I like that the LC's addressed the funky negative mood in the house, and I think this year they're illustrating the principles of 'authentic self' and things like that.

All the houseguests are people who you might meet every day, and like or not like once you met them. We are getting to see the things that hold them back from living as well as they can imagine living.

So, don't count me in as one of those who dislike the season. It's a good one, in my book.

• RE: Wait--I LIKE This Season of Starting Over!,lrlr1, 03:28 AM, 11-30-05
• RE: Wait--I LIKE This Season of Starting Over!,quiller, 04:02 AM, 11-30-05
• RE: Wait--I LIKE This Season of Starting Over!,Catlynn1864, 08:33 AM, 11-30-05

I don't know if "like" is the word I'd use. Frustrating is probably closer to how I feel. Watching these women in action, I know I'd probably never have anything to do with any of them. Mainly because they are so isolated within themselves. They cannot make friendships except on a very superficial level. But they are in a wierd, but VERY limited way, interesting.

hmm, like is definitely not the word I would choose. It seems to me that I keep watching cause I can't help it - kind of like when you see an accident on the road and can't stop looking at it.

In the past I have LOVED this show. I have thought that the exercises were sometimes strange, the generally did make some sense.

This season has not been like that. I like that they addressed the negativity. I would have like it MUCH MORE if they would have actually followed through on that. Instead, Iyanla left them - supposedly to heal through openness - and all they did was agree to stop the psychobabble and proceeded to go off and continue to gossip. In my opinion, they needed to take footage from the show and play it on the plasma and force the houseguests to address what is shown. That could have created growth.

Both Iyanla and Rhonda obviously have favorites. This is just not appropriate. I have seen a number of real therapists and I wasn't worried about being liked by them. The job of a therapist/LC is not JUST to cheer you on, but also to push you to go where you don't want to go. Cause it is those places that are the most fruitful. I think there have been incidents of that this season. For example; Rhonda piling the rocks on Jessica probably qualified. And in the past seasons they have done that to many houseguests. Think of Kim forced to wear horrific sweats for DAYS (not hours like Allison's muumuu). Jennifer forced to wear that necklace around her neck, everywhere she went. Candy who was challenged to change her thinking about herself and allow herself to be drawn, seminude. Bethany introduced to bikers and transvestites. All of these incidents have really moved the houseguests out of their comfort zones. How has Christina been forced out of her comfort zone? Lisa has admittedly been forced out of her comfort zone but then she failed all her assignments and then allowed her to stay - hmm to me that is like a mom saying repeatedly that a kid can't do something and then giving in when the kid begs for the 10th time. Allison could have been forced out of her comfort zone with the refrigerator incident, but all she did was clean - the one thing she SHOULDN'T have done. And it was obvious she only pushed Iyanla cause that is what Iyanla wanted. TJ just gets yelled at and gossiped about. Jills "indictment" - which I think was a stupidly dramatic way ot addressing it - does have the potential to move jill forward. But overall, I think they are allowing these houseguests to skate on by, under the radar.

Sorry for this rant, but this show is driving me nuts right now. I find myself YELLING at the tv, something I never normally do. I am not sure why I keep watching. This is something I have to explore with myself. I really want the show to get back to it's stated objective. To help women START OVER. And to follow their own tagline "life has never been this real." Yeah, right. NOT

this is what I do when I am NOT watching SO or posting on this board.

While I don't hate the show and I do like the women, it seems as though this season has gone more to the ratings than the healing.

I want to blame editing for showing us more of the negative side of the house than the nurturing side, however, there seems to be more problems in the house than have been addressed. The 'funk' has been around for weeks and IV is just now addressing it. It seems to me like they have let open wounds fester and have a major infection and the only thing that has been done is put a bandage on it.

This seems to be a failing of the SO house from the second day of the first season when Andy Page (who was wanting to learn how to connect with other women) came in a day after the other five women. I think this frustration with the LCs not learning from the past and taking care of 'bonding' issues when they occur is what has a lot of us disliking this season. I am not only talking about the issue of not getting along but the ganging up on one of the housemates and whoever defends her.