"Tough Love" is a matchmaking reality show from producer Drew Barrymore. The series premiere is March 15 at 10 p.m. ET/PT on VH1.

Here are excerpts from the VH1 press release:

Was this on last night because I thought I saw this dude in the middle of the night in what appeared to be an extended conversation in a different suit than he wears in the commercials. Maybe it was one of those extended sneak previews?

I want to like this show because I think its a good concept but this smug host with his lisp and arrogance makes me want to punch my TV so I am not sure I can watch it.

I love the show already. They're putting shock collars on the women to stop them from talking about old boyfriends and other things that are date killers. I was almost worried this was going to be a smart and sophisticated reality show.

I saw an extended preview today that was about 6 minutes. It looks like everyone will think he's an ass at first and then they'll realize he's a great guy who just wants them to be happy. At least they'll edit it that way.

What?? They have access to shock collars and didn't use them on Tool Academy? I feel jilted.

I know. It's not fair.

I'm about to give up on Brothers and Sisters, so I'll be able to check this out next week. I'm intrigued by the train wreck potential and the fact that this might actually benefit someone. I'm thrilled that someone is finally producing a doing a show to "help" someone grow and/or change and keeping all of the contestants on for the duration. It increases the odds that one of them might actually get something out of it--not just a chance to compete on the next I Love Money.

I think this is going to be good...


Think about it!


The book "He's Just not that Into You" is etched in pop culture so much it became a movie, Steve Harvey's book "Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man" is on the Best Seller's List and now this show...it's a good sign! I think I am going to really like this show!

Except the women on Tough Love probably don't want to be electrocuted. Some of those tools would probably hold down the button while they do their stupid alpha male screams.

Every time the host opens his mouth I'm reminded of Scott Baio. Yuck. Add in the misogynistic shock collars (seriously, show?) and I'll be saying no thanks.

I haven't seen the show or the preview yet, but it is very misogynistic if they're using shock collars on women. This show makes it look women need more help than men when it comes to dating. A good matchmaker should be willing to help people of both sexes.

Instead of this crap, I wish VH1 would bring back "Can't Get a Date." That was a good show that genuinely seemed interested in helping people with dating problems, instead of trying to humiliate them.

And let me guess: Steven Ward is single. I bet he is. I Googled him and found out that he and his mother own a business called Master Matchmakers but some people think their business is a ripoff.

The New York Post gave the first episode a good review, but the New York Post often gives good reviews to crappy entertainment.

But the review had this interesting tidbit of info:


So this famewhore was on a reality dating show too. How stupid do you have to be to take advice from this loser?

This review from Variety seems to be more accurate than the one from the New York Post.

Just watched first ep. online. Steven is a misogynistic wannabe who works for his mother. His fabulous advice consists primarily of telling women to look better and listen with rapt attention when men speak. This would probably get you more dates, but most would not result in the kinds of relationships that any sane woman would want. However, given her own history, it might have sounded good to Drew, assuming of course that she even had any input into this mess.

Did I mention that Steven works for his mother? I did? O.K., then just call the Bates Motel to reserve your room and don't forget to ask for the complimentary sandwich.

Wow. I couldn't disagree more. I just watched the show on VH1 and that was not his point. He called out one woman who basically ignored a guy that she liked because she hated her new haircut and the dress she was wearing. She actually walked away from the encounter thinking she had made a real connection when she had actually turned the guy off.
Good grief, those aren't shock collars in the conventional sense. They're buzzers and they willl give them a jolt when say something stupid, like waxing on about their divorce on a first date or telling a man during a speed dating that you used to be a stripper--especially when you have two degrees.
Well, we do. I don't know what going on where you live, but where I live, for every single man, there are five single women--at least.

I thought the show was enjoyable and Steven has some good points. I also like that these women are a diverse group whose only commonality is that they are all experiencing dating problems.

