For Love or Money 2’s Third Episode: What Are the Odds?

This week’s episode of For Love or Money 2 was all about gambling. It started with a blackjack game to determine which of the men would have a one-on-one date with Erin. And by the way, I know that when Jordan dealt himself 11, across America, fans of the movie Swingers told him to “double down.” Then on the first group date, the guys gamble on how to make Erin trust them on the ropes course. Next, Wade wagers that spending time alone with Erin will keep him in the game. After that, the second group date finds the boys betting they can win Erin a stuffed bear. Finally, the boys calculate their own odds of survival. On top of all of the gambling the men did, there’s the big gamble: Erin’s double or nothing bet that she’ll walk away with the man and the money at the end of the show. Plus, we found out that next week there will be another twist – one of the guys is offered money to leave, and he accepts it. This week, Kelly and I will do some odds making of our own and guess which guys are likely to stick around, which guys will be giving back their rings, and try to figure out which guy decides to take the money and run.

Let’s start with the guys who have been eliminated. Why Erin didn’t gamble on Thomas or Chad F.?

Thomas: Thomas went on Erin’s ill-fated amusement park date. I say ill-fated because out of the three guys who went on the date, two of them were eliminated! I just read Alima’s article on this episode, and she thought that the amusement park date was dumb. Kelly and I disagree. Kelly, who admits that she’s a tad jealous of Erin, said, “They get to go on much more interesting dates! When I was on my 'bowling' date with Rob, we were driving along the coast, and I saw the Santa Monica pier, and I got all giddy. The thought of going to a fair, with rides and games and fat-infused food made me jump. Unfortunately I had to go bowling... I'm bitter, very bitter.” Kelly’s bitterness aside, I also think that date looked like fun. A trip to an amusement park is a good choice for a group. All four of them can have fun together without having to take turns like Rob did when he went dancing with Laura and Lauren. Nevertheless, the trip to the amusement park must not have amused Erin too much, since she got rid of two of the guys on the date.

Anyway, back to Thomas! At the beginning of the date, Erin says in an interview that Thomas looked very suave, that she was smitten with Chad, and intrigued by Eric. Suave is good, but not compared to smitten or intrigued. On the Ferris wheel, Erin and Thomas had a great conversation about their jobs. The trouble was, the conversation seemed to have more of a friendly vibe to it than a romantic one. In the end, I was pretty sure Thomas would be one of the guys eliminated. Kelly thought so too. She told me, “I liked Thomas, and it seemed that she genuinely did like him as a person, and was attracted to him, but as she said, they were at different points in their lives. He is 23... HUGE age gap there. Kinda sad, because he thought he was definitely in. ” But as soon as Erin told him in her elimination speech, “any woman would be so lucky to be with you,” it was clear that luck was not with Thomas.

Chad F.: Chad F. had hoped to win the blackjack hand for a solo date with Erin, but as he put it, “It wasn’t in the cards. Literally.” As a result, he was also part of the Amusement Park Trip of Doom. Erin said she was smitten with him, which was a good sign. On their Ferris wheel ride, he told her that “friends and family mean the world to me.” Family is very important to Erin, too – that should help him, right? Turned out, it didn’t – when Erin eliminated Chad, she told him, “I feel like you and I are the most similar,” but then explained that she clicks better with someone different. My reaction to that was to think, “Well, maybe Paula Abdul was right, and opposites do attract.” Kelly, however, saw it a different way. Kelly said, “I thought she liked him, and he did seem like a nice guy. That's amazing how she dissed him because they had too much in common. That was a pathetic excuse to give him the boot because she wasn't attracted to him. That's my take on it.” I think Kelly’s right. You can’t control whether or not you’re attracted to somebody, and Erin may well have been looking for a way to let him down nicely. Chad’s a good-looking guy, and I’ll wager he’s had no trouble recovering from this setback. Sometimes in the game of love, you just don’t get a winning hand.

Eric: Eric managed to survive the amusement park date, so that’s a good sign for him. Luck was also on his side (along with some skill) when he won the 49ers bear for Erin. I thought it was very classy of him to present the bear to her as a gift from all three of them. Everyone saw that he was the one who won it – there was no need to rub it in. On the Ferris wheel, Eric turned on the charm full force. He told Erin that one way to explain the theory of relativity was that if you touch a hot pot for just a second, it feels like an hour, but that if you spend an hour with a pretty girl, it feels like just a second. I would like some wine to go with that cheese. The rest of the Ferris wheel ride didn’t go so well for Eric. He told Erin he was falling for her, and she said thanks. That is not a good sign! He also had planned to kiss her, but didn’t find the right moment. Eric, though, thought it went great. In the men’s conversation about their odds, he said, “I’m even money now,” and, “I’m as confident as I ever have been.” He was right to be confident – this time. Erin kept him, saying, “I am entirely intrigued by you.” If I were to make odds (and obviously I am, since that’s the point of this article), I’d say Eric’s chances for the future are not very good. I think Eric is laying it on way too thick. He and Erin don’t know each other well yet and have probably spent less than an hour alone. It’s far too early to say you’re falling for her – unless what you’re really falling for is the possibility of a million dollar payday. Plus, he had the opportunity to kiss Erin and didn’t do it. If he likes her as much as he says he does, then why wouldn’t he kiss her? Erin herself could probably answer that question, since she waited so long before she kissed Rob – he doesn’t really like her that much. Kelly also doesn’t like Eric’s chances, but for a different reason. She said, “Eric definitely does not win. Did you recognize how they played that mysterious, scandalous music when he was walking up to sit in the Ferris wheel with her? Same music they always played whenever I was in the picture. It is the 'evil' music. That must mean that Eric is evil.” Ah, but is Eric evil enough to take the cash bribe someone gets next week? I would guess not. Eric seems to be betting on the big payoff at the end. He thinks Erin likes him, so he’ll hold out for the big money.

Chad V.: Although the ropes course was 40 feet up in the air, it turned out to be a safer bet for the men who went on this date, starting with Chad V. Erin thought Chad was the handsomest one, saying that he looks great in casual clothes. On the ropes course, Erin was scared and tentative. Chad encouraged her, then smoothly came to her aid. Later, in an interview, Erin said that in a relationship, it’s not always good when the other person helps you out all the time – it can keep you from growing as a person. She admitted the same to Chad at elimination, but said that at that time, he read her perfectly. It was enough to keep him around for one more week, but if Erin gets any indication that he’s like that all the time, he’ll be out. Chad and Erin seem to like each other well enough, but I’m not seeing sparks. If he stays around to the end, I think he’d take the money over Erin. And if he’s offered the bribe, I don’t think he likes her enough to turn it down.