Tuesday, January 24, 2012

A Week with Mother Nature

This week Ben and the ladies made their way to breathtaking Park City, Utah. The dates this week embraced the great outdoors (just Ben's style). As we're getting closer and closer to finding the right girl for Ben, emotions are running high. Ben is starting to develop real, deep connections with the girls and with that comes the drama.

The first one-on-one date went to Rachel this week. At this point in the game girls are definitely becoming more jealous of each other getting special one-on-one time with Ben, but this week Kacie B. was especially emotional about it. Kacie B. seems to be having a really difficult time because she's developed a stronger connection with Ben than most girls so far and its hard for her to watch other girls spend time with him.

Rachel and Ben's date begins with a helicopter picking them up at the house (classic). After taking a short tour of the Utah landscapes, Ben and Rachel are safely back on land and take a canoe out on the lake. They row the canoe out to the middle of the lake with breathtaking scenery that provides a romantic moment for the couple. They share a kiss on the canoe which would have been so much sweeter if there hadn't been gnats flying around EVERYWHERE (come on Bach producers, think we could take care of that next time?). Then the couple shared a picnic by the lake. This is when it starts to get awkward. Rachel and Ben's conversation is extremely lacking. They have nothing to say to each other and Rachel just awkwardly starts talking about things around them to break the silence. Their conversation has absolutely no substance to it and consists of Rachel just rambling. Us girls at home can definitely tell that something is off. Ben says in his interview that he doesn't think Rachel shows any interest in him. The awkwardness continues at dinner and we are all positive that Rachel is not going to receive a rose on this date. Then, somehow, Rachel talks Ben into keeping her by confiding in him that its very hard for her to open up but she's really trying. Ben still sees potential with her so he gives her a rose hoping she will open up eventually. Even though Rachel is still in the running, I don't see their relationship continuing much further after the lack of chemistry we all witnessed on their date.

Group date lucky ladies: Jamie, Casey S., Blakely, Lindzi, Samantha, Nicki, Kacie B., and Courtney. The date begins with our Prince Charming riding up on a horse (literally). The girls join him and they all go horseback riding. Everyone seems to enjoy it and have a good time. The next task is a little more difficult for the girls: fly fishing (um, what?!). The girls have absolutely no idea what they are doing, which gives Ben an opportunity to spend some one-on-one time with the girls to help them. Courtney is being especially catty on this date. She's bad mouthing the other girls and acts like she has Ben eating out of the palm of her hand (which she kind of does, unfortunately). Courtney pulls him aside while they are fly fishing and of COURSE he is captivated by her and we have no idea why. Courtney has about as much personality as a wall. The other girls are all annoyed by Courtney and to make it even worse, she's the only girl who catches a fish.

The later part of the date consists of lounging around the pool. We find out that Ben has been in love 4 times (does anyone else think that's a lot?). Nicki and Ben bond over both having lost someone close to them very recently, but Samantha interrupts. Samantha rudely asks Ben why she's been on 3 group dates. Ben is offended by this because Samantha has had a date every week and not all the girls have so she should not be complaining. Ben tells her that he has observed that she's emotional and dramatic and doesn't think that she is there for him. Ben doesn't think Samantha is taking this opportunity seriously and he doesn't see it going any further. He unexpectedly sends her home right in the middle of the date (love it when they make their own rules!) The other girls on the date are shocked by this sudden elimination. After the drama, Kacie B. gets to spend some alone time with Ben. He tells her that he wanted to kiss her so badly during fly fishing but he wanted to be sensitive to the other girls' feelings (so sweet). Ben admits that he really likes Kacie B. and that their relationship is growing faster than the others. At this point we are all positive that Kacie B. is going to receive the rose on the date, but Courtney isn't going to let that happen. She pulls Ben aside and tells him she's having a super rough time and she's upset. This is classic case of a girl working a man. She totally tricks Ben into giving her the rose to comfort her and assure her of his feelings. Then Courtney proceeds to brag to the camera about getting the rose and how"winning" she is. Irritating much?

The last one-on-one goes to Jennifer (yay!). Jennifer seems like a really sweet, genuine girl and I was really glad that she got to have a one-on-one this week. Their date begins with just a normal hike up a mountain, but then Jennifer learns this date is anything but normal. Ben shows Jennifer a huge crater in the ground and then informs her that they will be rappelling down it (at this point I would start questioning if this guy was really worth it). They strip down to their bathing suits and begin repelling into the giant hole in the Earth. After they get a good ways down, they unhook their harness and fall down into the water below. Ben and Jennifer (Affleck and Garner?) play around in the water and share a few kisses. Then they have some time to clean up and get beautified (thanks Bach producers) for an outdoor dinner. They discuss past relationships (classic first one-on-one date convo) and Jennifer shares that she walked away from a four and a half year relationship because the man wasn't going to marry her (good for you girl!). Their dinner is cut short because it starts storming. Ben and Jennifer run together in the rain to get inside (super romantic). After they are dry and inside, Ben tells Jennifer that he feels really comfortable with her and gives her the rose. Ben then surprises Jennifer with a Clay Walker concert (I'm sorry, who?) and they have a great time singing and dancing together. Overall it was a great date for Ben and Jennifer.

One quick side note: while Ben and Jennifer were on their date Blakely did Emily's highlights. Does anyone else find that weird? I guess there must not be a lot to do when you aren't hanging out with our Bachelor.

Cocktail party time. Emily is concerned about Courtney being fake to Ben and decides to confront Ben about it. I really like Emily but we have learned from previous seasons that this is a HUGE no no in The Bachelor/Bachelorette handbook. Of course Ben doesn't want to hear it and he tells Emily she needs to not worry about Courtney because it will only drive her crazy. The only thing Emily needs to be concerned with is her relationship with Ben. Emily makes the mistake of relaying her conversation with Ben to some of the girls including Casey S., who happens to be Courtney's best friend in the house. Uh ohhhhh. Casey S. then gets up (where are her pants?!) and immediately goes to tell Courtney what Emily was saying. Courtney then confronts Emily and the drama ensues. The only highlight of the evening is that it snows! This creates a very romantic moment for Ben and Nicki as they watch the snow out on the balcony. Then its time for a pretty uneventful rose ceremony. The only really notable thing was how cute Chris Harrison looked in his striped shirt and skinny tie. Ben waits to give Emily the last rose so us girls at home were nervous that she had screwed herself over but thankfully she is around for another week to redeem herself.

Next week: Puerto Rico, skinny dipping, and more trash talk! Have a fabulous week bachelorettes!

IN:
-Courtney
-Rachel
-Jennifer
-Lindzi
-Jamie
-Nicki
-Kacie B.
-Elyse
-Blakely
-Casey S.
-Emily

OUT:
-Monica
-Samantha

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