Totally agree. And even though the women on this show have MAJOR issues, it's obvious that Steve has just as many issues. He's so smarmy and smug. He's one of those people who thinks he's hotter than he really is. He's obviously single (as in not involved in a serious relationship) and I bet he has problems staying in a serious relationship, so it seems like he could use his some of his own advice.

And I hated how he said, "Women are generally more delusional about dating than men are." I think men and women can be different from each other when it comes to dating, I don't think either sex is superior to the other when to comes to dating. My point is that I really hate Steve Ward's condescending "men are smarter than women" attitude.



I couldn't disagree more, because there are different, less degrading ways to let the women know they're doing something wrong during a date. Such as: have their cell phone vibrate when they do something wrong. Why put a collar on a woman, as if she's a dog? There's something S&M-like about putting a collar on a woman for the purpose of causing her discomfort. I doubt Steve Ward would want to put shock collars on his male clients. And that's why its misogynistic.

I have to say though that the nicknames for these women are pretty accurate.

Abiola (aka Miss Picky) seems nice enough, and I think she has one of the best chances for self-improvement. But her MySpace page has her phone number plastered all over it. Wow, desperate much?

Arian (aka Miss Party Girl) has classic "daddy issues" and has turned into a slut because she wants approval from men that she never got from her father. Her MySpace page says, "I DON'T WANT A BOYFRIEND SO BACK OFF!" And she wonders why she can't find a good man? If she ever gets married, I bet she'll be a trophy wife to a much-older man. Most guys her age wouldn't want to marry her, because she's so rode hard and put away wet.

Jacklyn (aka Miss Bridezilla) is annoying with her attitude of having to get married by the age of 25. I'm sorry her dad died, but she seems like a typical spoiled daddy's girl who pouts and whines when she doesn't get her way instead of appreciating what's good in her life. And she proved it at the mixer party when she ignored compliments she was getitng, and all she did was whine about how she didn't like her makeover and what she was wearing. Her MySpace page is superficial and blah, just like she is.

Natasha (aka Miss Guided) is like a lot of women who try to reform bad boys, but she needs to have more of a personality. Her MySpace page is as boring as she is.

Jody (aka Miss Lone Ranger) seems to be intelligent and nice, but I think she might be rejected the most by the men who go on this show, because she's the oldest and least physically attractive of the all the women. She does look like a "beat-down divorcee," even though she isn't.

Jessa (aka Miss Fatal Attraction) could be reedmable, but it seems like she needs a therapist more than a dating coach. Some of the things she's confessed to are downwright obsessive and scary. I don't think she would get violent like Glenn Close did in "Fatal Attraction," but Jessa definitely needs psychiatric help.

Stasha (aka Miss Ball Buster) is a little too egotistical, but at least she has more more self-awareness than the other women about of why she turns off men.

Taylor (aka Miss Gold Digger) is the most annoying. OK, so you had a child at 19 and you became so financially broke because of the kid that you gave the kid up for adoption. That's no excuse for being a lazy-ass, stupid gold digger who doesn't want to find a job and wants men to pay for everything. Here's her MySpace page. She looks like porn star in the photo.

Her VH1 profile says: She never knew her biological father who recently passed away, because he left Taylor and her mother when she was just 2 years old. Her mother then remarried, and her wealthy stepfather treated her like a total princess, which was the start of Taylor's love for "the finer things in life." She also says, "It sucks to be me and look this beautiful, because guys are so intimidated by my looks and the attention I always get." Taylor also says, "I hug my pillows alone at night and I hate every second of it." She prefers to date African American athletes, and takes being bitchy to another level putting up a wall to hide her emotional past, which still "haunts" her.

Wow, bitch has issues.

And did anyone else think that Taylor's trip to the hospital in the first episode had to do with withdrawal from drugs?

HILARIOUS! And so true!

I actually like this better than the madam on Millionaire Matchmaker. Steve is kind of pompous but he did peg some of those girls right. Stasha (Miss Ball Buster) is downright scary. If I were a dude and saw her in a bar, I'd run away as fast as I could. Kanye West totally had Taylor pegged when he wrote Gold Digger. And yes, I wondered if her illness might have been related to some sort of withdrawl or maybe too much to drink at the mixer.

