(ABC)
On Monday’s’ “The Bachelor,” Arie Luyendyk made some surprising eliminations as he chose his final four. He confessed he was “falling in love,” one contestant quit, and there wasn’t a rose ceremony. Get the full recap below!
As Gossip Cop reported, Arie eliminated Krystal during the Paris dates on last week’s installment. He also decided to send home Jenna and Chelsea. That left seven women heading into tonight’s show, which took place in Tuscany. By the end of the two hours, a lot had changed in the build-up to the hometown dates.
The episode began with the women meeting Chris Harrison in Pisa. The host revealed there wouldn’t be a rose ceremony at the end of the week. Instead, there would be three one-on-one dates and one three-on-one date with four roses up for grabs overall. The first one-on-one date was awarded to Becca, who scored the first one-on-one of the season several weeks back.
“We have missed that romantic connection [since then] and we’re kind of just stuck,” Arie admitted to the camera. He drove them to Barga, where they explored the village and shared a picnic. He confessed that he wanted to “make sure we’re moving forward,” and she promised she was committed to their journey. Arie became confident in their “passion” again, and at dinner, he asked about meeting her family. She said her ex-boyfriend of seven years was the last to spend time with her loved ones. Seeing their own “future,” he said he was “falling” for her and offered her a rose, which she of course accepted.
While Arie was on the date with Becca, Jacqueline admitted to Kendall that she had “swirling doubts” about her own relationship with him. Though “99 percent” of her wanted to stick it out, she didn’t think it made sense for him to meet her parents. Kendall encouraged her to “talk to him,” and she went to his hotel room that night. Jacqueline admitted she had a “moment of doubt” on their one-on-one date, and still wasn’t “confident enough” to be given one of the four hometown dates.
Though he said they didn’t necessarily need to have that strong “foundation” at this point, she stressed that the other women were more “confident” in their relationships. They kissed and he told her, “I don’t want this to be over,” but she kept reiterating that she didn’t feel “ready.” With that, she tearfully took herself out of the running, and Arie told the camera that he felt “blindsided.”
Bekah was annoyed when the second one-on-one date was given to Lauren B., since she just had a solo one the week prior. Arie went into the outing hoping they could “build off” their last date and she’d open up more. They wnet sightseeing in Lucca, and she was still fairly quiet. Arie told her was “ready” to meet her family and questioned whether she was, too. Lauren admitted she was “freaked out” to bring someone home a year after her broken engagement.
Arie went into the night “conflicted” and hoping for a “breakthrough.” Lauren led a toast to “breaking down our walls,” and opened up about her fears of getting “hurt again.” But she admitted, “It’s very obvious to me that I’m starting to fall in love with you.” Arie awkwardly excused himself after that confession, leading her to tear up with regret and confusion. When he returned, Lauren called him out for acting like something was “off.” He insisted that wasn’t the case, said he is “falling so deeply in love with you” that “it’s crazy,” and gave her a rose.
Seinne was chosen for the last one-on-one date, and Arie took her truffle hunting with the help of an expert and the man’s guide dogs. They had lunch with the hunter’s family, who grilled each of them about the state of their relationship. They both had fun, but Arie told the camera he wanted their romance to “progress to where I’m ready to give that rose.”
At dinner, Seinne admitted she was “nervous” about “taking things to the next step” with a hometown date, and he expressed “worry” about what their future would look like. “I’m open to that conversation,” she told him, vowing she was “ready” to move forward and that she didn’t want this to be the “end” for them. But Arie told the camera he didn’t see the “deep emotion” he found with Becca and Lauren B. Then, rose in hand, he told Seinne they weren’t as far along as they should be. “I can’t give you the rose,” he admitted. She tearfully left feeling “blindsided.”
Much to Bekah, Kendall and Tia’s shock, her exit meant there were now two roses available for their three-on-one date, instead of just one. “My odds just went up,” Bekah happily exclaimed, a reaction that didn’t seem to sit well with the others. They were taken to a villa for the group date, and Arie pulled Kendall away first for alone time. He asked about her family, and she admitted they’d probably doubt the progression. But Arie was happy to hear she was “open to moving” to be with him.
As they waited, Bekah told Tia that she did have a few “doubts” and was really longing to be in her own home. Tia told the camera that her fellow contestant had a “lack of seriousness,” and saw it as her “duty” to tell Arie her view of things. So, during their private time, she told him, “I feel like [Bekah] may be on a different page than the rest of us.” Though Tia said it wasn’t about age, she questioned whether the 22-year-old had a “lack of experience.”
Arie told her to not to “harp that much” on the topic. Putting the focus back on their own relationship, Tia said she had “no doubts” about her feelings and wanting him to meet her family. Bekah was admittedly “on edge” even before Tia told her that she expressed concerns about her to Arie. Bekah broke down in tears, saying she was “sick” of people saying she was too young to be ready. “I just feel hurt and I feel misunderstood,” she told the camera.
Bekah then sobbed in Arie’s arms, and he consoled her with kisses. She assured him that she wouldn’t still be there if she wasn’t “serious” about him, and he said he had “tough stuff” to discuss with her. Bekah acknowledged that her family was “skeptical” of the reality competition and that she values their opinion, but predicted they wouldn’t mind the “age gap.”
After each of those talks, Arie rejoined the trio and said there was “one person” he was “confident” in for an “amazing time” next week. That was Kendall, whom he asked to accept the first rose. She did, and Tia awkwardly joked to Bekah that it was now a two-on-one with one rose left but “two of us.” The date continued that night, and this time he spoke with Tia first.
She had no regrets about talking about Bekah, and told him, “I do feel like I’m falling in love with you. I do feel like my love for you grows every time I see you.” Arie in turn said he “pictures” being with her family. When it was Bekah’s turn, she told him to “have a little faith in my 22-year-old self.” She went on, “I do feel like I’m falling for you… I have faith in us.”
Then the moment of truth came. “This is definitely the hardest rose I’ve had to give out,” Arie told the two women. But he said he was “confident” in his decision and asked, “Tia, will you accept this rose?” She rejoiced, of course. Saying goodbye, Bekah graciously told Arie, “It’s going to end well for you, I know it is.” But in the car, the tears fell. Next week… it’s hometown dates!
