It’s a new week with some interesting pairings, but with the girls doling out the roses, the guys are in the hot seats to vie for their affections. Cody told Michelle that he loved her (ugh. Too soon, bro), understandably freaking Michelle out, warranting the “friend” talk with Cody—hoping to go a little slower to solidify a real relationship before they get too serious. Cody was entirely smitten, wanting nothing but a long life with Michelle—complete with growing old together—so Michelle’s conversation shook him a little bit.
The first date card of the episode went to Marcus (and obviously Lacy by extension), sending them to a cave to check out some “stalaglites.” And though they were hoping for a bit of adventure, Marcus was really just hoping for Lacy to return the L-word in his direction, since he’s the only one to utter it so far. While they were swimming through the grotto in the cave, they stumbled upon some bats hanging out in the “stalaglites,” upping the adventure factor a couple more notches, though no doubt solidifying their puppy-eyed love for one another just a tad more. Marcus had wanted a romantic and intimate date with his Lacy love, but instead he got a chance to act like the man for her when she was freaking out. After they swam through the cave of death, they got a chance to sit down and talk about their feelings a bit more and it seemed like Lacy’s near-death experience with the bats made her open up to Marcus and she finally told him she loved him too.
Back at the house, while all of the couples were doing couply things (like Sarah and Rob smooching in the ocean), Michelle confided in Jesse of all freaking people about her situation with Cody. While Cody was bench-pressing a rock on the beach (looking fiiiiiiiine while doing it), Michelle was back inside crying, worried that she should call off their relationship because she’s just not there with him. And just when Sarah thought things were going swimmingly for her and Rob, Brooks (from Desiree’s season) walks up the beach, date card in hand. Since Sarah had a serious die-hard crush for Brooks and was actually hoping he was going to be there at the beginning, she was in a bit of a pickle. Brooks instantly had eyes for Sarah, but Rob made it very clear that Sarah was not on the table for a date. In spite of how she felt towards Rob, she wanted Brooks to ask her out on the date, just to see where it went—but of course not wanting to ruin her existing relationship. When the guys went off to talk it out, Rob told Brooks flat out, “If you ask Sarah out I’ll kill you.” Welp, that sums it up. Sarah was seriously confused and anxious about the situation and actually started crying when Graham tried to pry about her feelings. Brooks heeded Rob’s warning and asked Jackie instead, making Zack wish he’d done the same thing and laid claim on his girl.
As Jackie and Brooks got ready for their date, Sarah was feeling a little tense, wishing it were her in Jackie’s place. Rob must have sensed something with Sarah because he started to get a little more territorial. They headed out on the date—with Brooks a little nervous and Jackie looking kinda like Jennifer Lawrence (anyone else see it?)—and started the night off with dinner, but rapidly started developing feelings for each other as their conversation seemed to flow effortlessly. Back at the house, Zack was missing Jackie and feeling stressed at the thought of her enjoying Brooks more than her time with him. Back on Jackie and Brooks’ date, they started up a game of foosball—with some of the locals even placing bets. Brooks tried to up the ante and suggest that he should get a kiss if he wins, but Jackie shut him down and told him she didn’t kiss on the first date. Of course, after the locals started chanting “beso,” Jackie let Brooks kiss her on the cheek (which basically means nothing for him for now). When they got back from their date, Zack was making the situation a little awkward, which Brooks appropriately called out.
Sarah got the chance to sit down with Brooks and was drinking up the kool-aid he was serving so freaking hard—even his godawful jokes. Sarah, having a bout of actual INSANITY decided that she needed to break up with Rob so that she could explore her feelings for Brooks. Rob had left a note on Sarah’s bed hoping for a little impromptu date with her down on the beach, making her even more confused about her feelings. She asked Rob what he was hoping for in their relationship after they left Mexico, and he adorably said he wanted to explore their relationship in the real world. And even though she went in thinking of breaking up with Rob for Brooks, her moment of insanity was temporary and really just solidified her feelings more; even admitting she was falling in love with him. Michelle was still dealing with her Cody drama, especially when he started talking about meeting his family. He did tell her that he wanted her to go at her pace, not his and that just because he fell hard, didn’t mean she had to. This honest conversation seemed to make Michelle feel a little better about the situation, but felt less pressured to be at his level of love already.
