Hi, Seana,
Anna talked about being considered different as a child. She also came to America, possibly not speaking any English. I think she knows what it's like to be on the outside looking in. I think she feels it's made her stronger but it's also made her more compassionate. I think that Larissa is just gorgeous but I don't know if either she or Melana ever felt anything equivalent to the feelings that Anna had. Although I believe that everyone experiences self doubt at times, both Melana and Larissa seem very confident.
I also noticed when Anna referred to her "guys" but at the moment she said it, my first thought was "somebody else also referred to "her guys" but I can't remember who. Unfortunately, all the dating shows seem to blend together in my mind. I feel like it might have been Jen from "The Bachelorette" but I'm really not sure. Of course, if it was Jen who said it, I feel like it was said more in a possessive way than Anna meant.
In Larissa's defense, I think I remember her commenting how ashamed she was of her behavior. Also, to be honest, if a woman is considered beautiful and that's one of the reasons she's chosen to do one of these type shows, based on what she may have seen on shows like "Bachelor" where the guys were also chosen for their looks, her reaction, I think, might be similar to meeting a blind date and being disappointed. You try to hide your feelings but you're not always as successful as you'd like. Some of the reactions of both the men and women on "Hooking Up" are similar when they see the disparity between the on-line pictures and the real person. We all know so-called "average" people who are shallow and truly beautiful people who are beautiful, both inside and out. But to admit that, would deny the theme of this show. I liked Anna and wish her all the best.

I can't comment on Melana as I did not see that series, but I agree that Anna seemed more genuine that Larissa from the outset. Larissa seemed to warm up as the show progressed and took a "as long as I am here" approach, but she certainly seemed delighted when the Himbos arrived. I think that caused a huge sigh of relief for her - much more so that Anna who seemed a bit suspicious of the Himbos.

LAST EDITED ON 08-02-05 AT 03:15 PM (EST)

As far as the three go:
*-Anna seemed the most genuine because she was probably the most "normal" of the three women. Although very attractive, she's not a Miss Missouri, she came across as rather intelligent & deep. On Episode 1, I thought "an AJ has a shot here" -- something I didn't think the time before. That said, the troubling part with AJ3 was that the show seemed *very* rushed (much like Adam Returns) and we didn't get to know the contestants very well. Outside of the letter, pre-makeover Nathan didn't really stand out to me much, because the early eps tend to focus on the more eccentric characters (Dante, or the David Daskal types). Really, the one guy who I paid attention to early (and the one she seemed to like) was AverageJosh. It also helped that she really didn't seem to have a very good set of himbos -- they looked good, but they didn't seem very compatible with anyone except themselves, save maybe HunkJosh.

*-With Larissa, you felt Brian had a shot, maybe because we had some extra eps (and two straight where nobody got eliminated) to get to know the players and like Brian. It seemed she did have a tough choice, and really did like Brian, but Gil was a himbo with some depth (and obviously chemistry, since they're apparently still together). The early expletive-laden blow-up at the producers made me think early that she had a mean streak, but I think she liked a few AJs personally -- especially as friends -- and she did get rather defensive and say "my guys." By episode 7-8, you could tell Brian was the only AJ with a shot. IIRC, when the himbos showed up, she seemed to initially think it was unfair to the AJs, although she picked one in the end (then again, Gil wasn't the typical cocky himbo. He seemed to be a regular guy -- construction worker in the family business -- who just happened to be rather attractive).

*-In the Melana series, one could tell the game was pretty much over once the himbos showed up. In the finale, she had a no-win situation -- Jason (looks) vs. Adam (money). If she picks either, we think she has an ulterior motive. But I've read her comments on NBC about picking Jason (who seemed to have zero depth) over Adam, because "she knew she wasn't going to marry either one." But I think it shows the difficulty of creating something lasting out of a TV series with a couple of dates. IIRC, Larissa and Brian/Gil probably got to know each other the best, due to the length of the show, and it seemed to make for better TV.

The way I see it, Anna's rapid acceptance of the Joes is just support of my theroy that Anna had knowledge of prior show story lines that Melanoma and Larrrisa did not have. I think Melanoma and Larrrisa gave the 'genuine' reaction.

1) Agree totally re: the sense of humor
2) She definitely used her tongue a lot more than Larissa did
3) I do think she was sincere with the tears...not that she was in love with the guys and hated to see them go, but because she felt guilty over sending such nice people home. She obviously wants to be liked. To be fair, I do remember Larissa crying off-camera when she sent Donato home.
4) I remember Larissa using the phrase "my men" when that Baywatch actress (whose name I can't remember) came on and starting flirting with everyone.

I didn't see much of the Melania series, but I watched all of Anna's and Larissa's... and Anna was 10 times more likeable than Larissa was. Larissa had this weird insincerity to her when she talked to some of the Joe's or sent them home...she would say "this guy is a knight in shining armor", and it was somebody like David that you knew she had zero interest in. It was almost condescending how she did it.

I liked Anna but I do agree with the poster about the double standard. I also think she placed as much of a premium on looks as Larissa or Melania did...witness her reaction to Brad, who she'd never even had a date with. So, she's not perfect...but deep down she's probably a good egg.

I agree, Anna is d'best!

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Although, the producers probably saw her and said to themselves, "Eh, haven't had a redhead yet. What the h*ll, lets give her a shot." ~ yeah, deep huh!