Hoping for a Hometown: Bachelor 28, Episode 7
The one where Joey seems to be making a Peter Weber decision.
We are still in Canada, but no complaints here because Jasper is stunning. I know national parks, lakes, rivers, and mountains exist in America, but it just seems ~better~ when it’s abroad. Do people feel that way about America? Doubt it.
Anyway, it’s the week before hometowns, which is forcing Joey to make some tough decisions about who he can see his life with in the long term.
The show cold opens with Maria sitting with Joey and sharing she isn’t sure if she wants to stick around as Joey’s feelings for the other women continue to grow. Then we go into a full two minutes of Jasper shots—the wildlife, bodies of water, beautiful mountains, and trees—again, it’s absolutely stunning.
Next, we’re dropped into bro time with Jesse and Joey as they finish up a game of tennis. You can tell they were actually playing because when they begin the conversation about whether Joey’s ready for the week ahead, both men are lowkey trying to catch their breath.
The final six women are speculating about which of them will get a second one-on-one when the first date card of the week arrives. As expected, it’s for Daisy. Jenn doesn’t take this well. Probably because she knows it’s the beginning of the end.
Ready to Ride Into the Sunset
As Joey heads into his date with Daisy, he shares that she was the first woman he began to have feelings for. Despite this, Daisy is the only woman left in the process who hasn’t shared how she’s feeling about him. Did he give her this date to see if it would bring the “I’m falling for you,” out of her 😂?
Daisy is happy to have a second one-on-one with Joey to see if she’s sure about him and if bringing him home makes sense. I love it when contestants approach the show like this. Daisy understands that Joey may be the lead, but she’s the prize, okay!?
They ride horses around the beautiful landscape of Jasper until they get to the random lukewarm tub in the middle of nowhere that we get every season (usually a lot sooner than this too). They share what they’re looking for in a long-term relationship and then share a steamy makeout. Despite their clear chemistry, Daisy shares in her interview with producers that she isn’t in love with Joey (yet) and that she isn’t willing to say she’s feeling things for him when she isn’t yet. But she’s also aware of the quickness of this process and knows that being honest about where she’s at could cause her to get sent home.
Before we join Daisy and Joey for the dinner portion of their date, a date card arrives at the cabin the women are staying in. Kelsey T, Maria, and Jenn’s names are on the card, and will be going on the final group date of the season. Jenn is once again very upset by this. She probably knows this doesn’t bode well for her shot at hometowns.
Going into dinner with Joey, Daisy is determined to be transparent and honest about how she’s feeling, even if it isn’t the way contestants usually react on the show. Joey asks her how she’s feeling about him meeting her family. She says that her family is most important to her and she’s especially interested in seeing how he reacts with her family.
Joey asks if this is what she really wants and she says she isn’t completely sure yet. She likes him, and she is excited to progress the relationship, but she isn’t 100 percent in with him the way he seems to be with her. Joey is nervous to go home with her and meet her loved ones only for Daisy to decide she can’t continue the relationship; which is fair. Daisy says her family’s concern will be the health issues she’s had very recently and whether or not Joey would be willing and ready to be that person to support her in sickness and in health. How have we never seen this question asked to a lead before? Maybe we have, but Daisy was crystal clear in her questioning. She’s been sick, she has a disability, she could likely have health struggles in the future, and if she does, is Joey down for that? Is anyone that comes on this show?
Being the "it couple” on IG is easy, but what about the moments that don’t make the highlight reel? Daisy and her family will want to hear from Joey that he’s down for all of it, highs and lows.
Despite Daisy’s hard questions and hesitancy with Joey, he decides to give her the rose, solidifying that Joey will meet her family.
Learning to be Lumber Jills
On the date: Maria, Rachel, Jenn, Kelsey T
I was today years old when I learned that Lumber Jill was the female version of Lumber Jack. I deadass thought lumberjack was a gender-neutral term.
Maria represents all of us indoorsy city girls because her confusion throughout all the axe throwing and wood chopping is deeply relatable.
The women dawn their best flannel the Bachelor budget could by and are participating in a bunch of log-involved competitions. Kelsey T ends up winning the lumber jill competitions of the day. Still, Jenn is the real winner because when the competition is over, she interrupts his interview time with producers to steal a few kisses. It doesn’t go unnoticed by Maria, making her feel uncomfortable.
Jenn wants to get to the bottom of what is going on between her and Joey. She uses her time with Joey to see if she has a shot of being chosen for hometowns. Honestly, I don’t feel that Joey was that reassuring with her, but she was satisfied, so I guess that’s all that matters.
Kelsey T. and Joey had a nice moment discussing what it would be like for Joey to go home with her, but I can’t get too excited about it because I know how this show works.
