Love in the Wild – Season 2 Episode 4 – Recap – Week 4

Last week we had another round of trios. This time the guys got to choose between two girls. There was a bit of fireworks at last week’s couple’s choice ceremony, where we saw established couples Ben & Jenny and Jason & Cina go splitsville when the two guys opted for their new partners. The biggest story of the week though was the dramatic exit of Tara, who got screwed in more ways than one by her partner Jesse and declared him to be a “huge phony” as her parting shot when she was eliminated. In the end, six women headed home and this week we once again are back to six couples competing for the trip around the world and looking for love in the wild.

This week’s episode kicks off with two staples of reality television, gossip and drama. Last week’s fireworks between Tara and Jesse at the couple’s choice ceremony has everyone gossiping about how Jesse did the deed with Tara and then dropped her like a Bristol Palin reality show.

Ken weighs in on the subject suggesting that Jesse “did Tara dirty” and that a real gentlemen doesn’t treat a lady like that. He even goes so far as to suggest that he’s “gunning” for Jesse and wants him out of the game. Jesse, however, says that Tara knew what was up and he simply dropped her when he realized they had no romantic connection. Uh huh, that’s why you made sure she got eliminated by keeping her in round one and then dumping her in round two. Right Jesse?

Ali, who is Jesse’s partner this week, is a bit nervous knowing that Jesse and Tara did it, because she’s hoping he didn’t pick her because he thinks she’s “that kind of girl.” She assures us that she is not. She also pretty much just called Tara a slut. Poor Tara.

Most everyone seems pretty happy to have lost their third wheels and there’s lots of cuddling and kissing going on. Ben and Boobs McGee seem to be getting right friendly in their cozy cabin, while Yanina puts the brakes on when Ken tries to take things past the cuddling stage. Ken assures us that he’s totally ok with that though. Sure Ken.

Things aren’t going quite as well for Jesse and Ali back at the lean-to. In spite of all the fall out from the Tara incident, Jesse is already trying to get it on with Ali and she’s having none of it. Ali tells Jesse, in no uncertain terms, that he needs to get his hands off her. Now that Ali has proven to not be as loose as Jesse had hoped, I’m guessing he’ll be gunning for a more likely candidate in the near future. Boobs McGee perhaps?

The Adventure Challenge:

Jenny McCarthyThis week’s adventure challenge begins with Jenny McCarthy explaining to the contestants how relationships are like coconuts. Once you crack open that hard exterior shell, they’re either delicious or rotten. Plus they’re both generally a lot more fun when alcohol is involved. Just sayin.

This week’s challenge involves collecting 55 coconuts. They must then haul the coconuts down a long dirt road, where they will trade them for a horse. Then, they’ll take that horse to the top of a mountain, where they will find a map, which will lead them through the rest of their adventure.

Each couple will be issued a wheel barrow to help them transport their coconuts, however the wheel barrow is in pieces, so the couples must begin by deciding whether to take the time to assemble the wheel barrow or figure out some other way to transport their coconuts.

And they’re off! Right off there’s a little tension between Ken and Yanina, when Ken wants to just grab the wheel barrow and carry the coconuts without assembling it, but Yanina “keeps pestering” him to go ahead and assemble it. Ken ends up getting his way and they trek off carrying the wheelbarrow by handles instead of putting the wheel on. Yanina is miffed, because she says she knows how to put stuff together and Ken wouldn’t let her. I’m sensing if they don’t finish well that Ken isn’t getting past second base any time soon.

Ryan & Jenna and Summer & Chase take the same tactic, but without the bickering. Vanessa & Jason, Ben & Boobs McGee and Jesse the phony & not that kind of girl Ali decide to put their wheel barrow together before heading on their coconut run. Jesse & Ali are the last team to leave the coconut area due to Jesse’s insistence that they load up all 55 coconuts instead of making two trips like the other teams. Ali is pretty annoyed by his constant harping on her to make sure they have at least 55 coconuts before they leave.

Love and CoconutsJenna & Ryan end up being the first team to arrive at the horses and drop off their 29 coconuts. Summer & Chase and Ken & Yanina arrive just as Jenna & Ryan are heading back to pick up their second load. Meanwhile, Jesse the phony is struggling to push his overloaded wheel barrow down the road and ends up dumping the coconuts when the wheel comes off the barrow. He admits to us that he realized at that point that his insistence on doing it all in one trip was a big mistake. Surprisingly, he actually apologizes to Ali instead of being a gigantic tool about it.