Yes, this show is warped, but I watch for pure entertainment. At least these women aren't all tarted up like strippers complete with fake boobs (I'm looking at you, Rock of Love), for the most part (although Taylor could go there pretty easily). I liked that a lot of these women, even with the glam LA makeovers, looked, well, sorta normal. They were not stick thin or full of silicon, at least that I could see.

The guys were interesting, and although I thought the Parade around the Pool was pretty stupid (not to mention degrading), but the feedback was interesting. 'Cause the Parade is a situation not unlike any bar on a Thursday, Friday or Saturday night. I wonder what Steve and Mommy had to do to get these guys to participate. The feedback after the mixer was more realistic and pretty straight on.

It was enough to get me back next week.

A lot of people who go on reality shows are wannabe actors. I wouldn't be surprised if they got the focus group guys from a casting agency.



That's true. Steve toned down the insults a little bit during that feedback.



Well, so far, Steve is only stating the obvious, so I can't give him props for doing anything special. If, at the end of this program, the majority of women end up finding a great guys to date, then I'll give him some credit. Until then, it's just a parade of insults and humiliation. Steve just states obvious things that you can find in any self-help book on dating. Some of the criticism is constructive, but it seems like Steve is too gleeful in doling out the insults.

I have to give him a tiny bit of credit though for apologizing to Arian. However, I think it's because he was so shocked that she had the balls to tell him to fuck off. I think he was afraid she would quit the show, and he couldn't have that because she's one of the biggest train wrecks in the group.



Me too. There's something about matchmaking shows that brings out the snarky side of me, because the matchmakers are almost always disasters in their own personal lives, yet that's never mentioned on these shows. I think most matchmaking services are scams anyway. There's only been one matchmaking show I've seen (the short-lived "Matched in Manhattan" on Lifetime) where the matchmaker was happily married. The rest of these so-called "love experts" can't even find true love and marriage for themselves. And if they've been married, they're currently divorced.

Where is this, exactly? I need to make travel plans.

I think Steve doesn't need to be married at 28, but I wonder what his mom's relationship status is.

I think he was half right about women being more delusional about dating. Women have different expectations about what guys want and how much they can fix them. Men's delusions generally revolve around their own personal attractiveness.

I don't know that Jody is the least attractive, but she certainly is a cougar wannabe. She told Steve she doesn't want to date older guys and I'm not sure how close to her own age she'll date. She could snap up a 40 somthing guy pretty quick.

I don't think Steve is married, and there's nothing wrong with being 28 years old and unmarried. I do think he's isn't in a serious relationship and I bet that he's never had a serious relationship that's lasted for more than a couple of years. That's the impression I get from him. I also wouldn't trust any matchmaker who went on a reality dating show like "For Love or Money."

I bet his mother, JoAnn Ward, is divorced, or else there would've been some grand declaration somewhere in the first episode about how she's been happily married for X number of years blah blah blah ... If these matchmakers were successful in their own love lives, they'd be mentioning it ad naseum to boost their credibility.



When I said Jody was the least attractive of the women, I meant in terms of her physical appearance. She doesn't have to look like a model, but she could do something about her posture, how she dresses and how she carries herself. She looks a frumpy, beaten-down middle-aged woman. I do think her personality is one of the best though. I like how she wasn't afraid to stand up to the horrific Taylor, who is so conceited, stupid, and so delusional, it's annoying.

Jody would probably have issues dating a guy 10 years older than she is, but I don't think she would have a problem dating a guy her age or a feew years older. I have no problem with her wanting to date younger men. A lot of so-called "cougars" (especially those who've never been married and don't have kids) gravitate to younger guys because younger guys have less baggage and are more active than guys in their 50s and 60s. People would also be surprised how many younger men chase after older women. A lot of people think it's the older women who do the pursuing, but most of the time, it's the opposite.

