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r/TheBachelor
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Exclusive Scoop from Reality Steb!--Excerpt
Sources tell me that this season of The Bachelor will be selecting a new, but familiar, face to lead the franchise. Jayce Talis, 32, internationally known as Piltover’s Man of Progress, will seek true love during the upcoming twentieth season. Talis, co-founder of HexTech and recipient of a “35 Under 35” Award, is expected to begin filming in June–
rara3938: the guy on all the billboards around town??
>rio_grande: wait a person who is ACTUALLY successful and whose job isn’t something like “professional nepotist” or “tickle therapist”
> iacceptthisrose1: i mean, he is pretty cute. Wonder why they didn’t choose any of the final men from the last season of the bachelorette though
>> zaunmom: probably because they were all charisma-sucks, if I had to guess
stemnerd_87: umm have you all seen the videos of him working at his forge? [gif attachment: woman licking her lips] because all I have to say is brains and beauty, wow
> stillwatersrundeep: DAMN
> blitzcccccrank: so is PBC gonna make this season X-rated or what
goodygoodygumdrop: As my grandma used to say, I’d let the man butter my biscuits
> latertater2442: what op’s grandma said
r/TheBachelor
New Post
Jayce’s Ladies!
Season 20’s cast was announced earlier this morning. [link attachment]
goop: this show always reminds me that the most random jobs exist. Zara’s an amateur dog walker? Wtf does that even mean. There are LEVELs to that?
Stillwatersrundeep: great gowns, beautiful gowns
dontcry4meshurima: five of them have variations of the same name, three names rhyme. I’m not going to be able to keep anyone straight
zaunmom: love to see some Zaun representation!! Sky seems like an early frontrunner to me. Also has a STEM background like Jayce
> throwRA69: nah it’s gotta be mel. Look at her. She’s drop-dead gorgeous and has an ambitious career. He’ll be panting like a dog on sight
shesforthelanes: oh, jinx is going to be a PROBLEM. I can already tell
> iacceptthisrose1: ngl not loving the age gap if he goes for her. But she seems like a vibe, and i love mess, so *shrug*
>goop: seeing her job title as “gunsmith” took me tf out
Official PBC Promo Video
Introducing: Jayce Talis, Your Newest Bachelor
Jayce sits in a low armchair, cleanshaven, neatly combed but for one errant dark lock falling over his forehead, crossing his legs in such a way that his ankle is balanced across his other knee. He’s wearing a silky, chocolate-colored button down, open at the neck, and crisp linen trousers in a similar color. His hands are loosely clasped in his lap, the pose giving off an aura of self-assurance, although an astute viewer might notice the way he rubs one thumb over the other, a hint of nerves.
“I have to admit,” he says, with a self-deprecating grin. “This wasn’t in my five-year plan.”
A brief montage–of him standing in front of a screen in an airy conference room, packed with avid listeners, tinkering at a lab bench, eyebrows furrowed in tight concentration, working at the forge, lingering on the strong bunch and release of his biceps, the roll of his shoulders, the glisten of sweat on his abs as he lifts his shirt to wipe his face.
Words fill the screen: “Jayce Talis is used to exercising every muscle… except his heart.”
“For so long, my dream has just been about everything beyond myself–how the work I do can help people, help the world. I’ve made such great strides in my business and professional relationships, and I would move mountains for my family and friends. But I guess there’s one thing I’ve put on the backburner for a long time.”
Montages, again, this time of him sauteeing something at a stove, shoulder-to-shoulder with a woman who is obviously his mother, and another of him resting on a bench at the gym, laughing with a tall young woman with blue-black hair, set to upbeat, perky music.
Jayce makes eye contact with the camera. “When I was approached about doing this, I think my first instinct was to say no,” he says. “I’ve told myself that I’m happy with the life I’ve built, and I don’t want to add anything that might upset the balance. But then I thought, I’ve never said no to a challenge. Is this the one I’m going to let stop me before I even try?”
