This episode had a lot of tears and a lot of feelings for it to be so early in the season, but I suppose that’s what happens when production jumps into a format with no plan. The second half of the episode had me hot. Hayden and Jacob, we’re rude as fuck to Gabby and the rose ceremony “rules” we’re clearly made on the fly. A mess.
We start with the guys sitting around outside talking about who they’re interested in and leaning towards in this process. Some guys feel like it’s about time to choose, others are still unsure. I’m still not a fan of this process. While I have always said in my reviews that leads often forget contestants have to pick them back, this setup is giving the men way too much power and I don’t like that.
Rachel and Gabby are enjoying their morning coffee as they discuss what it looks like to force the guys to make their choices so they can spend their time focused on men who are also focused on them. They decide to tell the men that this is their week to choose. I support this decision! These guys are fake confused. There is something to be said about a vibe and going off of energy, even once you get past the initial attraction. So, they should lean in to that and make their choice.
The Beginning of Rachel and Zach’s Love Story
When Quincey read Zach’s name off the date card, I audibly said “who the fuck is that?” I have never seen this man, I don’t know him, and I don’t know where he came from. The men joke that Zach should be careful because he could be another Jordan V. Kirk, the football coach, insinuates Rachel may be using her one on ones to weed men out quicker, especially if there’s no spark. Why so afraid of a woman that knows what she wants?
Rachel’s dress is cute, at this point, we know she loves a button-down, so I’m just gonna go with it. If she likes it, I love it. But why the hell was Zach in a t-shirt? A basic t-shirt. Why? Why. WHY!?
Listen, I am SICK of this show giving these exciting, upbeat Black guests to white leads. First, it was Monet Exchange on Katie’s season, then the incomparable Ziwe on Clayton’s season, and now Karamo from Queer Eye. Enough! I love the diversity of date hosts, but damn save some for the Black and Brown leads, or Paradise. Anyway, Karamo lets the pair know he will be helping them get ready for an exclusive movie premiere.
Gabby surprises the guys at the house in an effort to get to know them better. This honestly seems boring, none of the guys are excited to see her and no one is taking the opportunity to pull her aside and get to know her more. This is an unexpected moment they could have with one of the leads and as Gabby said, it shows that they lack initiative if they aren’t willing to take advantage of it.
Back on Rachel’s date, Karamo is stirring the pot and asks Zach how he knows that Rachel is the choice for him when there is another woman to choose. I don’t remember what he said and I didn’t rewind it to listen. I’ll assume good intentions until he gives me a reason not to. The couple plays dress-up, trying on various outfits before finding their final look. Zack looked great in his suit, but Rachel’s dress was not my favorite. The cut and shape were beautiful on her, but the color was horrid.
We cut away from Rachel’s 1:1 to Gabby spiraling. She says:
I deserve to be loved, I deserve to be loved by the person I want to be loved by.
I feel like this was a call back to her relationship and childhood with her mother. I feel for Gabby, it was vulnerable for her to show up at the house unannounced. While it had the potential to go great, it had the potential to go how it went. Gabby says it takes the right person to know how to love her. Usually, chemistry is the name of the game on this show, but I feel like Gabby has done so much of “the work” (i.e. healing her inner child) that she feels her feelings a bit more intensely than the leads we’re used to seeing on this show. This is why ultimately I think she’ll end up with someone who has also proven to do some of that work and speak more to her feelings. I’ll get into this more later, but even though Erich and she clearly have mad energy, I’m not sure he speaks to her heart in a way that proves he’d be a good long-term choice.
Rachel and Zach arrive at the premiere of “Me & You” and exit the limo to a group of screaming (fake) photogs. Rachel looked really really happy getting her photo taken and being the center of attention. I loved that for her.
Inside the theatre, music begins to play and we get photos and home movies of Rachel and Zach as a kid. This was so endearing to me! It allowed both of them a peek into one another’s lives before this show and gives them a lot of material to ask about in future moments they have together.
This also seemed well timed because at this point you could tell both leads were feeling a little unsure of their next steps and what they were doing, so having that reassurance from family and watching good memories from their childhood was comforting.
