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Joe, the real estate developer from Elmwood Park, Illinois, became the fifth Suitor to have his arrow, and his heart, broken when America’s vote was revealed this week. On the previous episode of CUPID, America’s axe fell on Ken, making him the fourth Suitor to be voted off the show in as many weeks. That left six guys left vying for the heart of Lisa Shannon. Tonight, that number would be whittled to five as America continues to assert its will on the love lives of Lisa and her remaining Suitors. If you choose wisely, there will be a wedding ceremony in just two weeks--live on the CUPID stage. With the nuptial clock ticking almost audibly, host Brian McFayden introduced CUPID's dwindling cast of characters: first, the six remaining Suitors; then Lisa Shannon; and last but not least, Lisa's two "bouncers," Laura and Kimberly, whose comments and criticism after each date help viewers decide who should stay and who should go. But before we found out who would get the boot this week, it was first time to check in at the bachelor house where, understandably, the threat of elimination was the main topic of conversation. ROOMMATES AND COMPETITORS In the Suitor house, the guys raised a glass in honor of Ken, their recently departed comrade. Then they all retired to the couch to discuss their feelings as CUPID headed into the home stretch. Dominic got the ball rolling when he teased Hank about telling Lisa he wanted to take her clothes off and make love to her. Renda chimed in that Hank was the only guy in the house who could probably have gotten away with saying something like that. Renda added that the decision looming for them all was a huge one that was going to change their lives enormously. Dominic confessed that he thought he was getting voted off this week, fearing that America would agree with Laura and Kimberly's assessment that he was too young for marriage. Hank acknowledged his strong feelings for Lisa, but wouldn't let himself get too caught up in their romance while there were still six guys left "in the equation." Evan felt similarly, saying that he couldn't let himself get jealous about one of the other guys because then he would become too aware of the competition. Robert, meanwhile, said that he forced himself to look away from the screen every time Lisa kissed one of the other guys. Renda may have summed up things best when he said that the real question before them was not how ready they were for her, but whether Lisa Shannon was ready to marry any one of them. FIVE DOWN, FIVE TO GO With the audience growing anxious in their seats, the three guys who polled lowest this week stepped forward: Dominic, Joe, and Renda. Brian then told Renda that he was safe for another week, leaving Joe and Dominic alone on stage, right smack in the line of fire. First, though, Laura and Kimberly got the opportunity to air their opinions, with both girls giving Dominic their thumbs down. After the two guys were forced to sweat it out a little longer, Brian finally ended the suspense by announcing that the Suitor who received the lowest amount of votes was Joe. ( Goodbye Joe  )
After accepting a hug from Dominic, Joe watched a brief video retrospective of his time on the show. He then turned to Lisa and told her, "It's a lot easier to accept getting rejected by America than it is just by you." He then made a strong pitch for Evan, whom he called "the best guy up here," and suggested that America give his votes to Evan. Lisa offered Joe her heartfelt condolences, calling him "a true class act" and offering him a goodbye hug, but that was all she wrote for Joe. And now there were five. Which meant it was now time to check out the action on this week's dates. Last week, Lisa traveled the country to meet the guys' families; this week, Lisa's family was coming to meet them. The pressure was definitely on as each guy was called upon to prepare and host a dinner for Lisa, Laura, Kimberly and the visiting Shannon clan. EVAN'S DATE: HAWAIIAN FAJITAS First up this week was Evan, who winced as his date began to be screened for the audience. The girls volleyball coach and self-professed bad cook prepared a hybrid Mexican/Hawaiian feast of fajitas for the Shannons, all the while facing the dreaded prospect that the dinner could turn out to be "the worst experience of my life." As the Shannons showed up, Evan quickly and gratefully accepted when Lisa's father, Mike, offered to help with the cooking chores. When Mike ended up doing most of the cooking, Evan turned to Lisa with a sheepish smile: "This is a disaster." As Mike grilled the food, he asked Evan if he really felt ready to get married. Evan answered yes, if he met the right girl. ( Evan's Date )
Mike later admitted he liked Evan, especially his open, honest personality, but added that he hoped to see him form more of an attachment to Lisa. Lisa's brother, Brian, was even less certain, saying he wanted to expose Evan after watching him fake the karate and ice-skating. Phyllis, Lisa's mother, also sounded unsure about whether Evan was indeed ready for the commitment of marriage. When the dinner was over, Evan confessed to Lisa that he thought the date had been a disaster. She assured him it hadn't been, and offered him some consoling kisses on the couch. Evan clearly appreciated the tender treatment, as he whispered into her ear, "I could kiss you all night." Laura told Evan he was correct in his assessment of the date: "Yeah, it was a disaster." She also said she was disappointed in how he ran around the entire time "like a whiny little kid." Kimberly agreed, saying Evan "acted like a child with no maturity" on this date. When his turn to defend himself came, Evan expressed remorse for his behavior, claiming, "I wasn't myself, I was unprepared, I apologize." But Lisa didn't seem to mind how the date had gone, telling Evan she found it "endearing that [he was] that nervous." She also disagreed with her two friends, saying Evan had the gift of making lemonade out of lemons, adding, "And that's the type of person I want to spend the rest of my life with." RENDA'S DATE: HOW TO GET AHEAD IN BUSINESS The next meal was served by Renda, the street hustler and poet from Queens, who offered the Shannons "custom-made salads" that would allow them to pick out exactly the kind of dish they wanted. As he dished out the salads, Renda asked Lisa's father about his work. When Mike mentioned running his own advertising firm, Renda offered to show him his resume. Renda seemed eager to impress the Shannons with his entrepreneurial spirit, explaining that with his four-year college degree and three-year street degree under his belt, "I feel like I've got the best of all worlds. I can handle anything." Both of Lisa's parents seemed to enjoy what Renda brought to the table, both literally and figuratively, as Mike expressed particular appreciation for Renda's "serious side." After the meal, Renda continued to share his business plans with Lisa, including an idea to throw a party back in New York that would allow paying guests to meet the two of them. Laura began her post-date commentary by thanking Renda for the delicious meal, but then criticized him for his eccentric business ideas: "It's not a carnival sideshow act!" Kimberly told Renda that he was one of her favorites, but added that Renda and Lisa "had no common ground." Renda agreed with Kimberly that he was still looking to find himself, but said if he and Lisa ended up getting married, they could "find each other together." Lisa said she understood Renda's desire for adventure in his life. But she sounded concerned that Renda was looking for what she called "a circus freak-show money-making wife." |
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