Lust vs Love Is The Battle In Week 2 Of Peacock’s Love Undercover
Another week, another boatload of messiness.
These five soccer stars have no idea what they're doing in their search for Love Undercover. Between Marco Fabian, who is just allowing himself to fade into the background, and Lloyd Jones, who obviously doesn’t just play games on the field, I’m not sure what these men are thinking. But don’t worry, it’s not just them. The ladies are coming in hot and heavy, and of course, messier than ever. If you haven’t watched already, what exactly are you doing here? I’m here to dive into the spicy details, so you better be ready to handle the heat!
Let’s start off slow. We have the dashing and ever so charming Ryan Babel. He’s what the ladies like to call “a real man:” open, honest, but most importantly, respectful. He has his eyes on Ariana, but she had her lips on someone else (we'll get to that later). It didn’t take him long to know he’s not the second choice, which is Ariana's loss but sweet Sophia’s gain. Sophia Q is a good one. Ahe's the most bubbly in the house, but also mature and secure in herself. Their connection at first wasn’t passionate or romantic, but I am seeing sparks fly. Even Jackie J, who attempted to explore a relationship with Ryan, knew Sophia Q and Ryan are endgame — at least for the season.
Marco Fabian, who is an Olympic gold medalist, is definitely one of the most calm and mature men in the house, and the ladies are dismissing him too fast. It just makes me wonder, are you really here for the right reasons? And the answer is no. I mean, the show is based in LA for crying out loud and they didn’t pick everyday women to be here. Despite this, Marco has a great connection with Abby, although I’m not sure if it’s anything beyond friendship. She herself says she's not eager to kiss him, but that doesn’t mean she never will. Abby is the first of the remaining ladies to know the truth and them being in on the secret together is so adorable.
Jamie O’Hara and Renee are our most secure couple and the mom and dad of the group. Jamie has been hit with cupid's arrow because he’s all in with Renee, ready to take her home and meet the family, while Renee isn’t sure she’s ready for that. Their connection is undeniable. They have tons of banter and are all over each other. Renee worries about what life is going to be like outside of the LA penthouse. And she’s right — they are in a controlled environment now. She doesn’t know that her life of red carpets and cameras is also Jamie’s life. She's thinking they are living in two separate worlds when, in reality, it’s much better than that. Jamie needs to stop love bombing her and tricking her with a small life of living on a farm because he might be losing her.
Sebastian Fassi is the man making all the mistakes. He's either a mindless self-saboteur or a man who doesn’t know his left from his right. He had a great connection with Jacklyn and then called her an “asshole.” Though he may have been right — she was being one — was that really the best choice of words? Then he had this epic chemistry with Estefani, who was probably one of the sweetest and most genuine girls there, and tore it down because she told one of the ladies about an intimate moment in the pool. He told her to pack her bags without really getting the full scope of what happened. She wasn’t shouting from the rooftops about it. She confided in one friend who weaponized it. And there was Jackie J, the weaponizer, who he basically forgets about even though they also had great chemistry. He ends up throwing all of his eggs in one blonde basket with Brittany.
Brittany flirted with Marco only to secure her spot in the house and get her claws into Sebastian. And though she is one of my least favorite girls to follow, I have to give her acknowledgment because it worked! She is also one of the girls making sly comments about their basic boy jobs. Can you tell where I am going with this? Though I do see a small connection between her and Sebastian, it’s very lustful. He hasn’t talked about how funny or smart she is. He’s talked about her looks every chance he gets. Do I have to spell it out for you? Even Sebastian says he has a more emotional connection with Jackie J. And it’s not long after that he tells Brittany she does most of the talking and doesn’t bother to ask him questions. This is a doomed relationship. If I were Sebastian, I would start figuring out a way to invite Estefani back because she deserved better.
Lloyd Jones… I would call him a bad boy, but that’s simply not the case. He’s a young man who still isn’t sure what he wants. Is it Gabby, Sofie, or Ariana? Oh, but wait, there’s also Jacklyn. Let’s start with her. She’s definitely my pick for Lloyd. She came in very strong. I believe it was her way of asserting herself and feeling confident in a weird situation. But her friendship with Lloyd has been very organic and genuine, which allowed us to see a different side of her. She’s a dominant woman who still wants romance and love but won’t take less than what she deserves. That’s exactly what he needs so he can mature. Now Sofie, she doesn’t even have skin in the game. Sweet Lloyd is just keeping her around out of guilt. She gave him a romantic poem, but it seems like Lloyd went into the conversation knowing he wasn’t interested, which was embarrassing.
But that’s not all… we also have Ariana. Didn’t I say we’d get back to her? She’s his temptation and nothing more. Their connection is purely physical, which is nothing to feel secure in. Yes, admittedly, they do have a good time together, but Lloyd is a fun guy who gets along with everyone, so a few laughs isn’t enough to convince me they are a match.
Ending it off with Gabby, I’m really surprised her relationship with Lloyd faded, but also not at the same time. Lloyd wants a woman to throw herself on him and she wasn’t doing that. I don’t think Lloyd is quite ready for what Gabby has to offer. She ultimately was sent packing. As I said, these men are messy and the women are a mixed bunch. It seems a lot of the good ones are losing.
Admittedly I have some issues with the show. The women don’t seem to understand the basic premise of going on a dating show. They keep saying they won’t stick around if the guys are going to date other women, which is the entire premise. I also wish they forced the women into more situations to get to know the other men that they may not have given a chance to otherwise. There’s a lost opportunity to challenge their comfortability. What I like about the show is that we really get to see how impulsive and lustful humanity really is.
Is it possible that any of these men or women have found their soulmate? I doubt it. Is watching them fail over and over again part of the compulsion? Yes.
The final episodes of Love Undercover will be released on Peacock on May 23.