I think Jody's preference for younger men would only be a problem if she ONLY wants to date younger men. But if she's open to dating guys her age or older, than Steve shouldn't hassle her about dating younger men too. I guess we'll have to wait and see, because the details about her dating preferences are vague at this point.

I agree with his statement, but I don't think men are smarter than women when it comes to anything. My girlfriends put a great deal of stock into reading between the lines when men aren't that complicated. I like Steven because in my group of girl friends, I usually am Steven. They sit around and delude themselves about married men, stupid men, cheating men, jobless men and gay men. It's annoying.
Because they are not collars in any sense. They are devices that will deliver a jolt, just like a cell phone would. The preview shows them being placed on their legs. The whole "collar" concept was borne here as a inaccurate way of describing them.
Hee. New Orleans.

If you're talking about being delusional when it comes to dating, men can be just as clueless as women. I'm talking about the kind of guys who won't take no for an answer; the guys who think they're hotter than they really are (like Steve Ward); the guys who say they want a certain type of woman but then date the opposite and wonder why they can't fund a good match. The list could go on.

The point is that delusional dating can go both ways, and I think it's offensive and wrong when Steve says that women are "more delusional" than men when it comes to dating. Anyone who says that has some underlying anger issues with women, and I think that describes Steve.

And again, I ask: Why should Steve be considered such an expert on love and dating when we've seen no proof that he's successful in his love life? Going into Mommy's matchmaker business doesn't make you an expert.



Whether it's placed on the neck or legs, it's still designed to give the women physical discomfort, and it's misogynistic. They could use some other buzzing or alert device that the women wouldn't have wear. And as I said, I doubt that Steve would have his male clients wear that type of degrading device.

I only saw the first half so far, but I like the show more that I thought I would (I've recently realized that I'm a combo of Miss Lone Ranger and Miss Guided with a bit of Miss Fatal Attraction tossed in, so I'm trying to keep myself in check).
Though I must say that as a black woman it bugged me that the guys by the the pool thought that Miss Picky was too heavy, what with the differing beauty standards in the white and black communities. STFU tool, you probably weren't going to go for her anyway.

Ahem...anyway, this show is kind of like a female version of "The Pick-up Artist", but with less annoying makeover/ change your whole personality aspects so far, I guess since the matchmaker is male.

I'm surprised that guys judge wardrobe and posture so much. Really? Like I thought Miss Fatal Attraction was the most naturally beautiful woman there (and maybe on any VH1 show, ever). They said she had "potential" whatever that means. But then they had different issues with the ones who were all skanked out. I guess we have to find a happy medium.

eta: Miss Bridezilla reminded me so much of Miss Howard Stern Andrea in her looks and mannerisms.

Edited for spelling

I absolutely loved the show and don't see how this is sexist. Watching the Millionaire Matchmaker I get to see a female matchmaker tell men how delusional and stupid they are all the time, provide these "losers" with makeovers, and tell them the same tips that this guy is providing. I think the shocking device is for tv, it makes good tv which is why they are showing it but a lot of the psychobabble that the matchmaker made at the beginning of the show is very similar to the Millionaire Matchmaker. She always make these calls and always says things like "these millionaire men don't know anything about dating they are slow, yadda yadda." It's the same MO so I think it's a matchmaker thing and not a sexist thing. These women volunteered to be on this show b/c they are inept with dating. I agreed with his assessment because for the most part these women didn't carry themselves well and black men who would find her sexy and "perfect" she was thick but not heavy and she still had a shapely body. She didn't wear a nice outfit during her initial meeting but there are plenty of men who would want her. So I'll def watch the season, I think it's a great show and entertaining b/c it'll help these women and women like them make progress. I'm glad no one gets kicked off.

My thoughts exactly. Most black guys would definitely try to holla. She is "thick" not fat and that is considered beautiful in the black community.

Abiola looked a lot better between the pool walk and the party. I do think there is racial preference in dating, and few people date all races equally.