At the end of the “film,” they discuss their childhoods and find out that growing up they both watched planes take off and land with their dads because they had a love for aviation. It was a cute bonding moment. In his ITM, Zach loads that he thinks Rachel could be his future wife and says he’s falling for her. A lot of people will roll their eyes and say it’s too soon, but haven’t we all been on a date, or had a friend who met someone and went out with them and left the experience saying “this person could be the one”? I feel like it’s a common experience. I was so happy to see Rachel’s second date end up so much better than her first. She offers Zach the date rose and he accepts.
Even though Rachel and Zach seemed to have a great date, I’m waiting for that person that exceeds the amount of chemistry she and Clayton had on their first date. Because that was wild.
Three is a Crowd
Grandpa John is in the house! Literally, he’s in Bachelor Mansion, I love to see it! Grandpa John is not with the bullshit, so he’ll be able to cut through the crap and size up mullet man.
The three of them are participating in a sound ceremony. Gabby says it’s very grounding and the reset she needs to continue this process. I’ve never done one of these and I usually side-eye production when these type of cultural practices are done on the show, but this felt super Californian and white, so I’ll allow it.
After the sound ceremony, the group goes bowling, and Gabby finds a *spontaneous* older woman to bowl with them. So far, Gabby has gotten the better dates by far. I feel like when you get dates that mimic the real world as much as possible, it sets you up for success.
Is it just me, or are we speeding through the portions of the show with Gabby in them? Rachel’s date didn’t feel drawn out, but it was definitely longer than what we got from Gabby and Erich. I blinked and they were at dinner. No bye to Grandpa John or anything!
At dinner, Gabby begins to share her experience growing up with her mom who was pretty cold and cared for her from a distance (that might be too nice of a way to put it). She gets emotional talking about it and has to excuse herself. She goes to speak with production and my heart broke when she said “I can’t explain what it’s like to have a mom who doesn’t love you.” She’s understandably insecure that Erich or any of these men could fall out of love with her just as quickly as they fell in.
Gabby sharing that she feels too complicated or messy to love is so relatable. She’s right, Rachel is the more stereotypical Bachelorette that we’re used to seeing. Still, I think so many relate to Gabby and like her as a lead because we see some parts of ourselves in her. I deeply appreciated her vulnerability.
Not only did she talk to her producers about her worries, but she came back to the table with Erich and was so open with her feelings, which gives Erich and other men the permission to do the same. Everything we see from Gabby is an example of her working on herself and vulnerability and wanting to let people know where she’s at as she’s feeling it.
Honestly, I was not impressed by Erich. He was stale-faced most of the night, especially after Gabby began sharing her feelings. I can’t shake the feeling that Erich is going to end up being a villain, but I said that about Nayte during Michelle’s and I was off base. So perhaps I could be again. I feel like Gabby is giving him a lot, and he’s reciprocating physically, but not emotionally. Maybe that will come with time.
At the end of the date, Erich gets the rose and Gabby says she’d “do anything to be loved by someone like Erich.” Such a wild statement. I see Gabby as one of the most fully formed women we’ve seen on this show. I hold her in the same regard as Rachel Lindsay and even Kaitlyn Bristowe. These women (to me) exude confidence but are also not who they’re “supposed” to be. They say how they’re feeling, and they don’t hold back, which is why they were so great to watch on this show. So for Gabby to hold this man, with a mullet, that we know very little about in SUCH high regard, feels weird.
The Biggest Group Date in Bachelor History
On the date: Alec, Quincey, Meatball, Kirk, Mario, Jacob, Ethan, Hayden, Michael, Aven, Spencer, Termayne, Logan, Tino, Jason, Johnny, Jordan H., Tyler,
Rachel and Gabby look great in their wedding dresses. Their makeup, their hair, I loved everything about how they were styled for this shoot. Franco Lacosta is back for the (now annual) wedding photoshoot.
The men were each given a costume to rock, from daisy dukes to a literal leaf, and hospital gowns. They all looked ridiculous. They took a series of awkward photos, even scenarios that played to Rachel and Gabby’s professions. The date ends with fake proposal shoots which is a mind fuck. Why are we doing this to these ladies? Production ain’t shit. Despite the fuckery of these proposal photos, I loved that Nate took a moment to tell Gabby how he felt while “proposing.”
For the nighttime portion of the date, the group is at SoFi Stadium, where the LA Rams play. Again, Gabby and Rachel look really great. The women have intentions of forming connections with specific men and understanding where their heads are at.
Aven and Rachel have a cute moment playing football, their chemistry is cute, but Aven seems corny. So does Jordan H. The chemistry I mentioned I was looking for earlier is with Tino. They look hot together and their make out was steamy.
