Couples Therapy Recap: Dick’s Shocking Secret [Episode 4]

We pick up right where we left off last week which is the showdown between Jenna Jameson and Dr. Jenn at the emergency group session. Jenna wants Dr. Jenn to take it down a notch. Jenna was being sensitive and supportive to Nikki (nice spin) and wasn’t trying to sabotage their therapy process. Dr. Jenn wants Jenna to stop “empowering” Nikki and for Nikki to step out of her comfort zone.

According to Dr. Jenn, Juan Pablo and Nikki have promise. Nikki cries (cue the violins) and says that she’s only trying to protect what they have from the cameras, but still feels like she’s waiting for that final rose. Juan Pablo says that he hates to see Nikki suffer, but it’s hard to make her happy. Dr. Jenn’s analysis is that they need to be vulnerable with each other. That’s how you reach a higher love. And follow her rules; like don’t cuss at the crew and don’t interrupt the therapy process.

Relaxing in the living room, Nikki apologizes for getting everyone called into the principal’s office. No one minded. Then they ask: where is Jenna. She’s back in her room and not happy. Which brings us to our weekly segment of: Treach’s Epiphanies!

This week’s epiphany: Jenna is a ticking time-bomb. Jenna is pissed off at the Beast aka Dr. Jenn for yelling at her. How dare she. John is doing his best to calm the situation, but no doubt thinking about the last argument over the word “condescending” and tries to walk both sides of the line. Dr. Jenn shouldn’t yell, but at times Jenna can be a lioness.

After the commercial break, Jenna is now complaining about the accusation that she sabotaged Nikki and Juan Pablo’s therapy. Oh no she didn’t. John asks her to let it go. He might as well break into the Disney song, it ain’t going to happen. Jenna doesn’t just let it go. John tells her things will get better. Poor guy. He doesn’t realize therapy is a lot like a tattoo, it scabs before it heals.

Dr Jenn makes a follow-up private visit to Jenna because Jenna demanded it she wants to check on Jenna’s well-being. Dr. Jenn’s tone and demeanor are much softer. She wants Jenna to feel that she’s in a safe place. Jenna doesn’t feel safe. She is reminded of her father because he yelled a lot. Dr. Jenn explains that it’s part of her job to call people on their $hit. And while her methodology is untraditional, her desire to help is real. Jenna says she understands, but really doesn’t. They hug it out anyway.

Outside, Dick, Treach, Chris and John are enjoying some male bonding time. Dick said his head is about to explode from so much therapy. He says he was surprised that Nikki cried in therapy, but he wasn’t surprised that Juan Pablo cried. In a private video, Dick tells us that he’s got a secret he’s been carrying around and doesn’t know what to do with it. He truly looks conflicted.

Deena, Stephanie and Dick are lounging on the patio, discussing that they don’t blame Dr. Jenn for getting harsh with Nikki. They’re all tired of her complaining about the cameras. Dick says she needs to relax and quit bitching and whining. Deena thinks Nikki just doesn’t like being told what to do. Well, guess who walks up with marshmallows and steal skewers. Nikki. And if this were a scary movie, I think we all know what would happen with those skewers.

Deena tells Nikki that she knew her life was going to change on Jersey Shore. Nikki doesn’t answer so Dick does. He suggests that Nikki signed up for The Bachelor thinking she’d go on a couple of cool trips and didn’t expect to win. Nikki says, yep, but it’s clearly a dismissive tactic. She punctures the marshmallow on the skewer and holds it over the fire, clearly thinking of someone’s head. Deena asks if Nikki is bothered by people who come up to her. Nikki says that it bothers her that these people think they know her or what she stands for. Most of all, she doesn’t want people coming up to her WHILE SHE’S EATING!

Dick tells her that’s not going to happen. Deena says that people will say she blew the opportunity of a lifetime. Nikki is shocked by this. Like, it’s only been 5 days, and like she’ll work on her relationship, like, when she’s good and ready. Nikki owns up to the fact that she can be bitchy at times. #shocker. Nikki just wants everyone to go away so she can eat her smores in peace. Dick walks off, he’s had enough. Stephanie tells Nikki that she too didn’t know what to expect and understands Nikki’s struggle with the whole process. Nikki completely ignores this olive branch. She asks Stephanie if after her break up with Dick, did they speak consistently. (Very telling.) Stephanie says no. Then Nikki asks if Stephanie thinks she and Dick will ever be romantic again. (Very rude.) Stephanie mumbles she doesn’t know.

Day 6 – Treach is trying to catch a gecko so he’ll have someone to talk when Cicely isn’t speaking to him. Jenna wakes with a loud sigh. John knows this sigh. Panic sets in. Jenna tells John that he wasn’t there for her with Dr. Jenn. Dick is struggling with his secret. It’s the reason he left Big Brother 13. He wants to reveal it, but Stephanie doesn’t want him to.

Stephanie meets with Dr. Jenn privately. She says the relationship started out fun and adventurous, but when they moved in together, Stephanie discovered Dick was cray-cray. She wants to talk about something off-camera. There are no secrets in couples therapy, so Dr. Jenn needs to think about this. That night, in the dark, Dick tells Stephanie he can’t sleep and is tired of the lie. Stephanie doesn’t want to talk about it. Dick meets with Dr. Jenn privately. He’s worried that if he confesses this secret, Stephanie will leave the house. Dick says, “I’m HIV positive.”

He goes on to explain, with tears on the threshold, that he was told this by the Big Brother producers on day 6 of filming. His first thought was about Stephanie. The good news is she’s tested negative. The bad news is they haven’t had sex since the diagnosis in 2011. Dick has stayed in the relationship because he thinks this is the last one he’ll ever have. (So hoping not true.) Dr. Jenn asks Dick where he thinks he contracted the virus. His response was in Las Vegas with a stripper before he met Stephanie. It’s very serious stuff, but it kind of sounds like Mr. Green in the kitchen with a knife.

Stephanie is outside by the cozy fire talking with Deena, Chris, Nikki, and Juan Pablo discussing children and Nikki is saying something inappropriate about not liking old people, but it’s like who cares. Suddenly everyone’s problems are so petty. Dick is HIV positive. I feel the need to grieve. But so you know, the episode ended with Nikki and Juan Pablo arguing over moving, not moving, and how Juan Pablo never listens. (Sigh.)

Tune in next week when Dick tells the other residents the news and they handle it with class.

 

“Like” us on Facebook  “Follow” us on Twitter and on Instagram