Jayce leans forward in the armchair, the tight, well-fitting clothing showing off the easy power of his movements. “I want someone to share this with,” he says earnestly, “but there are some…logistical hurdles.” He gives a lop-sided smile.
The camera pans back, revealing another armchair next to Jayce. A slender man with a sharp face, unruly brown hair, a black turtleneck, who stares impassively at the camera. The upbeat, perky music grinds to a sudden halt.
Jayce gestures, still smiling. “This is my partner.”
“Business partner,” the other man says. He looks uncomfortable, a stiffness to the set of his shoulders, but there’s a hint of fondness in the sidelong look he sends Jayce, like this is a correction he’s had to make many times.
“Yeah,” Jayce says. “This is Viktor!”
The music picks back up, this time showcasing a montage of Jayce working at HexTech industries alongside Viktor–the two of them wearing goggles while Viktor solders something, Jayce crossing something out on a whiteboard while Viktor gestures, talking aloud, a behind-the-scenes clip of Jayce accepting the trophy for his “35 Under 35” award, at an angle to see Viktor backstage, gently smiling and mouthing the words along to Jayce’s speech.
Jayce’s voiceover: “Viktor and I built HexTech from the ground up. For the last seven years, he’s been at my side through everything. When I got this offer, I had to tell them, that even if I wanted to find love, I’m way too busy right now. Viktor and I are working on finalizing the HexGates–”--aerial shots of the groundbreaking ceremony for construction, photos of Jayce with a shovel, digging the first symbolic shovelful of dirt, while Viktor leans on a cane, pushing sunglasses up his noise; mockups of the final product, showing the HexGates looming over the familiar Piltover skyline–”--and I could never leave him in the lurch to do something like this. But then they came back with an even better offer, basically unheard of for this franchise, if I recall correctly–that he could come with me, so I could do both at the same time. Find love, and still do my work with Viktor. They basically told me, you really can have it all.”
The camera returns to the two of them, armchairs side by side. “It’s basically the perfect scenario,” Jayce says, shooting a gap-toothed grin at Viktor. “I mean, with how many times we’ve pulled all-nighters at the lab, sharing a bachelor pad at the Bachelor Mansion for a month or two will be easy. And they’re even building a lab onsite for us! But it’s more than that. Viktor’s always been my voice of reason, the other half of my brain, so having him help me make sense of this all, being by my side from the first cocktail party to the final walk down the aisle… well.” He clears his throat. “I’ve never been more excited to find love with Viktor to help me navigate it.”
Viktor was doing an excellent job completely ignoring the camera. “Yes,” he says, butterscotch-colored eyes moving over Jayce’s face. “My, eh, best man duties are starting a bit earlier than anticipated, and on an accelerated timeline.”
Another montage begins, this time of quick bursts from the season–Jayce in a tux, smiling as beaming women surround him, of Jayce holding hands with a gowned woman on a bench, him holding up a glass of champagne in a toast, of him running his hand down his face in frustration, him tearing up, him slamming the door in the camera’s face, him passionately kissing a woman on a bridge somewhere, a brilliant sunset behind him. The music crescendoes, and then returns to Jayce, this time staring pensively out a window, the light catching the cut of his jaw.
Jayce’s voiceover: “I think I’ve put this off for so long because it scares me–the idea of failing at love, of being too much. I’ve spent years telling myself I have enough, not to be selfish, that it’ll happen when it happens, but what if I’m wrong? What if I try to give someone my heart, and it’s not meant to be?”
A final, erratic shot, of the camera jumpily following Jayce in the dark, as he seemingly runs away from the cameraperson, a frantic jumble of voices over walkie talkie.
“Jayce!”
“Does anyone have eyes on him?”
