The Bachelor Brad, Take 2, Episode 7
The Bachelor: Brad Womack (Mondays at 8PM on ABC)
"Not only do I not see them getting married... I don't know if I even see them friending each other on Facebook." - Michelle about Britt and Brad
Ahh... I'm back from my own Caribbean getaway just in time to watch Brad and his remaining 6 ladies jet off to Anguilla (and they had much better weather than my hubby and I... yes, I know it's shot well in advance...)
Harrison popped up to tell the ladies that there would be 4 dates instead of 3 this week, including 3 One-on-One dates and 1 Group Date. The first Solo Date goes to
Brad tells us how nervous he gets around Emily and it's mostly because he doesn't think he deserves her. But that doesn't stop him from trying to impress her. The two sit down for champagne until the helicopter came to pick them off and drop them off on a deserted island (in the shape of male genitals). The two have a picnic there as they talk about their awkwardness around each other.
Photo Credit - ABC
The two watch an amazing sunset / moon-rise, then have a nice dinner where Brad brings up the topic of meeting her daughter. She sighs and tells him she's overprotective and hasn't let anyone she's dated meet her, however understands that it would be too weird if he proposed to her without meeting her. She's not sure. He "breaks the rules" and tells Emily that she is for sure getting a rose at the next ceremony and tells her to make the calls necessary for the home town date. Then they make out while wading in the ocean.
Photo Credit - ABC
Photo Credit - ABC
To me it seems as if Brad is head over heels in love with Emily, but it's not mutual. It seems as if Emily likes him well enough, but not in the same way he does or how some of the other girls do. If the girl at the end is NOT Emily, these episodes must be hard to watch. I'm just saying. He seems much more into her than any of the other girls... at least in my opinion.
But let's get on to the next Solo Date. It went to
Photo Credit - ABC
Brad tells us he can be himself around Shawntel and always has fun but is looking for a deeper connection with her on the date. The two jump rope, drink out of coconuts, play dominoes, sit with goats and get love advice from Auntie Bea. They really seem to have a good time with each other. But the connection he was looking for didn't set in until they sat down for dinner, she told him she was "falling in love with him" and he opened up about his absentee dad. The two then listened, danced and made-out to Anguilla's resident raggae master before stripping down to their bathing suits and making out in the ocean.
Photo Credit - ABC
To me, it still seems as if Shawntel is more into Brad than he is into her, but in her case, it's working in her favor.
The third Solo Date card finally arrives and it's for Britt! Britt finally get's her one-on-one date with Brad. She knows she's behind the other ladies in the romance department with Brad, and is hoping this date makes up for lost time. Plus she's relieved there isn't a rose on the date, fearing she may be sent home. Brad meets her and the two walk off on the beach towards a huge (and gorgeous yacht). They swim off to it, and take a cruise around the island before going cliff jumping. Britt was afraid at first, but was able to do it.
Photo Credit - ABC
The two lacked any chemistry while talking on the beach, and seemed incredibly disconnected during dinner. He finally tells her he doesn't see a future with her. She asks for more time, but Brad doesn't want to string anyone along this time and sends her off on a rejecto-raft. The poor girl had to go back to the Bachelorette dorm and tell the girls she needed to pack her things and go, which must have been humilating. I must say she took it like a champ though.
This was the first time we really saw Britt and Brad interact, and she seemed far too soft-spoken and maybe a bit immature for the Bachelor. It was just her time to go. (Plus those white platform flip-flops were gosh-awful!)
So now onto the Group Date that included Chantal, Michelle and Ashley. Brad snuck into the Bachelorette dorm at 2AM and woke them up to escort them to a Sports Illustrated Swimsuit photo-shoot.
Just like Chantal, I would have been horrified. While Ashley and Michelle seemed just fine with strutting their bods in bikinis, Chantal was ready to fake the confidence.
Ashley was up first and donned some dancer poses before whipping off her top and covering her bits with shells. You can head over to SportsIllustrated.com and check out her photos. I thought hers came out the best of the three, looking natural and pretty (and a bit like Carrie Underwood!) Here's a leaked photo from the shoot of her and Brad.
Photo Credit - Sports Illustrated
Next up was Chantal as she walked the beach and rolled in the sand before whipping off her bikini top as well. I thought hers came out the worst out of the three (there are a couple stunning shots of her though too), the least natural and some she even making weird faces. You can check out what I mean over at SportsIllustrated.com. Yet, she has the most photos up on the site... foreshadowing, much?!
Photo Credit - ABC
Lastly, was Michelle and instead of seeing her photo shoot, we saw the part where she sucked Brad in with her. You know, where she laid on top of him and made out with him in front of both Chantal and Ashley. This was the tipping point. Watching this sent the date into a tail-spin.
Photo Credit - ABC
I thought she looked the most like a model in her shots, yet there was something amiss from them... warmth, would be my answer. You can see what I mean over at SportsIllustrated.com.
The real drama came at the after-party. Can someone say AWK-WARD! He pulls each of the girls away. First, Ashley who tells him if it's not her, she'll be okay with that, which doesn't sit well with Brad. Then Chantal senses somethings off and complains about his body-language. Then he talks with Michelle about his fears that they're too much alike personality-wise (both stubborn).
Brad tells us he knows he was wrong when he got caught up in Michelle's aggressiveness during the make-out session on the beach. And that he's trying not to seem too touchy-feely with the girls at the after-party because he knows that the others are just waiting for his return. He carts off Ashley again, as she whines that he's scaring her and that she doesn't want to be sent home right now.
Brad leaves her at the pool and goes to get the rose, which just happens to be in front of Chantal and Michelle. They stare him down as he goes to give it to Ashley and tells her she needs to trust in their relationship.
Photo Credit - ABC
When they return, Chantal is a crying mess. The other two girls leave, and Brad tries to comfort her. She tells him that if he can't choose her out of three girls, than he should send her home now. He tells her that there's lots of stuff he thinks about when giving a group date rose, and that just because he didn't give her this one doesn't mean she won't get the final rose at the end of this whole thing. Chantal doesn't seem to buy it, but there's nothing else that can be said. They part with a hug.
Photo Credit - ABC
COCKTAIL PARTY --> HARRISON CONFERENCE --> ROSE CEREMONY
As the girls waited for Brad, he was off meeting with Harrison. Brad has already decided who to send home and doesn't want a cocktail party because he doesn't want to lead anyone on and knows that they can't change his mind.
Harrison informs the girls and they line up on the beach. The two most worried are Michelle, who really wanted to pull him back in and Chantal who's last conversation with him was rocky at best. Shawntel was also a bit worried. Ashley, who had the only rose and Emily, who had the only promise of a rose, were both confident.
Emily got the first rose, followed by Shawntel. So it was down to Michelle or Chantal - Chantal got the rose, which means Michelle is sent home.
Photo Credit - ABC
Brad walks her to the rejecto-limo. He tries to get her to talk to him, but she abruptly refuses. Even her rejecto-limo ride went off without a sound - she laid down on the back seat and didn't utter a word.
Brad makes it back to the ladies and tells him he was 100% sure of which families he wanted to meet. Ashley, Shawntel, Chantal and Emily get hometown dates next week. I was 2 for 2 in my predictions, go check out my rankings of the remaining ladies as to who I think will be sent home next. It's a tight race.