Next, we get a terrible montage of men (maybe not intentionally) shitting on Gabby. First, teddy bear Tyler pulls Gabby aside and lets her know that he’s all in with Rachel. Gabby encourages him to tell Rachel that. I’m not sure he’s on Rachel’s radar. Next, Hayden is sharing that he’s all in with Rachel too. In the process, he calls her “rough around the edges.” Dude, what the fuck? Lastly, Jacob comes in, calls her fucking hot, but says that even if she was the only option, he wouldn’t want to pursue her. What the hell is going on?
I’m not even mad that these men are making a choice, that’s what these women and us as viewers have been waiting for. But there is a way to tell someone that they are not for you without shitting on them. Not to mention, production needs to do a better job at protecting their leads from harm. Sending in guy after guy to “dump” Gabby was not a good look. And maybe it wasn’t back to back, but the fact that it was edited that way, is bullshit.
Aven gets Rachel’s group date rose, and Gabby chooses not to give a rose out. She’s met with awkward silence. The women walk away and Gabby shares what she experienced all night. Rachel affirms Gabby and reminds her that she’s got her back. I don’t like that these women are being compared and pitted against one another, but I do love that they have one another to lean on during tough moments like this.
Cocktail Party
The morning of the cocktail party, the men are talking about how they noticed Gabby was upset at the end of the group date, but none of them understand that their deliveries were off and really rude.
The women are speaking about wanting to feel chosen, but they don’t appreciate how the men are going about it. Some of them are still trying to straddle the fence, while others are being rude when sharing who they want to pursue. Men, who may be reading this (and anyone else, but especially men becuase only men have done this to me) you can uplift, compliment, and love a woman, without putting another woman down. There is nothing wrong with pursuing who you want and being honest about it, what’s not ok is being an asshole about it (looking at you Hayden, and Jacob).
Jesse lets the men know that the cocktail party is canceled and that the men will be moving directly to the rose ceremony. He also shares that this setup isn’t working for the women because if it continues, they’re not going to find love. He shares that the men are being split up. The women will share who they want and offer them a rose, when a man accepts, they are making it clear that they are choosing to continue their journey with only the woman who gave them the rose.
This is what I wanted to see! Force these assholes to make a fucking decision! Sure, they haven’t had a ton of time with the women, but it is what it is. I do wonder if this was really Gabby and Rachel’s decision, or if this was production’s plan all along. Also, we know that just because a guy says yes, doesn’t mean that his curiosity for the other woman will just stop. Curious to see how this will play out in future episodes.
Rose Ceremony
As the women hand out their roses, the men head outside to stand with the other men they’ll be competing with. I love that they’re high-fiving one another as if they’re not in direct competition with one another. Men are so silly. Logan accepts Rachel’s rose which is interesting because he was playing both sides in the first two episodes.
Next, Rachel offers Termayne a rose and he rejects it. It’s as awkward as we all assumed it would be. Jesse comes in and tells Termayne to get back in line to see if Gabby will offer him a rose, he also takes away Rachel’s rose. This is nuts! Rachel tries again, offers her rose to Alec and he says no, followed by Meatball saying no. What’s wild is when a guy says no, the roses get snatched from her, which doesn’t feel fair.
After the third rejection, both women walk out. Rachel says the point of making the men choose was for her and Gabby to be able to take their power back, but that hasn’t exactly happened. In the midst of being accepted, they’ve also been rejected several times. When you’re the lead by yourself multiple people aren’t leaving back to back by choice (unless you’re Colton). In the end, the women ended up with their final picks.
Gabby’s Picks: Erich, Nate, Johnny, Spencer, Jason, Mario, Kirk, Quincey, Michael
Rachel’s Picks: Aven, Zach, Tino, Logan, Tyler, Ethan, Jordan H., Hayden (and Meatball—more on this below)
And going home are Termayne, Alec, and Jacob. It wasn’t lost on me that Jacob was the only one who wasn’t chosen at all. The others rejected Rachel’s rose and went home.
Next week, there are two separate groups, and they appear to be in Paris. Plus, there is drama with the men talking shit about the women. We also got a moment during the credits of Meatball asking for another chance with Rachel. Although we don’t get Rachel’s answer, he’s clearly in the previews for next week. So that’s why I have him in parenthesis. Strap in y’all, the mess is just getting started!