Paradise Hotel, August 25: Girl Power

It’s moving day in Paradise, and the room assignments are: Amy and Scott, Desiree and Tom, Holly and Keith, Tara and Dave, and Charla and Alex. Charla is most displeased with having to room with Alex because, as Dave points out, they hate each other. It’s all over her face as she drags her suitcase into the Butterfly Room. Alex, nice guy that he is, gives her a peace offering: press-on nails, so she doesn’t have to hole up in her room fixing her nails and can come out and drink, which seems to be Alex’s idea of paradise. Showing her typical good response to gifts, Charla immediately informs him that she’s not going to wear them and stashes them away. Charla orders a drink.

Dave comes in to find out how upset Charla is at Tara and him for putting her together with Alex. Charla says they did the right thing, and then asks how she’s expected to sleep in the same room as him, and Dave offers to let her sleep in the small bed in his and Tara’s room; Charla refuses. Charla asks Dave to get Tara to come console her. Dave tells Alex that the reason he put them together is that he didn’t want them together for the third week in a row; Keith thinks it’s because he and Charla are getting too close.

Tara joins Charla in the Monkey Room and tells her she only has to put up with Alex for one week, and anyway, it’s the best room there. Charla says that she’d rather be in a worse room with someone she liked. Tara said that she liked Alex, and a flashback is shown of Tara licking whipped cream off Alex’s neck. Keith brings in Charla’s champagne.

Later that morning, Scott tells Amy that even though she wants to be gone, he really needs her to be there for her energy and spunk, and he feels he knows her, whereas he didn’t know the newer people as well. As everyone is eating lunch, Alex says that he wants a friend from the past voted on, and everyone agrees that would be cool, especially if it was Kavita (jokingly).

Everyone gathers for roommate selection night… but is it? Host Amanda points out, for those of us who haven’t noticed, that there’s always a surprise in Paradise, and this time, it’s that there will be no new guests in Paradise, which is greeted by cheers from the guests. Amanda congratulates them for having made it this far in the game, and reminds them that the still-to-be-revealed ultimate prize is waiting to be won. But, one of the guys will still have to check out – and this time, all five ladies will choose which one will be evicted. It’s time to suck up to the ladies!

Later that night, Keith tells Dave and Charla that he wants Scott gone. Dave says it should definitely be Scott or Alex, to which Keith immediately says it should be Scott – definitely Scott. Everyone else doesn’t know who to trust, and it’s time to start really playing the game and take out the one the others will rally around. It’s going to be bad.

Tara suggests that one of the boys should jump in the pool naked; Tom immediately complies, to whistles and cheers. Keith wisely refuses. Still later that evening, the guests are in the pool, and Tara invites Alex to play “Pass the Ice Cube.” This game looks like a lot of fun… well, except to Charla, who’s lying dispiritedly on the lounge chair. Holly and Desiree join them in the pool. The game moves poolside as Tara and Holly and Alex continue playing the game.

Charla can’t bear to watch and tells Tom that it’s just like high school, which she loathed and has never wished to go back to. And here she is, the same deal all over again. Alex, being smothered in kisses by Tara and Holly, notes happily that he won’t be getting voted off this week! Charla watches them hang all over Alex and says she’d never do something like that; flashbacks to her drunkenly hitting on Scott and kissing Zack. As Alex, Tara, and Holly leave to go to the empty Black Room, he jokingly asks if she’s mad; Charla plays along and says she knows who he’s coming back to anyway. The three stagger off. Charla says that Holly sure gets crazy when she drinks, and so does Tara, but at least she likes Tara better because she’s not as loud. As Alex and friends settle in to the empty room, Charla’s glad she’ll have the Butterfly Room to herself.

Scott joins the fun and observes so he can learn the intricate rules of the ice cube game and the four swap a cube around. Soon, Scott and Holly leave Tara and Alex alone, and Scott joins Charla and Tom at the pool. Scott promptly tells them that Tara is doing way worse than when she played with whipped cream earlier. “Better her than me,” says Charla. She’s glad she’s never done anything stupid when drunk (they’re filming you, remember?) and flashbacks immediately show her asking Keith to get in the bathtub together with their swimsuits on, and him shooting her down because she’s too drunk. Tom walks Charla back to her room.

The next morning at breakfast, the girls ask Tara what went on with Alex the night before. She fesses us to some kissing but says she didn’t do anything her mother didn’t say she could. Meanwhile, the guys grill Alex about his “excursion” to the Black Room with Tara, and Alex says that because he’s never been out on his own excursion, he had to make one for himself. Desiree gets an envelope that instructs the women to write questions for the men to answer in a ladies’ edition of Pandora’s Box. Only the women would be asking the questions that night.

