Love in the Wild - Season 2 Episode 2 - Recap - Navigating the Dominican Jungle
Season 2 kicks into gear as the third wheels have all hit the road and our seven lucky couples start their quest for Love in the Wild in earnest.
The episode begins with contestants pontificating on the events of the previous week. Cina was sad to see the seven guys get kicked to the curb, but the Timeister is only sad that Summer was the only girl who had a chance to pick him, because he's just awesome that way.
Chase, apparently operating on the theory that the key to success in life is low expectations, thinks he has a great shot at impressing Ali, because all he has to do is get her out of the "shack." Meanwhile, slightly less bitter and jaded Jenny is letting Ben know, in no uncertain terms, that she does not intend to sleep in "that hut."
Not yet Shrieking Shauna lets us know that she chose map forgetting Ryan because she has a history of dating jerks and he seems like a nice guy. Ken reveals that he too was cheated on in his last relationship, but so far he's thrilled with Janina.
Jenny M. gathers all the contestants together and lets them know that somewhere on their next adventure they will encounter an old farmer with no teeth and in order to get what they need to complete their adventure, one member of each pair must "make out" with the farmer and they have to decide "right now!"
The contestants all look understandably dismayed, but after just a few seconds Jenny M. lets them off the hook and announces she was just pulling their chain. There is an old farmer, but no one has to make out with him. Farmers need love too Jenny!
The Adventure Challenge:
Their first task is actually to build some sort of net that they will need to use to obtain their map and the rest of the clues. The pieces to construct said net are scattered around a field. Jenny M. warns them not to lose the net! I hope map forgetting Ryan is listening.
Once again, the winning couple will get to stay in the luxurious Oasis, while the remaining couples will get either the cozy cabins, the tents or the dreaded lean-to based on their order of finish. One man and one woman will leave the competition at the end of the couple's choice ceremony.
And, they're off! Ben reveals that "he's terrible at finding things." Good thing for him this entire adventure is based on finding a bunch of crap before the rest of the couples then! Dead to me Summer and the Timeister are the first couple to find their net pieces. Summer is very impressed with the Timeister's take charge attitude.
Ali and Chase are second to find their net, but being faster than Summer and Tim on the assembly process, they claim first place. Cina takes a nasty fall while trying to beat out not yet Shrieking Shauna and Ryan to a net by a tree and skins her knee up, yet her partner Jason forges ahead and manages to secure third place by beating Ryan to the net. Cina, while limping a bit, is able to continue and was very impressed with how supportive Jason was of her after her fall.
Not surprisingly, Shauna is getting increasingly shrieky as she wanders around the field aimlessly chanting "scanning, scanning, scanning" and working up her first flip out of the second adventure. I'm sure he can have her Christian is sitting at home laughing right now. It looks like Shrieking Shauna and map forgetting Ryan are currently in last place and they're already fighting about it. Map losing Ryan is fed up with Shrieking Shauna's shrieking.
Ali & Chase are the first team to arrive at the second obstacle. For this obstacle, the couple must jump off a cliff into the "blue lagoon." Ali, who reveals she is terrified of heights, is totally freaking out about this. Chase tries to talk her off the cliff, but when that fails, he gives her a bit of a shove, which Ali doesn't think was very gentlemanly, but she's ok with it, because she might not have jumped without him. Chase says he figures he'll pay for it later, but it was totally worth it. Maybe they should borrow one of the "motivators" from Wipeout....
The Timeister and dead to me Summer are next to arrive at the Blue Lagoon. Like Leo and Kate, they jump at the same time, with no pushing required. The Timeister is very impressed with Summer's lack of hesitation. Tara and Jesse are the third team to arrive. Jesse thinks Tara is a bit of a pretty, pretty princess, but when she jumps in the lagoon with no pause for freaking out, he's impressed. She's got spunk!
