SPOILER ALERT! This story contains details from Monday night’s episode of The Bachelor.
Hometown dates await four lucky ladies, but first the six remaining women have to make it through another week in Canada.
Tensions are only growing at this point, as all of the women begin to form serious connections with Joey, who says he is really looking for clarity and confidence before he travels to meet everyone’s families. This week, there will be two one-on-ones while the other four women will get a group date.
Daisy gets the first one-on-one, which is not very surprising, since her first date with Joey was much earlier in the season. The pair go horseback riding in the countryside and then enjoy some relaxation time in a hot tub situated in the middle of nowhere. At dinner, the conversation gets a bit more serious. Daisy tells Joey that she isn’t falling in love with him yet, but she doesn’t want him to think that she’s not committed to the process. She sees the potential, she just needs more time.
Joey seems uneasy, telling Daisy he wants to feel confident that meeting her parents would take their relationship to the next level, which she assures him it would. She says they are protective of her, given how ill she was a few years ago, and they would want to make sure her partner is going to truly live out the “in sickness and in health” portion of their vows. Joey says he’s all in, and it looks like they both get what they need out of the conversation, because Daisy gets a rose.
Kelsey T., Maria, Jenn and Rachel embark on the last group date of the season — and none of them are very happy about it. Naturally, they all wish they could have been selected for a one-on-one. And Joey knows it too. But, he still wants to make the best out of the situation and is hoping they will too.
For the group date, the women get a lesson in lumber jacking (is that a word?) and compete in an obstacle course, of sorts. Kelsey T. comes out on top with some impressive skills, but Jenn steals the show when she interrupts one of Joey’s on-camera interviews to give him a “good luck kiss.” No one is happy about it. Well, except for Joey and Jenn.
At the cocktail party that evening, Maria is starting to spiral at the thought of other women having a strong relationship with Joey. When she talks to him about it, she says she might not be able to handle continuing the process and taking Joey to meet her parents, because there’s still no guarantee that he’ll choose her, even though she feels confident that they should end up together. That throws Joey for a loop, because as much as he likes Maria, he doesn’t want to beg her to stay. After that conversation, Joey decides not to give out a rose on the group date, leaving another rose up for grabs at the rose ceremony. Yikes.
The next day, Kelsey A. gets her second one-on-one date with Joey. Considering the night he had with the other women, Joey is hoping that this day with Kelsey will leave him more assured about their relationship. The pair spend the day exploring in town and participating in an annual polar plunge with the locals. At dinner, they have a deeper conversation about what this commitment means to them.
Kelsey says she doesn’t take the engagement lightly, because she only wants to be married one time. Joey promises that he is taking it just as seriously, assuring Kelsey that he would not propose unless he was certain. Kelsey A. gets a rose.
The four women from the group date are chomping at the bit to get another moment alone with Joey at the cocktail party before the rose ceremony. Especially Maria, who really regrets telling Joey she might have to leave. But, it looks like none of them will get the chance, because Jesse informs the group that they are heading straight for the rose ceremony.
That is, until Joey arrives and pulls Maria aside anyways. Hey, when you’re The Bachelor, you make the rules. He tells Maria that he really likes her, and he wants to continue seeing her, but he needs to know that she’s all in. She tells him that she realizes her insecurities got the best of her, and she doesn’t want to leave. So, Joey decides to give her a rose. He also gives one to Rachel.
That means Jenn and Kelsey T. were sent packing. Next week, hometowns!
The Bachelor airs Mondays at 8 p.m. ET/PT on ABC.
