Picking up in midst of Kaitlyn and Shawn B.’s solo talk, Shawn asked Kaitlyn point blank if she was in love with him. He once again expressed his distaste for Kaitlyn fawning over other guys and she asked him to decide if he could handle it. He responded with a kiss, but Kaitlyn was feeling the guilt over her “mistake” being “intimate” with Nick–though she clarified it wasn’t over the actual intimate act, but where her other relationships are.
The cattiness continued with the other guys (honestly worse than women) while Kaitlyn took Joe and JJ on a two-on-one date. The trio set off onto an island for some Irish fun, but one of the guys was definitely going to be sent home at the end of the date. Kaitlyn wanted Joe to start opening up and he did and even told her that he’s starting to fall in love with her. JJ, on the other hand, was opening up in a different way, telling her that he cheated on his ex-wife (baby mama). She took it in stride, but admitted that it’s one of her biggest fears in a relationship–either way it’ll be on her radar–but she still kissed him anyway. After doing her little spiel on finding a husband and all that, Kaitlyn sent JJ back home to his daughter, but didn’t quite give Joe the rose, saying that she wanted some more time to get to know him. Of course, after some time kissing, Joe got the rose after all, while Shawn continued to stew (he’s so cute but SO DRAMATIC AND POSSESSIVE). Once again, Shawn went on his merry way to go talk to Kaitlyn alone, but she had to pull herself together from her cry-fest because she didn’t want Shawn to know what happened with Nick (I feel like I’ve told this scenario like five times). When Kaitlyn opened the door and Shawn saw her crying, he immediately softened and basically just went to tell her that there are a lot of things that they’re going to have to overcome if they stay together, but ultimately he really just wanted more reassurance.
After all the drama, it was time for a cocktail party and rose ceremony (it feels like we haven’t had one of these in a while), so that Kaitlyn could chat with some of the other guys and “explore some of the other relationships” after her time that “went a bit too far with Nick.” Her little intro was a bit cryptic and just put all of the guys on edge–especially when she could barely keep her tears in check. After she talked about “making mistakes,” Nick was having a hard time containing his smile knowing that she was talking about their little evening rendezvous. Silly, self-centred Shawn thought the mistake was seeing him in his room or telling him that she was into him too early. Meanwhile, Kaitlyn was smooching Ben Z., followed by Ben H.–but that got interrupted when he wanted their conversation to be a legit conversation. He called her on the fact that something happened, though he didn’t want to know details. She immediately got emotional, solidifying his hunch, but in the end they were fine and resumed kissing.
Nick was the next one to pull Kaitlyn aside, but he mostly just wanted to know if the “mistake” was him and Kaitlyn wanted to know if Nick was going to blab to other guys about what happened. Of course, since Nick is crazy and all, he started to take things personally and got all twitchy and emotional and looked like he was reverting back to his old, weird, possessive ways. Oooobviously, it didn’t phase Kaitlyn AT ALL because they continued to kiss, while she started to regret reassuring Shawn as much as she did because she was feeling all of the feelings for everyone else. Things got super awkward and tense after Kaitlyn’s conversation with Shawn–especially considering she told him they need to “take a step back,” which doesn’t sound promising for speed-dating.
As the rose ceremony (finally!) got started, even Chris Harrison seemed unsure of Kaitlyn’s position how her relationships were progressing. Eventually (after some tension-inducing music and all that), Tanner and Ben Z. got sent home–and Ben Z. was definitely feeling the blow (Don’t worry, Ben H., we’re here to comfort you!).
While the other five guys were packed on a bus, Jared and Kaitlyn were road-tripping to Killarney and went to kiss the Blarney Stone–and then each other. The two were actually adorable together and Kaitlyn just seemed more relaxed with him than any of the other guys that just seem to breed drama. But with hometown dates looming, can you blame them? Just then, Chris Harrison paid Kaitlyn a visit to talk about some serious matters at hand… Kaitlyn admitted what happened with Nick, but instead of slut-shaming her, Chris Harrison suggested something else–more off-camera time with the other guys. Narrowing it down to three guys, she’ll get overnight dates with them next week and then narrow it down to two guys to go on hometown dates with, hoping it would help Kaitlyn make some well-informed decisions for the guys who are going to make it to the end. While it makes sense, it just upped the pressure with these guys. Yikes.
After telling the guys how the dates are going to go for the next few weeks, Chris Harrison left behind a one-on-one date card for Chris. They greeted one another with a kiss and then went on a helicopter ride for a date on the edge of a cliff. They seemed to be having fun until they started talking about serious stuff–and then Kaitlyn of course started to break down and cry, which was when she broke up with Chris on the top of a cliff. He tried to reason her out of it, but Kaitlyn, like many before her, turned down the dashing dentist (WHO SHOWED UP IN A CUPCAKE) for some potential guys that were probably not good for her. Kaitlyn left Chris crying (bawling) on the side of the cliff and it was probably the saddest (most pathetic) thing we’ve ever seen as he literally sobbed into his scarf. SO MANY MAN TEARS THIS EPISODE!
Coming up roses: Nick, Jared (from last week), Joe, Ben H., Chris, Shawn;
Hookup count: None this week–but fantasy suites are coming up soon! (Episode “ 0; Season “ 1)
Kiss count: Shawn B., Joe, JJ, Ben Z., Ben H., Jared, Chris (Episode “ 7; Season “ 31)
Cry count: Kaitlyn, JJ, Nick, Ben Z., Chris (Episode “ 5; Season “ 9)
Bachelors to watch: Shawn B. and Nick