The words The Bachelor: Man of Progress bloom across the screen, followed by another set of words:
“Can the Man of Progress progress all the way to the altar?”
r/TheBachelor
New Post
Exclusive Scoop from Reality Steb!--Excerpt
Explosive rumors coming out that this season’s The Bachelor will feature an ending unlike anything viewers have ever seen before. Our bachelor, Jayce Talis, apparently absolutely tears up the expected script concerning hometown dates, fantasy suites and his finale proposal in the latter weeks of his journey, to the point producers were scrambling to get him to finish filming. Viewers should expect to be shocked by the results.
stillwatersrundeep: no offense to steb, but is anyone else tired of *every* season being marketed as the most shocking/unexpected/wild ride of all time, and then it quite literally never turns out that way
>stemnerd_87: alert the police, jayce will probably propose to one of the thirty women in the final episode. Shocking, i know
> goop: this show has a beat-for-beat plot progression. There is absolutely nothing jayce talis can do that hasn’t already featured in another season in one capacity or another
>> bachlvr2: i love the show but this is so true. It’s predictable as hell. literally NOTHING he can do will surprise me
r/TheBachelor
New Post
Anyone catch this in the promo vid?
Lol okay so our newest bachelor Jayce filmed the whole season living in the guest house/“bachelor pad” at the mansion–with his trusty sidekick, the other guy who works at hextech? I was like why is there another random man in the background of half these shots. Nothing says looking for hetero love on the painfully hetero reality dating show like shacking up with your bestie, bert and ernie style
iacceptthisrose1: if you watched the whole promo vid, it’s pretty clearly explained that jayce only agreed to be the bachelor if it didnt affect his work, AKA if viktor (who is co-founder of hextech, not “trusty sidekick”) could come with so they didn’t have to take a months-long break for filming
> stillwatersrundeep: producers agreeing to build a lab onsite is crazy work. They must really think this guy is the viewership golden ticket
>zaunmom: thank you–he isn’t a trusty sidekick. If you read up on viktor at all, you would know he’s quite the philanthropist too, even if he keeps a much lower profile. We love him here in zaun :)
>> bachlvr2: which is why i’m obsessed that the guy who seems to hate publicity is lowkey gonna be featured to some degree in the most-watched reality tv show haha
Academydropout: you know just because two guys are friends/live together doesn’t mean there are always gay undertones, right?
> dontcry4meshurima: right. And they’re only temporarily living together for convenience while filming, anyway.
>iacceptthisrose1: Viewers have been begging for a queer season of bach/bachelorette for ages. When you’re getting paid in dust, I’m not surprised there’s so much attention for a bachelor with a live-in business partner lol
*
Official PBC Broadcast
The Bachelor, Season 20, Ep. 1–Excerpts
Limo Entrances, Full Compilation– 382439 views
Jayce stands at the front porch of the Bachelor Mansion. It’s nighttime, and the windows in the house pour forth golden light. He straightens the cuffs of his suit, smoothing down the material over his chest, although it’s unnecessary–perfectly form-fitted, not a wrinkle in sight. From the side, a short figure approaches him–Cecil Heimerdinger, the longtime host of the show.
“Jayce, my boy,” Heimerdinger says heartily, giving Jayce a friendly handshake with both hands. “Dashing as ever, I see. Are you nervous?”
“I feel thirteen again,” Jayce says, laughing in a self-deprecating way. “All nerves, wanting to ask someone out at the school dance but feeling tongue-tied.”
“That’s to be expected,” Heimerdinger says. “This is a big step you’re taking. The first one. Why do you feel nervous?”
Jayce can’t seem to keep still, rubbing a thumb over his lips. “God, I just feel like I haven’t dipped my toe in these waters in forever. Every woman I’m about to meet maybe has this idea of me as some–I don’t know, suave, effortlessly charming, worldly guy. The Man of Progress–whatever that actually means. I’m afraid I’ll immediately puncture that fantasy.”
“Don’t be so hard on yourself,” Heimerdinger scolds lightly. “At any rate, you’re about to meet thirty women who all have different backgrounds and dreams and personalities. Do you know what they all have in common?”
