Intro: We’re now at hometowns with only Rachel, Kelsey A., Maria, and Daisy left in the competition. Instead of the usual two one-on-one and one group date, everyone gets a one-on-one date in their hometown, and the night portion of the date is now the family portion. Let’s get started!
Kelsey A.: The first hometown date of the season was Kelsey’s in New Orleans, L.A., and the last time Joey was in Louisiana was with Charity (the previous Bachelorette); I can’t tell if that’s a good or bad sign. The two rode on a tandem bike around City Park, making them both feel even more excited about the rest of their journey. It’s now time to meet the family, where we get to meet Kelsey’s dad, Mark, her older sister, Taylor, and her younger brother, Matthew. They all sit down and look at old photos of Kelsey’s late mother, then break up into separate conversations. Kelsey and her sister first sit down together, and Kelsey expresses how scared she is about this process because there are still three other women involved, but her sister reassures her and tells her that she’s proud of her for opening up again.
Now it’s time for the biggest talk of the night — Mark and Joey. Mark expresses his concerns about his daughter getting her heart broken, but Joey reassures him, telling Mark that his feelings for Kelsey are real; in response, Mark gives Joey his stamp of approval to continue his relationship with Kelsey. Mark and Kelsey then talk and he tells her that he is happy for her and wants Kelsey to have the same love that he and her mother once had. This made Kelsey extremely happy and she felt more confident about her relationship with Joey. By the end of the date, I was pretty confident that Kelsey was going to tell Joey that she was in love with him, but she didn’t. This was the “easiest” hometown out of the four, with everyone in the family liking Joey and no one expressing any big doubts. After watching this hometown, I was confident that Kelsey would get a rose, and I was also hoping that Mark would either become a contestant on the “Golden Bachelorette” or even the next “Golden Bachelor,” as he is seventy-two years old.
Rachel: It’s now time for Rachel’s hometown date in Rancho Cucamonga, CA, despite her real hometown being in Hawai’i. The producers made this switch because there was not enough time for the crew to travel to Hawai’i. We don’t see much of Rachel’s day date and only see Rachel teaching Joey traditional Filipino greetings for when he meets her family. It was very weird that Rachel’s day portion of the date was cut, especially since we don’t see a lot of Rachel during the normal episodes in general. It felt like the producers didn’t want the audience to see Rachel’s connection with Joey, and that gave me the feeling that Rachel wasn’t making it much further past this episode. After only 10 minutes of seeing Rachel and Joey, it was time for the family portion of the day. The family portion was at the house of Rachel’s aunt, and there was a full-blown luau complete with a whole roasted pig which I thought to be very cool because we usually don’t see cultural food like that on “The Bachelor.” After the luau took place, we got to see Joey interact with Rachel’s family, and let’s just say that they weren’t as open as Kelsey’s family. Rachel’s mom and dad both openly expressed concerns about Rachel getting her heart broken at the end of the process to both Joey and Rachel. In the end, Rachel’s dad does tell Joey that if he does decide to propose to Rachel, to call him and he has his blessing. Despite that news, Joey still feels a little skeptical about Rachel’s family not being completely open to her finding love on TV. Ignoring her parents’ concerns, Rachel still decides to tell Joey that she’s not just falling for him, but is falling in love, and Joey seems very happy about this news.
Daisy: It’s Daisy’s turn for a hometown, and we’re now in Becker, MN on the much-awaited Christmas Tree Farm on which Daisy grew up. Joey and Daisy took a ride on a wagon through the farm, which was filled with Christmas decorations, and they also met Mr. and Mrs. Claus. They then made hot chocolate, and that’s when Daisy’s close friends surprised her. I thought it was very sweet that Joey was able to meet not just Daisy’s family but also her friends, giving him an even closer glimpse into her life. Now it’s time to meet Daisy’s family, and at this point, Daisy has not yet made a confession of love to Joey, and you can tell that he’s starting to feel a little skeptical. During the family portion of the date, we meet Daisy’s mom, Julie; her dad, Brandon; her older sister, Josephine; her younger brother, Harrison; her grandfather, Ted; and her grandmother, Gloria. Joey first sits down with Daisy’s mom, and she shares the same concerns that all of the parents have shared: “What happens if you don’t pick my daughter and she’s heartbroken?” All of Daisy’s family share the same concerns, but all conclude that they are proud of Daisy opening up to love for the first time since she lost her hearing and that as long as Daisy knows what she is getting into with three other women involved, they all give their full blessings. After Joey meets the family, Daisy has one more thing to tell Joey: that she’s falling in love with him and has been for a while. You can see on Joey’s face that this eliminated all of his previous doubts, and he even shared that he can see Daisy being his future wife. This further establishes Daisy as a frontrunner, and I would be very shocked if she isn’t the one who Joey picks at the end.
Maria: It’s the last hometown date, and we’re in Niagara Falls, NY, but on the United States side, despite Maria being from Canada. I guess this is as close as they could get. On today’s date, Joey met Maria’s dad, Nick; her mom, Lori; her brothers Steven and Soto; and her friend, Brittany, but before we get to that, we need to get through her day. Joey and Maria started the date, as many on the internet have noted, in the same place as where Jim and Pam from “The Office” got married. Maybe, some say, this is part of the reason why Maria chose the U.S. side of Niagara Falls as opposed to her home country of Canada. They talk about Maria’s temper, which was on full display during last week’s episode, and how that scared Joey. What scared him even more, Joey said, was when Maria revealed that she had never brought a partner home. There was a shift in the date; Joey became more reserved after hearing that news. I think that scared Joey because he thought about how Maria has gone her whole life without ever opening up to someone to the level where she brought them home, and now she’s on a show that ends with an engagement. Eventually, it was time to meet Maria’s family, and this was the roughest out of all four hometown dates to watch. Her father Nick grills Joey and shares that if Joey is going to tell him that he’s falling for Maria while saying the same to other women, he doesn’t want to hear it. He also shares that he and Maria have been inseparable since her birth and that she is his “princess.” Despite severely scaring Joey, Nick gives him his blessing to propose. Mark shares that message again with Maria, and the day ends with Maria almost telling Joey that she’s falling in love with him, but she gets nervous and doesn’t tell him anything.
Eliminations: It’s rose ceremony time, and this was the most shocking and emotional one yet. Joey walks up to the podium with the roses, and as he’s about to call the first name, Maria interrupts him and asks if they can talk for a second. Maria then pulls him aside, they talk behind a helicopter, and she shares that she’s falling in love with him. Rachel was not happy with Maria pulling him aside this late and made a snarky comment under her breath, and I completely understand her frustration. Maria pulling him aside at the last minute feels like a last attempt to secure a rose. You can see on Joey’s face that this isn’t what he wanted to hear, and you can tell that he has already made up his mind. Then, the suspense was relieved when Kelsey, Daisy, and Rachel all received a rose — Maria’s time was up.
“The Bachelor” airs on Monday nights at 8:00 pm EST on ABC.
