The Obligatory Forced Nudity Date: Bachelorette(s) 19, Episode 2
Plus, more confusion about how this process works.
It’s our first real episode of the season and Jesse Palmer and production are still acting confused and like there aren’t any rules. Love that for us!
We start off with Gabby and Rachel debriefing the first night and what to expect at their upcoming group date. I liked this check-in last week, but if we get this all season, it might actually get annoying. Some of what they’re discussing 1) we’ve already seen as an audience and 2) Jesse Palmer should be facilitating. Hopefully, future check-ins will feature updates the audience hasn’t seen.
Next, we get a peek into what it looks like for 28 men to live in a house that doesn’t have enough room for them. Bachelor mansion was looking real ghetto because why don’t these men at least have a place to lay their heads?
The guys get surprised by Gabby and Rachel and they let them know that they’ll be hosting a pageant to get to know each of the men and see their personalities. They bring “gifts” with them, which of course are speedos forcing them to walk around mostly naked. The men are working out to make their muscles pop, oiling up and stuffing their pants. Hilarious. The prize for these men, an exclusive after-party with the leads.
One by one, each man has to disrobe and show their look “forward and backward” according to Jesse. We’re used to forced nudity dates at this point. Whether it’s The Bachelor or The Bachelorette(s) there is always going to be a date that “asks” contestants to get mostly naked and to compete for time, the leads heart, etc. Not sure if I was feeling extra prudish, or if it’s the current climate of our country/society, but this “pageant” felt especially played out.
I love a well-moisturized man with abs and a nice butt as much as the next person, but the premise of this exercise was that it would allow Gabby and Rachel to get to know these men and whittle the group down. I’m not sure how looking at packages and butts allows them to do that. Also, if their junk has to be blacked out, what’s the point?
I did like that they got to ask each guy a question to get some insight into who they are. We definitely could have gone without the “talent” portions.
We learned very little about these men during this pageant, but we did learn Logan is stubborn, James may be into a bit of food play in the bedroom and Chris absolutely cannot sing but does have the confidence of a mediocre white man in Corporate America and I personally love that for him.
Back at the mansion, Quincey and the boys toast to having their butts out all day. Seems fitting. The men also receive the first date card of the season. Quincey’s name was not on the card and he was pissed that he spent the day with his ass out and it led to nothing. I guess this is the first group date cocktail party?
Group Date Cocktail Party
On the date: Aven, Logan, Brandan, Jason, Johnny, Colin
Rachel kicks off the night with a toast and immediately sets her eyes on Jason, they go talk. They’re sitting very far apart on the couch and before they even begin getting to know one another, Jason admits that he is there for Gabby. Rachel handles it like a champ, but I hate this for her. This won’t be the last experience she or Gabby have like this and it’s unfortunate because it makes an experience that is supposed to center them, mostly about the men.
Of course, this awkward experience leads to a slew of awkward conversations with the six men there and ends with Rachel walking in on Johnny and Gabby kissing. Then, Logan swoops in and tries to connect with her. He calls her brave for getting her heart broken in this process and then putting herself back out there as the lead. It seems like a sweet, genuine moment, but then he runs it back again and does the same thing with Gabby. Logan is messy.
Rachel and Gabby are debriefing the night and there’s a bit of awkwardness when it comes to Logan. They are both aware that they’re feeling Logan specifically and they don’t want to block the other person from exploring further.
In the end, Rachel’s rose goes to Logan and I think this is a mistake. He seems more into Gabby than Rachel. But Gabby steps aside and instead gives her rose Johhny.
Episode two and things are already getting awkward. I love the free for all model of Paradise, it normalizes dating multiple people, but it’s a lot harder to pull off in this setting. There are only two women and 30ish men, inevitably they are comparing the women to one another.
