The Bachelor Nation marketing team went overboard teasing this episode. They hooked me by saying five people were going home. I saw that and thought it meant that 1-2 were leaving after the rose ceremony and the others would happen throughout the episode. Unfortunately, it wasn’t that juicy and all the exits were pretty much expected.
For three weeks now we’ve started the episode with one of the guys saying “so glad that the drama is out of the house,” but it’s never been true. After the way this episode ended, it actually seems like everyone left is really into Katie and there ‘for the right reasons.’ You know what that means? Hot mess heart break is coming in hot in the upcoming weeks, I can’t wait!
We start with a little girl chat between Katie, Tayshia and Kaitlyn. I like that Katie has them to check in with, especially since they’ve both been through this process, but I wish every time we got all three of them it didn’t feel so forced or awkward. It’s like we can tell they had to reshoot these conversations more than once.
The ladies sit down to chat about who Katie is vibing with the most and her answers don’t surprise me. She thanks Tayshia for introducing her to Blake, says she’s excited about how easy things are with Greg and calls out her feelings for Michael A. and the good date she recently had with Andrew S.
Then, she suggests something pretty unexpected, she wants the men to agree to “withhold their self care” and she asks Tayshia and Kaitlyn to deliver the news. This is an interesting challenge that I don’t fully understand. Eventually, some of these men will end up in the fantasy suites and I’m wondering why Katie would potentially set herself up for a quickie in that situation.
Kaitlyn heads to tell the guys about Operation WOWO and they’re pretty shocked. We get at least 20 different phrases that are stand ins for jerking off. I didn’t even know that many phrases existed. Not sure what that says about me. As the guys take in the news, they make jokes about Blake’s long showers and Mike P. says he’ll be fine because he’s been practicing his entire life for this. I couldn’t help, but chuckle.
Before leaving, Kaitlyn leaves a date card, which is for Justin, the painter. Justin looks shocked that its him.
Next we see Hunter and Greg talking and Hunter says he’s surprised that Greg didn’t get a second one on one. Greg seems confused and asks if that’s even possible and Hunter explains the process a bit and then admits that he believes she’s already got her top four picked and that he’s part of it! We love a confident man, but a delusional one? Not cute. Greg ITMs that Hunter seems a bit calculated and a fan of the show. He also says he just wants to stay out of it. Smart man.
One on One with Justin
Katie says she’s hoping her date with Justin will reveal if there is a connection between them. They walk upon a romantic scene and Franco, Bachelor Nation’s resident photographer is there and tells them they are having a wedding.
I absolutely hate these dates. Not only do they put an incredible amount of pressure on both people, but it also makes it seem like the wedding is the end all be all, which to me is part of society’s problem. Everyone cares about the big day, but nobody wants to do the work to make a relationship last beyond that. These types of dates just set everyone up for failure because it is designed to get you in your head quickly and question your feelings for the lead.
Within minutes, Justin and Katie are separated to write their vows. Katie says she’s never looked at rings with a person before and so she’s eager to see Justin’s reaction. Franco adds to the pressure by telling Justin that whatever he puts in his vows needs to be iconic, when he’s literally probably only had an hour or two with her since the season began. Yikes!
At the resort James, Aaron and Brendan are talking about Hunter and his obsession with the show. They determine that he’s sneaky and calculated.
Back on the date, Katie is in a wedding dress and ready to walk down the aisle to her fake fiancé Justin. The way they have Justin turn around to see Katie for the first time really makes the shit feel real. I couldn’t be a contestant who got this date, it would totally fuck with me. I’m already a hopeless romantic. Justin shares his vows and they’re very generic, he could have said them to any woman and it would have worked. Katie’s were sweet and thoughtful. She says “You are the paint that colors my world, our marriage is a canvas, so let’s paint something beautiful.” It was quite the line, well done Katie!
They pronounce themselves married, smash cake in one another’s face and make out a bit.
Time for the night time portion of the date. Justin and Katie share how nice their date was and Katie says that there were difficult moments of the date for her because her dad has passed and so weddings can be difficult to think about. She says that even the imaginary wedding brought a lot of pain becuase it was a reminder that her dad isn’t around to give his blessing for a proposal or walk her down the aisle. Then she shares that the man she thought was her father, was not her biological father and that the man who is her biological father wants to build a relationship with her. She shares how tough it is and how getting close to her biological father is a reminder that her dad isn’t there any longer.
Justin validates her feelings, thanks her for sharing about herself and says he wants to be there for her in the good and the bad. They embrace and Katie reaches for the date rose and offers it to him. He accepts.
We get a “concert” with some man named Max and Katie and Justin both marvel and how surprising it is that one date changed where their relationship stood.
Group Date: The Great Royal Debate
Can I just start off by saying, this franchise did not deserve the greatness that is these all star drag queens. These men probably didn’t even know what spilling tea or throwing shade was, which is why they were so terrible at doing it. Truly tragic.
