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Another week, another brutal night for one of our leads. All season long on “The Bachelorette,” Gabby Windey and Rachel Recchia have taken turns having just awful weeks — and Fantasy Suites would prove no different.
The night began with six men still in the running for the women’s hearts after Hometowns and their decision to keep all of those that remained. Because of six men and a lot of drama, it took two nights and four hours to get through all of it!
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So buckle up, because we’ve got a lot to get into! And once again, we find ourselves scratching our heads at some of these people, as if they forget at this point in the season how this show works and what’s been going on all season.
There’s something about the Fantasy Suites that draws out all those insecurities and jealousies that can bring out ugliness in people. if you can’t handle the idea of your person possibly being intimate with other people, you should never sign up for this show … even though, this week, that did actually happen for one of the ladies.
By the end of a wild week of six very different dates, jealousy and uncertainty, only one of the women made it to the Rose Ceremony. And then, as she went to grab the first Rose, the ceremony was interrupted. We won’t know how that plays out until next week’s finale, but let’s see how we got there!
To start things off, both Gabby and Rachel regrouped in Mexico at the top of the week to share how things went so terribly for them during Claton’s season at this exact point, with him declaring that he loved them all and had slept with them all.
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First up for Gabby was Erich, who is single-handedly trying to make the mullet sexy again — and kind of pulling it off. As always they enjoyed a very easy rapport as they basically went cliff diving (only off of a man-made structure).
When they got to the highest point, it was actually very sweet seeing Erich being so supportive of and encouraging to Gabby, helping her overcome her fear of jumping so they could take the plunge together.
We also started to get worried as talking head interviews started covering how anxious he was about the idea of her being with other guys this week. These guys (and sometimes the ladies) get so possessive during this week.
Gabby is right in saying that what she does or does not choose to do during her Fantasy Suite dates is her business. If he wants to share that he’s uncomfortable as it’s his truth, he certainly has the right to do that, but he doesn’t have the right to try and guilt or pressure her about it.
At the same time, we appreciated Erich’s honesty that he seems to be aware that it’s unfair an inappropriate for him to act out on those feelings. But he also knows that his mind will spiral in that direction, so he’s having his own internal struggle over it.
As for their actual overnight date, they appeared to have a wonderful time — and Gabby made it pretty clear that physical intimacy is important to her so checking for compatibility there is part of her process. It’s complicated and difficult, but it’s part of the package.
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Poor Aven, before we even got to see the beginning of his overnight with Rachel, we got another one of these guys talking about how hard it is for them to think of their woman with another man. This time, it was Tino. After his family dumped all over Rachel and left her feeling like s—, maybe he should focus on trying to repair that damage.
As for Aven, he and Rachel had a perfectly splendid time together, culminating in them both declaring that they were falling in love with one another. Rachel was adamant that she not carelessly throw that word around as Clayton did, but she did use it.
Unfortunately for Aven, the Tino interruptions kept coming — way to short-change one of the nicest guys on the show — as he started sharing that it makes him feel like he could throw up just talking about Rachel being physical with other guys.
Every season, we get frustrated at this same point at the boorish behavior of some of these guys — and ladies on “The Bachelor.” At least no one is making hard ultimatums about it, but it’s still incredibly unfair to project your own insecurities on the lead, who certainly has more going on emotionally and literally in this show than you do!
But back to Aven, he’s just a very down-to-earth, regular, ordinary, very nice guy. But nothing really exciting happened during their date other than it went well, so maybe that’s why producers decided to intersperse some jealousy.
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After bogarting Aven’s Overnight with talking head segments about his own issues, Tino got to show his prowess (ahem) astride a horse and deal with a Rachel deep in her thoughts and insecurities.
On top of this being the week it all went wrong during her season on “The Bachelor,” this is also their first time after his parents basically ran her through the wringer and found her wanting — or at least this whole process wanting.
They also accused her of saying all the right things, but questioning how much of it was real in this fairy tale world, which was … interesting. Stay tuned on that note.