Jayce shakes his head, and Heimerdinger leans in conspiratorially.
“They took one look at who was this season’s bachelor, and they all said I do!”
Jayce smiles, dipping his head sideways into his shoulder for a moment, bashful.
Heimerdinger steps away, looking toward the front gate, where there’s a sudden flash of headlights. “I believe that’s our first limo, Jayce. I’d say good luck, but I really don’t think you need it.”
“Thanks, Cecil,” Jayce says. Heimerdinger exits the screen, the first limo comes closer, and there’s a close-up of Jayce standing very still, closing his eyes, centering himself, before he opens them again. The limo door opens, and a high-heeled foot emerges.
“Oh, wow,” Jayce murmurs.
[...]
The beaker the woman is holding overflows with a harmless, bubbly concoction, bright pink.
“Guess my experiment works. We do have chemistry,” she says, and winks.
“Oh!” Jayce’s eyes widen, and he smiles.
[...]
The small, homemade battery this beautifully gowned contestant is holding finally lights up, a pulsing green light. She drags it provocatively down his chest.
“It’s official,” she says, “there’s electricity between us.”
Jayce laughs, rubbing a hand down his face. “That’s, wow. Wow.”
[...]
This contestant comes tripping out of the limo wearing a head-to-tie rendition of a hexgate–a boxy gold and white column, and a round globe on her head, cut in a way that only her face is visible. It takes an interminably long time, with her limited range of motion, to finally shuffle up the driveway to Jayce, who is holding out his hands to receive her.
“You really did your homework,” Jayce says, looking her up and down.
“Consider our love like a hexgate,” the woman replies, deadpan. “Because by the time this show is finished, our love will have traveled great distances.”
[...]
Jayce is still giggling to himself over the last contestant when the next woman comes forward out of the limo. He abruptly stops. A chyron on the bottom of the screen informs viewers she’s from Noxus, and is a partner at a venture capital firm. She’s wearing a simple white dress with gold accents, one that fits her like a glove, luminescent against her skin. Her eyes are also outlined in gold. She walks confidently, slowly, up to Jayce, her head poised high.
“Mel,” she says, extending her hand to Jayce, and he wordlessly takes it.
There’s no gimmick with this contestant, no science puns, nothing attention-grabbing to guarantee he’ll remember her. There’s an unspoken confidence in that, too–she knows she’s memorable all by herself.
Jayce’s mouth is slightly open.
“I’m sure we’ll have other chances to talk more,” she murmurs, “so I’ll make it brief. I know there are plenty of other women you’ll meet tonight, but I’m from Noxus, Jayce, and there–we fight for what we want.” She nudges a knuckle beneath his jaw, pushing it up so his mouth closes.
She walks past him. “See you inside,” she says over her shoulder.
Jayce lifts his hands and puts them over his face. “Give me a minute,” he says, voice muffled.
[...]
This contestant, with long, braided, blue hair, blows pretend smoke off the barrel of her gun and then slots it into a thigh holster. The gunsmith, 21, from Zaun. Just behind her, a sparking drone crashes to the driveway, skittering into pieces, one that had been spraypainted with a cartoonish heart.
“Guess I’ve got your heart now, loverboy,” she says, winking. “Oh, and I’m Jinx, by the way. Probably should have done the proper introduction first, huh? Where are my manners.”
Meet Viktor– 293584 views
Viktor is seated in the lab, in a white lab coat over a thin maroon vest, goggles pushed up into his hair. Although the background is slightly blurred, there is an array of blinking, whirring, high-tech equipment on the lab bench behind him. He looks vaguely annoyed, like he was interrupted in the middle of doing something.
“Don’t you already know the answers to that?” he says, a thread of irritation in his soft, richly accented voice.
A producer, off-screen: “This is for the benefit of the viewer, Viktor. Just a little introduction.”
“Fine, then.” Viktor briefly makes eye contact with the camera, his mouth screwed up into an annoyed pout. “My name is Viktor, I’m 33, and I’m the cofounder of HexTech.”