Jason & Vanessa only ended up needing nine more coconuts, so they were able to ditch the wheel barrow and claim first place leaving the horse exchange. Ben & Boobs McGee leave in second place. Summer & Chase grab third. Jesse the phony’s plan ends up working out, as they avoid the second trip and grab fourth, which pleases Ali. She doesn’t want to end up at The Oasis with Jesse, but she doesn’t want to finish last either.

Summer & Chase manage to urge their horse on a little better than the other teams and grab first place, however it comes at a price as Summer shares that she thinks she “broke her va-jay-jay.” Maybe Ali can use that excuse to fend off Jesse tonight!

Their next task is to follow the map to a pair of ropes which they will have to use to cross a waterfall. Ali, who we learned in episode 2 is terrified of heights, starts freaking out as soon as she reads about the rope crossing on the map.

Love in the Wild - Season 2 Episode 4 - Recap - Week 4Ken & Yanina, Summer & Chase and Jenna & Ryan all pretty much arrive at the waterfall crossing at the same time. Jason & Vanessa and Ben & Boobs McGee are right behind them as they begin frantically scrambling across. So far, in spite of a few scares the teams all seem to be doing pretty well and are being supportive of each other.

Ali & Jesse arrive in last place and while Ali is doing a pretty good job of pushing through her fear, she’s not very appreciative of Jesse’s efforts to encourage her. In spite of her repeated requests for Jesse to give her some space, Jesse continues to be a bit too hands on for Ali. Looks like it’s going to be another lovin free night for Jesse.

Yanina & Ken are the fastest couple at the waterfall crossing and arrive at the next task in first place, but Summer & Chase are hot on their heels. In this task they will have to swim over to the entrance of a grotto behind a waterfall to retrieve a second map.

In spite of Yanina & Chase’s less than stellar swimming skills, strong swimmers Ken & Summer make short work of the task and the two teams exit the challenge in a dead heat, though Summer & Chase manage to pull slightly ahead. This contest is shaping up to be the closest race for first place so far this season. Jenna & Ryan are now in third place. Vanessa & Jason are fourth.

Summer & Chase follow the map to their next task, which is to follow a mountain trail to the upper falls, where they will retrieve a pole, machete and rope, which they will use to chop down 50lbs of bananas at a plantation further up the mountain and then transport the bananas back to the banana depot, where they will be weighed in. Once they have their 50lbs weighed in, it’s a footrace on to the finish line. Meanwhile, Jason and Vanessa hit a snag back at the waterfall grotto when, after retrieving the bamboo canister with the map in it, they accidentally lose the map in the water and are forced to go searching for it.

Ken & Yanina have caught up to Summer & Chase on the trail to the banana plantation and Ken urges Yanina to push ahead and try and grab first place. However, there’s more trouble in paradise as Yanina is not happy that Ken is so focused on finishing first that he’s not listening to her when she tries to tell him that they need to find the machete before they worry about beating Summer & Chase to the plantation. Thanks to their focus on racing each other, both couples end up walking right past the sign directing them to the machete, allowing Ryan & Jenna, who don’t miss the sign, to grab the lead.

Summer & Chase and Ken & Yanina both make it all the way to the plantation, which is a pretty good hike up a steep trail, before realizing their mistake and have to turn around and go back for the machete. Ken is now worried that Jesse is going to win and he’s not happy about that, because he wants him out of the game.

Boobs McGee & Ben are the second team to arrive at the machetes. Due to the snafu with the map, Jason & Vanessa have now fallen into last place, however things are looking up for them when Jason finally manages to retrieve the map from the water.

Thanks to Ryan’s insistence on trying to haul what his partner Jenna feels is way more than 50lbs of bananas back to the scale, Ben & Boobs McGee are able to grab the lead. Ali & Jesse the phony have managed to move up to third place and Jesse has devised the perfect banana pole strategy. Jesse always seems to have a plan for his pole.

Love and BananasRyan, on the other hand, is struggling with his pole and Jenna is not impressed with his “potty mouth.” To make things worse, Jesse’s pole expertise allows he and Ali to pass potty mouth Ryan & Jenna while Ryan is struggling to retrieve all the bananas he dropped. This bleep’s bananas Ryan. B-A-N-A-N-A-S!