I fall for you Cina and Chase arrive at the Blue Lagoon in fourth place. Cina freaks out a bit and makes Jason jump in first on the theory that if there's any alligators down there, they'll get him first. I'm starting to like this girl. After seeing Jason not get turned into an alligator snack, Cina makes the leap herself with no more fuss.
Slightly less bitter and jaded Jenny and Ben are the fifth place team at this point. Ben freaks out a little, but they both end up jumping together. Yanina and Ken are the sixth team to make the leap and proceed with no major drama. Where's the fun in that Ken and Yanina? Ken thinks Yanina's confidence is sexy.
Ali & Chase are still in first place as they arrive at the old farmer that Jenny M. promised them. Turns out he's not all that bad. I'd have made out with him. Don't judge me! For this challenge the team needs to trade one Guinea fowl for one map. The catch being that they have to catch the Guinea using their net. To make things just a bit harder, the Guinea fowl are mixed in with a bunch of chickens, so not only do they need to be able to catch one, but they need to know or at least figure out the difference between a Guinea fowl and a chicken. For those of you who've never seen a Guinea fowl in action, those little buggers are fast! This should be interesting.
Dead to me Summer and the Timeister arrive at the farm in second place and enter the pen just as Chase begins the chase. Having no luck on his own, Chase teams up with Ali and soon both Chase & Ali and Tim & Summer are running around trying to trap a Guinea in their respective nets. Chase & Ali win the race and are the first to trap a Guinea. Summer & Tim are also successful and leave the obstacle in second place.
Tara & Jesse arrive at the Guinea chase in third place. Tara pretty much stands around and does nothing while Jesse traps a bird, but unfortunately it's a chicken and not a Guinea and they have to start over again. Meanwhile first place Ali & Chase are trying to track down a tree with some wooden carvings on it, using a compass and a map.
Yanina & Ken arrive at the Guinea chase while several other teams are still running around trying to catch a bird. Slightly less bitter, jaded Jenny and Ben try to hand over a chicken and get turned away by the farmer. Not quite catching on, Ben returns with yet another chicken, only to get rejected by the farmer again. Ben is starting to freak out at this point. Bet they wish they could just make out with him now huh?
Tara & Jesse, on the other hand, get it right this time and leave the Guinea chase in third place. Cina & Jason claim fourth place and since they're right behind Tara & Jesse, they basically just follow them instead of messing with the compass and map.
Shrieking Shauna and map forgetting Ryan arrive at the Guinea chase in last place, but fortunately for them Ben & Jenny are still in the pen chasing chickens. Ryan isn't feeling all that fortunate though, since while he is running around trying to catch a Guinea, Shauna is standing around and shrieking. We learn from Ryan that he wasn't sure if he should keep chasing the birds or just wrap the net around Shrieking Shauna, tie her to a pole and take off. I vote the second one Ryan....Unfortunately Ryan doesn't take my advice and manages to catch a Guinea, moving his team into sixth place.
Poor Ben is in desperate need of a Rocky Balboa intervention, as he just doesn't have the greasy fast speed required to trap himself a Guinea fowl. When Ben finally chucks the net out of the pen in frustration, slightly less bitter and jaded Jenny decides to give Guinea chasing a go. Low and behold, they finally catch one however, surprisingly, Jenny isn't bitter about it. Maybe she realizes she could have pitched in a little earlier instead of watching Ben flounder or maybe she has turned the corner and become non-grudge holding Jenny. Time will tell.
After losing their bearings a bit, Ali & Chase are starting to despair a bit, but Chase's Marine training pays off and they are the first team to locate the tree with the wooden idols. All they have to do now is grab an idol and run back to a cheering Jenny M. to claim first place. Looks like Ali made a good trade up as she has officially gone from worst to first in the standings! As a result, Ali & Chase will be the first couple to get to enjoy the romantic Oasis as an actual couple this season.
Dead to me Summer and the Timeister claim second place and a spot in the cozy cabins. Now even more dead to me Summer declares second place as being "the first loser." I'm beginning to think she and the Timeister might be a good match after all.
