Day 2: Nothing But Net

On today's episode of For Love or Money, the girls are up early for their first challenge.

"What's up, ladies?"

"Hi, Mac!"

"Hey, Mac!"

"Hello!"

"You can probably guess why we asked you to put on sportswear and meet up here. One thing about Landon is that he's a big sports fan, and basketball is a particular favorite of his. That's why you'll be competing against each other in a game of basketball to win the privilege of going on the first group date this season!"

"Oh no!"

"I'm not much of a basketball person myself."
"I guess this is fine."

"We'll be splitting you into two teams, where each member will go one-on-one on a hoops challenge with someone from the other team. Landon, who is visiting some family in the city right now, by the way, has chosen the team captains."

"Kate will be the green team's captain..."

"...And Rosetta will be the pink team's captain."

"Why are the teams green and pink?" asks Crystal.

"You'll just have to find out for yourselves throughout the show," Mac responds. "Anyway, the team captains will take turns choosing members for their teams. Kate gets first pick."

"Bootsie."

"Linda goes with me," says Rosetta.

"Crystal, welcome to the green team."

"Ariella, you're with me."

"Pricilla Pettit, please."

"Yesth!"

"And that leaves Jeannie as the last member of team pink."

"Honestly, I was pretty annoyed that I got picked last. Well, more like they were stuck with me. But I'm over it now. And besides, I'm not that big of a sports person myself."

"Alright, now that we have our teams settled, the last picks will compete first, going all the way up to the team leaders."

"Does that mean first picks are like the co-captains of the team?" Bootsie asks jokingly.

"Sure, I guess you can think of it that way," Mac responds. "It's Pricilla versus Jeannie first."

Pri makes the shot.

Jeannie tries to make a shot.

Team Green wins this round.

"Darn it!"

Ariella shoots, and she scores!

"Beautiful!"

Crystal misses the basket.

And it's a victory for Team Pink!

"It was such a waste that Crystal lost that round. We were off to a good start there! Good thing Team Green had a secret weapon: me!"

Bootsie gets it in.

"She's good," Kate remarks to Pricilla.

Linda misses her shots for the most part.

"It's okay, you did fine," Bootsie says to a dejected Linda.

Team Green wins this round. It's all up to the team leaders now. If Team Pink wins this one, the teams will enter a tie!

"I spent a lot of time outdoors, and basketball was one of the ways I passed the time," Rosetta claims.

Kate fails to make the shot.

"Grrr...so close!" Kate grumbles.

"Well that was nice," Rosetta says.

"Alright, since it's 2-2 at this point, y'all need to huddle up and decide who you'll send among your teams to help break the tie."

"You really think you can?"

"We need to think about it first."

"Let'th thee..."

"Alright, we got this, girls."

"But what if we lose?"
"Oh my God, don't be such a negative nancy..."

After a few minutes, the girls have decided...

"For the green team, we're sending..."

"...Pri."

"Green Team Represthent!"

"Since she won last time, and she is our captain after all, we're sending..."

"...Rosetta."

Looks like Pri misses the shot this time.

And so does Rosetta. We're off to a bad start here. But after a few rounds...

.

.

.

.

Pri bags the win for Team Green!

"Ugh, we were so close!" Rosetta laments.

"Yesth! We won!"

"Tho I mentioned that I got thith lithp from the brathesth I recthently got. I'm thstill adjusthting to them, but I thshould be able to sthpeak normally in a few daysth with a little practisthe."

"And the hatersth gonna hate, hate, hate, hate, hate. Justht gotta shake it off, shake it off..."

"Congrats, Team Green! You've won the privilege of going on the first date with Landon tomorrow!"

"Speaking of which, here he is now!"

"Hey, what's up, ladies?"

"Hi, Landon!"
"We missed you!"

"So, who won?" Landon asks.

"We did!" Team Green chimed in a chorus.

"That's great! I hope you gals will be ready for tomorrow. As for the other team..."

"Rosetta, would you mind talking somewhere private?"

"Not at all."

Everyone decides to go back inside...except for Pricilla, who stayed a while longer to dribble a couple times.

"Good choice of location, by the way. The landscaping is great, and it's pretty comfy here."

"You mean this stone bench?" Landon dryly asks.

"Yeah, I'd say it's comfortable enough to sleep on. Because...you know. So, anyway, I've been meaning to ask...why did you pick me to be a team captain?"

"Well, I just feel like we have this connection, you know? We got to know each other a bit yesterday, and I already feel somewhat comfortable around you."

"Oh, you know, I don't really warm up to people very easily, but I can say the same for you, Landon. I don't know if it's just because we're on a reality show, but I already feel at ease around you."

Rosetta gazes at the garden around her and organizes her thoughts for a while.

"Wait, does that mean you also feel the same for Kate?" Rosetta teasingly asks. She gently elbows Landon while saying this.

"To be honest, yeah. That's why I picked you two."

Rosetta nods along as the reality of the situation starts to sink in. These other women, she'll be competing with them in the following days. And it'll only get more fierce later on.

"I'm so excited for that group date tomorrow!" Kate squeals.

"Me too!" Crystal replies. "It's just too bad that blew our matches back there."