“And your relationship to Jayce?”
“Jayce is my business partner, the other cofounder of HexTech.” He speaks with a little more warmth, but it is still clear he has little patience for this.
“What did you think about Jayce being approached to be bachelor?”
“He’s always been–”
“Sorry, but could you incorporate the question back into the answer? You could begin by saying, when Jayce was approached to be the bachelor, I thought…”
Viktor closes his eyes for a long moment.
“Viktor?”
“When Jayce was asked to be bachelor, I understood that it could be a good opportunity for him.”
“Might you elaborate on that?”
Viktor sniffs, rubs his hand at the bridge of his nose. “Jayce has always been married to his work. I think he has a lot of love to give. Hopefully, to one of the women so carefully curated for him here.”
“What did you think about being brought on the show with Jayce?”
“I–”
“Sorry, but like before…”
Viktor’s tone is reserved, perfunctory. “When Jayce asked me to join him on the show, I suppose it cemented for me exactly how Jayce sees me. I’m his business partner. I’m his friend and confidante. If the only condition he had to take on this bachelor role was if I joined him, who am I to stand in his way?”
“Right now, just out on the driveway, Jayce is meeting the women for the first time. What do you think Jayce is looking for in a wife?”
“You would have to ask Jayce what he is looking for in a wife,” Viktor says. The producer must make some expression at him off-camera, or mouth something, because he relents, his eyes blindly tracking to the side as he chooses his words. “I think Jayce must be looking for a woman who is also driven, passionate. Big-hearted. Beautiful. Can light up the room, just like him. Someone who is, eh, the whole package.”
“Last question, I promise. It’s almost time for the cocktail party, which you’ll be attending. How are you acclimating to moving your work here while we film? It’s obviously a novel facet of Jayce’s season.”
“Progress has been slow,” Viktor says dryly, “due to seen and unforeseen interruptions.”
Jayce Gives the First Impression Rose– 384038 views
“Ladies,” Heimerdinger says affably. “I’m sorry to interrupt the cocktail party, but we’ve reached an important juncture of the night. What I have here in my hands is a very important item–the first impression rose. Jayce, my boy, I give it to you, with the instruction to give it to whichever of these lovely ladies tonight has already set herself apart.”
Heimedinger is standing in one of the sitting rooms of the mansion, next to Jayce–all around the room, on couches and chairs, are women in beautiful gowns. They had been talking and laughing just moments ago, lifting champagne to their lips, but that has come to a sudden halt. All eyes are drawn to that red rose now being placed in Jayce’s hand, who moves his long fingers unconsciously along its thornless stem.
Also Viktor, who is sitting in a corner, alone, tilting his head against the wall. He can be seen in the background of the shot: minus the lab coat, now, but still in the maroon vest–matching the red embellishments on his brace–over a white shirt with long, ballooning sleeves. He looks up in interest.
“It’s been such a wonderful night, meeting all of you,” Jayce says. “All of you are so amazing, and I can’t wait to get to know everyone better. It doesn’t seem fair, really, to say just one woman stood out to me. I mean, who am I to make comparisons or rankings? I should be pinching myself right now, not handing out a rose.”
“And who would that lucky woman be?” Heimerdinger cuts in.
A slight flush burns in Jayce’s face. His eyes find the face before he speaks it. “Mel,” he says. “I’d like to offer you this first impression rose.”
There’s a ripple of congratulations, polite clapping, from the assembled women, a few who seem to be barely holding in tears or anger. Mel gets up, smoothing the skirt of her white dress, and graciously comes forward.
“Thank you, Jayce,” she says, her fingers lingering over his on the stem. “I look forward to many, many more impressions.”
“Me too,” Jayce says, and for a moment, seems to forget himself, seems to forget it’s a competition show with 29 other women vying for his attention. The camera zooms in tight on his baffled, blushing, smiling face.