Going into the group date, Katie says that the day is going to give off bachelorette party vibes. The guys walk up and she shares that she’s enlisted the help of two people to help her find her king. In walks Monét X Change and Shea Couleé two drag queen all stars who are there to help Katie figure out who is there for the right reasons.
The men’s reactions are hilarious, Blake wonders if he should be checking them out, and Michael A. says he’s ready to go all the way. The queens send the men off to write some jokes about one another to compete for Katie’s heart. As the men write their jokes, the queens check in on their progress and try and warn Hunter that he’s going to get some heat during the date.
It’s time for the debate to begin, the queens start by asking James why he’s the best choice for Katie and he gives some generic answer, then Greg reads a poem, which was also boring. So the queens take it up a notch and ask the guys who is the biggest try hard and they all say Hunter, call him a leprechaun and say he’s a Bachelor superfan, which is not an insult becuase so is Katie. When the queens give Hunter the opportunity to clap back, he doesn’t. Instead, he uses it as an opportunity to speak directly to Katie, which I thought was smart. Michelle Obama said it best, when they go low, we go high (not me, but good for Hunter).
I have to say, I don’t fully understand the Hunter hate. He may be a bit cocky, laid it on a little thick when he already had a rose last week, but he really is just focused on Katie. Also, why did the producers work overtime to make a single-dad with Tourette’s the villain, when James quite literally has the official haircut of white supremacists? Not to mention, Aaron, James and Tre have spent five weeks just looking for shit to be mad about. They are literally the villains here.
During the night time portion of the date Katie admits that her connection isn’t as strong with some men as it is with others. She mentioned that home towns are coming up, which feels impossible, because the season just started.
Andrew S. gets a moment with Katie and says the WOWO challenge isn’t an issue for him. He says he feels confident in what they have and knows no one else has what they do.
Of course the rest of the men are huddled around the fire talking around their issues with Hunter. Meanwhile, Greg and Katie are getting cozy and he admits he’s falling for her and is scared becuase he can’t read her. He asks her how she feels about where they’re at and she admits that she’s falling for him too and that it’s scary. I can’t explain why, but I don’t trust Greg. He is monotoned and dead in the face. I believe I’ve shared this already, but I think he self eliminates and send Katie down a spiral that ends in her telling producers to book her flight home.
The three complainers (Aaron, Tre and James) are back together complaining about Hunter and the “game” he’s playing. James says he’s in his own head and feels the need to share that Hunter may be there for the wrong reasons. So basically, he’s confirming his own ticket home by using his last moments before the rose ceremony to talk about Hunter.
Back to back, James, Tre and Aaron all use their time with Katie to say Hunter is calculated and that what he’s saying isn’t matching up to his actions. Katie pulls Hunter aside to share what some of the men have been saying. Hunter validates her feelings, which I think was a good move and says he’s only been focused on Katie this entire time. Hunter also names that men have been ganged up on in the house and he’s doing his best to only be accountable for his actions and feelings. Unfortunately, what he says clearly isn’t enough. Katie looks over it and questions if she can trust him. She then goes and pukes in the bathroom, which probably had nothing to do with the drama and more so something she ate/drank, but we love a sneaky edit drama!
Katie joins the men around the fire pit and calls the night. She also refuses to hand out a group date rose and instead just says goodnight to the men. They all look disappointed and Brendan is especially upset because he didn’t get time with Katie.
I kind of feel like Katie brought this upon herself. For weeks, she rewarded tattle behavior and so that encouraged the men to continue to tattle when a man in the house did something to piss them off. Now she’s a few weeks from hometowns and she’s realizing some of the connections are a bit iffy, but they’re only iffy because you allowed these men to continue to use their time with you to talk crap and then rewarded them for doing so! I’m not sure what’s worse: drama festering in the house and then ending in a two on one with the lead, or this weird ganging up against one man each week in the name of “protecting” Katie.
One on One with Connor
Fifteen seconds into the package of Connor B getting ready, we see him wheeling his suitcase to the door, which we already know is foreshadowing.
Katie says she’s hoping Connor and her can get out of the friend-zone. While a lot of things align for them, she says the physical part is missing. Katie lets us know that this date really is the last chance for them to try to connect and see if anything is there.
Connor and Katie are going on a double date with Jason and Katilyn Bristowe, which I love. I’m always a fan of dates that mimic real life. It’s been the one saving grace of these bubble seasons. They play a few games, most of which, Connor seems to be terrible at.
Jason and Connor fire up the grill, giving Katie and Kaitlyn some time to chat alone. Kaitlyn shares that relationships that grow out of friendships can be a beautiful thing and I agree. I’m dating my best friend turned fiancé and its the most comfortable relationship I’ve ever been in. It’s easy because our foundation is a genuine friendship with an innate trust. What sucks about this quick process is connections like what Katie has with Connor don’t have time to blossom. In the real world, Connor would be a constant in Katie’s life for a few months, giving them an opportunity to connect before becoming romantic. Some people need some time to warm up before a relationship can be broached and I get the feeling Connor is one of those people. So unfortunately, this process ain’t for him.
