Welcome back to Reactions to the Roses! We are onto hometowns this week and I have to say they are my favorite episode of the entire season. I love watching all of the families grill the Bachelor and seeing the girls be embarrassed by their brothers. I am sure tonight’s episode will not disappoint! Let’s get started!
The first hometown date, Ben headed out to Laguna Beach, the title of one my favorite reality tv shows, to meet up with Amanda and her cute daughters! Ben meets Amanda on the beach and talk about what they are going to do that day. Soon, Amanda’s daughters show up, and Amanda gets to see them for the first time since leaving for the show. Their reunion was so sweet and you can tell Amanda loves her daughters by the way she cried when hugging her little girls. Ben awkwardly stood to the side and watched. Stop being creepy Ben.
The four-some then headed to Amanda’s house where Ben got to meet her parents and sister. At this point, the real grilling began. Amanda’s mom was easily won over by Ben, of course, but Amanda’s dad really questioned Ben about being a parent. Ben said Amanda’s dad really made him think about what it would be like to be a step-dad to Amanda’s kids. Um, Ben, I think you should have thought about that before now. Just saying. Amanda ended the date by telling us she’s in love with Ben, but she didn’t tell him that. Will she stay or will she go??
Next, Ben heads up north to Portland, Oregon to spend some time with Lauren. Her hometown is super cute, although her hair looks super bad (sorry girl), and they grab lunch at some food carts. We find out Lauren’s love of butter (what?) and Ben says he would love to die standing right next to Lauren. UH OH LAUREN IS LOOKING LIKE THE WINNER LADIES.
After lunch they head to a Whiskey Library where the dramatic music tries to get Lauren to confess her love to Ben, but she decides to see if her family likes him before she says the L word. When they get to Lauren’s house, Ben and Lauren each talk to Lauren’s sister Mollie. During the conversations, both Lauren AND BEN cry because of their love for the other person!! I said it last week and I’m going to say it again: Ben loves Lauren. Unfortunately, Lauren’s dad kind of kicks her off of cloud nine and back to reality. She doesn’t tell Ben she loves him and he rides off with words unsaid. Could this mean trouble? Who knows.
Ben heads east to Hudson, Ohio (which is actually super gorgeous. I loved those beautiful fall leaves!) to meet up with Caila and to see her hometown. Throughout the entire season Caila has been insecure about not having deep roots anywhere, and she can’t seem to shut up about it tonight. She says she doesn’t have a real hometown anywhere, but when she is with Ben she feels like she’s home. Gag me. They design and build a plastic house and it’s all so fake I just want to fast forward. Caila seems very calculated on the date and you can tell something about her is off. I’m definitely not loving this side of her. Later during dinner, her dad goes on a rant about getting a new Filipino community when Ben marries Caila. It was very bizarre, and you could tell Caila was a bit embarrassed by it. Caila tells everyone BUT Ben that she loves Ben. She couldn’t tell him, which only adds to his insecurities of being unlovable. At the end of their date, I could just tell this one isn’t going to work out. Sorry Caila. Move on.
Finally, we get to JoJo’s hometown of Dallas, Texas. But before Ben even gets to say hi to JoJo, she receives a letter from her ex who says he still loves her. OH MY GOSH. JoJo calls her ex and explains that she has moved on but you can tell she is shaken up. In fact, she acts like she has been hit by a truck, much like this
Unfortunately, the rest of her date doesn’t go much better. JoJo is confident that her family will love Ben, but that’s not really how it goes. JoJo’s brothers go off on Ben and continue to say that Ben is not even close to being good enough for JoJo. The whole date seemed a lot like when Des brought Sean home to meet her family and her brother just went off on Sean for being a douche. JoJo’s brothers are ruthless and refuse to let up. No matter what Ben says, the brothers don’t like him and they are actually pretty hurtful.
At one point even JoJo’s mom starts drinking straight from a wine bottle. Ben leaves and JoJo feels very scared about the state of their relationship. If I were JoJo, I would feel scared too. Bad brothers have been known to ruin relationships, especially on the Bachelor.
Back at Bachelor Mansion, the rose ceremony occurs and Lauren, Caila and JoJo get roses. Amanda is sent home. Ben takes a moment and gives Amanda a really sweet send off. Ben becomes very emotional about Amanda and her children and how she let him come into their lives. He is very upset about but I think we all know Ben isn’t ready to be a dad. Poor Amanda.
Thanks for joining me again this week! Come back next week, we are going to Jamaica and there is sure to be action-packed, drama-filled, fantasy suites! Happy Bachelor Monday!