For some reason, the Real World has lost its spark for me this season. Early on, I was excited to see this show every week, but now it just doesn't keep me as interested. I think they had potential here with the cast of room mates they selected, but somewhere along the line the show lost its focus. Now things that could have been used to make things much more interesting earlier on are finally being brought to our attention. The Danny and Melinda saga has calmed down some and that may well be the reason for the shift in focus. The two are finally happy, but there is still some time left on the show, so the producers are looking for ways to keep things interesting.

This week's episode focused on two things that hadn't received much attention since the beginning of the season - the incident with Danny's eye and Rachel's boyfriend Erik. Yes, she has one, but we don't really hear much about him so it is quite easy to forget he exists. However, her man finally pays the house a visit, and after she gets permission from the rest of the house mates, he brings along their pet dog. Before he arrives, she is excited to see him, and even mentions all the sex they are going to have once he does on the phone.

When he does arrive in Austin, her mood shifts. She's cold and distant, and she wants to have no part of any kind of sex with him. She wants to cuddle and sleep. This is something Erik isn't happy about, but deals with thinking he'll get some by the time end of his three day trip. Rachel just feels different now that she sees him in person for the first time since coming to the house. The feelings she has for him have changed. She sees him as a friend, not a boyfriend, and this bothers her. This also hurts him. Rachel wants to talk with him more than have sex because she knows having sex would have her lean towards being with him, but she doesn't want anything physical to influence her feelings.

While he is in Austin, he talks to one of the house mates about the situation with Rachel. His room mate of choice is the worst possible one. He chooses Lacey, and Rachel overhears their conversation. She goes to him after overhearing things, and it doesn't go well. That night, Erik goes off with Wes and Nehemiah who have to decided to show Erik a good time in the city. They call up all the numbers they have collected and then they create a story of Erik being a producer from New York holding mini-auditions for a reality television show. When the opportunity presents itself to Erik for him to go home with two girls, he backs away and returns to the house because he loves Rachel. She just isn't sure of what she wants when it comes to love.