Paradise Hotel, July 16: Fighting Dirty

When we last left Paradise, Matt had checked out and Tara had been chosen to join the cast at Paradise Hotel. However, unlike previous guests, she'll be spending her first week in the single room, while the other couples are rooming together as follows:

Charla and Scott: Yellow Room
Kristin and Alex: Bird Room
Amanda and Dave: Monkey Room
Toni and Beau: Blue Room
Amy and Zack: Butterfly Room

The episode begins with the hotel guests reacting to the news that next week, one of the existing girls will be gone as after a week in the single room, new guest Tara will have first and exclusive pick of the men. Dave notes that the women are shaking in their boots, and Toni promptly tells him to shut up. Hey, Toni, you got into a big fight with Beau last time when he told you to shut up. Yet it's OK for you to tell others that? Toni starts to throw a temper tantrum, then stalks off. Amy says she doesn't want to be nice to Tara when she arrives, but Kristin tells Amy they'll have to be just to preserve their own position. Dave's confessional indicates the girls are nervous, and while he doesn't blame them, the game is going to have twists and turns. Kristin wants to find out all about the new girl and be nice to her for just 3 or 4 days; then the three of them (she, Amy, and guest Amanda) can be mean. Amy thinks it's time she started playing the game.

The next morning brings a special day - it's Toni's birthday! Over breakfast, she expresses her distrust of Dave, and that she doesn't like the way he's acting. She overheard Dave telling Charla that he doesn't think she's real. She also believes he thinks he's smarter than everybody else (flashback again to Dave's conversation with Charla, where Charla thinks the smartest person there was Scott, while Dave picked Alex. Make notes, because this comes up again later). Toni plans to make Dave admit what he's been saying, though she's not sure how to go about it just yet. The girls resume their discussion about Tara: nobody likes her already, and Toni indicates she wants to kill her, or at least punch her in the face four times. Toni settles for making fun of Tara and providing impressions of how she's going to talk to everybody.

Over at the men's table, the focus is also on Tara. They want a competition, just between the guys. They decide to challenge Dave to be the first to kiss her. He'll have to kiss her on the lips for at least a two-count. They'll need a male witness as well. If Dave can't get it done by midnight, he'll have to do a striptease for Toni. Zack suggests Dave ask Tara for chapstick as an excuse, then kiss her. Dave thinks it's a good plan, but adds that if he succeeds, all the other guys will have to admit they didn't have the **** to kiss her, but Dave stepped up to the plate. "Dave's the man," agree the rest of the men, and they toast to seal the contract. Dave notes he has nothing to lose. Well, Dave, you've been concerned about your public image before, but you're the one that keeps making these stupid bets. Haven't you learned anything?

Host Amanda and Tara arrive at Paradise Hotel, and the introductions are made. Host Amanda reminds the guests that at the end of the week, Tara will be able to take any man she wants as her roommate, and one of the existing women will have to check out. Host Amanda welcomes Tara to Paradise, and Tara starts off by saying "I think you all need to get 'leied'." She hands out leis to the guests: blue for the men and pink for the girls. Scott notes that Tara is going to bring a lot of life and energy to the group. Dave tells us Tara is the hottest girl at Paradise Hotel. Beau notes that the original girls are all nervous since one of them will be going home. Amy's going to be Tara's best friend - but she doesn't really intend to be; it's just strategy.

Dave starts his plan to win the bet by telling Tara he thinks women should be feminine. He states that some of the guys like tomboy types, but she has to be herself. She responds that she's half and half. Dave asks Tara to play tennis with him, and she replies that she was thinking of challenging him. She also tells him she has a cute little tennis outfit. Privately, Dave notes that Tara is both beautiful and cool, then gives Tara a tour of the hotel. The other guys look on, and while they had thought even they couldn't have won the bet, they begin to think Dave might. Back in confessional, Dave hopes Tara is not afraid of hooking up, and the flashback of Dave asking her that question during selection is shown. As Tara and Dave explore the Monkey Room, she asks him which girl they could do without. He tells her that if she picks Beau, guest Amanda will be a lot less safe. Back in private confessional, Dave notes that while he's been there for quite some time, he hasn't had much luck (as flashbacks show his lack of success). However, he says he's not going home empty-handed.

Elsewhere, Alex and Scott are getting nervous about Dave and Tara spending too much time together, and think they should separate them. They don't want Dave to win the bet. The might be less nervous if they saw Tara's confessional, where she says Dave isn't her type at all. He tries too hard. However, Dave thinks it would make the most sense for Tara to hook up with him. "Where's the love for Dave?" he ponders.

That evening, guest Amanda starts her game plan by thanking Tara for the hug she gave her upon arrival. She didn't expect it, nor would she have done the same if their positions were reversed. Tara says she just loves having friends. Guest Amanda wishes her luck, and notes that she's going to be at Paradise Hotel for a while. Toni and Beau arrive, all dressed up for dinner, and waiter tells them dinner is served in the Harem Room. Everybody toasts Toni's birthday, then they play the name card game. They remove the name cards from their holders, shuffle them up, then each person draws one at random. Kristin's name is drawn first, and she's asked how many men she's been with. She responds it's in the mid-40s. Charla's mouth drops open. Kristin goes on to say that she knows each guy, except for one, who she remembers as "The Guy in the Shower." Kristin decides that whoever’s name she draws will have to give birthday girl Toni a lap dance. Scott's card is picked, and he complies. After that, Toni gets a birthday cake, and everybody wishes her a happy 29th.

It's 11:41 p.m., and Zack suggests he and Scott hide in Tara's closet to peek in on Dave when he tries to win the bet. After Dave gets them to promise not to come out, they head off to the Single Room, noting that if Dave loses, he's going to look like a jackass. They get in the closet, though some complain they don't fit, and Scott eventually hides in a corner of the room behind some curtains. They refer to Dave as a dork, but a cool dork. Quite an oxymoron. Dave goes over to Tara and asks her to take a walk with him. She agrees, and he lures her over to her room at 11:49 p.m. He asks her to trust him. She says she wants to go swimming and needs to get a bikini. Dave stops her and asks for a brief chat, first on the bed, then in the bathroom. He then, as planned, asks her if she has chapstick.