This week’s episode begins with [ominous music] as we see a replay of Heather walking in, because seeing it in the previews and last week’s episode just wasn’t enough. This time, however, we’re treated to the incredibly articulate conversation she has with Matt. Just kidding. True to her blonde roots, she breaks a record for the number of times she says “like.” And get this – she even booked a red eye, all on her own!
While Matt takes some time to think (good lord, we’ll be here all night), Heather approaches the other girls. As she tells the camera after, they came at her hard. That they did, but they had some good lines. When Heather says she’s not there to ruin everyone’s day, one girl says, “My day’s pretty ruined.”
“Matt’s been gone for a while and we’re super nervous ’cause we don’t know what’s going through his mind and whether he’s gonna keep her or send her home,” Abigail tells the camera.
A couple of the girls say if Matt keeps Heather, then he hasn’t valued the time he’s spent with them. Luckily for them, Matt gives Heather the boot because he’s already deep into the process and falling for the women already. I still don’t understand why Hannah didn’t tell him about Heather earlier. The timing is suspicious.
The girls watch as Matt walks Heather out and says goodbye. Abigail points out that they’re hugging. Matt apologizes when he joins the group. To his credit, he also apologizes to Pieper and invites her to finish their conversation. Chelsea says, “That was so hot,” and the women laugh. We see Abigail joining in.
“I’m really scared, to be honest,” Abigail says. “I think I have no idea where his head’s at and what decision he’s gonna make, and I think of just all the sacrifices and time that we’ve all put into it….Umm… I don’t know what that means for me yet.”
To the camera, Abigail adds, “This is probably the most nervous I’ve been going into the Rose Ceremony because I don’t know where I stand…umm… so I’m just hoping for the best. [groans] I’m not ready to go home.”
Rose Ceremony
Matt sighs outside and reflects on the roller coaster of emotions tonight. “I’m taking this process serious,” he says. SERIOUSLY, Matt. It’s SERIOUSLY. I’m fucking serious.
Abigail’s in the front this time. “I think Matt and I do have a really great connection and–and I think, you know, we are really attracted to one another,” she tells the camera. “If I get a rose tonight, it just means that he really could see a future with me, so this rose definitely means everything.”
She looks nervous. “I think my biggest fear if I was to go home tonight would be that,” she tells the camera. “I can see Matt being my future husband.”
It comes down to the final rose, and it’s between Abigail and Chelsea. Matt says Abigail’s name, and she looks so relieved. Now there’s eight women left.
Up in the Air
Jessenia and Abigail talk about how Matt said his wife is in the group. Abigail says, “Waking up this morning, I feel recharged. Now I do feel confident in my relationship with Matt. I really do like this guy and so I just hope I finally get my 1:1 time with Matt.”
Chris calls last night a big turning point. Dates are huge this week, with two one-on-ones, and one group date. Abigail and Jessenia are the only girls who haven’t had 1:1 time.
The first date goes to Serena P., who says, “Everyone assumed it would be Jessenia or Abi today.” Yep, from here forth, Abigail is referred to as Abi by the girls, showing how much closer they’ve gotten.
“It feels like a slap in the face to give Serena a 1:1 and I’m like, well, I haven’t even had one,” Abigail tells the camera as she blows out air and sighs. “I’m just trying to figure out where his head’s at.” She twists her lips in disappointment.
Apparently Matt picked Serena because they’ve been in the friend zone and haven’t had that breakthrough moment. To jump start that, they have a tantric yoga date. Matt’s in leggings, and that’s just not my thing on guys. Try some joggers next time, perhaps?
The yogi puts Matt and Serena into sex-based yoga positions. AWKWARD! Serena hates it and tells Matt she was in her head the whole time and couldn’t wait for it to be over.
Back at the house, Jessenia says she and Abi are the only ladies left without 1:1 dates before Hometowns. The next date card arrives. It’s a group date. Abigail’s name is the last one mentioned, which means Jessenia gets the 1:1. She does a double take, as she’s first sad for Abigail and then realizes what it means for her.
Matt is caught off guard by Serena being uncomfortable during their date. He loves her honesty and is drawn to her authenticity and realness. Does that mean everyone else is fake/er?
“I just have no idea kind of where his headspace is right now,” Abigail tells Kit. Kit tells her to go with her gut and instincts on what she thinks is the best decision for her and her relationship. “Like you got the First Impression Rose, so you know there’s potential there, but not having a 1:1 must be discouraging at this point,” Kit says. “Yeah,” Abigail replies.
[somber music]
“I feel like I’ve gotten forms of validation like the First Impression Rose, a group date rose, and then just not the chance to explore that potential,” Abigail tells the camera. “It’s just like I don’t know what else I need to be doing. It’s frustrating when I have so much desire to hang out with him and I just feel really defeated right now.”
