07x04 - Jenni Seckel's Diary

[bunniefuu]

[school bell rings]

[children] I pledge allegiance

to the flag
of the United States of America.

Watch out. We're going to school.
I gotta get them all there by 8:45

and then go to the grocery store,
run errands, then go.

Do you all have your lunch boxes?
I swear to God!

-[Bobby] No!
-Mom, I forgot my backpack!

-Don't make me pull this car over.
-I want a snack.

You're all grounded. We're not going
to Party City anymore. It's over.

-Wanna know who we're helping this week?
-Yeah!

Yeah, you do.

"Our hero this week is Jenni Seckel."

-Hi, Miss Seckel.
-Hey, Miss Seckel.

You got some moves this morning?
All right.

"Six years ago, Jenni became the principal
of a charter elementary school

and has dedicated herself
to the students and her career."

-Aw, well, that's beautiful.
-Yeah.

-Are you ready to be a fourth grader?
-Yes.

Being a principal is the best thing
that I have ever, ever done

and probably will ever do.

Show 'em how we stand straight and tall.
Look so proud.

At the end of the day,
it's just real human work

and touching, like, real lives.

-Yeah!
-Yes! All right!

And so, for the last six years,

I was all-in.

"Jenni is credited with
transforming the school

into a fun, joyful, safe place."

Good job.

It's giving me, like, Matilda
during Miss Trunchbull,

and she is like Miss Honey.

Yay!

[Tan] "Jenni's friends at school,
Theresa and Seymone, nominated her."

Nice.

A typical day,
Jenni is just, like, everywhere.

She's always in the hallways
talking to teachers,

in classrooms
talking to kids and meeting with parents,

and sometimes
she is straightening her hair…

[Theresa chuckles]

…because she does not take the time
to, like, put herself together

before, like, she comes to work.

I don't do anything but school.

It was worth personal sacrifices
at that time,

but, yeah, I did lose myself.

First few years of being principal,
I gained weight,

and I was, like, 50 pounds heavier
than I had ever been,

and I think I just slowly started feeling
less and less comfortable with my body

and less and less, like, good about it.

[Tan] "Almost a year ago,
Jenni left her job as principal

and moved into
a regional supervisory position,

but it's been difficult for Jenni
to transition into her new role."

"She still hasn't moved out
of the principal's office."

"Seymone is actually the new principal."

Now we know why
the current principal's nominating her,

'cause she wants her
to get the hell out of the office.

-Get out!
-It all makes sense.

[Seymone] It's time for her
to just cut the cord

and really start focusing on her future.

It's funny because she'll give you
all the best advice,

but she's not always
doing those things herself.

She's constantly comparing herself
to what I'm doing

and what her friends are doing
and the milestones they're hitting.

I've been a bridesmaid a lot of times.

It's not like I have
that big, thriving social life here.

I haven't really dated,

and so I feel like, literally,
my biological clock is ticking.

"At 35 years old, Jenni worries

that her chances
of becoming a mom the old-fashioned way

may be fading away."

"Six months ago, Jenni was set
to have an insemination procedure,

but her nerves kicked in,
and she opted out."

I've always wanted to be a mom,

but it felt like I would be giving up
on what I'd always seen for myself,

and at this point,
I still wanna hold out hope for

the fairy tale.

It's never too late.

Never.

I think she definitely needs,
like, a big push.

And that's, I think,
what led us to this place.

"At the end of this week, Jenni is hosting
her office's first-day-of-school reception

for regional staff and school principals."

"It'll be the first time
she'll entertain in her home."

-I love that bridging of her two worlds.
-[Tan] Yeah.

"Our mission this week
is to teach this educator

how to learn to love herself."

Yeah!

Ooh! We're going to school!

Where's the school?
That's what I wanna know.

♪ Things just keep getting better ♪

♪ Down in New Orleans ♪

[upbeat music plays]

♪ Uh-huh, uh-huh ♪

♪ Mm-hmm ♪

-[Antoni] A school!
-[Jonathan] Yay!

[Karamo] This is bigger
than most charter schools.

Welcome back, hipsters.

You're looking so great, scholars.

Oh, look at that,
standing straight and tall.

-[Jonathan] We're here!
-[Bobby] All right.

[Antoni] Let's go charm some lunch ladies.

Hey. How are ya?

-I think. I don't know.
-[Jonathan] Hi.

-[Tan laughs] Here we go!
-[women laugh]

-We're in.
-[Jonathan] Hey!

-[Antoni] Hi!
-Welcome! How are you?

-Hi! Nice to meet you.
-Nice to meet you.

-Hello! You're Seymone?
-[Seymone] Nice to meet you.

Saved by the Bell,
elementary school edition.

Uh.

Miss Seckel, please report
to the music room 2202.

Thank you.

Did they say me?

[Antoni] Let's go get her!

-Come on.
-[laughing]

[screams]

[laughing]

-[Seymone] Okay, come this way!
-[Bobby] Gotta go. Gotta go.

[Theresa] Quickly! Almost there!

-High knees! High knees!
-[Seymone] Almost there!

[screams]

[cheering and laughing]

Whoa!

Hi!

Hi!

So how is it to be a kid these days, guys?

-How's it going?
-[girl] Good.

Your braids are amazing.

How cute!

[Tan] Hello!

[cheering]

[Jenni] Oh my God!

[cheering]

You haven't even met us,
and we all scared you.

Aw.

[Jenni] Hey, guys!

They're all excited to see her.
They all wanna give her a hug.

Sorry, little one.

-[Antoni] Aw.
-[Jenni] Hey, buddy!

I would never have dreamed
of touching the headmistress.

Are you mad?

-Thank you!
-[Tan] It's bizarre.

But lovely.

But bizarre.

The reason y'all are here
is because I wouldn't be who I am today

and our school wouldn't be
where it is right now

if it weren't for Jenni Seckel.

We're ready for her
to start giving something to herself.

There is literally nobody else
I would have given the school to

other than Seymone.

-You haven't yet.
-[Bobby] Just not yet.

-You gotta let go!
-You do.

