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r/TheBachelor
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Where to find spoilers?
hiii so i’m a new viewer and to be real with yall i’m just impatient– i know the season was filmed months ago, so where can a girl find out who jayce chose?? I’m dying to know and I can’t wait until the finale
bachlvr2: honestly its luck of the draw. They all sign ndas, but sometimes things leak early. This season has seemed pretty locked down
iacceptthisrose1: ^^ what they said. Normally you can count on reality steb to spoil it if you want to look it up, but i havent seen anything from him
> shimmer_eyeshadow: and even then, sometimes wrong info is purposely leaked for steb to pick up! The MINDS of the producers, i tell you. Always two steps ahead
shesforthelanes: since you’re new–normally the bachelor/ette stays pretty under the radar until the season airs in full. Don’t go out in public with their fiance, try to avoid paps, etc. the contestants might post behind the scenes pics or memes about the current ep, but that’s about it for new content
>throwRA69: yeah i’ve seen jayce repost some announcements about the hexgates but that’s about it for sm activity
>bachlvr2: the most recent time it was spoiled, someone literally took a creeper shot of the bachelor at a funeral and you could see he was holding hands with a very specific woman from the show–the F1 (winner of the final rose aka his fiancee). Kind of a shitty way to do it though
>>stemnerd_87: yeah also in one of the first seasons of the bachelorette, one of the contestants happened to move right after filming to exactly the same remote area of demacia that the bachelorette was from. Didn’t take sherlock holmes to figure out what that might mean
>>shimmer_eyeshadow: long story short op, youll most likely be waiting to find out until the finale just like the rest of us
r/TheBachelor
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Latest Nielsen ratings
From this article (read in full if you want to), but the gist is that the viewership of jayce’s season is going UP across episodes. Normally it falls off/plateaus after the season premiere or second ep. Also this is the most-watched season since season 8!
piltoverthisshit: it’s me, hi, i’m one of the new viewers.
> newviewer111: lmao me too. Created a reddit account just for this. I saw a pic of jayce in the pool and decided i had the time
rio_grande: honestly this tracks for me. I lose interest in boring self-serious bachelors who are actually allergic to feelings. Jayce has been a nice change of pace so far
throwRA69: i want to be so real in saying that i’m watching for jayce, but i’m not watching JUST for jayce, if you get my drift
> rara3938: if watching for viktor is wrong, i dont want to be right
>> dontcry4meshurima: given how notoriously low-profile he is, this is the most we’ll probably ever see of viktor for like… all time. Don’t squander the opportunity
>>> goop: eh bet he’s around if you know where to look for him. after the last ep, a chapter of smokers anonymous seems like a good bet. Zaun football games. or just stand in your local frozen food aisle and wait for him to restock
>>>> goodygoodygumdrop: hot pocket stock has to be UP these days too
Official PBC Broadcast
The Bachelor, Season 20, Ep. 5–Excerpts
The Two-on-One Announcement–402112 views
A voiceover from Tatiana: “Earlier this week, eight of us were selected for our group date with Jayce, and I got the group date rose.”
A quick montage recapping the first half hour of the episode, when the women’s group date challenge had been to create a posed photo shoot with Jayce that would capture what their future together would look like. Jayce posing with Sarah F. on a yacht, Jayce fake-threshing a field as a farmer with Ashlee M., Jayce renewing his wedding vows with Tatiana, aged with makeup and a bad wig to make it look twenty years from now.
“There were two names that weren’t called–Mel and Jinx. So everyone knows they’re gonna be part of the two-on-one date.”
The producer: “And what is your understanding of a two-on-one date, Tatiana?”
“Uh, psychological warfare, basically,” Tatiana says. “Only one person gets to come back with Jayce.”
A brief scene of Tatiana opening a familiar white envelope in front of all of the contestants and reading it aloud: “Mel, Jinx. Let’s go to a place where time will tell if our fates are written in the stars. Love, Jayce.” She looks up and pauses dramatically. “P.S. See you in Prague.”
The room fills with gasps. After nearly a month in the Bachelor Mansion, most are envious of the prospect of travel abroad, even if the trip comes with a risky caveat. Someone lays a reassuring hand on Mel’s knee. Jinx flips a braid over her shoulder.
The scene shifts to a split-screen of Mel and Jinx, each of them packing their luggage in their rooms.
“This is good, I think,” Mel says calmly, carefully folding a dress, answering some unheard question from a producer. “Jayce and I have barely had the chance to talk in recent weeks, so I’m trying to focus on the positives here.”
Jinx haphazardly tosses a shirt in the direction of her suitcase. “Listen, I actually like Mel, surprisingly enough, but you can’t really play nice when only one of you gets to stick around. Besides, I’ve got some questions of my own for Jayce.”