Pole expert Jesse is pumped to be in second place, however he’s not doing any better with Ali, who is annoyed when after she comments about wishing they had the wheel barrow now, he responds with “we can do the wheel barrow later.” Her advice to Jesse is don’t tell me no sex jokes and keep your hands to yourself. I’m guessing that with at least a second place finish now imminent for Jesse & Ali, that we are going to get some major drama at the couple’s choice ceremony when he inevitably tries to steal someone else’s woman. Yay!

Because of having to backtrack to get the machete, Yanina & Ken and Summer & Chase have fallen from first to fourth and fifth. Much to Jason’s surprise, he and Vanessa arrive at the plantation while those two teams are still gathering bananas and he suddenly has new hope that he and Vanessa will manage to avoid a last place finish.

Ben & Boobs McGee arrive at the banana scale just ahead of pole expert Jesse & untouchable Ali. Ben is having a hard time figuring out how to get all his bananas on the scale, but thanks to his excellent banana pole plan, Jesse is able to easily get all his bananas weighed, because they are already tied to ropes. This catapults Jesse & Ali into first place as they race for the finish the line. Ben finally figures out the scale and they have their 50 lbs of nanners and take off in hot pursuit.

Ken’s, and possibly Ali’s, worst fears are realized when Jesse & Ali cross the finish line in first place, earning a night at The Oasis and more importantly, their pick of any of the other contestants at the couple’s choice ceremony. This is looking to be the most interesting couple’s choice ceremony yet and I’m sure Ken is going to be raising hell back at camp. Ali’s not thrilled at all about going to The Oasis with Jesse, but at least she didn’t try and sabotage the team like last week’s ill fated bitter, jaded Jenny.

An exhausted Ben & Boobs McGee finish in second place. Jenna & Ryan finish third. Yanina & Ken claim fourth. Summer & Chase squeak out a fifth place finish, while Jason & Vanessa end up in last. Jason & Vanessa get a bit of good news when Jenny lets them know that the lean-to is no more and they will instead be spending the night in a tent. They are of course happy at this turn of events, but still worried about potentially being eliminated from the game just when they were starting to make a love connection.

The Social Game:

Block head that he is, pole expert Jesse still seems to think he has a shot at nailing Ali at The Oasis. Chase is really down on himself because he feels like he messed up and not only allowed Jesse to win, but let down uber competitive Summer. Chase is worried that Summer is now going to lose interest in him.

Ben & Boobs McGee are still getting on well back at the cozy cabins. Ben tells us that they were both “cream crackered,” which apparently means tired. Vanessa & Jason are still really bummed about finishing last and possibly getting eliminated, but Jason is trying to encourage Vanessa to stay optimistic. She’s having a hard time with it, given that best case scenario is that they manage to stay in the game but end up with different partners.

No Nooki for JesseBack at The Oasis, pole expert Jesse is asking untouchable Ali if she’s into him at all “romantically”. Ali tells him that when he keeps pushing her out of her comfort zone that kills any potential romantic interest she might have had in him. Jesse is annoyed by Ali’s attitude and thinks she just wants a man who will do whatever she says. Ali tells him that isn’t true and reveals to us that Jesse is “like the one night stand that just won’t go away.” Ali is having a hard time even wanting to get to know Jesse and while she concedes that maybe he could be a really great guy (I doubt it Ali), she thinks he might be a really great guy for someone else. Ali tells Jesse that if he pushes her one more time she’s going to snap and then he’ll really think she’s a bitch. I think that ship has sailed.

Jesse tells us that he is starting to realize that he and Ali just don’t get along. Gee, ya think? He also tells us that she’s a real “Debbie Downer,” which obviously isn’t the kind of downer he was hoping she would be. Jesse is now pissed because he thinks Ali wasn’t honest with him and if she had been he might have stayed with someone else. In other words, he thinks Ali is a big phony. Ah, the sweet, sweet irony.

The next day, Ken & Yanina are still playing the happy couple, however Ken is worried that “trouble maker” Jesse is going to steal Yanina away from him and possibly knock him about of the game.

Jason & Vanessa are also hitting it off. Vanessa reveals to Jason that she recently had a change of heart about finding someone to settle down with when her father passed due to lung cancer. Jason is very touched that she shared this story with him and hopes they can keep their relationship going.