Miss Seckel, we're gonna work on that.
Don't worry.

Bye!

-[all] Bye!
-[Antoni] Let's do this

♪ Everywhere we pull up
They turn their heads ♪

♪ Everywhere we pull up
They turn their heads ♪

[Tan] All right, we're here!

[laughing]

-This is my house.
-[Jonathan] Cute!

[Bobby] A little puppa!

He's all dressed up!

Little boy, and he's just
the cutest little munchkin

and his sweet little face
that looks like a little miniature version

of the dog from NeverEnding Story!

-[Tan] Hi, sweet pup.
-[Jonathan] He is so cute.

He's just like
bup, bup, bup, bup, bup, bup.

-[Antoni] Tanny, he matches you somehow.
-[Jenni] He does kind of.

[Karamo] This is a cute home.

-Yeah.
-[Jenni] Thanks, yeah.

This is… this is my house.

-[Tan] Lovely.
-[Antoni] This is way cute.

-[Tan] Yeah.
-[Jenni] Yeah.

[Jonathan] This is needlepoint,
like what I do.

[Jenni] My grandmother made that.

[Bobby] I see a lot of quotes.

-"Be nice or leave."
-I'd better leave.

[Jenni]
That's, like, a New Orleans staple.

And it says YOLO, but the Cajun way,
so, like, it's clever.

-If it's clever, it's okay?
-[Antoni] I don't get it.

-[Jenni] Yeah, and it's gold.
-We'll see. [laughs]

Show us around. Show us around.

Whoa! Did you have a party in here?

Um, nope.

[Jonathan] It's giving, like, "I didn't
know you were coming over, okay?"

"I didn't know
you were coming over, okay?"

"And so I had, like, a Diet Coke or 16."

"Okay?"

-[Jenni] This is where I, like, live.
-How many days is this?

[Tan] Today.

-No, like, yesterday and today.
-[Tan] Whoa.

-[Karamo] We're not judging.
-Is that a flatiron next to the sofa?

Do you flatiron your hair in here?

[Jenni] Yeah, like, while watching TV.

I really do it
more as, like, a stress-reliever.

-[Karamo] Got it.
-It's, like, a repetitive--

Do you use heat protection?

[Jenni] No.

-[Jenni laughs]
-[Antoni] All right, I wanna see more.

So, upstairs.

-This is my bedroom.
-Yes.

-[Jenni] Yeah.
-[Karamo] It's really nice.

You don't like to make the bed
in the morning?

-If I'm having company.
-When's the last time you had company?

[laughs] So the bed never gets made.

[Tan] To make your bed takes 20 seconds.

You at home, make your damn bed.
It's gonna feel great.

Try it for a week. I promise
you'll never go back. Life-changing.

-[Bobby] What is this room?
-[Jenni] This is just, like, a bonus room.

-Wow. So much light.
-[Jenni] Yeah.

How do you not have any plants
with all this amazing sunlight?

I do.

-I k*lled them.
-Oh.

That's a succulent.
Those things are hard to k*ll.

Bobby's gonna do something cute with this.
I can feel it.

I feel it too.

He just went into his dad stance,
so it's true.

-It is nice.
-[Tan] Oh yeah.

-I need to investigate what's happening.
-[Bobby] Investigate the bathroom.

[laughs]

♪ What do we have in here? Uh-huh ♪

♪ What do we have in here? ♪

Oh God, you could trip
and just fall right out this window.

My goodness!

♪ What do we have in here? No, no ♪

♪ What do we have in here? ♪

Ooh!

Cooked cabbage, the aroma of my childhood.

Whew!

It's like a faint fart
with a little bit of BO.

Ugh! Ooh! I smell things.

But yet somehow really comforting.

What's going on with this hair?

-You wanna see it?
-Uh-huh.

-Okay.
-[Jonathan] Okay.

Cutie-pie patootie.

-Do you like being blond?
-I don't think it really fit me that well.

It was a little, like, in your face.

Ah.

Let me put your hair back in a bun.
For me, like, clothes, hair,

like, I do this
'cause this really makes me happy.

But what about you?

What brings you joy?
What makes you feel sexy?

What does that look like for you?

I…

I don't know that I've ever felt sexy.

Like, that's not a…

-[Jonathan] Never?
-[laughs] No!

Sexuality is important.
It's something everybody gets to tap into.

This week, we literally get to explore
what that means for you.

How exciting.

Yeah. That sounds great.

High five. High five.

Belly bump. [grunts]

Yeah!

This little container has,
like, 30% of your daily sodium intake.

Doesn't it feel like the perfect outfit?

[Jonathan] I love that for her.

-[Tan] I know.
-She's safe.

[Antoni]
I was looking through your fridge.

You have cabbage soup
and microwavable mac and cheese.

-Quite the complex. [laughs]
-Quite the complex.

There's only a few things
I know how to make,

things that I can prepare for one,
easily, that are healthy.

I, like, feel
that I, like, learn something

and, like, stick with it.

-And you just, like, stick to it.
-Yeah. Yeah.

Is it fair to say
that you like the highs and the lows?

-Yeah. Yeah.
-Okay.

You got some funky cheeses there.

-A block of Gruyère.
-[Jenni] Mm-hmm.

-When did you fall in love with Gruyère?
-I studied in France.

-Shut up!
-In college. Yes.

Why did you pick France?

Beautiful architecture everywhere,
great food.

Like, the whole scene is perfect to me.

Like, what are your goals going forward?

Like, I always saw myself as, like,
having dinner parties and all that.

-The way the French do.
-Yes.

Having, like, kind of
the new office people all over

for, like,
a welcome-back-to-school party here,

but I don't have anything
in my repertoire for that.

I have not had people
really come to my house

because it's kind of been like,
"Well, your house is better,"

or, "You're a better cook."

You seem down for anything.
Do you have any food hang-ups?

Like, I don't like avocado.

Gonna try not to take that one personally.

[laughs]

Oh, rom-com, rom-com, rom-com.

[Tan] Oh, this is cute.

Yes, jewelry.

Rom-com, rom-com.

Somebody loves a rom-com.