As the women bring their travel bags downstairs, they’re joined by their fellow contestants, walking out of the mansion and outside, where a limo is waiting in the driveway to take them to the airport. Heimerdinger and Viktor are on the lawn too, conversing politely next to Jayce. The music is tense, dramatic, highlighting that–for one of these contestants–this will be her last time on the grounds.
A talking-head with Jayce: “Viktor’s from the Czech Republic, actually. He lived there until his dad died, and then he and his mom moved to Zaun. It was always in the cards for us to go together someday, since he hasn’t been back since he was a kid, but we’ve just been too broke and then too busy… so yeah, as excited as I am to travel, it’s a bit of a bummer that it’s to a place I’d wanted to go with him first.”
The producer: “Do you think he’s upset with you about that?”
“Oh, no. Definitely not. He knows I have no control over what the dates are or where they take place. He’s a very reasonable guy.” Jayce pauses, and his expression becomes assessing, something flinty in his eye. “Should I be upset with you?”
The producer, coolly: “Why would you ask that?”
“Just wanting to know if you’re purposely trying to stir the pot,” Jayce says. “Even for a guy who has such a bare-bones Wikipedia page, that’s actually on Viktor’s–it’s a pretty well-known aspect of his background, where he’s originally from. But it’s just a coincidence, I guess.”
There’s a pause.
“Tell us about your thoughts going into the two-on-one date. Why’d you choose Mel and Jinx to join you?”
Jayce’s expression turns pensive. “Well, Mel got the first impression rose; obviously she’s someone I’ve had my eye on. But in the weeks since, I guess I haven’t felt like there’s been much… movement. I’m thinking something has to give–maybe if the date puts a little heat on, a little pressure could be a good thing for us. Take us to the next step.”
“And Jinx?”
“Jinx is very memorable, but there really hasn’t been much of substance with her. Maybe she’s just keeping some walls up, I don’t know. Vik said I’ll be a perverted old lech if I go for her, what with the age difference–” Jayce smiles fondly, like that was a very sweet thing for Viktor to say to him. “--But if nothing else, I think she’s the type to rise to a challenge.”
“Very good,” the producer murmurs. “That’s a wrap.”
The scene returns again to the goodbyes outside on the lawn. Lux gives Jinx a long hug. Mel clasps Elora’s hands, looking poised, smiling serenely.
Jayce turns to Viktor. “Hey, don’t go stealing hearts while I’m gone, okay?”
Viktor snorts. “No danger of that.”
“I know it’s just for a few days, but it’s gonna be weird not seeing you–”
“Yes, well,” Viktor says, uncomfortably side-eyeing the camera at his periphery. “Goodbye.”
Jayce’s expression turns devious, and he lunges forward.
“No, you know I hate it when–stop,” Viktor says, half-laughing as Jayce sweeps him up in a hug, the toes of his shoes dangling above the grass. Jayce, with a wide smile, rocks him back and forth like a pendulum. Viktor’s gaze lifts over Jayce’s shoulder and nervously sweeps over the assembled women, who are blatantly watching this display, and his voice turns sharp. “Put me down, Jayce Talis.”
Jayce does, looking confused and a little hurt. Viktor replants his cane, pulls the hem of his shirt down where it had ridden up from Jayce’s grip.
“If you need to start sweeping people off their feet, you’ve got more than enough women to choose from.” he says stiffly. He finally meets Jayce’s eye and sighs. “I’ll see you in a few days, yes? I’ll finish the rest of that report.”
“I–okay,” Jayce says. “Don’t overdo it, alright? I can help once I’m back. I know you hate writing those things.”
“Of course, Jayce. Safe travels.”
Jayce hesitates a moment more, then nods and walks past him, toward the waiting women. He holds out an elbow each, gentlemanly, for Mel and Jinx to take. “Shall we?”
He shoots a movie-star smile back at everyone remaining on the lawn. It flickers just a little, at the edges, before returning in full force.
Two-On-One Date–548383 views
A graphic of a map shows a cartoon plane flying from Piltover to Prague–Jayce, Mel, and Jinx’s smiling faces bobbing in the windows. When the plane touches down, there’s a quick montage of various well-known sights around the city: the bustle of Old Town Square, the imposing Charles Bridge, the ornate Astrological Clock hinted at in the initial announcement. Jayce, Mel and Jinx are shown briefly touring these locations, pointing and talking animatedly, while a lively polka tune overlays the scenes.
The music turns more somber as Jayce stands at a boat ramp and helps Jinx and then Mel onto a large, luxurious boat. As the boat slowly moves forward into the Vltava, the music dies away completely. Silence settles in, emphasizing the awkward, tense atmosphere.
Mel strikes first. “Let’s go to the top deck, Jayce. I’m sure the views are lovely.”