Personally, I'm kind of digging on Natasha. I thought her getitng caught in the drapes was adorable. Plus, she's hot when she cleans up.

I'm looking forward to next week, just to see how big of a jolt these girls get from the zapper. I assume the duration is preset, so that if Steve holds down the button it still only lasts about a second.

That's the other thing I like about this show...the contestants, while they are almost certainly fame whores to a degree, they are also relatable and likable even the crazy ones.
Besides their personal preference, I think the outfits Abiola and Taylor? (Miss Gold Digger) wore during the poolside stroll were not flattering. It made them look thicker than they actually were and both of them got comments about their weight. I realized when they were leaving for their makeovers that Abiola was definitely thinner (not size 2 skin and bones, healthy) than I first thought.

Yeah, I totally agree and there's nothing wrong with that. It's just in my personal experience (and from watching reality shows, heh), I find a good number of white guys who just won't admit that they're not into interracial dating on a serious level, but will come up with a bunch of other reasons in order not to look bad. Over on the race card thread there's been discussion of the Bachelor and RoL as it pertains to that issue. Fortunately this is a different type of show.

So I finished watching, and the stuff about Bridezilla's body language, etc. was interesting. She said she liked the guy, so is she really that super self-conscious or was she not as into him as she said? If she has her wedding all planned, she strikes me as the self-centered type who wants to slap a tux on anyone who'll fit her standards on paper to get things done by her timeline.
She's like the guys on Millionaire Matchmaker who say want to get married and have kids, but their actions speak louder than their words.

Although it's true that black and Latino men may have different views from white men about "thick women," I don't think the weight criticism was directed all at Abiola. The guys by the pool were pretty harsh on Taylor's looks too. They basically called her short and squat, and it bothered her so much that she felt the need to go look in the bathroom mirror and show off her stomach.

And to be fair, Abiola did say she let herself get out of shape as a way to put her guard up against men. When the women had to do their walks by the pool, most of them wore unflattering outfits, and the men commented on that too.



That's one of the things that's entertaining about the show. I wouldn't say all of these women are likable, but at least one of the women reminds us of someone we know. I think these women do need a lot of help with dating, but Steve Ward kind of annoys me. He's just so smug and smarmy, and I suspect his love life isn't that great. I would like to see if his mother has anything worthwhile to offer, since she has more life experience that Steve does. I can't tell what her personality is like yet. It looks like they're having Steve be the main host of the show.

While I tend to think this show is misogynistic, I think it comes from which gender the show is geared towards helping. Is it fair that the guys judged the girls so harshly on their looks? No, but it happens. On dating shows for guys, the women are seen judging men harshly on looks.

Jody looks like the Pam's landlady that she set up with Michael on The Office.

Women and Men both need help dating equally, I just think women have different issues because of their biological clock and they are seen as sex objects in society anyway. They are either seen as Madonnas or Whores. In that way, I think dating is harder on women, but it mostly falls on the men. This show could be wonderful, if it respected that women face these issues, and they have to make sure to project their personalities and find the guys who are willing to see them as more than those two stereotypes.

And I personally think Steve is very good looking, but then again, he looks like Christopher Meloni to me who I think is HOTTT.

It looks to me that's what this guy is trying to do. In the previews he's telling one girl that she won't have a problem getting a guy to have sex with her flaunting her boobs and body, but it won't put a ring on her finger. Some of these girls need to be told that the trashy look will only attract trash. I'm getting really tired of the boobs up to the chin look that plastic surgery has brought to the forefront in vast abundance.

Interview with Steve Ward up on VH1's blog.
http://blog.vh1.com/2009-03-15/the-celebre...ard/#more-61647




Also, he went to Drexel so I wonder if he is a Philly native. If so, I'm going to start looking for him.

I really liked this show. To me it is a refreshing change from the 51 minds drivel that has become the VH1 staple.