[Tan] There's no way
that these are the right size.

These are too big for her.

[Bobby] Oh, I don't like
that there's a scale right here.

[Tan] Don't like that at all.

[Bobby] Seems like that's the first thing
she thinks of when she gets up.

[Tan] I'd love you to get rid of that.

A lot of the stuff that's in your closet
doesn't seem like it's for you.

Um, it's quite large.

A little over five years ago,
I gained, like, 70 pounds,

so started working out to fill my time
and started getting compliments,

and so then it became about,
like, the weight loss.

Is that important?

-Yeah.
-Okay.

In my mind,
if I got back to, like, where I was,

potentially I would feel,
like, more… attractive.

[Tan] Do you have a lot of clothes here
that are like,

"I hope that one day, I'll fit into this"?

I have some in there.

-[Tan] I would love to see.
-Okay.

I just bought this one
for my dad's wedding.

-I haven't worn this one yet.
-It's lovely.

-[Jenni] Yeah.
-[Tan] Does it make you feel nice?

That's a no.

It made me feel much better
than the other things I ordered,

so yeah.

I said we'd go onto fashion,
but I need to talk about body more.

[laughs]

When you look in the mirror,
what are you upset about?

From, like, here.

-[Tan] Okay. Okay. Torso.
-[Jenni] Mm-hmm.

How do we feel about bum, hips?

Oh. That's included. [laughs]

[Tan] Okay. Okay. Okay.
What's your idea of a good body?

My sister is, like, tiny.

How is that for you?

-That she's thin?
-[Tan] Yeah.

Um…

I mean, I always say
I wish I had her body. [laughs]

[Tan] I understand that.

However, this comparison thing
is your biggest hurdle.

It's not the clothes.

You had said your friends are married.
Now you've said your sister is slim.

I'm hoping that we'll help you
figure out your beauty

without basing it on what size you are.

Yeah.

Wow.

Let's get you naked.

I'm the fashion expert,

and I'm here to explore
your relationship with clothing.

[laughs]

-[Karamo] Sit with me.
-[Jenni] Okay.

[Karamo] One of the things that I noticed
was that you made a lot of comments

about things that other people have
that you perceive you don't have.

I think that that's just,
like, human nature, like, natural. Like…

I'm not where I wanna be.

Like, I don't have the, like,
financial freedom that I would want.

I don't have the family.
I don't have lifestyle, you know.

Like, in college, I had boyfriends
and dated and stuff,

and then I came out of college
and found it just, like, so much harder.

And then all of a sudden,
it was like, "You're young twenties."

"Fine."

Then it's, "Late twenties.
Okay, I still have time."

And then it became more and more
of, like, a insecurity

and then harder to put yourself out there.
You know, that snowball effect.

I see other people having certain things,
and that, like, makes me feel…

sad.

-[Karamo] Got it.
-Or, like, lonely or like a failure.

-[Karamo] Yeah.
-You know? Like, it…

Do you think you're a failure?

In…

Not failure, but, like, worry
I've made a lot of wrong decisions

that it feels, like, too late to change.

-[Karamo] That's the same language.
-[laughs]

-It's nicer language!
-Yeah.

Same though.

It's a self-deprecation that devalues you.

I feel like somebody who tries
to be very insightful with myself,

and so, like, it's surprising

to hear somebody
who, like, has known me for not long

feel like that's
what I'm… giving off, you know?

This is actually a blessing.

Now you can course correct.

Yes. Yes.

[scatting]

♪ Wake up, slow day ♪

♪ Everybody got to make their way ♪

[Bobby] This week, one of the ways
I can help Jenni

is nudging her
to get out of her old principal's office

so she can really move forward
with her new career and her new life.

[Antoni] Teachers spend so much time
around their students.

A lot of them struggle
with taking care of themselves.

But with Jenni, this is an opportunity
for her to throw out the Lean Cuisines.

Let's try something good.

Jenni has such major body hang-ups.

There's something much, much greater
that we need to tackle

than just, "Let's buy her a pretty dress,
and she'll feel great."

[Jonathan]
After all the love and validation

she gives to so many other people,

Jenni is having the hardest time
giving it to herself.

Get in the sexy pool water. It's great.

Jump in!

[Karamo] In life, we all compare ourselves
to other people,

but when you look at
what other people have,

you're not focusing on what you got.

Jenni, stop looking
at the rest of the world. Look at you!

♪ Come on! ♪

♪ Hold up, wait a minute
Can't get enough… ♪

[Bobby]
I wanted to meet you in your kingdom.

The kids think I own the building.
[chuckles]

[Bobby]
I kind of wanted to talk about this place.

We're sitting
in your soon-to-be former office.

-All right?
-Okay.

I still see your name
over there on that plaque.

-Yeah. Under "principal"?
-[Jenni] Yes.

I think it's time for you to move on…

-[Jenni chuckles] Okay.
-…to your… to your new role.

Yeah. I… It's…

For me, it's like, in a lot of ways,

I feel more sure of myself
and, like, who I am here.

For the last seven years,
like, it's been my identity,

and then you kind of,
like, take that away,

and it's, like,
"Who am I, then?" You know?

Your new role,
tell me a little bit about that.

It's awesome.

I think it will be.

-Um, so we have 13 schools.
-Okay.

Schools have a lot going on.
Principals have a lot going on.

There should be something
that we are able to say, like,

"No matter what school of ours you go to,

these things will be true
of your experience."

So people that used to be my peers,
all the principals,

now, I am, like, serving them, you know?

Like, I am trying to make
their vision come to life

and meet their expectations.

I'm trading some of that power

for flexibility and more time.

But, you know, there's a big sense of loss
for myself, you know?

I think it's all about perspective.
What you might be losing here,

you have so much potential
to gain in your personal life.

I just haven't fully figured out
what my work pattern is gonna be.

Like, there's some times

where I'm just gonna need
to work at a desk

and design things and create systems,

and then there's times
where I need to go to all of the schools.

[Bobby] Sounds like your job
is about flexibility.

I think it could be cool
to have a little space at home, maybe.

