We hadn't seen much of Houston's own infamous Erica Rose on Bachelor Pad 2, but that changed in a major way in the third episode Monday night. Suddenly, the so-far unnaturally quiet reality starlet was all over the game — and all over fellow contestant and former Bachelor Jake Pavelka.

Although the cast was back in bikinis first thing following a humiliating bikini incident for Rose last week, things went decidedly better for her this time around (and the guys were relegated to teeny Speedos for the synchronized swimming competition, which helped to level the playing — and posing — field.)

When she wasn't toe-ing Jake's shorts or participating in sexy strategery, Rose was delivering some memorable quotes that support her self-proclaimed role as this season's comic relief.

Choice quotes:

"The closest thing I've done to synchronized swimming is laying out." - Erica Rose

"Jake should win this competition alone just because he has such a big package." - Erica Rose

"[Vienna] is more of a fame whore than Jake is." - Kasey Kahl (Vienna's boyfriend)

"I get that he physically and mentally abused you, but that was a year ago; get over it. Do you know what I've been through?" - Kasey Kahl

"I definitely have good lips that I maintain by getting injections every six months." - supposedly plastic surgery-free Erica Rose

"I don't trust Melissa as far as I can throw her. And even though she's really tiny, that's not very far." - Erica Rose

"Let me guess, they're being mean?" - Jake Pavelka, to a violently weeping Melissa

"I'm gonna manipulate her a little bit, and ignore the fact that she's crazy." - Erica Rose, on Melissa

"You should be ashamed of yourself." - Vienna Girardi, to current BFF Erica Rose

"It's time for order to be restored in this house" - Erica Rose, with her new choice prop — a tiny crystal gavel — as she hammered on the voting box

"I don't think Vienna and Kasey are good people, and they're not even cute" - Erica Rose

Cheesy moments:

Brett Michaels suddenly appearing and serenading Holly and Michael with "Every Rose has its Thorns," the smack-you-over-the-head imagery of which, as Holly fingered a long-stemmed red rose, was just. too. much.

Kasey singing a song to Vienna that was either made up or butchered beyond all recognition. Something about loving you, you know I do when you're blue, let's go screw. Or something. Suddenly we found ourselves wondering how much camera-guy laughter has to be edited out.

Status update:

We chatted with Rose Tuesday afternoon, just after she touched down in Houston from an exclusive Los Angeles viewing party. It was the first time she'd been face to face with Pavelka since filming, and although she says the two are still flirtatious, things are a little awkward.

"Obviously I think he's gorgeous and can't help but be attracted to him," Rose says, and calls Pavelka "definitely the most attractive guy I've ever kissed, hands down."

But revelations about what went down during filming have made things a mite tense between the on-camera paramours. "I didn't know he had been upset about some things," Rose says, "it was hard to talk at the party."

And Pavelka's not the only castmate Rose has kept contact with. She's still friends with cry-happy couple Vienna Girardi and Kasey Kahl — the threesome were in Las Vegas together just last weekend — and Rose was, as we spoke, picking up another unnamed cast member for a visit to the offices of her father, Dr. Franklin Rose.

"She wants to get her breasts done and possibly her nose," Rose reveals. A People magazine feature on that procedure should be on supermarket shelves soon.