“Alright,” Jayce says. “Jinx, do you want to–”
“Don’t wait up,” Jinx says airily. “I’ll be there soon enough to break you up.” She winks at Mel. “Break up your conversation, I mean.”
“...Right,” Mel says.
On the top deck, Jayce and Mel find a bench seat, looking out across the water. “It’s beautiful,” Jayce says. “I’ve never been before, have you?”
“No, me either,” Mel says. They lapse into silence.
“Do you–”
“I feel like–”
Jayce laughs. “Sorry, you go first.”
“I don’t even know where to start,” Mel says, looking down and laughing, then sighing. “I feel like I’ve spent weeks thinking, file that away for the next time you get a good long conversation with Jayce. Now there’s too many things.”
“Hey, that’s okay,” Jayce says. “Seriously. Take your time.”
The scene shifts back to the Bachelor Mansion. The women are gathered in the living room, in view of the bottom of the staircase and the front door. Aforesaid door opens and Elora comes in, with her hand at Viktor’s elbow. “Found him,” she says triumphantly. The women cheer.
A talking-head with Elora: “We’re having a watch party, so to speak, tonight, and thought Viktor might want to join, instead of god-knows-what that he gets up to when Jayce isn’t around. It took a little bit of convincing, but that’s alright.”
Viktor awkwardly comes and sits on the divan. On the table in front of him is an assortment of snacks. Lux plunks a glass of wine into his hand. “So this is the…watch party?” he says, bemused.
Lux gestures at two giant suitcases sitting by the front door–one white with gold trim, shining and spotless, and the other a riotous tie-dye. “Obviously Mel and Jinx didn’t go to Prague with all their stuff, since they packed for two months. They just left with enough for a few days. But we’ll know which one Jayce sends home because then all of her belongings are taken out of the mansion and sent home.”
“That’s the watch part of the watch party,” Ashlee M. says. “Someone on the crew will come in and take out their luggage. Then we know.”
Ashlee M., in a talking-head: “We’ve found with Viktor that the trick is to leave out sweet food and to not engage him in pointless small talk. Even better to just ignore him unless he feels like talking. He’s more likely to come around that way.”
Lux, in a talking-head, tipsy: “I guess it is kind of like, I don’t know, hand-feeding a timid little fawn,” she says dreamily.
Back on the river cruise, Mel turns to Jayce and takes his hand. “That night when you gave me the first impression rose, I saw a path forward for us. I’m still on it, if you are too. The thing is, Jayce, I–I think I’m falling for you.”
The music swells–rhapsodic, romantic. “Oh, wow,” Jayce murmurs. “I wasn’t expecting that–wow.”
“Is that… okay with you?” Mel probes.
“Of course–of course,” Jayce says, quickly lifting her hand to his mouth and kissing it. “Of course it’s okay–thank you for telling me. My mind’s just going a mile a minute–I mean, the logistics of it all. If you’re falling for me, I need to find out what your favorite restaurant is so I can wine and dine you there. I want to find out how you like your coffee in the morning. I’m going to need to meet your parents.”
Mel snorts. “Just my mom, actually. And about that…” she sighs. “She’s kind of a senator in Noxus, so she can be a bit. Much.”
Jayce’s eyebrows go up. “You’re kidding.”
“No,” Mel says. “She’s incredibly intense, and a lot of people find her intimidating. Fair warning. But we can get into all of that later.”
“Right,” Jayce says. “That was your… big thing to tell me.” He gives a short laugh. “What other things are on your list, big or small?”
“It’s the law school degree in me,” Mel says. “To clear the biggest item on the docket. So now that I’ve gotten that off my chest…” she smiles at him, looking a bit tentative for the first time. She smoothes her free hand over her skirt. “I guess we can talk about anything.”
“Anything,” Jayce echoes. The waves slap against the side of the boat.
The scene shifts back to the Mansion. The women are chatting about first jobs–Elora was a receptionist at a dance academy, Ashley W. was a signspinner trying to grab drivers’ attention for a tax accountant’s firm. Viktor sits in their midst, poking through some petit fours on a tray on the table in front of him, finally choosing one. He’s not smiling, but there’s a certain ease to his comportment, content with just listening.
Back on the boat, Mel and Jayce are still sitting together, watching the water. They talk about their jobs–particularly Mel’s, since Jayce’s career has been rather well-documented, even a selling point, of him being the Bachelor. They talk about their upbringings. They touch on politics. For each topic, they expound at length, juicing the subject matter, squeezing it until there’s nothing more left to say. There’s a certain dogged singlemindedness in this approach, extending the lifespan of the conversation further than it would have gone otherwise. Every once in a while, they will glance toward the stairs leading up from the lower deck, as if unconsciously, particularly as one topic’s longevity begins to wane.
Jinx, downstairs, leans her head on her palm as she stands at the railing. “Bet you thought I was going to storm up there and interrupt them,” she says. “But that’s not my style.”