It's a brand-new role, right?
This role didn't exist before.

Yeah, I literally wrote
my own job description a week ago.

It was awesome.

So, new job, new office, flexibility.

Elephant in the room…

-The boxes in the room? [laughs]
-Yeah, the boxes.

-Let's go in here.
-Okay.

Oh, my legs are asleep.

[laughs]

Oh my God!

[Bobby] Although I am here today
to rip that Band-Aid off

and move her out of her office,

I understand that it's more about removing
Jenni's personal and emotional baggage

because it's taking away
all the excuses she had

to not spend more time on herself,
to not start a family,

to be 24/7 school Jenni

instead of working on Jenni
outside of these four walls.

-It's official. [laughs]
-[Bobby] Yeah?

[Jenni] Yeah.

[relaxing music plays]

-[Jenni] This is amazing.
-[Antoni] Aw.

Jenni's been spending
a lot of time being very careful

about the types of food
that she's been eating,

which I really respect,

but I need her to be able
to see the joy in cooking as well.

I was so excited
about your passion for traveling.

-Yes.
-Especially that you were in Paris.

And you made me think about Julia Child.

I don't know if you knew this. She brought
French cuisine to the United States.

The first thing she ever tried
when she was in France was sole meunière.

Do you know what that is?

Fish.

It is.

So it's a lightly dusted sole fillet
in a meunière sauce

cooked in clarified butter

and then topped with brown butter

and a little bit of parsley
and some capers.

-French butter is the best!
-[Antoni] Yes!

There's nothing better.

So we're going full traditional French,

but you can actually use rainbow trout
to make trout meunière.

-Okay.
-Which is our homage to New Orleans.

And it's something you can serve up
at your event at the end of the week.

Yeah!

Jenni's gonna have
principals from the district,

old coworkers, new coworkers.

This is a wonderful opportunity

for her to show these people who she is
through her food.

Gonna salt and pepper it,
just to flavor the fish.

[Jenni] I'm glad you are.
I don't like touching raw fish.

You don't like touching raw fish?
You get to know the food better

if you have, like,
an intimate relationship with it.

I don't know that that's
something I feel like I'm missing out on.

Fair point.

And who doesn't love
a nice trout meunière? Mmm.

Now here comes the meunière part,

so the flour coating.

-You'll have to touch raw fish eventually.
-[Jenni] I can do it.

[Antoni] And then on the other side.
Beautiful.

So skin side down
into the pan away from you.

Okay.

It's starting to sizzle and foam,
which is great.

Use some butter so that it stays
nice and moist. Nice and gentle.

So you're starting to get
this nice bubbling that happens here,

which is telling me it's ready to flip.

If you want… Oh, you did it.

I was about to give you a tip,
but you got this. You figured this out.

And we're ready to take it off of the pan.

I could not be happier
with the browning on this fish!

Now, moving on, grab a couple of sprigs,

and we're just gonna
pick the leaves off the parsley.

I was thinking about
this next big chapter in your life.

I don't know about your life,

but all of my friends are usually
coupled up before they have a kid.

Yeah.

The fact that you're considering openness

to maybe not necessarily doing that
with a partner in the traditional sense,

like, I just wanna get to it,
like, what's the hang-up?

I don't know.
Like, doesn't everyone want to be in love

and have, like, romantic partnership?

And it is hard
to see all of my friends so happy

and, like, wanna celebrate them,
but, like, it gets tiring.

Not that you can't do that
when you're a single mom,

but, like, I want that now, you know?

I think the other thing is, like,
one of my best friends, six weeks ago,

went through the process, got inseminated,
like, is now pregnant as a single woman.

And when I was listening
to, like, what she is saying about that

versus what I was saying in my head,

it was like, this is just not…

-You feel like she's in a different place?
-[Jenni] Yeah.

I was recognizing
some potentially, like, negative thoughts

that didn't feel like
the most responsible way to, like…

-[Antoni] Your own negative thoughts?
-Yeah.

And so I was like, "I need to work on
the way that I'm thinking about this

and my mental approach and model
before I do this."

[Antoni] Whether, you know,
you decide that you wanna have a kid,

how you wanna have a kid,

-all of that…
-Yeah.

What I wanna encourage you to do
is figure out, like, what your path is,

not just based on what other people
are doing for themselves.

I want you to remember,
like, all the beautiful stuff

that you have going on in your life,
you know?

It's like, I'm sitting there
in this classroom,

and their faces lit up
when you walked into a room.

-You really genuinely care about them.
-Yeah.

[Antoni]
Imagine what the world would be like

if we just told ourselves
that we were just good enough,

'cause sometimes I feel like it can be
so much easier to judge ourselves

for things that we don't
necessarily have control over

than it is to embrace the things
that are already working for us.

-I touched a nerve.
-[laughs]

I'm sorry. I didn't mean
to make you tear up while you cook.

-But I'm an--
-It's onions!

I'm an emotional cook, so I apologize.

-Where are the onions? I don't know.
-No onions in this recipe, unfortunately.

All right, we'll step away
from the heady emotional conversation.

-How about that?
-Okay.

[Antoni] All right, so now we're
just gonna put a little of the parsley,

and then I have
a little surprise side dish.

This classic French lentil salad.

Then, if you want, we can garnish
the salad with some shaved radishes.

-[Jenni] Love 'em.
-Then grab your capers, right over there.

Perfect. It's gonna cook
a little bit of that acid out,

and it's gonna be really nice and lemony.

Your brown butter
looks much better than mine.

You can take some brown butter
and drape it over the fish,

and what this is gonna do
is actually flavor everything.

Yum.

All right, there's one thing left to do.
Let's try it out.

Okay.

That's really good.

-That tastes so French.
-Right?

Like, this tastes like a twist with the…
But that tastes, like, straight Paris.

Damn! I'm really happy with that.

[laughs]

Well done.

♪ I don't care if I go make a scene ♪

♪ Not afraid to say what I mean ♪

[Tan] Would you like any coffee?

-[Jenni] Um, yes, please.
-[Tan] Wonderful.

So I wanna talk about your, um, wardrobe.