Tara & Jesse finish third, while I fall for you Cina and Jason are right behind them in fourth. Both teams will be kickin it in the cabins. Yanina & Ken make a bold move to pass Shrieking Shauna & map forgetting Ryan at the idol tree and finish fifth. Shauna, still shrieking the whole time, and Ryan finish right behind them in sixth. Both teams will be camping on the lawn.
Guinea challenged Ben and non-grudge holding Jenny are the last team to arrive and will be spending the night in the lovely lean-to. At least it's not pouring down rain....oh wait, it is. Jenny M. makes sure she rubs that in a little. Poor Jenny seems more worried about possibly going home and losing out on more time with Ben than spending the night in the lean-to. Have Jenny and Ben found love in the wild already?
The Social Game:
Ali is understandably thrilled to be spending the night at the beautiful Oasis and she seems pretty pleased with Chase as well. Meanwhile, Non-grudge holding Jenny and Guinea challenged Ben are busy building themselves a fort in the lean-to. I'm not saying I'd actually want to sleep there, but it's kind of romantic in a rustic sort of way. Jenny decides she better make the best of the time she has left and goes for a little smooch and cuddle with Ben, but while he says he thinks she's a great girl, he isn't really up for a snog in the fort. Come on Ben, you've known her a whole three or four days already, what are you waiting for!
Jesse is starting to warm up to Tara's personality and Tara thinks they are "very physically compatible," so the two of them go ahead and get their smooch on back at the cozy cabin. Nobody else was apparently doing anything interesting on night one, so we cut to the Timeister doing something annoying with Even more Dead to me Summer the next morning.
Summer and Tim both think the other is peachy keen and they are starting to form a "couple vibe." Yanina askes Ken how slutty the girls in Miami are and he says they're super slutty. Non-slutty Yanina does not approve. While the other six guys are booking their flights to Florida, Ken lets us know that he really likes that he and Yanina are mature enough to discuss the slut level of the Miami girls. Yanina agrees. However, Ken throws in that he would in fact like to have sex with Yanina, just in case she's considering slutting it up Miami style.
Things aren't looking so good for Shrieking Shauna & Ryan. When Ryan admits to Shauna that he isn't feeling a romantic connection, Shauna is pissed and wishes she hadn't "kept Ryan around." I'm guessing Ryan's thinking the same thing about now. Shrieking Shauna cries and then whines about how she stuck by Ryan, even though she wanted to pick Mike, yet he dosn't love her. She wants to know where her prince Charming is. I tried to tell you Ryan. Bet Ryan is really wishing he'd tied her to that pole now.
Next, it's reward time for Ali & Chase. As fortune would have it, the "reward" is a gondola ride across the mountains. As you'll recall, Ali is terrified of heights and thinks this reward will be torture for her, but Chase sees it as another way for Ali to confront her fears. Look at it this way Ali, if the Gondola crashes, maybe Alanis Morrisette will write a hit song about it! Chase comforts Ali during the gondola ride and she thinks he is a great guy, but wants to keep her options open, as she hasn't had the chance to meet all the other guys yet. Looks like poor Chase may get dumped again. That nice guy routine just isn't workin out for him so far is it?
Later that evening, the contestants are all throwing a surprise birthday party for Jesse, who for some reason appears to be wearing a bikini top made out of flowers....I'm guessing alcohol was involved somehow. The Timeister is busy acting like a drunken frat boy, which does not impress non-slutty Yanina. In all his brilliance, the Timeister, who does not eat cake, decides to start smashin it on people's heads, including the head of even more dead to me Summer. She is super pissed. Even the Timeister realizes he screwed up this time.