The producer: “Given this is a two-on-one date, face-time with Jayce is important. Talk to me about this thought process, to purposely hang back.”
“Simple,” Jinx says. “Absence makes the heart grow fonder–and I’m not talking about my absence. Honestly, I think their little romance only works when they’re kept apart from each other and can only steal kisses and longing looks here and there. I’m just giving them exactly what they thought they wanted.”
“But the longer you stay down here, the less time you have to make your case for why you should stay.”
“Fine, fine,” Jinx says. “I guess it’s time.”
Mel and Jayce are talking about her training in classical opera when Jinx finally appears on the top deck. “Hey there, pretty boy,” she says. “May I cut in?”
Jayce nods and gets up, takes a few steps, returns to Mel and gives her a quick kiss on the cheek. “See you soon,” he says.
Mel sits alone in the quiet of the top deck.
A voiceover: “I guess I could be worried about what Jinx might pull, yes. But I told Jayce what I needed to tell him, and that’s–that’s all I have control over, really. I think we were both a little nervous, but we had a nice talk. Very nice. Extensive.”
Downstairs, Jinx and Jayce stand at the prow of the boat. “Looks like they want us to recreate the scene from Titanic,” she says. She throws her arms to the side dramatically. “I’m flying, Jayce!”
He smiles and comes to stand at her side, clasping his hands together and resting them on the railing. “You’ve been a bit MIA today–everything okay?”
Jinx shoots him a look. “Do you really want to hear the answer to that?”
“...Yes?” Jayce’s eyebrows furrow.
“You’ve let yourself get so used to women fighting over you, Jayce, I think that you’ve forgotten that maybe you’ve got to, as my sister might say, get your knuckles a bit bloody, too.”
Back at the Mansion, Ashlee M. is finishing up a story about her ex-fiance, who had cheated on her with her maid of honor at the rehearsal dinner.
“And after you helped support him all through medical school,” Viktor murmurs. “Deplorable behavior.”
“Wait until you hear about my last boyfriend,” Sarah F. says. “You haven’t heard nothing yet.”
On the boat, Jayce looks confused, a little defensive. “I’m not sure what you mean,” he begins.
“Alright, so I’ll lay it out,” Jinx says. “I think it must be really nice to be the Bachelor. All this attention, all this praise. Everyone always gushing over you, can I borrow him, it’s my turn to talk to Jayce. It’s a reward just to see your mug; you don’t have to lift a finger. Everyone wants you.”
Jayce is silent for a moment. “Jinx, if this is about our own connection–I’ve been letting you set the pace,” he says. “I haven’t exactly gotten the impression you wanted more, at least not yet.”
“This really isn’t about me, though,” Jinx says. “I think this show lets you be lazy. To opt out of all the hard stuff that’s supposed to be part of a relationship.”
“It’s not like I’m unaware of that,” Jayce says. “I know this show is just a–fun beginning. Most of the real stuff will happen later, but for now, yes–it’s talent shows and competitions and cocktail hours. But I don’t have a choice in that.”
Jinx scoffs. “You’re wrong. I see you making the wrong choice all the time. Even now.”
Jayce looks frustrated. “You’re not exactly helping make it a choice, between you and Mel. I’m honestly not sure where this is coming from, or why–why you haven’t tried to bring it up earlier, if anything’s been bothering you.”
Jinx spins around, puts her elbows on the railing to face him. “Pretty boy, they’re setting you up for a pretty cush, curated life. You and Mel, or whoever, are gonna have your engagement televised to the masses with a diamond that costs more than most families where I come from make in a year. Wedding on the front cover of People Magazine. Galas with Piltie bluebloods and charity dinners and handing out autographs and endorsements and love-themed sponcon forever. A bright enough spotlight might blind you to what a small little life that is. Is that really what you want?”
“I… agreed to this,” Jayce says. “It’s just a part of it.”
“Well, I hope you’re happy with what you signed up for,” Jinx says, shrugging. “Sleepwalk down the aisle into that life–guess it’s just not to my taste.”
Jayce goes to speak, stops himself. He chews his lip. “I’m sorry to hear that, Jinx,” he says finally. “It’s really been a pleasure to get to know you.”
A talking-head with Jayce–he looks tired, deflated. “Honestly, that conversation felt like an ambush, and I’m still… processing it. Maybe she wanted me to pursue her more, or–I don’t know. This is exactly what I was afraid of, right from the beginning, that these women would expect the Man of Progress and be disappointed with… just me.”
He sits in silence for a long moment, shoulders slumped. “Or maybe it’s the opposite. She came for me and got the Man of Progress instead.”
Jayce still seems deflated as the scene cuts to him standing at the top deck of the boat, Mel and Jinx in front of him. There’s a single rose in his hands. Jayce’s eyes stay on it as he speaks.