You are mostly
living in T-shirts and leggings.

It's rare that you get dressed up.

That can't be doing anything
for your self-esteem.

I've been in this game for long enough

to know that
when somebody lives like that,

they're feeling pretty shitty,

so I wanna understand what it is
about clothes that is affecting you.

I've just started talking about clothes,
and you're already feeling emotional.

I wanna know what is going on.

[poignant music plays]

I do feel really shitty.

I'm sorry. I know you do.

What is it? Is…

-How did you get here?
-I don't know.

My first year as principal,
like, I was just so underwater,

and then I started,
like, just gaining weight,

and then, like, clothes didn't fit,
and that felt, like, awful.

And so then I just started wearing,
like, T-shirts and stuff.

Of course I understand that,
and it's a tale as old as time.

When a person isn't feeling great
about themselves,

the last thing they should do
is put things on that make you feel worse.

You're punishing yourself
by not allowing yourself to be beautiful.

However, I need to try
and get into your head

that you are desirable at any size.

I just need you to understand that
and believe that.

-You see what I'm saying?
-I do see.

No, I do see what you're saying,
but it is so hard for me

to, like, believe that about me, you know?

[Tan] Why is it hard
to believe it about yourself?

I think because just, like,
the experience of the last 15 years

has been, like,
no one has really wanted me,

you know, and, like,
it's not that I don't meet humans.

-[Tan] Yeah.
-You know?

Or, like, I've never been to a bar
or a concert or a party or whatever.

Like, not once,
and, like, it's not an exaggeration,

has somebody, like, ever come up to me
and, like, approached me

or, like, been interested,
like, you know, all the clichés,

ask for a number, ask me out, like…
You know, never.

I open up the apps,

but it's like
I just don't even get messages, you know?

And so that's easier to process
with, like, something superficial.

In fact, I wonder if, like, the reason
I allowed myself to gain so much weight

was because it was like…

"At least there's a reason I can put…
I can attach that to this."

-Yep.
-You are dateable.

You are lovable.

You are so beautiful.
And I know when we say things like this,

people think,
"They'll say it about anyone."

That's not true. Especially not from me.
I just wouldn't say it.

-You are!
-[laughs]

And I wanna show you
that you get to look beautiful now.

Are you terrified?

Mm-hmm.

I promise I'll be really sensitive.

-[Jenni] I believe that.
-Wait till you see this bikini I've got!

-[laughs]
-That would be too far.

We don't have that.
I promise. Come with me.

[Tan] Can I come in?

-[Jenni] Uh-huh. Yeah, of course.
-Great.

No, I can't!

-[Jenni laughs]
-Oof.

-[Jenni] Old doors.
-[Tan] Oh, there.

Ooh. Okay.

Tell me what you think first.

[Jenni] Um…

-I don't love it.
-Tell me why.

Um…

I think it, like, makes me look big here.

Oh.

Or maybe it's, like, too trendy.

-Yeah.
-This feels like a different person.

Okay. Okay.

The issue with the jacket
is it just feels very boxy,

so let's take it off completely.

-Explain to me what it is you're seeing.
-Like…

It's like a… [laughs]

You're holding it
like you're carrying a child.

Yeah.

-Like you are currently with child.
-Yeah.

[Tan] You are in a senior position,

especially the job
you're about to go into.

I think to elevate it
and upgrade it from a legging

would be nice for you,

but if things aren't working,
I don't want you to feel defeated,

because this is a time
for us to experiment and play.

This kind of does do
what a pencil skirt would do,

which is it's flat against your body.

I wonder what would happen
if we put an A-line on you

that then skims your body
and gets rid of anything you might see.

-Shall we try it quick?
-Yeah.

[Tan]
The only A-line I've got here is this.

It's not about the color or the print.

-I just wanna see the shape.
-[Jenni] The shape.

-Okay.
-Yeah. Please.

I'm gonna leave you for a second.

Okay.

Is this more in line
with what you were hoping for?

Yeah. I never thought I would say,
like, I like the skirt more than pants.

[laughing]

This, in my opinion,
is perfect for your body shape.

You're cinching in the waist,
and then having volume at the bottom.

There are still gonna be some things

that you have to convince yourself of
and believe truly,

but self-esteem built a little, at least.

Yeah. Like…

[both laugh]

-[Tan] Fun and flirty?
-Yeah!

This is much greater than clothes.
This is how she views herself.

This is how she allows
the world to see her.

I don't want her to hide away.

I want her to see
that her body is beautiful

and should be celebrated
just the way it is.

Gorgeous!

On a date! She's here to meet me!

Oh my God. I'm so excited.
I can't believe this is my date today.

Wonderful!

What a world.
This blind date worked out perfectly. Oh!

I think you look gorge.

What does it make you feel?
What does it make you think?

I think it, like, makes me
look like I'm confident

and, like, not trying to, like, blend in.

Like, even the heels, I'm like,
being tall is a little bit like a…

Uh…

-"They're gonna look at me."
-Mm-hmm.

[Tan] That waist is tiny.

-With this print, you can't see…
-No, I do feel like this looks flat.

Flat.

Everything that is
the problem area for you, we can't see.

No man online can see.

No man on a date can see.

Doesn't exist.

I hope that this kind of thing
helps you believe

that it doesn't have to be
a T-shirt and leggings

to a bikini in public.

You can cover the areas you wanna cover
and still command an audience.

There is a way to use clothes
to your advantage.

-You were just not doing that before.
-Right.

It is so nice to see Jenni
smile at herself in the mirror.

She can see that she can wear great style,
that she can feel good about herself.

I honestly did not think
we would get to this point so soon,

but I'm so glad we have.

[smooth dance music plays]

[Jenni] Hi!

Jenni has to start getting to a place
where she sees all the beauty,

all the blessings,
all the things she has in her life,

because she's been saying
negative things about herself,

comparing herself to other people,
and she's not even realizing it.

[Karamo]
We have arrived for our little activity.

-[Jenni laughs] Okay.
-You know Daddy loves a metaphor.

-All about the metaphors.
-Exactly.