To his credit, Tino was pretty honest about his parents. Even though he said that they would come around and come to love Rachel as he does, seeing all of her great qualities, he did concede that it probably wouldn’t happen overnight.
He was also quite adamant that their negative opinions about this whole experience are not coloring how own feelings. They’re simply ignorant of this unique situation, he explained, that allows two people to grow close and get to know one another so deeply in such a shortened span of time.
In other words, he was saying all the things she needed to know to believe that the echo of his parents’ harsh words were not going to impact his commitment to her or this process.
And then, after telling Aven that she was falling in love with him, Rachel took it a step further with TIno as they both expressed that they were in love with one another. No falling here. But that’s still two people she’s expressed those feelings for — and been intimate with (we assume).
So actions are lining up somewhat similarly to what happened on Clayton’s season (and frankly a lot of other ones, too), but we suspect Rachel won’t be so brutally direct and blunt about blurting out nobody’s business to everyone for no real reason.
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Once again, Gabby and Johnny have a riotous time just running around and laughing and being silly. They’ve never had any problems in this area, but it’s in going deeper that they’ve struggled.
During Hometowns, Johnny basically told his parents that he couldn’t see himself ready for an engagement by the end of this journey, and tonight he decided it was time to tell Gabby.
Basically, he was teling her that he’s afraid of that commitment at this stage, whether it’s her or anyone. Could he possibly get there at some point? Maybe. But his family didn’t think he was ready for commitment at all at this stage in his life, and that appears to be the case.
Certainly his body language suggested that the thought of getting down on one knee any time soon scared the living bejeezus out of him. Again, we find ourselves wondering why someone that afraid of commitment would agree to do this show? They do know the endgame, right?
Gabby made it clear that engagement is what she’s ready for and looking for at this point in her life. She didn’t offer the idea that maybe they could get there eventually and maybe this journey doesn’t have to end in an engagement, but we think that’s more because she could also see that he’s just not ready for that at all.
They’re just at two very different places in their lives. Gabby is looking to find her person and settle down. Johnny is still enjoying living it up, dating and having fun with no strings attached and no long-term commitments. Again, though, why did you do this show?
While Gabby was heartbroken, she had solace in that she believed both Erich and Jason have been open and honest about their feelings for her and that they’re ready.
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Before we even got to see Gabby on her Overnight Date with Jason, we got to see him talking with Jesse about where he’s at … and it’s not where Gabby thinks he’s at.
In fact, he basically echoed what Johnny said, saying that not only is he not at all ready to think about an engagement, he’s not even able to say that he’s falling in love with Gabby.
He feels strongly about her and he sees their relationship growing in a positive direction, but he also made it pretty clear that he only sees the possibility of it growing into something more substantial after the show.
While this was going on that Gabby didn’t know about, she got a note from Erich to meet him at the bridge (she didn’t know it was him until she got there). His apparent intention was to just see her and have it be all sweet, but that green-eyed monster had other ideas.
Instead of just enjoying a fleeting moment, he reiterated a conversation they’d had off-camera during their Fantasy Suite where he told her that the thought of her with another guy this week is just crushing him. He was basically saying, I don’t want to put an ultimatum or anything on you, but you do need to know that it would emotionally destroy me if you get intimate with other guys. But, you know, totally your call.
Gabby shared that in the Fantasy Suite, Erich told her that this week felt like she was cheating on him with the other guys, which is a possessiveness that makes no sense (we must reiterate) in the context of how this show works … this show he signed up for!
After Gabby stormed off, frustrated and heartbroken, Erich apparently reflected and realized that he’d overstepped and been incredibly unfair to her, fearing that he’d “f—ed” everything up. Did he?
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The hits just kept on coming for poor Gabby, only this time they were coming because she took Jason on the tennis court so he could teach her the game and be in a more comfortable setting. Jason has been so stiff and uncomfortable all season.
