Giselle Melanson lives and writes in Halifax, Nova Scotia; where the weather is cold, but the people are warm. Giselle enjoys killing her inner-child by watching people degrade themselves on reality TV, which makes fools of us all. This week’s episode of Age of Love featured the much-anticipated meeting between the "Kittens" and the "Cougars." Naturally, this climactic "rumble in the jungle" was saved for the very end of the show – leaving us with plenty of time to feel awkward, offended, and insecure right along with the contestants on their "journey"! The episode kicks-off with one of the Kittens (who are already aware of the existence of the Cougars) pointing out that they have an advantage over the Cougars because they "can still have kids." So much for subtlety. One Kitten in particular seems to lose that playful cheekiness, however, when it comes time to actually meet the bachelor – and ends up informing him, "It is a measure to pleat you." Despite this, the bachelor, Mark Philippoussis, seems more than enthusiastic to meet the group of twenty-something Kittens. Discomfort quickly ensues, however, when a dip in the hot tub yields some awkward moments of "dead air", and Philippoussis begins wondering what the Cougars are up to, even admitting that he feels "a lot more relaxed" around them. The bachelor enjoys a group date with the Cougars (roller-skating) before choosing three indistinguishable brunette Kittens to play games in his bachelor pad (literally – they played video games.) Eventually, the moment of truth arrives during the elimination ceremony, when the Kittens descend from a futuristic freight elevator and flank the unsuspecting Cougars. Adding an element of surprise to the show, Philippoussis sends home the youngest-looking Cougar, as well as the oldest of the Kittens.
Anyone who signs up for a reality show should know that they might not get what they bargained for; and there could be a lot of surprise twists in store (remember Joe Schmo?) However, at this point in Age of Love, it’s becoming apparent that there seems to be some particularly cruel twists in this show. First, there is the fact that everything about Philippoussis, who has admitted that his last girlfriend was ten years his junior, does seem to indicate that he prefers younger women. Perhaps the show would have more of an edge if the producers had picked someone more like Ashton Kutcher, for example, who has dated both older and younger women. Secondly, the fact that the Kittens had advance knowledge about their Cougar competition means that they’ve gotten in the most digs so far ("stretch marks", "crow’s feet", and "saggy boobs" were just some of the words slung by the Kittens in this episode alone.) Now that the Cougars are aware of their competition, it will be interesting to see if they also get in their share of disparaging comments toward their younger counterparts – or if they’re too mature for that. Score: a YUD. Highly entertaining, and can only get better – especially if the groups merge.
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