I was taken aback by something yesterday. My boyfriend and I were in a grocery store getting a few things to tide his mom and my daughter over while I’m on my LA adventure (stay tuned for that) when I saw a magazine with Sean and Catherine on the cover. Aw....they are my favorite couple.

I looked at them, and I looked again, and then I thought to myself. She doesn’t look like Catherine. I'm not saying she wasn't Catherine, but she didn't look like the Catherine I fell in love with over the past few weeks.

Then it occurred to me…they airbrushed her to the point that she looked like everyone else!  The gorgeous, glowing, amber skin was all gone.

At this point, I'm a little stunned; then, for lack of a better term, I was a little insulted.  After all, Catherine reminds me of my best friend since childhood -- a gorgeous Filipina woman with big brown eyes and long, black eyelashes who wore minimal make up. When she said she was "pee and go," she meant it. Catherine is a natural beauty.

So, I’m standing in line getting angrier. Were they trying to hide her race or did someone just get overzealous? I poke my boyfriend who is now paying and fumbling through coupons.

He looked at me and I said, "I need to ask you something because you don't watch the show." I pointed to the magazine, and before I could ask him what her nationality is, he beat me to the punch, "She looks weird."

"Too much airbrushing?" I asked. 

"Everyone is airbrushed.  She just looks weird."

I'd love to get an opinion on this one. He's the first Bachelor since Byron to choose someone who wasn't white (I think) and I liked the fact his bachelorettes were a really diverse group.

Moving on, this is enough of my rant. Here are a few other things I noticed with the Finale and Final Rose:

  1. The elephants. Yes, that is a plural "s." Imagine this: Sean didn't know who he would choose, so he said, “Hey my date with Catherine was so much fun; I want to do it again after I propose.”  But it might be Lindsay … Ummm, if you were Lindsay, and Sean did choose you, how would you feel about the elephant date with Sean?  Aha! I thought so. He obviously knew he was going to choose Catherine long before because I think it's intentional the woman on the elephant date is the woman with the proposal. 
  2. Sean has at times rewarded vulnerability, or at least made decisions based on vulnerability. Case in point, Catherine had a little meltdown and collapsed when he last saw her.
  3. Sean telling Leslie he loved her at the Final Rose Ceremony after she knew she was going home.
  4. Catherine had the first parent meeting, yet the last first date. I don’t recall that in the past, so the question is: Was it edited that way, or were they trying to strengthen the connection with Lindsay?
  5. Was the connection with Lindsay as strong as it was with the other women? I adore Lindsay but I feel as if she were someone he felt he could fall for, rather than actually fall for. I also think he thought taking AshLee to the Final Rose Ceremony and not picking her would not have been the best for her. In other words, I’m saying he eliminated women who weren’t the right fit first.
  6. My oldest daughter was disappointed to see Catherine’s disappointment with the editing process. We are siding with you Catherine. I think they tried so hard to hide his decision; they didn’t give us enough time to get to know her. The only reason Catherine was on my radar is because I knew immediately after the second episode who he picked.  I also knew that AshLee, Lindsay, Catherine, and Des were in the Final Four, which is why I focused the articles on them. Next time, I want to be as surprised as you are. I want to see how much the edits can mislead someone, even a Bachie hardcore fan like me.
  7. I think it was also very hard for Catherine to hear audience polls about how Lindsay was the better fit. She was edited that way. Again, I think Lindsay is adorable, I’m not saying she wasn’t.
  8. I don’t believe for one moment Sean didn’t know who he was going to pick. I think that is why he came off cold to Catherine, even though she was begging him to stay. I think it was self-preservation, especially since he hates to see vulnerability.
  9. If you watch the meeting with Sean’s parents, you will see Sean comfort Catherine as she starts to ramble in front of his family by placing his hand on her thigh at the table. That is when I knew. That action spoke volumes because it offered protection. Not that his family was picking on her, I’m not suggesting that, but Catherine (according to the edits,) when talking seriously, starts a sentence and doesn’t know how or when to finish it. I’m not criticizing her. It’s a talent I have as well, and I catch myself doing it and think to myself, I’m a writer, why can I not answer a serious question fluently and succinctly? I think it shows she was nervous and that her feelings are true. I think Catherine had put up a lot of walls up to protect herself. They were not bad walls. I just think it’s the only way to get through the process. If the man you love is dating 25 other women, you have to protect yourself emotionally to some extent.
  10. My daughter also posted to my Facebook wall she felt that the gold and silver were symbols for first and second. I notice the dresses and shoes were similar, definitely the same designer. She brings up an interesting point. I think Catherine in gold, with her gorgeous coloring, and OMG such amazing big eyes, was stunning. This is the first time they really focused on her eyes. I also see what she means by “pee and go.” She has a completely natural look. I think Lindsay could have pulled off either color. Now I have to see if bronze was being worn by AshLee. You think that is a joke, but I’m telling you; it’s not.
  11. Did they have the dress color chosen so we’d be ready, willing, and able to accept Catherine after all the editors did everything they could to hide she won?
  12. I told you the letter was from Catherine, and it was a love letter!
  13. Des as the Bachelorette! What do you think? My daughter is concerned she’s “too sweet.”
  14. Sean is crazy about Catherine. Lindsay is crazy about Sean. Catherine came off a little “in shock” and guarded at the Final Rose taping, but I think it’s because their relationship was so private, and it’s stressful to have to watch the episodes and see everything unfold. I think she’ll be an emotional mess for a few weeks, kind of like PTSD, but I do feel she’ll come through this. Sean is so crazy about her; he’ll give her the reassurance she needs.
  15. I noticed Sean is always ready with a compliment. It’s an unusual quality for a man.
  16. Sean is getting married straight away, but he hinted they may not be living in Dallas.