I do not think the show is sexist in the least bit. I think they chose to do women on this show because they did men on The Pickup artist. Even as a woman I DO think women can be delusional about dating. I don't know how many times my friends have come to me going on and on about some guy only to find out a month later he just wanted to get in her pants or he never called. I think all of these women could benefit from hearing the truth, especially the party girl and the gold digger.

And personally I think the host is super cute.

Count me in on happy that this turned out to be more the female version of Pick-Up Artist and less the female version of Tool Academy (though I guess that was Charm School.) I wish they would'nt of eliminated the boys on PUA along the way, like TL is doing.

I wanna do Steve just for his attitude!
I'm bi but I can't date chicks bc I'm just as blunt.

The minute Steve opened his mouth, I immediately thought of Drew Barrymore's brother in 50 First Dates. I couldn't take this show (or rather him) seriously after that.

I'll prob end up on the express-to-hell with this comment but I was genuinely surprised at how picky some of these girls are when a majority of them have clearly been smacked with the ugly stick a few times and their "makeovers" didn't do much of anything. The only one I find remotely attractive is the fatal attraction one.

It could be both. Yes, there really are women who are that self-conscious, and she's the Oklahoma sorority girl type to a T. All good things are supposed to come to them because they're cute and blonde. Did I mention blonde? I do know a few people who are even more self-conscious than her and they're nice enough but how can you tell them they're dead boring? No one really cares about their stupid fingernails or whether they get their hair mussed, but they are that worried that they're literally tongue-tied if they think everything isn't perfect. And there really are quite a few women who have planned their weddings like that even though there's no man in sight. Maybe when Bridezilla meets men she quickly slots them into the wedding portrait and if they don't fit she turns away. I know she's very young, but....

Abiola? Mulva? Bipple?

I think Taylor has watched WAY too many episodes of "Keeping Up With the Kardashians." Let this be a wake up call to you, Ryan Seacrest.

Hee. I've noticed that the Kardashian look is new skank idol since Paris Hilton has fallen out of favor- dyed long straight black hair, overtanned in an attempt at "exoticism" , curvy, tight clothes, etc. There was a girl on the compulsive shopping episode of "True Life" who had a whole crew of Kim-alikes.

Thanks, pottie-mouth, you took the words right out of mine and did a better job. What were her parents thinking? I had to hear that name three times AND have it spelled out for me before I could believe it. I would probably have to make up a nickname because I couldn't call her that to her... face.

I knew Abiola looked familar. I watch WAY to much reality tv, but I remember her from the show "Matched in Manhattan" . She's claims to be an entertainment journalist, which seems legit. But I think she's also a professional lonelyheart (famehonlyheart).

Abiola is a common Yoruba/Nigerian name.
But are you saying her middle name is Mulva and her last name is Bipple?

ETA: Oh I "get it". Still it's a common name in another culture.


I like this show. If this is what you want. A man to call your own, then it does it's job. I'd have more of a problem or call it misogynistic if they were trying to match women who really didn't want it. These ladies want this. And I can't argue with what Mr. Tough Love Guy (whatever his name is) is saying.

I know she works for blackplanet.com where she interviews people..maybe celebrities.

Yes, I loved that show, especially with the announcer. I want him to narrate my life.

As for this show, it's the female version of Tool Academy!

I'm glad I'm not alone in thinking if that had been a panel with at least 2 black men, they would have disagreed that Abiola was fat. That too small, too tight, 1983 Bongo blue jean skirt and all you can eat shirt was doing her no favors. She seemed the most open to the process and that old Olive Oil looking lady, she is just sad looking to me. She looks like James Stewart wife in It's A Wonderful Life after they showed what would have happened had George Bailey never been born.

That's precisely what I thought. Apparently Kim has her own set of groupies, and Taylor is president of the fan club. As soon as she opened her mouth, she irritated me. Her voice makes me cringe.

Her story about being homeless and having to place her baby for adoption is really sad, and I'd be willing to bet she hasn't dealt with it. But I still don't like her.

Despite Abiola's princess fantasies (I mean, who still believes that crap?), I love her. She seems like she would be fun to hang out with.