As Joey spends time with other women, Maria starts to spiral about where she is with Joey in this process. It’s hitting her how weird it would be to bring Joey home, but not be able to tell her family that she’s with him fully. Obviously, due to the process of this show, she won’t be able to do that. She shares how she’s feeling with Joey that she saw him kiss Jenn and how uncomfortable that made her. She said the process has gotten the best of her and she’s scared to bring Joey home and not be his final choice.
I know the premise of this show, but I can never fault the contestants too hard when they reach this point Maria is at. If you’re feeling someone, but know there are at least five other women left in the process, how are you supposed to feel? Do you go through the motions and play dumb like there aren’t other people left? Or do you share how you’re truly feeling in hopes that the lead will fight for you?
It’s not lost on me that Maria and Daisy are lowkey feeling similarly. I guess you could argue Maria is more sure of her feelings for Joey and that’s why she’s struggling to understand how Joey doesn’t feel the same, while Daisy is being more practical, but they’re two sides of the same coin. Yet Joey was willing to “risk” it and give Daisy a rose, but not Maria. I’m sure it doesn’t help that he and Maria have had a much bumpier ride the last several weeks.
Maria takes some time to process her thoughts away from Joey and all this does is dig at Joey’s fear that he’ll be at the end of this experience and the woman he chooses might not choose him back. Which is valid.
When Maria returns she says that she may have overreacted and was just thinking and speaking all her fears out loud. Joey tells her that seeing her second guess her feelings for him scares him because he wants to be standing with someone at the end who is all in on the process. He wants to be with someone who can see themselves through the process and be confident in one another if it’s the two of them at the end. That’s a lot to ask.
At the end of the night, Joey grabs the date rose and says he can’t give it to any of the women because he needs more time. The women are disappointed and wish he could’ve been decisive and made a choice at the end of the night. Now even more pressure is being put on the cocktail party later in the week.
Jasper Polar Plunge Palooza
Kelsey A. and Joey are exploring the small town of Jasper (is it a small town, I don’t actually know). They’re drinking hot cocoa, and making small talk at a local bar when they’re “randomly” invited to a polar bear plunge, which is usually an activity where participants sign up to jump into a cold body of water usually for charity, or prize money. I can barely do a cold plunge at the spa, so I know I wasn’t made for this sort of activity.
The water may have been cold, but they heat up in what looks like a portable sauna afterward.
Kelsey A. is feeling confident in her connection with Joey and is nervous to see if Joey is feeling the same way and ready to meet her family.
Joey asks about her family and who he might meet. Kelsey A. has four siblings, and her dad is her only living parent since her mom passed away. She shares how she and her dad have gotten much closer since her mom's passing and how in awe she’s been at how he’s stepped up for her and her other siblings.
Kelsey shares that her biggest fear is that at the end of this experience, if she’s still there, Joey won’t be 100 percent sure about her. He reassures her by saying he won’t be getting down on one knee if he isn’t completely sure about the woman he’s proposing to.
In the end, he decides he wants to meet Kelsey A’s dad and siblings and gives her the rose. Kelsey A. has been a dark horse. We haven’t seen much from her, yet I feel like she’s gonna skate to the finale. Where has sis been all season?
The Final Four
At this point, all the women feel strongly for Joey and hope they will receive a rose for Joey to meet their family. They were depending on the cocktail party to get in their last few moments with him, but in enters Jesse to let the women know that there will be no cocktail party. Joey has made his decision. We love a decisive man.
Before he hands out the first rose, he asks Maria for a quick chat and that pisses the women off. it would piss me off too. Because have you made your decision or not?
Joey shares that he likes Maria a lot and he wants to be sure that if he chooses for the next step she won’t get flustered again and remove herself from the process. Look, some healthy skepticism is good, I don’t fault Maria for that, but I do fault Joey for this bozo behavior. If you want someone sure about you and who won’t walk away when things get uncomfortable, then why waste your time on the person who has shown you the exact opposite of that? Be better next week, Joey!
The first rose goes to Rachel (IKTR!) and the final one to Maria. Just have sex with her and get her off my screen! I refuse to believe this one is his final pick.
My top four predictions were off this season. I thought Allison, Daisy, Lexi, and Jenn would be getting a rose to hometown, but in the end, the final spots go to Daisy, Rachel, Kelsey A., and Maria. I’m personally shocked to see Maria with a hometown, but if she was cast as Victoria Fuller 2.0, which is how I feel, this all tracks.
Next week, the parents are putting Joey through it. All of them are skeptical, Rachel is hyperventilating, and Maria dropping the bomb that she’s never even brought anyone home! Girl what are you doing on this show!?! Truly a mess, I can’t wait! 😭