[Karamo] In front of you,
you see some windows

that, my love,
I'm going to have you write on

all the things that you think
are making you feel like you're stuck,

that you're comparing yourself.

And then once you've written,
it's time to smash that narrative.

[gentle instrumental music plays]

-What do you think's keeping you back?
-Oh God. I hate this.

[Karamo] What do you think?

Um…

-That I'm not pretty enough.
-Boom.

[Jenni] Okay.

-That it's too late.
-[Karamo] Go for it.

Or that I'm, like, too old. You know?

Write it.

All of it just, like,
leads to, like, not feeling desirable.

Keep going.

♪ Loving humans beckon ♪

[vocalizing]

I want you to stand and look at this.

These are literally all the things
that I'm consistently hearing you say

with all of us.

But most importantly, and most sadly,

these are the things
you're saying to yourself.

This is the narrative
you're building about you.

Yeah. It, um… it just feels really, uh…

kind of, like,
hard to see that in writing.

[Karamo] Yeah.

'Cause I think, like, seeing this,

like, does feel like
I've been putting myself down.

[Karamo] Now it's time to say goodbye.

If it says, "I'm not pretty enough,"
say, "I'm pretty enough." Believe it.

-Ooh, I can't do that.
-You can do it!

Smash it!

Okay. I'm pretty enough.

This is terrifying.

Keep going. What does it say underneath?

I am not too big.

The reason I break…
Say, "My body is beautiful."

[Jenni] My body is beautiful.

I want you to scream
even louder next time.

Let it come from your soul.

Oh, I'm not a screamer!

[Karamo] Too late. You are here.

Jenni's over here swinging,
like, "No, I don't want to." [chuckles]

"I don't…" Girl, you know
you can do better than that.

I need you to swing that bat

and destroy these ideas
you have about yourself.

I am desirable.

[Karamo] There you go.

Scream it.

My job is not what makes me interesting.

Yes!

There you go.

Next one.

Will someone want you?

-[Jenni] The right person.
-[Karamo] Yes!

There we go!

The right person will want me!

Ah! Ah! Ah!

Yes, Jenni!

Yes!

Ah! Ah! Ah!

It's a journey of healing.
It's a journey of growth.

And she has taken the first step on that,
and she is looking good while doing it.

Thank you. Thank you for that.

I don't think I've ever broken
so many things in my life. [laughs]

[upbeat music plays]

[Bobby] Amazon Prime is here.

Thanks, man.

♪ Whoo! Okay, okay ♪

♪ Whoo! Okay, okay ♪

♪ Whoo! Okay, okay ♪

♪ Ooh, ooh, ooh ♪

♪ Ooh, ooh, ooh ♪

♪ Ooh, ooh, ooh ♪

♪ Ooh, ooh, ooh ♪

♪ Ooh, ooh, ooh ♪

♪ I take it to the wire
Set it all on fire ♪

[Jonathan] Welcome to Benoga Beauty Salon.
Welcome.

-[Jenni] Thank you.
-[Jonathan] Take a seat.

Ah. So, first of all, look at this face.

Can you stand it?

I can stand it, yeah. [laughs]

[Jonathan] I can't!

-Let's talk about your hair.
-[Jenni] Okay.

It's giving me health, vitality,
so let's keep you long.

-Okay.
-And then for your color…

When you didn't love your color,
part of it was it felt too bold.

Yeah, like, compliments
make me uncomfortable.

-So I don't really like--
-What's that mean?

The thought that
immediately goes to my head,

when people who know me are like,
"You look good,"

it kind of feels like,
"Am I trying too hard right now?"

Like, I hate that trying-too-hard feeling,

but I also think there's a difference
between, like, vanity

and taking back the narrative
of being proud of your sexuality,

being proud of who you are,
and not apologizing for that,

and I specifically think women,
especially women who are educators

and, like, are in more,
like, caregiving roles,

aren't allowed to express
that side of themselves,

and then if they do, they're made to feel
this shame about it or something.

So you can determine
wherever you wanna inhabit that spectrum.

Maybe some people
think you're trying too hard,

but it could be some people think that
even when you're doing nothing.

Yeah.

So I was thinking about, like, embracing,
more of, like, a ballsy, bold color.

Let's make you a redhead.

Like, a soft, natural red
like Julianne Moore.

So if we go ginge,

which I am really
a ******* huge advocate for…

It's kind of my thing. I'm really good
at it. I'm kind of sought after.

Reds, it's my thing.

I'm sought after for my redheads.
It's a thing.

I married a ginger, obsessed with reds.
People used to come to me for reds.

I don't wanna toot my own horn, but I am…

Really, like, it's kind of my thing.

I'm really good at redheads.

So I am a little excited, okay?

It'll be fun!
It'll be really hot. Let's do it.

I definitely am ready to change.

Everything in me is like, "No!"

But then, yeah, do it.

[Jonathan]
Have you seen that thing on TikTok, like,

"When it feels the scariest to jump,
that's when you jump."

I don't have TikTok.

How will you tell the kids not to eat
Tide Pods if you don't go on TikTok?

[Jenni] I'm convinced.

I know that it's a big change for her,
but, honey, we are fully going red.

It is here. It is now.

Give me Debra Messing. Give me Emma Stone.

Redhead vibes!

It is time.

Oh my God, I'm so excited!

Jenni, you got this.

Dry cut commencing.

[laughs]

[Jonathan] Oh my God.
This looks so much better already.

I'm gonna do a little face-framey thing
that, like… celebrating sexiness.

Okay, I'm gonna mix up our color.
Are you ready?

Yeah. I'm only minorly scared. [chuckles]

[Jonathan] I'm gonna do
a few highlights really fast.

Doing it.

Your hair color's gonna be really pretty.

♪ I'm gonna get loud again ♪

♪ I'm gonna go party with my friends ♪

[Jonathan] Would you do me a favor
and flip your head upside down?

Yes. This is
how we get that good volume, honey.

[Jenni] Or do I…

I love that you intuitively knew
to not give me,

like, some wimpy-ass,
like, basic-bitch hair flip.

