The Men of The Cougar

So we're down to the final four and with my archnemesis Jon out of the picture I really have no more distractions. With my head as clear as it's been since I arrived, some unexpected questions began to arise. Am I still here? It seemed like a just a few days ago I stepped off a party bus with a bottle of Champagne and no idea or expectations as to what could happen. I thought I'd make it through an elimination or two, make a few friends and be on my way. Now I can't sleep because of the knots in my stomach and the nervous tension that resides in my entire body at the thought of introducing Stacey to my family -- especially my mother. Everything happened so fast.

No matter how many times we say it, is age really just a number? I was under the impression that both Stacey and I truly believed this statement. That is, until my mom crashed the party. After one minute of sitting on that couch with everyone I was praying that the tree above us would somehow collapse and put me out of my misery. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't convince her that this was a serious relationship. This was obviously due to the 19-year age gap, but I found my mom's reaction extremely hypocritical: My mom and dad were at least 10 years apart and I think it was OK with her because she was the younger of the two. Society really does have some ridiculous double standards.

Anyway, my brother and sister were very accepting and really hit it off with Stacey; however, I know that my mom's relentless disbelief put some definite concerns in Stacey's mind. For the first time she started to question our compatibility. This couldn't have come at a worse time because when I saw Stacey that morning... Wow. She looked so amazing and had such a young and playful ambience about her that my feelings just doubled.

Unfortunately I had to share my day with my biggest competition, the one and only Jimmy Heck. What can I say, that's just bad luck. He's older than me, he's more shredded than me. The only way I could see Jimmy's date going south is if Stacey fell in love with his dad. This is the only dad she's meeting and if he's just an older version of Jimmy, that has to be his biggest competition. Watching Jimmy's date makes mine look like a nightmare. Just compare the music from both beginning scenes. Where was the booze on my date?! No booze = big mistake. His parents are so interested and excited that their date blew mine out of the water.

Back at the house I was feeling more relaxed after a nice soak in the hot tub. And then things got worse again. Stacey and Jimmy walked in and went straight to the den. I still haven't been up there and now I might not get a chance. I think we were all a little jealous.

Colt's date makes me feel a lot better. His brothers really took it to her and asked the tough questions. I almost died laughing when both of his brothers guessd that Stacey is older than she really is -- are they trying to get him kicked off? His brother with the beard reminds me of the choreographer from Bring It On. I keep waiting for him to do "Spirit Fingers." Yes, I like that movie.

But then Colt came home and went straight to the Cougar Den! The timing of my date was horrible. Will I ever get to see this magical place?

I knew from the moment Adam told me he was bringing Grant that the date was going to be a disaster. Leaving Grant and Stacey to talk alone was a horrible idea; I think Grant wants a second chance with Stacey and is laying it on pretty thick. It would have been crazy if they both stuck around for a while. Thanks Adam, for making my date the second worst!

My date didn't go as well as I had hoped but Stacey met my family and thank god that's out of the way. But what's next? Where do we go from here? If things keep happening at this pace we could be married and expecting our first in a month or two.