First nights on the The Bachelor or The Bachelorette are fun, with their limo entrance gimmicks and the one contestant who gets too drunk on the first night, but the real show starts in week two, when the dates begin. This week proves that to be true, as though I found the premiere to be an overall good episode, there is a lot more to unpack in episode two.
This episode begins with Becca declaring she is officially dating again after her relationship with Arie went so brutally downhill. It is a bit frustrating that Arie keeps being brought up during what is supposed to be Beccca’s season, but truthfully, getting dumped on television is a pretty traumatic event to overcome. I’m happy for Becca, and liking her more and more as we get to know her!
The first date this week is a group date. Jordan is on this group date and tells us that because he is a model, he will beat the other guys. Unfortunately for Jordan, this does not turn out to be true.
The men get all dressed up in tuxes and drink champagne, only to later discover that the date is not quite the pampering they had expected. Instead, the men are confronted by Bryan Abasolo and Rachel Lindsay (former Bachelorette and her pick) who tell them that they will be participating in obstacle course, aptly named “Groomsday.” It includes being submerged in ice cold water and digging through cake with their face in order to find rings, among other ridiculous tasks. Lincoln wins, but not without the other guys accusing him of cheating. And so the bitterness begins.
Later on, in the night Becca gives Lincoln a framed photo of the two of them after he had won the challenge (side note: “won the challenge” really shouldn’t be language I use when discussing a show about marriage, but here we are). He is very happy about this, kisses it in an ITM and calls Becca his “future wife” and displays the photo on the table for the rest of the guys on the date to see. Now, this isn’t the classiest of moves, and though Lincoln may at first have been joking, he should have taken the photo down when asked by the other guys. That said, Connor takes it too far when he picks up the photo and “sends it away,” throwing it over the balcony and into the pool. The best part of this is Jordan’s unabashed gleeful reaction.
Look, I don’t think it’s cool to break another person’s property, no matter how annoying they are being. That said, Lincoln is a bit manipulative in the way he tells Becca about the situation. He sits down and calmly says “I need a new picture” and of course she questions why. In this way, he makes her the one who asked about the drama, rather than he being the one bringing it up to her. He also calls Connor aggressive and says he fears for his physical safety, which I don’t think is totally true.
It’s very clear that this ridiculous photo drama annoys Becca, and when she sits down to talk to Connor about it, the distaste on her face is palpable. She says “I’m looking for a man who can still stay respectful and handle himself well.” Connor is apologetic, but it seems a bit too late. Becca finishes the conversation saying she will take some time to think.
In more positive news, Becca sits down with Jean Blanc, who tells her she has a beautiful smile and even better lips. The two share a kiss, and Jean Blanc gets the date rose. We didn’t get to see a lot between the two of them, but Jean Blanc seems like a good guy so I hope he sticks around!
Later, at the mansion, Lincoln cries over the loss of his picture, describing it to the other men and telling them how much it meant to him. I feel this reaction is a bit extreme, and so does Jordan, who questions the validity of Lincoln’s accent and also his “genuinity.”
Then, it’s time for Blake and Becca’s one-on-one date. Blake seems like such a sweetheart, and I don’t really know why since he doesn’t say a lot of things of substance, he just has a kind face. They go to a warehouse where they are given sledgehammers and jumpsuits and instructed to smash memories of Arie and Becca’s relationship. Also, Lil Jon is there?? At one point, we are shown Lil Jon’s mixing board in which there is a switch labelled “Bachelor” which cues the romantic music. I hope this franchise never changes.
At their dinner date, Becca and Blake discuss past relationships. Blake opens up about an ex who he found out was planning on breaking up with him after accidentally seeing a text on her phone. Becca emphathizes with him and gives Blake the date rose. They then share a passionate kiss on the street. The date was pretty by-the-book and not all that exciting, but I definitely sense that the two of them have feelings for each other, and I think Blake seems like a good guy, so I’m rooting for them.
The next group date is a dodgeball-centric date in which the men play dodgeball on trampolines. Honestly, if anyone knows a place where I can do this please leave a comment below. There are kids present to help the men drill and yell things like “You are trash! Do you think Becca wants trash???” which I appreciated. The pink team was terrible, aside from Leo who was unexpected dodgeball star, and the green team won.