“Today has been… illuminating. I wanted to get a better sense of the future, and it seems that there’s only a future that can be envisioned with one of you. So. Mel–will you take this rose?”
Mel steps forward, smiling in relief; Jinx rolls her eyes.
A voiceover from Jayce: “This date helped Mel and I to get to the next step of our relationship. I’m grateful for that. We’ve had the strongest connection, from the get-go, and now I know she has feelings for me, so things are–progressing, ha–yeah, progressing the way they should.”
A voiceover from Jinx: “Hey, tried to shoot my shot. Missed. That happens sometimes. I wasn’t doing it for me, though–let’s just say I was doing it for Zaun.”
Back at the Mansion, the front door opens, and a nondescript crewmember enters. The women immediately fall silent. Everyone watches avidly as the crewmember walks forward, pauses, takes the handle of the tie-dye bag, and carries it out the door. There are gasps. Lux puts her hands to her mouth and cries out–oh my god.
Viktor, watching Jinx’s luggage disappear out the front door, is expressionless. His eyebrows draw together, and he nods to himself, just once, as if this has confirmed something. While the women around him continue to react to Jinx’s departure, he carefully pushes himself up to stand.
Jayce, on the famous St. Charles bridge in Prague, sweeps Mel into his arms, her feet clearing the ground. There’s a beautiful sunset, and swelling music, as he leans in for a climactic, cinematic kiss.
Jayce’s Birthday–552494 views
The camera is shakily trained on Jayce from a sideways angle; he’s slumped in the backseat of a town car, rumpled with jet lag. Jayce stifles a yawn against his fist, unconsciously reaches up and pushes hair back from his forehead.
“Long day,” he murmurs. “Long trip. It’s about two in the morning right now, I think, and up tomorrow at six to begin filming. Living the dream.” He glances over at the camera. “Trying not to complain, though. You’re keeping the same hours as me.”
He glances back out the window. “It’s actually my birthday,” he says. “Or, was. Two hours ago. Spent basically all of it with my knees up to my chest in an airplane. Normally I’d go over to my mom’s–me, her, Cait, Vik. My mom’ll bake a cake. But I’m basically on lockdown with filming.”
The vehicle slows down as they approach the gate. The bachelor compound is dark and silent. After parking, the cameraperson gets out and follows behind Jayce as he unfolds himself from the backseat, reaches for his duffel, slings it over his broad shoulder. He casts a bit of a bemused glance behind himself as the camera continues to follow him, but seems to shrug it off. It’s quiet enough that the sounds of Jayce’s feet against gravel, and then grass, are loud as he approaches the dark bachelor pad. He’s just reaching forward for the door when it opens.
Viktor stands there, his silhouette barely visible but for the cupcake he has cupped in one hand, lit by a single candle. “Welcome back,” he says softly, sounding tired but pleased with himself.
“...For me?” Jayce says, slow to process.
“It’s no Ximena’s backyard, but I thought we could go to the garden,” Viktor says. “Stargaze while you eat your birthday treat. What do you think?”
Jayce’s duffel drops to the ground. He makes an aborted move like he was about to hug Viktor, but the flaming dessert is in the way, so he rests his hand on Viktor’s shoulder instead. “That sounds amazing,” he says.
“Lead the way,” Viktor gestures. “I’m right behind you.”
Jayce turns and passes by the camera, looking much more awake and giddy than he did just minutes ago in the car. Viktor comes forward, his face severe, and commences in a near-silent haggling by means of gestures and expansive facial expressions. He points adamantly away, in the opposite direction Jayce had walked in. The camera moves back and forth, as if shaking its head. He purses his lips and moves his pointer fingers apart, communicating a distance between two parties. The camera nods up and down.
Thirty, Viktor mouths, holding up three fingers.
“Fifteen,” the cameraman says in a low voice.
Viktor glares. Twenty-five.
“Twenty.”
Deal, Viktor mouths, sending a warning look behind himself as he walks away. Deal struck that the camera can’t get closer than twenty feet, the cameraperson hustles in a wide arc around the garden, breath audible, as he gets in position filming from behind a tree, focusing the frame just as Viktor reaches where Jayce is sitting in the garden’s grass, Jayce holding up an arm to help Viktor lever himself down next to him. The cameraperson has managed to position himself so that the camera is facing the pair, picking up their expressions even in the dark. For a minute, they look up at the clear night sky, saying nothing.
“So,” Viktor says. “How was–?”
“Can we not talk about it?” Jayce asks. “Please? Honestly, a lot of it was kind of terrible. 36 hours in Prague to have a hard conversation, dump someone, and get jetlag both ways. I promise I’ll tell you all about it later.” There’s a long pause, and then, in a softer voice, barely picked up by the mic, “I got you some silly coffee mug from a souvenir shop; don’t even know if you want it. I just wish you’d been there. Like we’d always planned on.”
