"), Amy
("Grow up a little bit"), Mallory ("I hope he finds what
he came here to find"), and sweet Mindy ("We're gonna be
great friends"). Erin, Kristi, and Grace (who has the
excitement factor of a dead goldfish) get golden passes.
Opening up the second
half with a twist. Because every good reality show (and
even the not so good ones) has one. This twist: the
girls get to choose which among them is the next to go.
Grace: "What?!" My thoughts exactly.
Indy dates now, as Erin
meets Skip for a moonlight cruise... on a rowboat. Skip
cares deeply about her, as they have some catching up to
do. They talk about moving back to Charlotte and having
a family. Skip isn't really tied to the Queen City, and
would move if given the option. But Erin sees otherwise,
as she couldn't see herself with a girl-crazy bartender,
thus confusing him. Maybe it's selfish on Erin's part.
Maybe she's being wary. Maybe she just doesn't like it.
"I just want to know that I'm important."
Okay, I'm voting for A,
especially since they come back with a full bottle of
wine.
Kristi gets a chance to
act on her crush, while Skip promises that they'll have
a good time. He surprises her with a little game of
"Would, you, like, to,.. dance?" A night under the stars
borrowed from the set of "Who Wants to Marry My Dad?" So
we have lights, a disco ball, and music. Very
fairy-tale-ish. Kristi thinks it's beautiful, and Skip's
enjoying it.
Then he goes and spoils
it all by asking if she kisses on a first date. Well,
she does, so he does. And he proclaims his feelings.
Again. They've never had "the talk" before, but she can
see Skip in a positive way. Good start. And they keep
kissing. And kissing... Annnnnd kissing.
Next is Grace, who's
freaked out by the whole date thing, though she was the
latest casualty of the cupboard of Skip's love. The two
nervously tour the city in a '57 Caddy. Onto G-town,
Georgetown, SC. And bad hip-hop. And now playing at the
Strand Theater, "Skip and Grace". And here I was hoping
for Spider-Man. It makes her cry... and kiss. "I was
really speechless." The rest of the time is spent in a
liplock, right until they get to the boardwalk and
chocolate fondue in a restaurant there, where they talk
about why both of them arrived. She asks if she's mean
to him; he says "Sometimes". Oh yeah, they're meant for
each other.
Yet another elimination
forthcoming. Kristi and Grace think that Erin doesn't
belong. Will that translate over to the vote? Montage
ensues. Then Erin walks in. She gets paranoid, and then
we see a naked statue.
Firesides conversations
lead into elimination, as Skip says that Kristi helped a
lot. How? We'll see. Remember, Grace and Kristi voted
for Erin to leave, leaving Erin to X out Grace. But,
"the decision is, in the end, still mine." Grace
is down first... and she's in, leaving Erin and Kristi.
Erin is down... and citing a confusion... that she wants
the best out of a person... she's asked to stay. Grace
is shocked. Kristi's got a letter and a cab waiting for
her, with nothing more to say than "I guess he really
didn't take [what I said] to heart."
Down to two now. And I
can say that they genuinely hate each other now. Next
day is the last chance for Skip, Grace, and Erin. We've
got the Box o' Questions... But we don't have question.
We've got a twist. "Skipper, the person who could be the
real true love of your life is here to confront Grace
and Erin."
What... the hell. Wait a
sec. It's nephew Mike. "This brother's needed a wing
man." Mike asks why Erin would be a good aunt (because
she comes from a large family). Same question to Grace
(she doesn't know - she's thrown for a loop, as she
doesn't like children). Erin wants to be Skip's
girlfriend because they have a lot of history. Grace
wants to be Skip's girlfriend because they have a lot of
connection.
See ya round, Mike.
Thanks for the help. Holla.
So you have Erin who
likes kids, and Grace who finds them awkward. One final
walk with the Skipper. They talk about Mike, the final
decision, and being scared of logistics. He's ready,
he's serious, but he might not be the best at it. "The
man that I am is the man you care about."
Grace isn't used to
children, and Skip tells her to get used to it fast.
Whatever decision he makes, she'll have to respect it.
She says she's ready, but does her
constantly-open-and-shut-and-open-again case precede
her?
Erin and Grace go at
each other, pertaining Kristi's elimination. Grace
doesn't think Erin's right for him. Erin doesn't think
Grace's right for him. It's a catfight without the cats.
But enough catty chatty,
as Skip doesn't want to choose tonight unless love is in
the cards for the future. He approaches the lawn with
one more letter, and one more chance for one of the two
that got away. Erin could be in love with him. She meets
him out on the lawn, laying all of her cards out on the
table. Then Grace meets Skip out in the lawn, thinking
that they could have a relationship. She can barely tell
him how she feels a lot a lot a lot about him.
Then it's Skip's turn.
Saying that he wants the best for Erin, and thanking her
for being sweet to Mike... and saying that the
friendship between him and Grace has been mostly a
safety net... Skip tells Erin that a relationship is
black and white and there is no more room for that kind
of bond to grow. She gets a letter, while Grace gets the
long-drawn decision. She's also given a letter, but not
one of goodbye, but of hello.
Erin knows what she
wants... and it's obvious that she won't get it here, as
she waah-waah-wahhs... As for Grace, Skip is looking
forward to the beginning... and a trip for two to Greece
on the peacock's dollar, which, from what I hear, isn't
worth that darn much.
And so the last one that
got away comes back round full circle.
And as for NBC, who is
most fortunate to just limit this to one series, I have
one word, and you will thank me for using it.
NEXT! |