>cassie grated on my nerves. her
>voice and naivete" regarding finding
>her son seemed goofy That's Cassie2 - a whole other issue! LOL
And petmama, Cassie1 was one of the original HGs. She was very thin and fit, plain and tomboyish, but she had a great body. In only a few short years, she looks a LOT older and haggard, and she's probably only about 25. Unfortunately, I think you're right about 40! I really don't think her life improved that much as a result of SO. She was pretty much right out of high school when she entered the house, and her goal was to get into college. She accomplished it - with a LOT of help - and never seemed appreciative of all the hard work everyone else around her was doing to get her there. And her graduation present? OMG, they shot the wad on her! In addition to getting her into college (and I can't remember the specifics on that - maybe someone else could chime in if they remember), at the ceremony, she got a vespa (sp? - a scooter), which she got on and crashed within 5 minutes of receiving it, and a trip oversees to all these incredible places. Can't remember exactly where she went, but she was planning to study archeology, so they sent her everywhere an archeology student would love to go. It was an extremely lavish graduation gift. No one else has ever gotten anything of that magnitude. But Cassie was the baby of the group and they all felt like moms/big sisters to her, and wanted to take care of her. They had a fundraiser for her tuiton, and I believe they raised a good amount of money. Andy decided that instead of giving money, she would buy her an outfit that she could wear on interviews. So Andy bought her a very basic suit that was age appropriate and presented it to her, and Cassie had a fit, complaining that the $100 would have actually helped her and she doesn't want a stupid suit. I really felt bad for Andy, who was trying to do something personal for her. No matter how much coaching, no matter how many etiquette classes they gave her (which she HATED), she's just as crass as when she entered the house. And believe me, I'm not one to judge about being young and a little rebellious and having fun - I had my share (a long time ago! haha), but it doesn't excuse how rude she was to so many people who tried to help her. I get that she was probably a little embarrassed and feeling like the charity case, but that's where you learn grace. And it's funny, the only one who actually treated her like a charity case was her favorite - Nyanza. Go figure!