-Chris Harrison starts us off with a bombshell in Tuscany. Well, it’s not really all that big of a bombshell, because by the end of the episode, we’ll still be down to four girls who’ll get hometown dates. It’s HOW we get to that point which is done differently than any previous season that I can remember. Usually there are 1-on-1 dates and a group date before hometowns, but no roses given out on the 1-on-1’s, just the group, and we have one girl guaranteed a hometown. The rest have to wait til the rose ceremony to get theirs. Chris says there will be no rose ceremony, roses will be given out on the 1-on-1’s and two roses on the group date. I think my brain exploded. Was probably the main reason why I was confused when I initially posted the episode-by-episode spoilers how this date went down. Glad we got that cleared up. But with no rose ceremony Chris, what the f**k are they paying you for this episode? Drink wine and eat cheeses in Tuscany? Rough life. The only thing I want to know is if Chris was allowed to bring his boyfriend Ben Higgins to join him in Italy. I hope they made those accommodations for him. You know, because we haven’t seen a host-contestant romance like theirs since Probst and Colby. It’s getting out of hand how much time they spend together.
-The date card for Becca says “Lets fall in love under the Tuscan sun.” Arie picks her up in a car and they head to Barga, with Becca leading the way by saying “Lets do the damn thing.” I’m beginning to think that’s her thing now. And if she’s the “Bachelorette,” you can bet your ass there will be a guy out of the limo on the first night repeating that to her because, you know, this show is too easy to produce. Here’s something you want to hear when your date picks you up in Tuscany, Italy and it’s your first time getting any 1-on-1 date action since the second day of filming: “There’s no real plan for today.” How lovely. Glad you thought of that great date for Becca. Lets just walk around, buy some bread and cheeses, and just reassure me that you’re so into me that I have a reason to take you hometowns. Translation: Stroke my ego for a day honey and collect your rose at the end of the night. That’s how he rolls.
-And essentially from the minute they sit down, Becca is doing just that. Oh sure, she asked him about his confidence level in them, but he immediately turned it around on her, and she tells him how much she’s into him. “Didn’t think I’d be having these feelings,” “can see myself with you,” “last week was tough because it got real and I wasn’t being myself,” etc. And that’s basically the things a woman needs to tell Arie for him to have interest in her…at least for the short term. Like, 2 month short term. After that, you can throw your hands up in the air and whichever way the wind blows, that’s basically Arie and his decision making process. Have fun with that!
-Arie had a pattern this episode. Everyone he got time with, at some point he asked what would hometowns be like and who would he be meeting. Like that had any bearing whatsoever on his decision. Becca told him he’d be meeting her mom, her mom’s boyfriend Tim (who was not a fan of Becca’s ex of 7 years), and Uncle Gary. Although Becca does chime in that the boyfriend of 7 years she never brought home and they were never official. The family just met him on random occasions, which makes him showing up in Peru and proposing to Becca on final rose ceremony day even more embarrassing of a storyline than I already thought it was. All I knew was they were on and off for 7 years. I had no idea how little she thought of the guy to never introduce him to her family as her boyfriend during those 7 years. Exactly how much did they pay this Friend with Benefits to hop on a plane to Peru and expose himself like a dumbass? Geez, Ross. I’m sure all the boys at Stanford will only tease you about this until, oh I don’t know, forever. Becca then tells Arie she’s falling in love with him, he reciprocates those feelings, she gets a rose, and we are slowly watching someone’s painful death. If Becca were a man, she’d be Jack Pearson.
-All while Becca’s date is happening, Jacqueline is having second thoughts. She sees Becca then come back with a rose, she knows Lauren is up next and it’s time for her to confront Arie. She goes to his room, and tells him she feels she’s not as ready as some of the other girls who are willing to drop everything for a womanizer since they’ve been on two dates with him. You see, Jacqueline actually has a head on her shoulders and is making complete sense here. Granted, when she basically tells him she’s peacing out, she then thinks it’d be a good idea to make out with him a few more times, which leads one of the oddest things Arie could’ve said, “If you have any regret, come back to me.” Ok, that’s not odd. It’s f***ing stupid. Huh? Whaaaaa? Especially coming from THIS guy knowing what happens at the end and post-show. Holy crap, he’s more screwed up than I thought. Who says that to someone when he still has six girls remaining? A truly moronic statement if I’ve ever heard one.