“Ah,” Viktor says. He moves his hand for Jayce to take the cupcake, but he doesn’t, yet. Instead, he looks over at Viktor hopefully.
“At least we’ll be back to form by next year though, right? Or even by your birthday.”
“Yes, maybe,” Viktor says, noncommittal.
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Just that…” Viktor seems to be thinking, his dark eyebrows drawn together. “You’ll be engaged by then. By my birthday. And maybe even married by yours next year.”
“So?” Jayce’s voice is puzzled.
“So…” Viktor sighs. “Jayce, come on. It’ll be different then–it will have to be.”
Jayce sits up straighter on the grass, turning to face Viktor. His confusion is still there, but he looks frustrated. “So we can’t spend time together anymore after this? Is that what you’re saying?”
Viktor pushes the cupcake at Jayce’s closed hand, the candle burning dangerously low. “I’m not saying that. And blow out your candle already. I’m just saying things outside of working hours will be different–you can’t spend birthdays stargazing with your business partner when you have a spouse waiting at home. You’ll probably have plans with your wife that day.”
Viktor hesitates, and when Jayce doesn’t say anything, he continues—inexorably, as if it is something he’s put thought into and can’t help but say it all now that he’s begun. “Just like there will be no more all-nighters at the lab, or crashing there together on the futon, or barhopping in Zaun, or spending the night on my couch when I have flare-ups. Even this, what we’ve had during filming—dinner together almost every day, movie nights—is temporary and won’t happen again. It can’t all stay the same when you’re married. It’s just a fact of this, eh, stage of life.”
Jayce doesn’t blow out his candle. He’s sitting stone-still, a muscle moving in his jaw as he clenches it. “And you know that because, what? You’re the expert on relationships?” A loaded second of silence, and Jayce cringes. “Sorry–I’m sorry. That was such a [bleep] thing to say.”
Viktor, rather than being offended by Jayce’s outburst, seems unruffled–his face placid. “It’s fine,” he says. “And obviously not–you know I’m not dating anyone, nor do I plan to. But… I know how these things work. We always knew your bachelor lifestyle wouldn’t last forever, hm?”
Jayce’s shoulders ease down, lose tension, as Viktor talks. He shuffles closer, dropping his arm around Viktor’s neck, as if so taken over by the conviction of what he’s about to share, he can’t say it without being pressed against the other man, forcing the words to make physical impact. It’s this that seems to finally ruffle Viktor; he looks down at his knees, avoiding the piercing proximity of Jayce’s gaze.
“That’s awfully noble of you, Vik, but nothing has to change. I don’t want anything to change. You’re important to me, and any future wife of mine–well, she’s just gonna have to know you’re part of the deal.”
The camera zooms in on Viktor’s downturned, partially obscured face, tilted away from Jayce. Viktor’s lips draw down, deep lines creasing on either side of his mouth; his chin, just for a moment, trembles. His chest moves as he sucks in a breath, and a look of bleak resolve comes over his face–a grim kind of focus. He takes in another, slower, steadying breath. By the time he shrugs off Jayce’s arm, meets his eye, his expression is clear again, as placid as before.
“Okay, Jayce,” he says. He has a soft, tired smile on his lips as he lifts the cupcake and its dangerously guttering flame up to Jayce’s mouth. “Now eat your damn cupcake already.”
Jayce smiles back at him, fond and sweet and unaware, and blows the candle out.
Post-Credits Scene: Viktor’s Trick–443948 views
“Okay,” Viktor says. “I will only do this once, so watch closely.”
It’s earlier on the night of the watch party, before Jinx’s bags were taken away. The women are gathered around him where he sits on the divan. He has a wine-flush to his cheeks, a deep concentration as he pours a small amount of wine into his glass, just a hint of his canine poking into his bottom lip.
“Ah, jdi do [bleep],” he murmurs, when he accidentally spills a few drops onto his pants. He shifts, moves his knees wider apart, so he can hold the glass in the empty space between them. One hand claws the base of the glass tightly, the other, slender-fingered, rapidly spins the stem. He quickly turns the glass upside-down, still spinning–gasps of alarm–and rather than spill out, the wine stays perfectly within, mesmerically swirling against the sides.
“How on earth–”
“It’s like magic.”
“It’s physics,” Viktor says, seeming satisfied with his trick. “Centrifugal force.”
The women are clapping, exclaiming–Elora has a napkin that she slowly puts down, like she’s still surprised she didn’t have to use it.
“It’s like the wine is glued up there,” she says.
“Look at how it clings so tight to the sides of the glass,” Ashlee M. says admiringly.
“Clingy?” Lux says. “So it’s like a visual representation of how Ashleigh B. was with Jayce.”
