Screencaps courtesy of my iTunes Season Pass for Transamerican Love Story

LINKS:

Transamerican Love Story site on Logo

Watch Transamerican Love Story via iTunes

TLS Group on FaceBook

Read Andrea’s TLS Blog and her EP 03 specific entry

Read Shawn’s TLS Blog for EP 03

Hear Jim’s TLS Phone Message

See Alec Mapa’s “MapaCam” behind the scenes

Watch Andrea and me chat about this episode in “NEXT!” on LogoOnline.com

Episode 05 Recap – Country Line Dancing Episode

Episode 04 Recap – Showgirl Episode

Episode 02 Recap – Cooking Dinner

Well, Episode 03 aired today! I watched it with Andrea (and a bowl of cake and ice cream!). It’s still quite strange to watch myself on television. The most fun part of working in Hollywood is the actual process of making the project. Watching myself afterward, I experience a heady mixture of excitement and self criticism that leaves me simultaneously joyful that I am getting to do work that I love, and cringing at all my flaws and mistakes.

The day on the Yacht was one of the most fun so far. Andy, the wardrobe guy, had some super-cute clothes and shoes picked out for us and the Autmn/Desirae team made sure that Andrea and I were painted and coiffed properly. As usual, it was high-energy on set and I wasn’t quite sure what to expect out of the day. It took Andrea and me a while to get ready on the boat, but after we had a bite of lunch I was told that the guys had arrived and so I pulled out the binoculars.

Woo hoo! I’m always up for having the guys disrobe, and I was probably as happy about the white swimsuits as they were un-happy about them, ha ha. I only had one or two cocktails on the boat, but combined with the sun and my strict diet, they were really kicking in. I must tell you, there is nothing quite like relaxing on a yacht sipping cocktails and nibbling a fruit platter whilst observing fine specimens of manhood go through their paces on a beach.

Most of the time, I was astonished at how well the boys were doing with their many difficult physical tasks and I kept saying, “Oh my God! Oh my God! Look, they’re doing this or that!” When the life rafts came out, I started to feel nervous for them. I wouldn’t want anyone to get hurt or fall into the water on my account, so I watched anxiously as they hopped in and started rowing. When I saw Peter and Mark together, I knew that was going to be friction. Mike and Jim are both sweet and earnest, so I knew they would just give it a good try no matter what. Shawn and Rich were a bit more wily, with size and strength on their side, so I wasn’t too surprised when they made it to the yacht first. Despite the nice weather, the water was actually pretty cold, so I was very glad to have nice fluffy robes to give them. Alas, those robes would play a part in the unreeling of fate later in the day.

More wine was brought out, along with the supposedly aphrodisiac oysters, and we commenced to eatin’. It was lovely to go up topside with Shawn… the television screen can’t really show you how beautiful it really was to be outside on the water as the day waned. As much as I was enjoying getting to know Shawn more, I was also looking forward to some alone time with Rich below decks. While I had no plans to embarrass myself, the wine was filling my head with a golden glow and it was exciting to recline on that cool circular bed next to Rich. As I’m sure you’ve noticed, he is a strikingly handsome man, but he’s also well educated and has a sexy New York edge to go along with his yoga-inspired calmness.

In retrospect, I can see that Rich may have been trying to avoid cheesy dating show clichés by covering himself up and going for intellectual conversation. At the time, I was a little sad to see such a romantic setting go to waste and was left wondering if Rich and I might be lacking the deeper sexual chemistry that is such an important part to any relationship. We definitely had lots in common intellectually, but there just has to be that mutual spark or else it’s “friendsville”. Friendsville is a great place, don’t get me wrong, but since we were on a dating show and I had to make a decision…

I must say for the record that I had no idea how MEAN Mark was being to the other guys during the show. He was hammering at them relentlessly, and I felt pretty bad for them when I watched the show and saw what all was going on when I wasn’t around. I’m sure they were baffled as to why I was keeping Mark around. When he was around me, I got to see his sensitive side (yes, there is one!) and I got to see that he’s not just some cartoon caricature of a wrestler. He’s a real person who has been through a life full of real trials that shaped the person he is. I just wish that he could have shared that side with the guys in the house, instead of hammering them.

The elimination ceremony this time was no easier than the last time. Once again, I found myself standing in front of a group of guys who had put themselves out there to pursue my affections, and I had to ask one of them to leave. Like the last time, I was so nervous that my ears popped and it sounded like everything was under water, which made it difficult for me to talk. It was quite chilly outside at night, and my dresses for eliminations were always on the thin side so overall I was pretty uncomfortable. I’m sure the guys were quite uncomfortable as well, for different reasons.

I had thought it over, and decided that since Rich and I hadn’t seemed to have much physical chemistry in the most romantic of circumstances, it probably wouldn’t be any better in less romantic circumstances later like dinners and whatever else the show threw at us. Although he won alone time with me by finishing first in the boat challenge, I decided that I should set him free and hope that perhaps we could still be friends of some kind and talk about it all over Chai tea and scones when the show was over.

So in Episode 03, I had to say goodbye to Rich. He is a really great guy, and I thank him for doing the show with me.