Christy was being entirely misled by Jesse and Michelle had had enough of it. Jesse was running his mouth about what may or may not have happened last week on his date with Lucy (apparently things got… er… handsy), which Michelle made sure Christy knew about. Christy was already thinking of leaving when Andi-reject Tasos (or “Taco” if you’re Jesse) walked up the beach. Cody was just singing Tasos’ praise when he pulled Michelle aside, but she was a good friend and played up Christy instead. Of course, not before all the guys started making Hulk jokes in Cody’s direction, should Michelle actually have gone on the date with Tasos. After Michelle did her due diligence, she went right up to give Cody a smooch while Tasos asked Christy to go on his date with him. Jesse was obviously nervous, knowing his spot was no longer secured, and plotted to manipulate win his girl back.
Christy and Tasos went on their date and instantly seemed to have a connection, starting their date off with a float down a lazy river and getting some serious questions underway. They had a pretty playful date and Tasos seemed more than understanding when Christy said she wanted to take it slow—especially on the kissing front, feeling like she'd rushed things a bit too much with Jesse. Back at the house, Jesse was running his mouth to Cody saying that he was powerless and wanted to stay around as long as possible and wanted to continue "getting to know" the girls in the house. Blech. Jackie and Brooks played a game of horse on the beach while Zack leered from the sidelines, wishing he could secure his connection just a bit more with Jackie. Later that night, Zack got a date card and naturally asked Jackie in hopes of getting to know her a bit better so he could stick around. AshLee was downright pissed that her and Graham didn’t get a date card, even though Graham seemed fine about it. Letting her crazy show through again, her little tantrum irritated some of the other girls—like Michelle who was clearly faking it for AshLee for Graham’s sake.
Jackie and Zack went on their date, which started with a late-night swim in a cave (this show is all about the caves) and ended with a more serious conversation about Zack’s real feelings. Admitting that he didn’t want her to feel like the next best thing after the whole Clare debacle, he expressed that he was having a lot of fun with her and wanting to get to know her better too. They did some kissing in the cave while Brooks was back at the house worrying about his spot for another week, even though he did enjoy his date with Jackie, spurring yet another love triangle.
The girls have the power this week, and with six girls and eight guys, two guys are going home, with Zack, Brooks, Jesse and Tasos up on the chopping block. Jesse made a little speech that made everyone (including this writer) roll their eyes profusely at how much bullshit he was spewing. Zack got a chance to have a chat with Jackie and even gave her a cute little gift, which made Brooks even more nervous that he wouldn’t get to stick around for another week. Tasos and Christy had some time alone and seemed to be connecting, but Jesse crashed the “dumb blonde” and “Taco’s” party—is this guy for real?!—to try and get a rose that night. Christy broke off whatever she had left with Jesse, which made Jesse want to leave immediately, but not before he gave another douchebag speech about getting everything he wanted in Paradise. As Jesse “the manipulator” left the house, Michelle tried to make Christy feel better about everything, insisting that Jesse shouldn’t get to slip away like the snake he is without getting a beating. Just as Jesse was sitting in the limo, ready to head out, Christy—with Michelle and Lacy there for support—opened the door to give him a piece of her mind.
As Christy confronted Jesse about his philandering in Paradise, rightfully calling him a coward for slipping away, he tried to turn it around on her that he had such a great time and didn’t intend to be cowardly. But, in the spirit of girl power, Lacy and Michelle jumped in to back Christy up, even though Jesse just started talking himself in circles. Michelle articulated herself much better than poor Christy (to be fair, she is a little on the ditzy side, though we still love her for standing up to Jesse) and the girls reamed him out before he drove off.
After the drama subsided, it was time for the rose ceremony, with Zack and Brooks both vying for a rose from Jackie. After a couple of heartfelt speeches from the couples in the house, Jackie gave her rose to Zack, sending Brooks packing after only a week in Paradise. But before the episode closed off, Chris Harrison dropped the bomb that this would be the final rose ceremony and that things were about to seriously change—especially with the season finale looming only a week away. Couples are going to be tested and challenged to see if they can really stand the test of love, so stay tuned for our full recap of the dramatic season finale!
Coming up roses: Marcus (from Lacy), Graham (from AshLee), Rob (from Sarah), Cody (from Michelle), Tasos (from Christy) and Zack (from Jackie)
Paradise pairings: Lacy & Marcus, Sarah & Rob, Jackie & Brooks, Michelle & Cody, Christy & Jesse, Christy & Tasos, AshLee & Graham, Jackie & Zack
Kiss count: Lacy & Marcus, Sarah & Rob, Michelle & Cody, Christy & Jesse, Jackie & Zack (Episode-5; Season-24)
Late-night date count: None (Episode-0; Season-2)
Cry count: Michelle, Sarah, Christy (Episode-3; Season-15)
Catfight count: Christy & Jesse—really she just yelled at him (Episode-1; Season-2)
