Little Women: LA Recap: Episode 3, “Who Do You Think You Are?”

Another little person challenge I would have never thought of: sitting in a pedicure chair when you’re only 4 feet tall. Christy’s solution? Stand.
Christy: “I think I’m a tall dwarf”
Christy’s mom: “You’re a chubby dwarf.”
Obviously, Christy inherited her wicked sense of humor from her mom. She also taught her not to take herself too seriously. Christy’s getting her newly-engaged self a fresh mani-pedi. She’s ready to show off her new sparkler at that night’s wedding wine-tasting for Traci.

I’ve never heard of having a pre-wedding wine tasting, because the wine normally served at weddings is a step above Two Buck Chuck, but I could definitely get all over another reason to get out and have fun. And Christy doesn’t give a flying F if the other girls dismiss her engagement — she’s happy!

Over at Elena’s, she’s contemplating a series of medical tests to determine her type of dwarfism. She wants to make sure she can safely conceive and carry a baby to term and learn if her form of dwarfsim is genetic. Elena’s sweet husband doesn’t want Elena to get pregnant if it risks her health, but she is willing to accept any risk because she wants to be a mother. The more I see of Elena, the more I like her; she’s so much more than a beauty.

That night at the wine tasting for Traci’s wedding, Christy crashes the fun to announce her engagement. It’s not the classiest move to prance into a party swinging your ring finger in everyone’s face. It’s an awkward, steal-the-attention move, but this is reality TV, wouldn’t it have been more awkward if the cameras hadn’t captured the moment? It must be a reality TV mandate, “Don’t say anything of importance unless all parties are present.” It sure would explain all of the non-sequitors and awkward transitions TV viewers have been privy to in the last decade.

Typical Reality TV scene…
First Woman: “Happy Birthday, friend”
Group of women toast champagne, lots of woo-hoo-ing.
Second women: “To You, and to Us!” (or other pithy comment)
Third woman: “Did I tell you that my cat died?”
… Crickets …

More Little Women: LA Episode 1, Episode 2, Episode 3, Episode 4, Episode 5, Episode 6, Quiz

It’s a bizarre that so many of the “group” events involve alcohol considering Christy is in recovery from alcohol addiction and the problems it has caused between her and Traci. Have none of the women ever heard of maybe a board game night? I know, again this is TV, and nothing is a better precursor to drama than alcohol, but still … c’mon.
Christy says that being around alcohol doesn’t bother her; she knows she can’t have it, so it makes her not want it. If Christy is this outspoken sober, can you imagine what she was like when she was drinking? Wowza. The ladies imply some wild times, but I would sure love to see video of that tomfoolery. And perhaps, Christy isn’t the only one who should steer clear of the boozy-times, because suddenly, the bickering over Christy stealing Traci’s thunder yet again becomes a full-scale cat-fight between Christy and Terra. Maybe the “wine tasting” was more of a “wine guzzling”?

Christy and Terra get into a big shouting match over Christy’s sobriety. Terra accuses Christy of admitting that Todd give her a beer. Damn! Questioning an addict’s sobriety seems like a low blow. Christy storms off. Elena chases after her and says Terra was totally out of line.

Traci says she is on Terra’s side.

Brianna says Terra was out of line, so I guess she’s team Christy.

The party is over, and Traci wants to know what happened to her wine party. Traci’s demands to be the center of attention reminds me of having a friend who invites you to Vegas to celebrate her birthday and you go because, who doesn’t love Las Vegas, and then she spends the entire weekend yelling “It’s my birthday weekend!!!” Everyone has birthdays, weddings, and babies. Yours is magical only to you. The rest of us are just putting up with you.

The next day, Terra rehashes the fight with Christy to Joe and he tells her that she went to far. He’s 100% correct, but that’s not what Terra wants to hear. This is the second time in as many episodes that Joe has told Terra that she’s gone too far and told her to apologize. Terra doesn’t care if Christy drinks or not, but she hates that she lies about not drinking. I’m confused. That doesn’t sound like a good friend; shouldn’t a friend encourage her friend’s sobriety any way she can? Be a friend, not a frenemy.

Elena takes Briana along for moral support to her doctor’s appointment. There are over 200 types of dwarfism, but 70% of little people have achondroplasia, like Terra and Tonya. Elena’s could be an exceptionally rare type and she doesn’t want to have a child with the same issues as her.

The medical tests that Elena undergoes reminds her of the grueling medical tests she underwent as a child. Poor dear.

At coffee, Terra tries to apologize to Christy for yelling at her at the wine tasting. Terra’s trust is broken and while Christy claims she hasn’t had a drink in over 4 years, Terra insists that Christy told her that she tasted a beer with Todd. This isn’t the time or the place to be accusatory. Remember Queen Elsa and “Let it go.”

Christy was in rehab 6 years ago. Terra says Christy is a pathological liar. That friendship isn’t getting better. Does Terra have a history with addiction too? Why else does it matter when her friend’s last drink was as long as she isn’t currently drinking?

Traci takes everyone (but Christy) shopping for giant wedding dresses. Who doesn’t love wedding dress shopping?!? This show has it all — dress shopping, cat fights, medical mysteries … I think Traci tries the biggest, puffiest dresses in the entire store on her tiny frame. She finally finds a dress that everyone loves (I personally liked dress #2 on her) and after a few tears of happiness all around, she asks Terra to be her maid of honor. Will this further the rift between Traci and Christy? Traci claims that Terra has been her best friend for 13 years. Terra and Traci ad BFF is an even odder friendship than Traci and Christy!

Elena and her husband Preston get the results from the genetic testing. The skeletal survey shows pseudoachondroplasia, which is a more proportionate kind of dwarfism that affects her growth plates and cartilage. But now the big question? Can Elena get pregnant? Yes, says the doctor, but there is a 50-50% chance that her child will inherit her dwarfism.

As Elena tearfully confesses to Preston that she doesn’t want her children to be “different,” he says one of the most loving things I’ve ever heard.
“If our child is considered ‘different,’ he’ll have his mother to talk with them about everything they’re going through in a positive way.” Can we all give Preston a group hug? So sweet and so right. If “different” and “unique” mean the same thing, why does one have a positive connotation and one is viewed negatively? What sets us apart from others make us special.

The next day, all of the girls are at Custom Hotel at the pool. This is the same pool used for the show’s beautiful promo photos. Elena reveals to the group that she has pseudoachondroplasia. In the little person community, they are known as “Pesudos.” Once again, Terra uses her diagnosis to demean Elena, making fun of one of the physical characteristics of Pseudos. Is it just me, or is there some kind of caste system within the little people community where people of similar types treat others differently?

In addition to Terra’s rudeness towards Elena, the tension between Christy and Terra is palpable. And while they’re trying to be civil, of course, the situation blows up again into more screaming. Well, this might explain why Christy looked unhappy in the cast photos. Can’t the let the drama go for one day!?! (But secretly, who doesn’t love it!)

Next week, someone on Little Women: LA might be pregnant…