"Yeah, I wasn't very good at sports when I was a kid. My brothers played a lot with the neighbor kids, though."

"Maybe your brothers should've played in our stead. We would've dominated the pinkies that way." Crystal jokes.

"Yeah..."

A somber look creeps across Kate's face.

"Oh hey, good game back there, Jeannie," Bootsie says.

"Thanks! I wish I could've gone on that group date, but I hope you enjoy yourselves tomorrow. But not too much," Jeannie winks.

"How did you get so good at this?" asks Landon.

"One of my friends back in high school had one of these. We'd often play it when I went over to her house."

Ariella quickly spins a row. The ball goes flying fast and enters Landon's goal.

"SCORE!"

"Damn, you're too good," Landon remarks.

"So, what brings you here to the game room?"

"Since we won't be seeing each other tomorrow, I just wanted to spend the rest of the day getting to know your team. You never told me what you do for a living, by the way."

"Oh, right! I'm currently a veterinary student. If there's anything I love as much as helping others out, it's taking care of animals."

"I take it you're an animal person."

"Oh yes. I had so many pets growing up, you wouldn't believe."

"Oh, speaking of animals, back when I was 8, my brother, Derrick, had this pet hamster. He was also a huge fan of Pokémon back then. Anyway, he thought of putting Chip in a ball and throwing it while yelling 'Chip, I choose you!'"

"OH MY GOD. Was Chip okay?"

"Not as much as I would've liked..."

All while this is going on, Crystal figures out what the globe in the study is really for.

"Cherry? Sweet!"

Landon walks out to the living room and sees all the women huddled around the TV. He had his eye on one in particular, though...

"Jeannie, do you mind if we go somewhere private to talk?"

"Oh, this is fantastic!" Jeannie excitedly blurts out. "The water feels so nice!"

"You like it? I asked production to pick out this specific model."

"Well, I hope your taste in women is as good as your taste in hot tubs," Jeannie jokes. Landon chuckles along. "I hope it is."

"Anyway, can you tell me more about yourself? Any topic you want to talk about in particular?" Landon inquires.

"Remember when I told you yesterday that I'm passionate about fashion? It all started when I was a very little girl. My mother had this old trunk in the attic. One day I got curious and decided to open it, and saw that it had all of my grandma's clothes. They were so worn but beautiful. I tried some of them on even though they were too big. And that's when I realized just how powerful a form of expression clothes can be. The rest is a long story."

"Wow, I've rarely ever seen someone talk so excitedly about something. I don't know much about fashion. Maybe you can help me pick out some clothes sometime?"

"Sure. I would love that."

"Anyway, I hope you'll excuse me, Jeannie. It was great chatting with you, but there's still one more woman I have to talk to today..."

"Enjoying the water?"

"Very much. I'm so glad they lifted the ban on chlorinated water back in late 2014."

"Ugh, tell me about it. You know, I grew up near a lake, so it pissed me off that I couldn't swim for a while," Landon says.

"You grew up near a lake? Wow! I would've loved that. Me, I just grew up in a boring old suburb. Although I guess I was lucky enough to grow up in a good home. Why are you here, by the way?"

"Oh, I just wanted to get to know you guys, since I won't be seeing you tomorrow."

"So the challenge was pointless? You would've spent time with all of us regardless?"

"Well, I'll be spending more time with the other girls tomorrow. We'll be going home in the evening."

"Ugh, lucky!"

"Here's quick question, Linda. What's your favorite metal band?"

"Oh, that's a tough one. I'd say it's a toss up between Slayer and Kamelot..." 

While our bachelor was busy chatting it up with pink team members, it looks like the other ladies grilled a few burgers and are having a little dinner party.

"The weather today was nice, wasn't it?"

"Yeah. I don't think it's ever rained once this summer, which is weird."

"Maybe it's a Newcrest thing."

Kate, meanwhile, decides to eat her ice cream in peace. I wonder what's going on in her head.

Landon and Linda soon join the other ladies for dinner, but by that time, most of them were already done.

"This ice cream is delicious," Linda says.

"Better thank Rosetta. She made it yesterday, remember?" Ariella says.

Feeling a bit energetic, Landon decides to go on a run on the treadmill, followed by laps in the pool. But during that time, Kate decides to join him.

"Oh, hi Kate! I didn't see you at dinner."

"I ate inside. Didn't feel like going out that time."

"Well, it's fine. We all need a little time to ourselves."

"Right. So, what have you been up to all day? I don't think we've spoken after the challenge."

"I went around talking with the members of team pink. Since I won't be seeing them tomorrow, I just wanted to get to know them better. But don't worry, we get to be with each other the whole day tomorrow, so you better rest up for our big day!" Landon turns to Kate smiling as he says this.

"Yeah, you're right. I'll be looking forward to it."

Kate smiles faintly at Landon before heading upstairs.

Kate is the last to turn in for the night, with the other ladies tucked in their beds.

And Landon decides to call it a day too after a few laps in the pool.

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How will tomorrow's group date turn out? Will Landon learn something surprising about the ladies of Team Green? Will any of the ladies manage to inch closer to our bachelor's heart? Tune in next time to find out! I'm your host, Mac, and you are watching For Love or Money.