Like, you were, like… ha!

[laughs]

[Jonathan] Rounding third base.

If you cannot celebrate
your inner hot sexiness after this,

I don't know what to tell you.

[laughs]

For years, Jenni has been struggs to sexy,

but now with this red hair, honey,
take a number and get in line

because this is
New Orleans' hottest bachelorette.

Watch out, world. Jenni's comin' for ya.

I want you to not be afraid to be seen
and to be proud of who you are.

Thank you for trusting me.
This was really fun.

Are you ready to see the new you?
Here she is.

It's happening. Ready?

Three, two, one…

♪ I call thunder, thunder ♪

♪ When you're around ♪

I do think that it just looks
so much more full and happy.

So full, yeah.

[Jonathan] Ooh!

[laughing]

♪ Oh, it's about to break ♪

♪ I can feel it deep inside of me ♪

♪ Oh, it's about to break ♪

♪ Like a wave, like an earthquake ♪

♪ Oh, it's about to break ♪

♪ I can feel it deep inside of me ♪

[horn honks]

[Antoni] They're here. They're here.

Yay!

Let's go in!

Oh my God!

-[Antoni] Whoa!
-[Karamo] Look at that hair!

This red is beautiful.

-[Tan and Antoni] So good!
-Stunning!

-[Tan] Get up here!
-Yeah!

The dark hair looks so good.

-[Antoni] But don't look inside.
-[Jenni] Hi!

-But wait till you see your house.
-[Bobby] It looks so good.

I don't know if I'm ready,
but, yes, I'm ready.

[Tan] It's gorge.

Holy sh*t! [laughs]

[Antoni] Yes!

-[Jenni] Oh my God!
-[Bobby] What do you think?

[Jenni] Oh my God!

Oh my God! Um…

[Bobby] You've got
a new little dining area in here.

New bookcases.

You are a genius.

-Oh my God! [laughs]
-[Bobby] Mwah!

[Jonathan] Is that light fixture new?

-[Bobby] Yes.
-[Karamo] Gorge.

-[Bobby] Ready to see more?
-Oh my God.

I mean, I never would've thought black,
but this is amazing. Oh my God.

If you wanna do black walls
in a small space,

you have to balance it
with a lot of light colors.

So light sofa, light rug,
light art on the wall.

I actually had a custom painting
made for you from Minted.

[Jenni] Oh my gosh.

It's the City of New Orleans
created by a local New Orleans artist.

[Tan] Not meant to sound harsh,

but it doesn't look
like a college dorm anymore.

It looks like
a New York penthouse or something.

-Let's go upstairs!
-Yeah!

-[Jenni] Oh my gosh.
-[Tan] It's lovely.

Oh my gosh, it's beautiful.

-[Bobby] Like it?
-[Jenni] I love it.

And, like, repositioning it like this.

It makes it feel much more spacious.

When you have sleepovers,
like, no one wants to feel trapped in bed.

[Antoni] Like slumber parties?

-Yes.
-Yeah.

-It's gorgeous.
-It feels calming.

-Yeah.
-So nice.

[Bobby] This was a space
that wasn't really that usable.

And with your new job,

I wanted to give you a space
where you could work from home.

If this desk does not say "momager."

You are literally, like, kicking ass
and taking names on this desk.

This is truly the most spectacular thing
that anybody has ever done for me.

You deserve it.

Your energy today is so different
from when we first found you.

You were, I call it "American happy,"

which is smiley, smiley,

but there's so much inside
you've not quite processed.

Yeah.

And I know our time together
at the house was really bloody hard,

and I would like to believe

that we've at least got you
thinking a little differently.

You have, for sure.

-[Tan] Good
-For sure.

Good, so are you ready to try on?

Yes.

-All right, kids, ready for this?
-Yeah!

-Okay.
-We're so excited.

It's so chic.

Would you join me, please?

[Karamo exclaims]

Yeah!

[Jonathan] Did you steal my stuff
in my closet, queen?

[laughing]

-[Tan] Love, right?
-Colors with your hair and your skin!

Do you want me to try that shoe on for you
to make sure that it fits me too?

That shoe's so cute, Tan.

This outfit just shows
she's no longer hiding away.

There's no reason to be a wallflower.

Like, you're gorge. You are successful.

With the way you walked into the room,
like, you're feeling yourself.

[Jonathan] I want the students watching

to, like, turn the TV on mute
for just a second,

but this is a master class
in tasteful titty. Okay?

-I know.
-It is like the perfect…

It's like I'm curious,
but you're not gonna get in trouble.

Like, it violates no dress codes,
but I'm like, "Okay."

Something that is great,
but we're not giving it all away.

-Tasteful titty master class, okay?
-[Tan] Yes.

How do you feel completely?

Like a different person.

Like…

I really keep looking in the mirror,

and also kind of like,
"Who's that? I don't know."

-[Tan] It's Jenni!
-[laughing]

It's the new Jenni Seckel!

-And she was always there.
-[Karamo] Exactly.

-Wait, before…
-[Antoni] Yeah.

I have a little something for you guys.
Hold on.

-[Bobby] Okay.
-Is it snacks?

[laughing]

Oh!

-What? Is it Christmas?
-[Jonathan] Let me help.

Each one of you has been so, so special,

and I wish there was a million more ways
to express to you guys,

like, how much a nugget
from each one of you

that is, like, completing
a whole new narrative in my head.

-Oh!
-[Tan] So lovely.

Bobby, this is for you because you have
given me such a beautiful new home,

and I hope that when you go to your home,
you take just a tiny piece of New Orleans.

-Thank you.
-Yep.

Oh, Jenni!

Tan, the best compliment you gave me

was talking about
it's okay to take my time,

and so this is for your baby.

-[Fab Five] Aw!
-Jenni!

Thank you so much.
That is so lovely of you.

Jonathan, one of the things
that's so inspiring

is, like, you really use your platform
to, like help others,

and it's a little bit
for the activist in you too.

Thank you.

This is for you.

I think you saw in me

things that, like, people
who are closest to me have not seen

so fast.