The next morning Jesse Palmer is sharing what the rest of the week will look like. Both Rachel and Gabby get a 1:1, which means only about a third of the house is getting extended time with the leads. The rest of the men will have to make something happen during the cocktail ceremony. Jesse delivers the first date card and is still pretending not to know how this process is going to work.
Love isn’t in the Air
On the date: Jordan V.
Rachel and Jordan V. are heading on their date and driving a great convertible to a zero gravity experience. Rachel says she picked Jordan because he made it clear that he was there for her. Jordan’s move of claiming one woman early on seems to have paid off.
The pair board the plane and Jordan is terrified as if he doesn’t drive a car at 300 mph on a regular basis. This date looks really fun! I’m not sure if this is a new date for Bachelor Nation, but it was nice to see something new (to me) and creative that was sort of in Rachel’s wheelhouse. They seemed to really enjoy themselves.
Back at the mansion, the men are discussing who they’re interested in and Chris’ cockiness is still on full display. He’s claiming he’ll make it to Fantasy Suites, he’s talking about his deal breakers, it’s so awkward and presumptuous. Save it for your journal, Chris. I said this guy was a red flag based on his bio and it’s looking like I was right.
For the nighttime portion of Rachel and Jordan V’s 1:1 Rachel has on a beautiful red sequence dress and they are in a gorgeous theatre. Rachel shares that she loves that they both have a passion for their work because that isn’t something she hasn’t had in previous partners.
The Chris drama continues at the mansion and he doubles down on his feelings about Fantasy Suites and not wanting the woman he’s going into Fantasy Suites with to have sex with other men. The men accuse him of being controlling and talking about his experience in the house as a strategy in a game. Honestly, this is a game. This whole thing is a numbers game. Sure, feelings are involved, and maybe love is even involved, but I *think* what Chris was saying is that making it to the fantasy suites doesn’t automatically equal being in love with the lead.
At the end of the day, Chris’ “preferences” are his, the same way Susie’s were hers, but it really should have been a conversation between him, Gabby, and Rachel.
Back on Rachel and Jordan’s date, Jordan is sharing about his family and his parent’s divorce and how that affected him, especially as the oldest kid amongst him and his siblings. In her ITMs, Rachel calls him perfect but also says that she feels like something is missing. In these moments, Rachel was giving me Katie Thurston vibes a bit. She literally looks like she walked out of a Bachelor contestant factory, she’s saying all the right things, and she’s got the cadence and tone of a Bachelorette down perfectly, but that’s not enough to find a partner in this process (I’m assuming).
When she began to have second thoughts at dinner with Jordan, it felt like she was coming to the realization, that all the right things can be said, and everything can look good and it can still not quite be enough. This happens off TV too and it’s a crappy realization because nothing specific is wrong, but it still doesn’t feel right.
Rachel knows she needs to send him home but feels guilty doing so. She returns to the dinner table and tells Jordan that she’s enjoyed her day with him, but something is missing and so she can’t give him the date rose. Rachel, sis why did you grab the rose if you weren’t going to give it to him? How awkward.
The awkwardness isn’t over because there was a private concert planned and it looks like they played in an empty room, which is somehow worse than playing in front of a bachelor couple dancing off beat.
Rachel sending Jordan V. home also brought up another question about the process for me: does Gabby not get a say in who gets sent home? Is a man effectively for one woman over the other once they accept a 1:1 date card? What if both women want a 1:1 with the same guy, is that allowed? I think production thought it would be cool to Kanye shrug through this process with two leads for the entire season, but it’s episode two and I’m already not feeling it. I like both of the women, but I hate the confusion.
Hot Tubbing in the Hills
On the date: Nate
Nate looked shocked to be chosen, probably because he’s seen this show a few times and knows that Black men aren’t usually the first choice for 1:1 dates.
As he’s getting ready for his date, he’s a little shook that Jordan went home and so his approach is to be as honest as possible with Gabby, namely about his six-year-old daughter.