Katie keeps referring to one final kiss to help her determine if this relationship makes sense to keep pursuing and while I get it, I also think it’s unfair. There are cameras everywhere, she’s probably only had a few hours with Connor alone, if that, and because trust is assumed, not actually established in this process, they can’t take some time to self-correct a bad kiss. It’s unfortunate because when Connor isn’t playing an instrument or singing, he seems genuinely into Katie. Hopefully he sang enough on the show to get his streams up on Spotify.
As Connor gets ready for the night time portion for the date, he talks about a future with Katie, wanting her to meet his family, etc. While he’s doing that, we see Katie walking towards his room in a sweatshirt, which can only mean one thing…
She knocks on Connor’s door and is crying, they go and sit on the couch and she struggles through a break up speech, while Connor constantly consoles her. It was so awkward. I’m all for giving a person space and grace when they’re dumping you, but comforting them as they’re dumping you, nah. But good on Connor for being a stand up dude, hopefully we’ll see him on sand this summer. I think he could be a surprise dark horse.
As if comforting Katie as she broke up with him wasn’t enough, Connor has to go back to the house and say bye to the guys. Many of them were shocked and sad to see him go, which is really just a testament to how well received he was by these men. Connor is also the first elimination exit we get to see. We get a quick tear fall in the car as he exists, while the other men question if they’re next.
Back in Katie’s room, she’s really torn up by her decision, until she hears music outside her window and sees Blake holding up a boombox and giving us a Say Anything moment. She invites him up and they doing some heavy petting/making out. Blake said he saw how torn up Connor was and figured she might be hurting too, so he wanted to come and make sure she was ok. Smart move Blake, smart move. I also wonder where the other men are in this? Did Blake just sneak out of their shared living space without them noticing? Did he lie and say he was going for a walk? Obviously producers allowed this moment to happen, but I’d just like to know more of the how.
Blake uses this as an opportunity to show the type of partner he could be during tough times. Talk about knowing how to play the game. Katie says when she’s with Blake she doesn’t think about anything else except the two of them. The chemistry is so fucking clear and this was the moment that I thought Katie should’ve said fuck these other men, pulled a Kaitlyn Bristowe and had sex with Blake before fantasy suites. Blake says it’s exciting to think that they’re going to fall in love and that he feels like Katie is going to be his fiancé. I concur.
Rose Ceremony
Katie walks in to the cocktail party looking hot! I hate that her clothing is either on point, or a train wreck, some consistency would be nice. Brendan hands her a drink and Katie addresses the men and tells them that spending time with them at a cocktail party wouldn’t sway her decisions at all. So, she cancels the cocktail party. She says she know what she wants to do and wants to focus on the relationships she formed going forward.
The men are shook. Aaron and Tre acknowledge that they’re nervous about their fate because they haven’t spent a ton of time with her. If only they could’ve used what little time they did have to get to know Katie better. If only that were a possibility. 😒
As the men line up for the rose ceremony, they count the roses that are on the podium and realize four of them are going home. Katie picks up the first rose and calls Hunter’s name, they go talk. This call didn’t really make any sense to me and I’m sure it was a little producer manipulated, but still it was an unnecessary build up that ultimately meant nothing. I do think Katie and Hunter connected in ways that we didn’t see and so maybe that’s why she felt like she needed to talk to him one last time. But Katie also seems easily swayed and like she doesn’t want to be with someone that others don’t like. So, as soon as certain men started sewing seeds of doubt in her head about Hunter, it was a wrap.
We don’t see the resolution of their conversation, but it’s clear that since he didn’t leave that conversation with a rose, he probably isn’t getting one.
Katie and Hunter head back into the Rose Ceremony and she hands out her first rose to Blake. The next few are predictable, Andrew S., Greg, Michael A. and Mike P. all receive roses. Katie’s final rose goes to…Brendan, which is so unexpected. We’ve barely seen them speak and it doesn’t even look like he gets a one one one next week, so what the actual fuck is this choice Katie? Maybe she wanted to get rid of all the men associated with drama/tattling, but she could have done that and kicked Brendan to the curb.
All the drama kings (Tre, James, Aaron) are going home, plus Hunter. Katie lets the men who are left know that she sees something with each of them and that’s why they are still there. She also acknowledges that it’s going to get harder to let them go as time goes on.
We get a preview of next weeks episode and from the preview alone I can feel the weight of the relationships. Things feel a bit more serious and not so light and easy, and in theory, when you’re talking about marriage, there should be a level of seriousness to it.
Now that all the drama is truly out of the house, I’m looking forward to seeing drama of heartbreak, hometowns and hot fantasy suites!
See you next Tuesday. ✌🏾
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