At the afterparty, Colton tells Becca of a prior relationship he had with Tia, also from Arie’s season of The Bachelor. Becca does not look pleased to hear this and I can’t blame her. The relationship took place right before the The Bachelorette was announced and it was highly speculated Tia would be chosen as the next Bachelorette. I take this to mean that Colton knew he would be going on the show, thought the Bachelorette would be Tia, and began dating her prior to the show where if she were to be the Bachelorette, she would choose him. The whole thing is shady, and makes Colton appear very disingenuine as he still went on the show anyway, even though Tia wasn’t the Bachelorette. Becca tells him she feels “a little bit sick” and needs time to process this information, and I don’t blame her.
Wills and Becca have some one-on-one time discussing their families and asking each other what they look for in a partner. I like Wills, but I didn’t like that he was talking about The Bachelorette as though it were a contest. I know that in a way it is, but I think if he were really interested in Becca, he wouldn’t be saying things like “I feel like I’m near the top right now.” However, maybe it was just poor phrasing, so I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt. Regardless, Becca gives Wills the date rose.
Then it’s time for the pre-rose ceremony cocktail party. Becca is feeling upset after the revelation of Colton and Tia’s relationship. Clay tries to cheer her up by teaching her a touchdown dance. They do the dance and then they kiss, and honestly, it was pretty cute! Connor also tries to redeem himself for the picture-tossing dilemma, and so he gets Becca to throw a picture of himself into the pool. He actually does quite a good job on the damage-control from that incident and it seems like Becca forgives him.
Becca and Colton talk once more about the Tia situation, but they just seem to end up in the same uncertain place than they did their earlier conversation. It’s pretty clear Becca is attracted to Colton but really does not want to date her friend’s ex, which is fair enough! Either way, Colton is pretty dull and this was a boring conversation, so luckily Jordan also decided to take his clothes off at this cocktail party.
Jordan decides Becca needs to see more of him, so he strips down to his underwear and loafter (without socks, I might add) and interrupts Becca’s conversation with David (chicken). David is not happy about this, saying it “was certainly not what [he] wanted to see” and calling it disrespectful.
Jordan tells Becca that surprsingly, he’s “not 007 all the time,” because that’s what we were all thinking. He also adds that he’s spontaneous and likes to speed, and his passion is to have a mini-me named Jordie who sits on his shoulder while he drives a G-wagon. There’s a lot to unpack here, and I’m not going to do it.
David and Jordan have a bit of a confortonation, with David questioning Jordan’s intelligence and Jordan continuing to compare David to a chicken. It’s a ridiculous feud, the male model and the chicken-suit guy, and I really don’t think either are really in the right or in the wrong. Yes, it’s not the best of manners to interrupt other’s conversations wearing nothing but boxers, but it’s The Bachelorette. You get what you signed up for. I’m more concerned that “ingenuinity” is said for the second time this episode.
At the rose ceremony, Jordan shows up wrapped in a pink faux-fur blanket. If that isn’t a mood.
Stays: Chris, Jason, John, Clay, Mike, Connor, Leo, David, Garrett, Nick, Ryan, Christon, Jordan, Lincoln, and Colton.
Jean Blanc, Blake, and Wills are safe due to recieving date roses.
Goes: Rickey, Trent, and Alex, who leaves with a tearful goodbye. Alex, if you’re out there, I hope you’re doing well!
Top 4 Predictions:
- Garrett – I’m not going to lie and pretend like my opinion hasn’t been swayed by the recent press around Garrett. If you haven’t been following, it has come to light that Garrett has liked instagram posts in the recent past that were sexist, racist, and bigoted in nature. While he apologized, this has definitely left a sour taste in my mouth about Garrett. That said, I can’t deny that he and Becca appear to have a connection, and from what I have seen of him on the show, he seems sweet. Also, the fact that Becca, a very liberal woman, has not slammed him when asked for comment on his social media posts shows that she is being protective over him.
- Blake – They had a sweet date and the two seem very similar in nature. I really do think they would be a good match, and I see Blake making to at least the top 3 for sure.
- Colton– Becca kept Colton even after it was revealed he had a prior relationship with her friend. She must be pretty interested to be willing to overcome that situation and keep him around.
- Jean Blanc – Though we didn’t get to see a lot of time between Becca and Jean Blanc, she did give him the date rose, and he seems like a good, grounded guy, so I’ll put him in the fourth spot for now.
Jordan’s Fashion Corner:
- “Before you put on your socks or shoes or pantyhose or whatever, put the confidence on.”
- Don’t wear a burgundy suit with a purple shirt. “No, we cannot do that, no.”
- Stars on your shirt = confidence
Featured image via The Bachelorette on Instagram