Later on, Charla and Desiree discuss which guy they’d like to stay – Charla says Tom should stay, and when Desiree says that Dave should stay, Charla quickly agrees. Charla also says that Keith is trustworthy and should stay as well, leaving Alex or Scott as the two she wants voted off.

In the workout room, Amy is on the stationary bike and Alex tells her that Scott thinks it’s down to him and Scott. Amy says that Scott is more likely to get picked than him. Alex agreed, and said that it all came down to Desiree – if she sided with Charla and Tara, it would be 3-2 against Amy and Holly, and they could basically vote out anyone they wanted. Alex is getting angry – he says that Tara and Charla have been plotting, and he’s going to get down and dirty and play the game. Alex says that if Scott goes, the three of them would be in big trouble. He says they’ve got to get Desiree on their side to be safe and he’d help out working on her.

Desiree knows she’s the swing vote, and asks Charla who between Alex and Scott is stronger. “Scott, by far,” says Charla. Everyone trusts him: Charla lists Holly, Amy, Tara. When she gets to herself, Charla hedges, saying she’s not all the way there with trust for Scott, because she’s watched him for two months. Desiree confirms that she’ll vote for either Scott or Alex, and they pinky-swear on Desiree’s not telling anyone who she will vote for. If someone asks her, she’s going to say she just doesn’t know. Charla tells Desiree that Desiree can always trust her to do what she says and not tell other people what she says. Charla spells it out for Desiree: if Desiree, Charla, and Tara all decide to get rid of someone, that person is gone – Amy and Holly have absolutely no say in it.

Alex is brought an envelope at lunch, which informs them that the spa facilities have been brought poolside so the men could pamper the women. Alex gripes that, in order to stay, they have to give them massages and asks why the last nine weeks wasn’t enough for them to make their decisions!

The women arrive at the “spa,” Holly being carried by Dave. Tom gives Tara a pedicure, Scott massages Charla, and Dave paints Amy’s toes with a Frank Lloyd Wright-esque design. Alex even applies the press-on nails to Charla’s fingers. During the pampering, Dave orders five special Paradise cocktails for the ladies, and Keith brings a plate of fruit to feed to them.

Desiree, Charla, and Tara slip away to discuss the vote. Charla lays out her argument: she’d feel better about it if Scott, who she thinks is someone who ought to win the game, was not voted out over someone like Alex, who absolutely should not win the game, who is more likely to do dirty, nasty things to win. She believes that Scott is more trustworthy overall; she doesn’t want to send him home that way, and she isn’t going to do anything to help Alex along in the game. Desiree and Tara agree.

Tara’s hanging out with Scott, and he asks her a question straight out: Does she know of a conspiracy against him? After a pause, Tara says no. Has he? He hasn’t heard anything, but he trusts her to tell him if there has been a gang up on him. She tells him that he doesn’t have to worry… well, she is pretty sure he doesn’t have to worry. Scott doesn’t look reassured.

Charla, in curlers, tells Keith she hopes he has supports her decisions, but that, between Alex and Scott, she doesn’t see much of a difference – that neither is a bigger threat than the other. Keith’s shocked. Charla tries to explain her Alex-game-progression theory, and Keith still can’t believe it. She tells him that all the girls were with her on this, and he told her they’re voting on personal feelings instead of playing the game. When Charla says she’d rather see Scott win than Alex, Keith tells her it is a terrible way to look at the game – you have to take down the top dog to play and win. Alex has no one to support him, but Charla disagrees. Keith tries one more time and tells her directly that they have to take Scott out now, while they have the chance. Charla half-heartedly says okay, but doesn’t sound like she means it.

Everyone files in for the ladies’ edition of Pandora’s Box, and Desiree stands behind the box and asks the first question, to Dave: Dave’s admitted thinking that Keith is kissing his ass. Why does he keep letting him do it? Dave says he thinks everyone is playing the game, causing Keith to burst out that he’s not kissing anyone’s ass whatsoever. Dave says that people will do things to win the game, and Keith asks him if Dave’s been kissing his ass – Dave says no. Keith continues pressing him, asking if Dave feels that Keith would even bother kissing ass at all. Dave apologizes if he said that, and Keith wants to know if he admits to saying it. Dave backs off further, saying he doesn’t remember saying it.