“HA!” Viktor’s laugh is so sudden that it causes Lux to jump in alarm. The other women titter. “Sorry,” he says, at a more normal volume, right-siding the glass. “That was very funny.”
“Remember that octopus hug earlier, though?” Sarah F. says. “If we want to talk clingy, it’s more like Jayce with you, Viktor.”
The room abruptly quiets. Nervous glances are darted in Viktor’s direction. He carefully wets his lips.
“That is, eh, not quite as funny, Miss Fortune,” he says, but there’s a telling quirk to the corner of his mouth. Sarah F. grins, unrepentant. The room relaxes into laughter.
r/TheBachelor
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TBMOP Watch Party Episode 5
Comment from moderators:This discussion thread will open for each new episode. If you can’t watch live, a friendly reminder it will be full of spoilers. Behave yourselves.
bachlvr2: Omg it’s finally the 2 on 1 ep!!! I liiiive for these
stemnerd_87: Really? Sarah f. thinks their future together is being pirate captains on the high seas?
>shesforthelanes: the classiness of the yacht paired with spirit halloween pirate costumes… i’d love to see her wedding vision board on pinterest
>>rio_grande: is it any better that ashlee m seems to think in the future jayce will want to be planting turnips on her family farm
>>> blitzcccccrank: i liked whatsherface who was envisioning their future as political scions
>>>>iacceptthisrose1: Kind of a stroke of genius from tatiana to envision them simply as old and happy and renewing their vows together. I think jayce appreciates the grounded take. Also doesn’t require a late-life career pivot from him
piltoverthisshit: Prague whaaaaat
>throwRA69: What was the note even hinting at? I never would have guessed prague in a million years
>>goop: I think it’s meant to be a nod to prague’s famous astrological clock (their time together is fated/written in the stars or whatever) but lbr most people arent gonna put that together. Production was just getting cute with it
Stop_hammertime: Isn’t v from prague?
>stemnerd_87: Omg he is! That’s a very weird coincidence……..
>>dontcry4meshurima: I don’t put it beyond the producers to purposely make things messy, but what would they be trying to stir up there? Viktor isn’t even in the competition
>>>stillwatersrundeep: All i’m saying is that there are thousands of cities to choose from in the world and they just happened to choose his hometown
>zaunmom: Omg first the zeppelin now this i cant handle it
academydropout: Ugh i’m so sad about this 2v1 pairing bc i love them both sniff
goodygoodygumdrop: Okay i looked up viktor’s wiki page and jayce is completely right lol. It’s about 3 sentences long and one of them is that he was born and raised near prague before moving to zaun when he was 7
>goop: now i looked it up and the pic they have for him is frying me. So random [picture attachment: viktor standing half in shadow at the third-floor window of the hextech office, looking out, shot from outside the building]
>> piltoverthisshit: was this taken by a pigeon
>>throwRA69: so it’s not just the show. He’s so allergic to cameras, this is the closest anyone could get
rio_grande: Ok what was THAT
blitzcccccrank: Jayce got the full name treatment oooooooh somebody’s in trouble
>Rara3938: I wonder if v is just in a bad mood bc its harder to hide his smoking after the last ep? Maybe he went cold turkey lol
>>stemnerd_87: I dont think he appreciated the captive audience either
shesforthelanes: Can we get a casually touching your business partner counter going because Jesus Christ
shimmer_eyeshadow: Vik and the ladiesssss i’m so jealous
iacceptthisrose1: Ah the classic mid-season confession of “i think i’m falling for you”™
>rio_grande: Does anyone feel like it’s a little too perfect timing (mel confession)
>>throwRA69: Honestly you gotta commend the timing. Say it too early and it seems rushed and unbelievable. Say it too late and you seem like you’re just jumping on the bandwagon
>>>rio_grande: To be clear I’m not saying she doesn’t have genuine feelings for him, I’m just saying she has the acumen to know exactly when to voice it
Rara3938: Hm all this buildup for them to get time together though and their convo is actually kinda…
>stemnerd_87: Bland?
>>Rara3938: Yeah
dontcry4meshurima: I didn’t know her mom was a senator from noxus. Whoa
>iacceptthisrose1: If she makes hometowns (which she most definitely is) jayce will be shitting his pants about having to meet her mother
zaunmom: Omg jinx putting him in the hot seat!