If we’re totally honest, we’ve not understood this connection she has with him as he speaks in this monotone voice and looks like he wants to bolt at every moment that he’s on camera. Maybe they steal moments off-camera where he shows some personality?
Or maybe not.
He actually believed that she might take him sharing with her that he’s not ready for an engagement and not in love with her, but things are still going great between them, well. But even that’s not what he ultimately wound up saying.
What he instead said was that none of this is real and he doesn’t believe she knows the real him and he doesn’t know the real her. Basically, he sounded like Tino’s parents on repeat in her head. And it was again so monotone and lifeless as he basically told her that everything they’d shared to this point wasn’t really real.
She decided to give him a chance, since he is so private and reserved, to maybe offer some clarity during Fantasy Suites because that’s the one time the cameras leave them alone all night long. Would he open up and show the real him? Could it be productive?
The next morning, she was alone, so it did not go well. Somehow, from the moment the cameras turned off to when they turned on again, Jason basically told her that he couldn’t see them together at all, either during the show or after.
After letting him have it the next day for stringing her along and leading her on for weeks and weeks and weeks until he made the Final Three when he didn’t even see a future with her — despite saying he did — Gabby said goodbye, leaving her with one guy.
The guy who was pretty crappy to her about possibly spending the night with other guys. She wound up not spending the night (sexually) with anyone else, but not because of him. And now, this insecure woman who thinks she’s too broken for anyone to love, is left with one extremely flawed prospect left.
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Of all the dates we saw, this one actually looked to be the most fun. Rachel and Zach ran around Mexico drinking tequila, trying out anything they could find and just laughing and laughing. It couldn’t have looked easier and they couldn’t have displayed more chemistry.
After a psychic told her she was worried about the past, Rachel admitted to Zach that she was a little hung up about this point during Clayton’s season, but she needed to take the psychic’s advice and leave the past back there and embrace that this is a new journey.
So here’s where it gets weird. At one point, before the overnight portion of the date, Rachel said in a talking head that she had no doubts Zach was ready to get down on one knee and propose. And everything he said in his talking heads confirmed that.
So what the hell happened?
Zach came out of that overnight so stunned and shellshocked that he looked dazed during their breakfast portion. They agreed that they’d have a tough conversation, with Rachel telling Zach she hoped he got clarity. We’re not sure he did.
Instead, he went to Jesse Palmer’s room to try and process through what had just happened. As he explained it, she suddenly started grilling him about whether or not he wsa ready to commit because he’s only 25 years old (she’s 26 but only a few months older).
He also said that it felt like she never revealed her true self or personality to him after the cameras turned off. It all felt very inauthentic to him, which is a very interesting observation. Certainly, Rachel appears to be more careful in how she presents herself than Gabby, but we assumed that was just her personality, a little more reserved and put together. Could there be something else there?
It all came out of nowhere for Zach who was all in on Rachel, ready to commit and ready to take that next step. It could be that it’s not about him at all and that Rachel had kind of already decided that she didn’t want to give him a Rose, or that she’d already decided she was all in with Aven or TIno. But that’s not a great way to handle it, if that’s the case, by trying to put it on him that suddenly you don’t think he’s ready because of his age.
Regardless, Zach was a mess heading into the Rose Ceremony. Jesse shared with Rachel that Gabby would not be there, without revealing that there really was no point because she was already down to one guy. So Rachel went in alone. And just as she was about to reach for the first Rose, Zach pulled her outside to talk.
We won’t get the fallout from that conversation until next week, but we did get to see Gabby and Erich have a conversation where she realized how much love he’d been giving her, he owned up (at least privately) that he’d been an a–, and they hugged it out sans Rose Ceremony.
Unfortunately, while it looks apparent how this will play out (Gabby gets engaged to Erich, Rachel eliminates Zach and chooses from Erich and Tino — probably TIno), the teaser for next week’s finale proves there’s plenty more chaos and drama to come!
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“The Bachelorette” concludes live next Tuesday at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.
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