‘The Bachelor’ Episode 7 Recap: Hometown Glory – Part I

Last week’s episode ended abruptly after Chris’s dismissal of both Ashley and Kelsey from the two-on-one date. This week picks up with the pre-rose ceremony cocktail party and the unfinished business of reducing the numbers by one more lady. Megan, despite getting the bimbo edit all season long, is smart enough to realize her connection with Chris is tenuous. When she raises it with him, he confirms her hunch and then decides to let her go without the public spectacle of a rose ceremony. Megan departs with a few tears and very little fanfare. And with that, we’re down to six.

Usually this is the point in the season where Chris Harrison announces that the show is heading to St. Lucia. Or Paris. Or southeast Asia. Instead, we learn that the remaining ladies are going directly to Iowa. They will not be passing go, they will not be collecting $200. The ladies shriek and carry on anyway—after all, a trip to Chris’s hometown is one step closer to a happily-ever- after with him.

The first one-on-one date

Jade gets the first one-on-one in Iowa (also making her the first contestant to land two private dates this season). Chris takes her on a tour of Arlington so both she and the viewers can understand how truly tiny and isolated his hometown is. Chris introduces her to his house, his farm, his pet cows, the two blocks comprising his town … and that’s the end of the tour since there is literally nothing else to see. He seems almost embarrassed about the “kind of sad’’ state of his town, which is even inhabited in recent years due to a struggling economy.

Next Chris gives Jade a taste of what she can expect for entertainment on a Friday night: the local high school’s football game. At least there are people here—Jade was probably starting to worry that Arlington had experienced a zombie apocalypse or atomic blast. Even Chris’s parents are at the game, and Jade gets a speed-date style introduction to them.

Despite being confronted with the terrifying reality of living in Arlington, Jade still thinks she’s falling in love with Chris. Sensing his insecurity about his hometown, she tells him, “It is enough. Be proud of it.’’ Chris is moved by her sweetness and so are we.

The second one-on-one date

We haven’t heard much from baby-voiced Whitney since she crashed a wedding with Chris way back in Week 3. She finally scores some more alone time with Chris in a glamorous out-of-town date in the big city of Des Moines. Since the test this week seems to be whether you can have fun doing nothing at all, their date involves walking around the city and getting strangers to take photos of them kissing. This is actually good for Chris since he tends to come off better during activities that don’t require him to speak.

Meanwhile, the remaining girls don’t want to wait any longer to get their own glimpses of Chris’s hometown. While Chris is out on his date, Britt, Kaitlyn, Carly, and Becca pile into the car and road trip it over to Arlington. Despite Jade’s warning, the girls are still shocked by the town—or lack thereof.

Britt, who lives in L.A., is the most freaked out at the thought of moving to Podunk, USA. She accosts a man on the street who informs her there’s not a single restaurant within the town limits and you have to drive an hour to see a movie. This justly gives her reservations. In contrast, Carly is ready to pack in her cruise singing career and relocate to landlocked Iowa, like, yesterday. And she thinks Britt is a dirty awful liar for telling the other girls that she even remotely liked Arlington. Claws extended.

When the girls return from the road trip, Jade decides it’s finally time to confess to having done nude pics for Playboy . . . to Carly. Carly doesn’t even try to hide her judgment when she tells Jade that people might be judgmental. Jade is un-phased, saying she sometimes regrets having done it only because it makes relationships more difficult. She wants to tell Chris because she believes in honesty and doesn’t want him to hear about it from someone else first. Respect, Jade—you own it.

Back in Des Moines, Chris and Whitney grab drinks with a few of Chris’s good buddies. Whitney turns on the southern charm and deftly answers their battery of none-of-their-business questions (“Are you in love?’’ “Are you worried about moving here?’’ etc.), which further endears her to Chris.

Later Whitney shares with Chris that her mom died and she doesn’t have a relationship with her father, so she’s essentially parent-less. She tells Chris she can’t wait to get married so she can be part of a family again and he looks at her in complete awe and adoration. Whitney is similarly smitten by the whole date and proclaims (to the camera and not to Chris) that she has fallen in love. And another one bites the dust.

The group date

The unlucky group date participants, Carly, Kaitlyn, and Britt, get stuck “playing ice hockey’’ with Chris, i.e. slapping pucks near the vicinity of a goal while trying not to fall over. However, as most group dates go, the real game today will be getting the most out of alone time with Chris.

Carly’s desperation is growing by the minute and she decides to pull a power play on her primary competition. She pulls Chris aside and tells him Britt is lying about her willingness to live in Arlington. She swears she’s only telling him because she cares about him and doesn’t want to see him get hurt. It has nothing to do with the fact that Britt is a sparkly princess who’s been getting the lion’s share of Chris’s attention since day one.

Still, Chris is concerned and raises the issue with Britt. She gives a fairly honest answer: yes, she was a little taken aback by his hometown, but she really likes Chris and Iowa is part of the Chris package. He seems happy enough with her answer; happy enough to make out with her, at the very least.

Not happy enough to award her the group date rose, however. Instead, Chris gives the rose, and an automatic slot on the hometown dates, to Kaitlyn. If looks could kill, Britt would be alone on this date with a small pile of corpses. She’s not shy about sharing how pissed she is. Unable to contain her frustration, she announces to Chris, and her fellow competitors, how wounded she is that she’s not number one tonight. Chris is not happy with Britt for challenging his decision—especially in front of Carly and Kaitlin. After letting her rant for several more minutes, Chris curtly tells her goodnight and peaces out.

The episode ends with Britt wondering whether she should send herself home, and Carly gloating to the other girls that she’s successfully killed Britt’s chances with Chris. To be continued . . .

So has Britt really blown it? Or will she be first in line to meet Chris’s parents next week? We have less than 24 hours to wait to find out. Don’t forget to tune in again tomorrow at 8pm to see Part 2 of this week’s Bachelor doubleheader.