Finally, he snaps out of it, looking away from Mel and back to the room of women. He raises his flute of champagne. “Shall we?”
He’s barely swallowed a sip before a slim blonde, Lux, places her fingers delicately on his sleeve. “Can I steal you for a second?”
Jayce extends his arm to her, gentlemanly, as he escorts her from the room, exiting to the garden for a private conversation. Talk slowly builds back up between the assembled women, expressing nerves, giving quick introductions, a few with jealous looks to Mel or to Jayce’s departing back. Mel sits silently, looking down at the rose in her lap, smiling to herself. Behind her, in the corner, Viktor idly twists the stem of his champagne flute between his fingers, leans his head back against the wall.
r/TheBachelor
New Post
TBMOP Watch Party Episode 1
Comment from moderators: Before you ask, it stands for “The Bachelor: Man of Progress.” 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: okay i’ll say it. Jayce looks GOOD. god that suit fits him to a T
> stemnerd_87: to a T is perfect for mr wearing T-shaped cufflinks talis lol
> stillwatersrundeep: he looks like a movie star!
>> stemnerd_87: the name is talis, jayce talis
iacceptthisrose1: aww he looks so nervous
> shesforthelanes: i do love it when a hot man is a lil afraid of being vulnerable and finding love, but does it anyway
rara3938: god heimerdinger hosting this show and giving advice on love always knocks me tf out. Hasn’t the man been single for going on fifty years
> rio_grande: he has found a kind of love, but it’s with his dog, so
throwRA69: wait, THATS viktor?? [gif attachment: man fanning himself]
> shesforthelanes: i know right? I literally choked on my pasta salad. The *accent*
> blitzcccccrank: twink of the month just dropped
rara3938: i’ve only known viktor for a minute and half, but if anything happens to him i will kill everyone in that room and then myself
bachlvr2 : mel has so much rizz wth
> shimmer_eyeshadow: sooo many bad science/chemistry puns, it was honestly nice to see someone come out with something a bit more original
>> throwRA69: umm im sorry, did you miss jinx literally bullseyeing a drone that looked like a flying heart with her bb gun
>>> iacceptthisrose1: jayce looked both impressed and deeply stressed by that
>>>> throwRA69: should i pull out a gun on the first date? Jinx: yes
goop: having jayce explain the nature of his research to elora and the producers SPEEDING UP HIS RESPONSE X2 AND IT STILL LASTS OVER TWO MINUTES is diabolical
> stillwatersrundeep: i was belly laughing from his chipmunk voice from how sped-up it was lolol
> shesforthelanes: she is never gonna ask another question about it again hahaha. At a certain point i saw the light behind her eyes just fade away
rara3938: viktor awkwardly sitting in a corner not talking to anyone at the cocktail party is so me-coded
> bachlvr2: honestly i’m surprised none of the women would want to at least try to mine him for some valuable jayce intel
> zaunmom: he’s got a resting don’t fuck with me face. That’s zaun to the core baybee
throwRA69: mel aka the MOST BEAUTIFUL WOMAN IN THE WORLD gets the first impression rose hell yeah
> stop_hammertime: it just looks right, her in a beautiful white gown with a red rose. Make an honest woman out of her already talis
stemnerd_87: aww jayce seems so genuine as he gives out his roses. Such a sweetheart
> shimmer_eyeshadow: his hands are shaking a bit! He’s taking it so seriously!
goop: i knewww she’d be going home. As interesting as a glass of lukewarm water
iacceptthisrose1: humiliating to be dressed up as a hexgate the whole time and then get booted on night one
> blitzcccccrank: no one told her how much it would look like a dick, did they
goop: that shot of viktor sleeping on the divan in the other room while the rose ceremony is ongoing hahaha
> zaunmom: i mean i think they’re up until like 2 am filming this, so it’s valid
> blitzcccccrank: sleep well sweet prince!!
goodygoodygumpdrop: lol i love that this is jayce’s season of the bachelor and half the reddit comments are thirsting after viktor too