She tells Kit, “It’s just weird bringing someone home when you haven’t even had a normal date with them.”
Serena tells Matt she’s falling for him and wants him to meet her family. She gets the rose, so now she’s one of the final four. They go ice skating after the “meal” we never see them eat. Matt can 100% see himself falling in love with her. Too bad he doesn’t literally fall. That would have been good TV.
Group Date
In what I’m sure isn’t product placement, we see Matt on his Peloton. Meanwhile, the girls get ready for their date. We see Abigail put lipstick on. She’s wearing another simple, classy dress, this one in burnt orange.
Matt tells the girls he wants them to leave everything on the table. He probably means their clothes but takes the high road and says if there’s something bothering them, it should be addressed. (Not undressed.)
Bri says she’s given up a lot, and now it’s time to share that with Matt. The lead up makes me think it’s going to be something big, like she’s a single mom. Her revelation is that she had to resign from her dream job to be on the show. It’s “extremely worth it” to be here with Matt. Really? It’s a hell of a lot easier to find a man than to snag a dream job – especially when the outcome with Matt isn’t guaranteed. But you do you, girlfriend.
“Thank you for sharing,” Matt says. “I had no idea.” Matt, of course you didn’t, you fool. You’re not a mind reader.
Abigail says, “What I’m struggling with is the fact that I’m the only girl going into Hometowns that hasn’t had a 1:1. We are hitting that point where certain relationships are moving faster and are at the next level, and I feel like I’m struggling to keep our relationship moving forward. And it’s just frustrating.” [lip twist]
Pieper tells Matt she’s falling in love with him.
Abigail is shown sadly looking down. “The first night, I ended up getting the First Impression rose, which was the most amazing feeling,” Abigail says. “But we just haven’t been able to see a lot of each other since then, so I need to know that we’re not stalled, that we’re still moving forward.”
To the camera, Abigail says, “I would love to introduce Matt to my family. He’s an amazing guy, and there is something here. It wasn’t just like an initial spark, so I guess I’m just getting in my head and overthinking things, because I think Matt and I would be really good together.”
To Matt, Abigail says, “This week has been really hard.”
“Why do you say that?”
“Um… I think, from the beginning, all I’ve wanted is…just more time with you. We’ve only kind of gotten little bits here and there, but I think we’ve had really good conversations, and I mean, I’ve opened up to you…”
“Yeah.”
“About, you know, some of my biggest insecurities, and you know, you’ve kind of shared your insecurities as well, and it just made me feel really good. I think we want a lot of the same things. We kind of share a really similar perspective…”
“Yeah.”
“On life, and…like, I’m just really excited about you. Just – I was kind of thinking about it the other day, of, you know when you kind of have a picture in your head of, ok, this is what I want, you’re like, ok, I want to be married, I want to have a family, and I’ve just kind of started picturing you in that, and it’s scary because I can see the possibility of a future with you. I just wanna know, like, can you see that possibility with me? Or…like, I guess I’d rather know now instead of…and I know you can’t like, obviously say too much, like…”
“Yeah,” Matt says. “You know, from night one, our first conversation, I was instantly drawn to you. You were vulnerable with me. You’re beautiful, compassionate, and understanding…everything that I’m looking for, and it was a no brainer that I’d give you the First Impression rose. I was so comfortable in our relationship that…I explored other relationships and…[tense music] in exploring those relationships with other women and going on those one on ones, I did grow strong feelings for them…and being honest with you and following my heart, my heart’s pulling me in another direction. I apologize. [solemn music] The last thing I wanna do is lead you on and lie to you. You deserve someone who’s gonna put you first.”
Abigail looks down the whole time and takes it in. “I-I mean, I really do appreciate you being honest,” she tells him, as his hand is on her thigh.
“Again, I apologize,” Matt says. “You want me to walk you out?”
They hold hands as they walk out, and she holds his arm. They hug and he says, “I’m sorry, I wish I had more time.”
Once in the getaway vehicle, Abigail puts her hands over her face and sniffles. “For me to like lay it all out and then for him to come back and say he doesn’t see it, umm…it’s just kind of eating me alive right now.” [lip twist] “I just feel like I’m constantly like the person that makes men realize what they want next, but they never want that with me, so it’s just…a hard pill that I’m gonna have to swallow.” [purses lips]
Matt returns to the girls and says, “Um, I just walked Abigail out. I wasn’t expecting our conversation to go that way tonight, but that’s where the conversation led us, and at this point in the process I’m not gonna lead anybody on.”
Rachael says, “Oh my god, Abigail felt a connection with Matt and he sent her home. Shows that none of us really know where his mind’s at.”
Matt tells the camera, “It was not easy saying good bye to Abigail. I hated doing that, but I had to be honest with her. So now I’m gonna continue to follow my heart and explore these relationships, because I’ve got some tough decisions I’ve gotta make going forward.”