Amy asks Tom the next question: Which of the girls does he feel he can trust the most? “Easy,” he says, it’s Amy, who hasn’t done anything to give him any reason not to. He reminds her about when he tried to choose her as a roommate, it was because he wanted to get to know her, and he’d room with her again if he had a chance.

Holly’s next, and her question is for Dave. His relationship with Charla seems less close lately. Is it because he doesn’t like or trust her anymore? This better be an easy one, jokes Charla and Keith. No, it’s because they haven’t roomed together recently that it seems they’re not close.

Charla asks Scott if he could be trapped on a desert island with any of the girls, who would it be? He says it’s tough, but he’d pick Holly. He goes on to explain that since she’s gotten there, they’ve connected both physically and mentally, and she’s loyal and trustworthy. Holly beams.

Tara’s question is for Keith: If you got to the very end of the game, which woman would he like to have with him if it was a choice between Charla and Tara. Keith thinks carefully and says Charla, because they’ve shared things and been close from the beginning. Charla looks pleased, Tara a little taken aback, and Dave looks a bit surprised and hurt.

Amy opens the box and asks Alex: now with Kristin gone, which two girls does he trust the most and why? Desiree and Holly, he says, and the reason why he didn’t say Amy is because they’ve done things to each other in the past that haven’t been trustworthy; flashback to Amy accusing him of being shady. Cut to Amy, explaining to the camera that she and Alex are trying to make it appear that they have no alliance of any sort and they had already agreed that if a “name a girl you trust” question came up, he was not to say Amy’s name as someone he trusted.

Host Amanda unexpectedly shows up at the end of Pandora’s Box and reminds them that the women have had a lot of control lately – and they were about to get more power. They were going to decide which of the men would be safe from elimination. Amanda invites the men to retire to the bar. Drinks are poured and Tom notes gloomily that he’s never won or been chosen for anything in the time that he’s been there, and Alex informs him that he’s never either, and it’s been ten weeks for him!

The women are discussing their decision. Tara throws out Tom’s name; everyone agrees he’s likeable. Amy says it should be Scott or Alex. Cut to Charla explaining that she didn’t object to Amy picking Scott or Alex because she thinks that either one could be easily targeted for elimination. Desiree agrees with the choice of Scott or Alex, and Amy says it should be based on who would have your back when you needed it, with which Desiree agrees. Amy goes on to say that lately, the Originals have been getting kicked off and sent home, and that they’ve had it rough, and it would be a shame to see one of the Originals go. Then, all the women vote.

Amanda gathers them together to announce the name of the person who would be safe from elimination: Scott. Keith and Dave look upset. Scott thanks the ladies and says it feels good to be safe, and he didn’t think it would be him. Amanda tells the other four men to enjoy the rest of their week, because it would be the last for one of them.

Afterwards, Scott embraces Holly happily, thanking her for whatever she did to help him win. “Who else would I vote for?” she asks as she kisses him.

Meanwhile, Dave asks Keith why the women wouldn’t grant immunity to one of them. Keith tells him that it’s fine because it ensures that they aren’t going home; it was just a “girl mix-up.”

Keith goes to find Tara and calls her out to talk to him and asks why she voted for Scott. She says she didn’t know what was going on because Charla didn’t tell her. Keith explains to the camera that his plan got messed up and it was Scott who was supposed to be going home – that he had told Charla that they had to take out the top dog.

Charla explains to Dave why Scott was picked – because she doesn’t want him mad at her and it was a big misunderstanding. Keith calls Dave to tell him that Charla never told Tara about Keith’s directive to take out Scott, and Dave and Charla go to Keith’s room to discuss what went on. Keith says he isn’t mad, which is obviously untrue, but they stress to Charla that there can’t be any more misunderstandings in the future. Dave reassures Charla that it isn’t such a big deal, but Keith is convinced that they missed their big opportunity.

Next time: the women still have the power, so the remaining guys try to win them over; the guests get a day out at the beach; and the women choose to send home Dave, Keith, Alex, or Tom. And the biggest surprise so far: Zack is back.

Anne Rogers is an editor from Champaign, Illinois, who can be reached at razzmattazzz@surfbest.net.

Be sure to sign up for our e-mail update so you can stay informed about new articles on the site! And take a look at the rest of the site. You can find all of our articles on this show at our Paradise Hotel page – and don’t forget to check out our pages for Big Brother 4 and For Love or Money.

For more news about reality TV, be sure to check out SirLinksALot!