>Rara3938: See i still dont think shes actually into him. I’m also not convinced she’s a plant, but if her job was to cause everyone stress, then she succeeded
piltoverthisshit: Really not sure i get her angle here. Like, she signed up to be on the show too. Seems hypocritical
>stillwatersrundeep: If nothing else, she stayed true to herself while being on the show. Maybe her point is that jayce hasn’t been, idk
throwRA69: She gave him that tongue-lashing… for zaun???
shesforthelanes: Well guys it’s been real but this is where i go. Jinx was the only surprising thing about the show and now she’s gone. Jayce is actually p cool but we all know he’s gonna pretend to agonize over a decision for the case of suspense/tv ratings and ultimately choose mel
newviewer111: When do things get… spicy
>iacceptthisrose1: If you’re asking about the fantasy suites lol, not for another couple weeks. He meets 4 women’s families in the hometown ep and then there are 3 left for the overnight fantasy suite ep to check out their… physical connection…prior to possibly getting engaged in the finale
>>rio_grande: heavy petting bandit
>>bachlvr2: this is all true but if reality Steb is to be believed, Jayce’s season really goes off the rails around hometowns/fantasy suites and they “struggled to finish filming” at all. Take it with a grain of salt though
gargledeeznuts: Personally im still here still gunning for Jayce/viktor (jayvik??)
shesforthelanes: Half expected vik to have a welcome home cheater banner for when Jayce got back but he’s not as petty as me
blitzcccccrank: Stargazing with the homie for his birthday
dontcry4meshurima: I am begging you guys to be normal about two dudes being friends ETA stop downvoting me
stillwatersrundeep: Oh. Shit
Rara3938: If i speak
stemnerd_87: This comment section is about to get so messy
shimmer_eyeshadow: ummmm. Not sure why the producers would air this scene?? It’s pretty gay for the heterosexual dating show, and I’ve already had to adjust those metrics several times this season [gif attachment: a woman walking saying the words, “and they were roommates”]
bachlvr2: Alright i’m just gonna wade in here and say–neither one of them are in the wrong. V seems like he’s trying to establish some more formalized boundaries as jayce’s business partner. Which is actually pretty considerate for his future wife. And jayce seems like he’s not one of those guys who just drops all his friends the second he’s shacked up with someone, which is also considerate
>rio_grande: Is jayce paying his work husband overtime though? Holidays? Benefits?
gargledeeznuts: Man i knew the gay was afoot
shimmer_eyeshadow: I think everyone needs to put their thinking caps on as to WHY v might be upset that jayce wants their relationship to stay the same when he’s engaged
>shesforthelanes: I’m actually more interested in why jayce seems categorically unable to comprehend that their relationship might HAVE to change if he has a whole wife going forward
>>stillwatersrundeep: jayce wants husband privileges on a business partner salary
bulge-water: Guys he signed up to be the bachelor. You all can start theorizing that he’s bi or pan or homoerotically codependent or whatever, but at the end of the day, idk why he’d agree to lead the show if he wanted to be with v–nothing was stopping him before. The scene was obviously just included because it shows a healthy male friendship
>dontcry4meshurima: Can i just chime in as someone who has gone through this many a time– it sucks when a good friend gets into a committed relationship and has less time for you, even/especially when they promised nothing would change. I think that’s the only reason viktor seemed kinda emotional. Jayce and viktor have never hidden the fact they’re very, very close friends, and nothing in the ep suggested otherwise. I think that you all might need to go outside, touch grass, and stop reading into things, and that i’m especially glad viktor doesn’t have social media so there’s no chance of weirdos flooding his comments about this
>>newviewer111: ding ding ding
goop: Okay anyways i think it’s pretty clear now that even if its platonic for jayce that viktor has feelings. Rewatch the scene if you need to, watch viktor’s face. Honestly sad for him that they chose to include this scene (that he didnt want filmed in the first place)--producers want drama and probably knew it would get engagement/clicks for the show
>latertater2442: i’m not sure i’m on board with this reading yet, but i agree that it sucks for viktor. How much clearer can the guy be that he doesn’t want to be featured on the show
>throwRA69: You guyyyyyys im such an empath (I know sorry) idk if I can handle watching anymore if this is true
>academydropout: huh what about viktor’s face?
>>shesforthelanes: Return to the academy. You’re failing an open-book test
>>Rara3938: Reopen the schools for academy dropout in particular.
>>>academydropout: Damn it was just a question wtf
stemnerd_87: Somewhere our stand-up comedian friend Zara is shaking her fists at the heavens that someone made viktor laugh and it wasn’t her
>shimmer_eyeshadow: Somewhere our stand-up comedian friend man of progress Zara Jayce is shaking her his fists at the heavens that someone made viktor laugh and it wasn’t her him– fixed it for you
>>rio_grande: lux girl keep your head on a swivel–you might not be around for very long if the bachelor hears about this
>>>bachlvr2: Jayce is gonna kill her??
>>>>rio_grande: i meant he wouldnt keep her on the show much longer. but!
>>>>>goodygoodygumdrop: I mean, has anyone seen much of sky since she was eliminated? Her insta is pretty inactive
>>>>>>latertater2442: [bad Italian mafioso voice] you laugh with my business partner, you sleep with the fishes