After the party wraps up, Guinea challenged Ben, who is very concerned he's about to be eliminated, is chatting up Shrieking Shauna. He reveals that though he likes Jenny, he'd also like to get to know some of the other girls. Shauna tells him point blank that she will not be selecting Ryan at the couple's choice ceremony. Ben thinks Shauna is attractive and as a bonus she seems the most unsure of her partner and is his best chance of avoiding elimination, so he decides to "shake the tree and see what wonkers falls out." At least I think that's what he said. At this point I'm feeling pretty certain of two things: 1) non-grudge holding Jenny is about to become bitter, jaded Jenny again and 2) Ben is going to live to regret this. Maybe he should have talked to Ryan before hitching his star to Shrieking Shauna's wagon....
Back at the cozy cabins, somewhat less dead to me Summer is still pissed at the Timeister for putting cake in her hair and she is making sure he knows it. The Timeister apologizes, but Summer tells us that she's dated people that were bad drunks in the past and she's not into that at all, so things aren't looking good for the Timeister this week. If Summer dumps him, will some other girl be stupid enough to snatch him up? Maybe one of them has a cake fetish, you never know....
The next morning, Summer is still upset about the whole cake thing, so she decides to start checking out Ryan, who is totally digging it. In his usual fashion, the Timeister remains totally oblivious and thinks he's completely safe at the couple's choice ceremony. Soon to be bitter, jaded Jenny is terrified that this is the end of the road for her and it just might be, as Shrieking Shauna is seriously considering going for Guinea challenged Ben and his delightful accent.
The Couple's Choice Ceremony:
The moment of truth has arrived. It's time for the couple's choice ceremony. Unlike last week, both the men and the women will get the chance to decide if they want to stay with their partner or choose another. As the first place couple, Ali & Chase will have the advantage of being able to choose anyone they want and that person can not say no. For everyone else, they will choose in the order in which they finished the adventure, however if they decide to pick a new partner and that partner says no, they will end up in the unmatched area. The guy and girl who end up in the unmatched area at the end of the ceremony will be eliminated.
Ali & Chase are first up and Chase gets to choose first. Chase wants to stay with Ali and while she hesitates long enough to make him nervous, she agrees.
Next are the Timeister and slightly less dead to me Summer. Tim wants to stay with Summer, however cake hatin Summer wants to switch things up, sending the Timeister to the unmatched area. Summer then chooses Ryan, who accepts enthusiastically, drawing the stink eye from Shrieking Shauna, who I'm sure wanted to be the one to dump first.
Tara & Jesse go next. Jesse decides to keep his pretty, pretty princess Tara and she agrees. I fall for you Cina and Jason also choose to stay together. Ken & Non-Slutty Yanina go next and Ken wants to stay with Yanina. Demonstrating that maturity Ken so adores, Yanina says it's time for her to switch things around a little....NOT! and stays with Ken.
Since Ryan already dumped her, shrieking Shauna must do the walk of shame all by herself. Shauna's only choices are now Guinea challenged Ben & the Timeister. Soon to be bitter, jaded Jenny's only hope at this point is that Shauna chooses Ben and Ben refuses, sending Shauna to the unmatched area, otherwise Jenny is going home.
Shauna chooses Ben and Jenny M. reminds him that if he accepts Shauna's offer, he will be issuing soon to be bitter, jaded Jenny and the Timeister's walking papers. My new hero Ben turns Shrieking Shauna down, sending her to the unmatched area and not so bitter and jaded after all Jenny can't believe it.
Jenny has the opportunity to stab Ben in the back and go with the Timeister, but wisely she declines and it looks like the end of the road for Shrieking Shauna and the Timeister.
Jenny M. tells Shauna and Tim that she's sorry they didn't find love in the wild. Tim is pissed that Summer "blind-sided" him, but he's sure this will still be "the year of the Tim." Shauna calls the waambulance because it's so upsetting that she couldn't find love because people just don't know how to handle her. She thinks she's a good person. I don't know about that, but she's definitely an ugly crier. Somewhere in America Christian is throwing a little party.
Six couples remain to adventure on into next week....but wait...there's another twist! Six more girls! The guys are intrigued and the women are getting catty....but we'll have to wait until next week to find out what happens next on Love in the Wild!