The Rest of the Episode
We don’t care about the rest of the episode now, do we? But Abigail’s exit has caused some shockwaves. “After seeing how Abi went home, I’m really nervous,” Kit says. “Are we on the same page?”
Rachael, by the way, tells Matt she’s in love with him. Given her racist statements on social media, is this the definition of irony?
Kit tells Matt she has some set things on her life trajectory that she’s not willing to compromise on that he needs to know. She calls herself a long-term investment. Good for her!
Rachael gets the rose and bonus 1:1 time with Matt. They invent a new dance called The Make Out Dance, which they do while someone I’ve never heard of called Aloe Blacc sings. Is this a stage name? Whether it is or his birth name, I have questions.
I think I’ve pinpointed why Matt’s tongue bothers me. It floats. Kind of like a puppy dog, only it’s inside his mouth. On par with his bland hangdog personality.
Anyway. Kit pays Matt a visit and basically tells him she’s leaving because he deserves someone who is 100% sure of a proposal tomorrow. Matt wants her there, but thankfully even though she’s only 21, she does the right thing for both of them. As a friend points out, he’s nicer to her than to Abigail.
“I really do respect Abigail and Kit to, like, take, really take, a step back, and realize what’s on the line here,” Pieper says.
Jessenia is nervous that Abigail and Kit went home, so she’s even more nervous for her date. They meet in a parking lot, where Matt shows up in a red sports car and a professional drifter who’s also a host on Motor Trend. Had you ever heard of drifting in this context? I hadn’t. According to Wikipedia, it’s a “driving technique where the driver intentionally oversteers, with loss of traction, while maintaining control and driving the car through the entirety of a corner.” Wow. My idea of a fun date… not.
After Jessenia takes the wheel, she describes the experience and says, “I did once, on accident.” It’s BY accident, Jessenia! My 16-year-old son says “on accident” all the time, and my 19-year-old and I am always correcting him. Don’t validate his poor grammar usage!
She gets Matt to lay her out on the hood of the car, and they kiss. They have the prettiest evening date yet. Matt appreciates her patience with the process and with him. Guess he saw more potential with her than with Abigail?
Back at the house, Rachael says she’s sitting and thinking about Abigail and Kit. Why do the girls keep bringing up the two of them? Do they not realize Kit left of her own volition?
Jessenia tells Matt she’s falling in love with him. “Thanks for sharing that with me,” he says, his stock answer to everything. He grabs the rose and then praises her before he says they’re missing that compatibility, that love he needs to feel going into the Hometown week that he has with the other women. “I don’t think I’m there yet.” She’s blindsided, and I don’t blame her. Holding the rose wasn’t necessary.
Prior to the next Rose Ceremony, Matt tells Chris that he’s conflicted. But then he says he knows what he has to do. Either Matt figured it out quickly or the editing didn’t show it all.
Pieper is sent home, so the final four is Bri, Michelle, Rachael, and Serena P. Pieper doesn’t even talk to Matt when he walks her out.
The clip at the end shows Michelle’s sense of humor and personality. Why they never air more of this stuff is beyond me. As it is, the impression we get of Matt is that he’s bland. A friend who’s a long-time Bachelor fan calls him a terrible Bachelor. His conversations suck and we know nothing about him, she told me, and he looks bored all the time.
Last Thoughts
A deaf friend pointed out that Matt never took the time to get to know Abigail. All their interactions were about her deafness, not about having fun together. His line about being so comfortable in their relationship is a load of BS, this friend says, and I agree.
After last week’s episode, my friend Eileen told me, “I hate to say this, but I really feel like she’s being kept around because she’s deaf, but I’ll have to see how they play it to make my final decision. The problem is, it’s like in society… keep the ‘scary deaf girl’ at arm’s length. Be intrigued, but don’t get too close. You don’t wanna go too far because, let’s face it, it’s probably not gonna work. But whatever you do, don’t make yourself out to look like the bad guy by cutting her off right away because they’re gonna say it’s because she’s deaf, and we all know it’s because she’s deaf, but we don’t want it to actually BE that she’s deaf. Oh, and try to avoid a lawsuit. Thanks.”
Historically, the First Impression Rose does get a 1:1 date, but an article in Men’s Health says it’s not really indicative of how well a contestant will do during the season.
A Yahoo article about Abigail’s exit has a poll asking if Abigail or Katie should be Bachelorette. Last I checked, 80% was in Abigail’s favor. Even Nick Viall — who’s been on three seasons of The Bachelor and I don’t know how many of Bachelor in Paradise — tweeted, “Abigail for Bachelorette.”
Even though I’m leery of the show due to producer involvement and manipulation, and poor background checks, Abigail being the Bachelorette would increase awareness of cochlear implants along with listening and spoken language. And just think of the accommodations they’d have to make for her!
Abigail’s Instagram post affirms that she didn’t walk away empty handed.