Jesse reveals to us that he’s going to leave it up to Ali to decide whether they should stay together and if she dumps him, he’ll then have to decide whether he wants to pick someone else or just go home. Things would obviously be a lot more interesting if he’d go ahead and take on the reality tv villain role and pick someone else, so I’m sure we all know which option the producers are rooting for.

Boobs McGee is happy with Ben and is hoping he will accept her offer to stay together.

The Couple’s Choice Ceremony:

Ali & Jesse are first up. Jenny reminds us that due to their first place finish, both Jesse and Ali can choose anyone they want and that person can not say no. Ali gets to pick first and before she can make her decision, Ken interrupts and annouces he has something he wants to say. Ken lets Jesse & Ali know that while they were off at The Oasis, some “real” relationships have been forming and he doesn’t want Jesse’s “calculating” game play to mess up the good thing that he and Yanina has. Way to put a target on your back Ken!

After Ken’s little outburst, Ali lets Jenny McCarthy know that she and Jesse have been fighting like cats and dogs, so it should be no surprise to anyone that she wants to switch things up. She chooses Ben and Boobs McGee is not happy. Not happy at all. Ben doesn’t seem thrilled about it either, but untouchable Ali looks like the cat who ate the canary. Perhaps she will emerge as the season’s new villain?

Now it’s Jesse’s turn. DUN. DUN. DUN! He begins by telling Jenny that a monkey wrench has been thrown into his original plan to ask Jenny to let him go to the unmatched area, but thanks to untouchable Ali’s villainy, he’s afraid if he does that his good friend Ben might lose his “connection,” so he chooses Boobs McGee. Either this will end up being the most boring possible outcome, or Jesse won’t be able to resist trying to put the moves on his mate’s bird and the fur will fly next week! Both Ben and Boobs McGee seem a bit worried that it might be the latter.

Ryan & Jenna are next and they stay together.

Ken & Yanina also stay together, but not before Jenny McCarthy has a chance to stir the pot by asking him about Jesse. Ken tells Jenny that he feels like Jesse has been a very strategic player and he was worried that Jesse would try and eliminate him as a strong competitor. This pisses Jesse off and he tells Ken that he doesn’t see him as competition at all and everything he has done has only been to try and get people together who might have a potential connection. When Ken asks him about Tara, Jesse declares her as “collateral damage” and reiterates that not only did he not have a romantic connection with her that she didn’t have a connection with anyone else there either and that’s why he set her up for elimination. He’s so noble. Ken isn’t buying it and beats around the bush about Jesse doing the deed with Tara, which prompts Jenny McCarthy to ask Jesse exactly what did happen with Tara.

Jesse continues to snipe with Ken and eventually admits that he had a “romantic encounter” with Tara, but that they didn’t hit it off and it’s really no one else’s business. Ken goes on to lecture Jesse about how he should find him a woman and try to make it work instead of messing with other people’s relationships. Jesse tries to play the martyr and claim he tried to “gracefully bow out” but Ken points out that Jesse didn’t actually bow out of anything, because he’s still there and now because of him Jason & Vanessa are probably going home. Ben finally gets tired of the bickering and says they both have points but should shut up about them. At this point, while I think Jesse is a complete tool, holier than thou Ken is starting to get on my nerves as well.

Finally, it’s Summer & Chase’s turn and they will be determining both their own fates and the fate of Jason & Vanessa with their choices. Summer tells Jenny that while it’s really hard to condemn Jason & Vanessa to elimination since they’re such a great couple, she feels like things are going well with Chase and she wants to stay with him. Chase accepts and reveals that he’s really falling for Summer. Not sure how this one is going to work out. I get the feeling that Summer is a lot more interested in staying in the competition than she is in Chase, but you never know.

Jenny lets Jason & Vanessa know that it’s the end of the road for them, but she hopes they will manage to continue their relationship after the show is over. They both say they’re going to try, but Jason doesn’t seem too optimistic about their chances. We close the show with Vanessa’s emotional revelation that she knows her dad was looking down on her and hopes he is proud of everything she has done. She seems like a nice girl and I hope she finds someone, even if she didn’t end up finding love in the wild.
Breaking Up is Hard to Do

Goodbye and Good luck!

Next week’s preview promises intense competition and not one, but two couple eliminations! It also promises more drama from Jesse and Ali, so make sure you tune in next week at 10 EST/9 CST for more Love in the Wild and if you’ve missed any of the previous episodes be sure and check out my other recaps.