It was scary,
but it was just so enlightening.

And I really appreciate
you sharing a piece of yourself,

and so this is a piece of New Orleans.

Okay, and for you, with our love of food
and all things gourmand,

I really wanna start hosting.

You've given me the tools
to feel proud of that

and, like, see it now
as a gift and something special,

and so the next time you make a meal,
I hope you can use this.

-Thank you.
-[Tan] That is so lovely.

-[Jonathan] We're so proud of you.
-[Jenni] Thank you.

[Jonathan] We hope for your future
that you can see and celebrate

the beauty that you have
the way everyone around you sees you,

which is just,
like, it's time to celebrate.

-[Tan] And you can start that tonight.
-[Antoni] Do you feel prepared?

-Yeah, but I don't want you to leave!
-[Tan] We don't wanna leave.

It's like this weird dichotomy
of, "No, I'm ready,"

and then like, "No. If I say no,
you have to keep staying?"

-[Tan] Good luck tonight, my love.
-Have fun.

-[Bobby] Love you!
-[Jenni] Thank you!

-[Jonathan] We love Jenni Seckel!
-Bye!

-[Fab Five] Bye!
-[Antoni] Bye, Jenni.

♪ You better get ♪

♪ Move ♪

♪ Out my way ♪

♪ I ain't got the time to say ♪

-♪ Move ♪
-♪ Out my way ♪

♪ I ain't got the time today ♪

♪ Ooh ♪

♪ Everybody move out my way ♪

-♪ Move ♪
-[doorbell rings]

[upbeat music plays]

[laughing]

-Oh my God!
-Oh my God! Oh my God! Oh my God!

Oh my God, Jenni. You look amazing!

Oh my God.

-I can't believe it!
-[laughing

-Oh my God, your hair.
-Look at your ******* house!

So good!

[Jenni] And, like, they put a built-in.

All new. Like, a whole new facade.

And a wine rack!

-[Jenni] Isn't it amazing?
-[Theresa] Jenni!

[Jenni] If I ever have a man here,
it's gonna be like,

"This is the life
you have to be able to give me."

[laughing]

Okay!

[Jenni] We have to cook the fish.

[Theresa] Look at you,
little chef de cuisine here.

Somebody said to me before I went into it,
like, "You're so brave,"

and I was like,
"I'm not, like, brave for doing this."

-[laughing]
-[indistinct chatter]

Hey!

Oh my God!

But I was blown away that I've never felt,
and I feel really brave now.

[laughing]

I love a redhead!

I've never felt so seen in my whole life.

Spin.

Jenni!

-You're about to get snatched up.
-Wow.

-[Jenni] Look at the fish!
-[guests] Wow.

-[woman] Look at the fish!
-Isn't it so good?

Now that Jenni is feeling fantastic,

she's commanding a space,
commanding her room,

and it's so lovely to see

that finally,
she's seeing what we're seeing.

-I feel like this is, like, updated Jenni.
-[woman] Yeah.

The woman we met in that school
is not the woman here.

This woman, she's a boss
that now believes it and owns it.

Jenni is in her power.
She's into celebrating herself, her time.

She's got the goods.
Now she's starting to see it.

There isn't a specific road map
to where you need to be at a certain age,

so right now is the perfect time
for her to start her next chapter.

Okay, I just wanted to take a minute
and just thank you guys so much

for not just being here tonight,

but, like, supporting me
the last seven years.

So thank you for supporting me,

and I'm really excited to, like, see
how to get the life that I want

and that I deserve.

[cheering]

Yay!

♪ And I would do anything… ♪

-[Tan] Boys, you ready?
-[Antoni] Yeah.

-[Karamo] Yeah.
-[Tan screams]

[mimicking Tan]
How are you all doing, idiots?

Tan, oh my God, you look so cute!

-[Karamo] Oh my God.
-Tanny!

-Look at Jackie.
-[Antoni] A little more…

[laughing]

-This keeps falling off.
-[Antoni] I would never!

We'll get sent to the principal's office
for doing this, Jackie.

What are we doing?

[in exaggerated English accent]
Shall we call Jenni Seckel?

[Tan] Hi, Jenni!

-[as Tan] Hello. You look beautiful.
-You switched hair!

You did a really beautiful job
on her hair.

-[Tan] Your hair!
-Am I doing you proud?

-You look absolutely gorgeous.
-Yes, Tanny.

[in own voice] In all seriousness,
my love, how are you?

-Great.
-How was your event?

It was very fun,

and then we went
out on the town afterward.

-Yes!
-[Bobby] I love it.

I've had brunch here.

I had a colleague over last night.

You better work! It's like you are living!

[Jenni] Oh my God, every day.

-Good for you.
-That's major!

It's insane how different I feel
in the last, like, three weeks.

-Yeah.
-I feel lighter.

Like, I wake up in the morning,
and I'm not only thinking about work.

I also have other things
I think about and do.

Like what? Are you dating now?
Is that what else you're thinking about?

I have two dates lined up for this week.

Yeah!

Get out there, mama!

-What do I have to lose?
-Amen.

And, Tan, not in, like, a fake
"American happy" way that you told me.

[as Jonathan] As an American, I can say
I can tell that you're truly happy.

[laughing]

-We love you, and we're so happy for you.
-Yeah.

You deserve everything
that's coming towards you.

Wish me luck on the dates!

[Fab Five] Yeah!

-She don't need the luck!
-Bye, sweetheart!

-[Karamo] She got this.
-She's radiating.

-Yeah, she was.
-It's beautiful.

-High five!
-Good job, kids.

-High five!
-High five.

[Antoni] We were never good at that part.

[upbeat music plays]

Want the waves without the heat?
Try this heatless wave set.

Gives waves for days,
and your hair doesn't get damaged.

Ah! Plus, if you have textured hair,

this is a great way
to preserve your blow-dry.

Also, if you're like, "I don't wanna
spend money," just use tights.

Almost works the same.

Look at that technique on TikTok.
It's genius. [chuckles]

Ah!

[alarm rings]

Heatless waves? How cool!

["Move" by Vanacore Music plays]