Nate is meeting Gabby at her place and after a glass of champagne, they’re sharing their first kiss. He’s like a little kid with a crush, it’s really cute. Everything he’s doing seems unbelievable to him, he’s starry-eyed the entire time. It’s still fuck helicopters ever since Kobe died though.
Of course, no early season Bachelor Nation date is complete without a random hot tub in the middle of nowhere during a California summer. These two definitely have chemistry, they’re giddy and stealing kisses, very cute. Maybe Nate should’ve made my top four for Gabby instead of Erich, who I’m thinking might be a lowkey villain.
As the nighttime portion of the date begins, the men are at the mansion shocked at how long Nate has been gone. I wish they’d give us time stamps on this damn show. If you’re going to include cuts that speak to time, or show night become day (like on night one) then give us the timestamps!
Nate doesn’t waste much time sharing with Gabby that he’s a dad. He says his daughter is the human form of coffee and we see Gabby tear up sharing what her dad means to her. She doesn’t seem phased at all by him being a father, but she does say in her ITMs that she isn’t sure if she’s there yet, but is willing to keep feeling things out and make the decision later. Nate gets the date rose. These two are so goofy and cute, love them together.
Cocktail Party
It’s the morning of the cocktail party and the men are still unsure which woman they want to pursue. They’re confused that Jordan V. didn’t come back from his date, but Nate did and everyone is scared because they don’t know how the format of the rose ceremony is going to go. This theme of confusion is not my thing.
Jesse, the host of the damn show, is asking Rachel and Gabby, how the format is going to work and the women agree that it will come naturally. Listen, it ain’t coming naturally so far.
Mario grabs Rachel to introduce himself and puts her through a mini workout. This is insulting. Please don’t ever make me work out on a date, even if the workout is getting picked up while the man squats.
These men (read: producers) really stepped up their game. They planned mini dates so the women could get to know them better, they’re going for kisses, and they’re showing their personalities.
But all good things must come to an end. Hayden, Jordan H., and Quincey are debating whether or not they should share what Chris said about Fantasy Suites with the women. Quincey decides to because he doesn’t want to “keep secrets from his (potential) wife.” A little hyperbolic, but ok.
Rachel is upset by what Quincey shares with her, she immediately goes to update Gabby. Gabby is disgusted by Chris’ words, especially since she hasn’t even had a conversation with Chris yet. In a confusing two-lead process where some agency is already being taken away from these women, it’s fucked up that Chris is making unnecessary and preemptive comments about Fantasy Suites.
Gabby doesn’t mince any words. She approaches Chris bold AF and asks him if he thought it was too early to be talking about Fantasy Suite (it is). Unrelated: Chris uses the word female several times throughout this episode and I hate a man that refers to women as females, so that’s another strike to me. Overall, I loved how Gabby and Rachel stood up for themselves and sent Chris home. He was condescending and didn’t take responsibility for his words, he got bogged down by semantics and it wasn’t a good look.
Literal seconds later, Chris comes back into the mansion and asks to speak to Jordan, Hayden, and Quincey to confront them about sharing what he said with Rachel. The confrontation didn’t end well. Should’ve saved it for Men Tell All, buddy.
Rose Ceremony
Jesse explains to the men that there will be a big cut tonight. He says that the women will be handing out joint roses, which means both Rachel and Gabby are inviting the men into next week. Surely this approach won’t last all season, it makes no sense.
As the women begin to hand out roses, it seems like the women are calling the names of the men they are most interested in. I did think it was interesting that some men really wanted a rose from one woman only (Ryan) while some were happy to get any rose (Jacob).
Going home are Ryan, Matt, Colin, Justin B., John, Chris, and Brandan. I was surprised to see Ryan and Colin go so early, especially since we got a good amount of Ryan over the last two episodes.
Next week it looks like we get the wedding photoshoot date, more confusion about how this process is supposed to work with two leads, and grandpa Joe! Thanks for reading, see you next week!