Most of them look like regular women. I like that. I agree with what applepie said upthread:

Honestly, when I saw the preview for the next epi with the shock device, I said outloud, "That's AWESOME." I'm a straight, married woman, and there have been times that I would have LOVED to have had one of those devices for my friends to keep them from saying stupid stuff when we were out.

Only if the device is manufactured by men specifically to use on women. Kind of silly, IMO.

We can do "Tool Academy," but not "Tough Love?"

The show was entertaining, and I like the concept, but don't know yet if it will hold my attention.

How about manufactured by humans to use on pets?

I really wonder if it's some sort of device used for behavior modification in people, rather than something they bought at Petco.

Aw man this is hilarious! I was thinking more Big Ethel from the Archie Comics....if anything, she needs a tooth makeover other than that I like her. She looks familiar for some reason.

Loved the guys giving their honest opinion, good to know what's really going on intheir minds.

Abiola is adorable, but I'm sure I'm not the only one that thinks 'ariola' when I hear ner name.

Good show, damn you VH-1 for getting me hooked, again!

These kind of shows infuriate me and depress me in about equal measures. I just happened to watch the first episode while channel surfing and it will probably be my last viewing. Seriously when the host said something about women being far more delusional about dating than men, I wanted to jump through the screen and strangle him. Oh really? That so explains my male acquaintances who are average to below average looking who feel that only modelish hot babe types are worthy of their attention.

Also I wanted to smack his face when he made the women do their walk in front of three jerks who insulted them as thoroughly as possible and then said that all men think these things about all women--whether they're in the club or in the grocery store. Again, oh really? Cuz that's about the stupidest thing I've ever heard. I'm pretty sure when I run into the drugstore to grab some shampoo that NOT every single man in the place is looking at me going "Who's the mousy chick?" "She needs to project more confidence" "She needs to lose weight" blah blah blah. That's fucking ridiculous! People aren't like that. The world does not revolve around that shit all the time! (Well, maybe in Hollywood, who knows.)

And ladies, please--emotional abuse does not make you a better person. It just makes you feel like shit.

Shit like this makes me want to get down on my knees and thank God for women like Gloria Steinem and Betty Friedan.

That 38 year old looks GREAT for her age! Stasha is kind of ugly, though. The rest look pretty good. Even if Arian and Taylor are siliconed up, they are still very pretty.

I think Taylor's really pretty, just too harsh in her presentation like the matchmaker said. Avian could be pretty, but I can't past those eyebrows and general "Jersey" look. Abiola is adorable too. Actually, all the women are quite attractive in their own way. It's refreshing not to see the usual VH1 parade of "trashy hookahs" (TM Nene).

If anyone is in the NYC area on Thursday, you can meet Steve!

Anansigirl, what do you think Gloria Steinem would say to Taylor or Jacklyn? That they are simply living out the feminist dream? Taylor literally looks like a cheap hooker and Jacklyn looks like Barbie's twin. And they are both amazed that they are not attracting mature, intelligent men. Yes, the men who think they deserve some supermodel are living in a dream world, but these women are no better. Someone who is desperately telling men that she needs to be married NOW needs a bit of a shock into reality, unless she doesn't care who she marries. Someone who has been sleeping with man after man really does need to hear, in no uncertain terms, that that behavior doesn't lead to romance. Where's the cruelty in that? Gentle hints haven't worked. Neither has rejection. Time to be blunt: you are acting like a fool and need to show some more self-regard.

Sure, a good bit of the show is VH1 schlock, but the basic message is supposed to be, "show some respect for yourself and don't act desperate." Don't have sex with a man thinking it will make him love you. Don't mistreat a man and expect him to come back for more. Don't pretend to be a princess. Don't be a stalker. Don't be a gold digger. I think that's was the feminist message was. I actually know people who have a bit of all these traits, which is why the show will likely be popular.

Not every guy, but most guys who see you and find you even moderately attractive. It's what we do instead of interpreting body language.