It’s time for another week of drama, tears and Ben being too precious for words as he explores the remaining four girls’ hometowns this week. Ben and I are in agreement: this season has zoomed by. We’re getting to see the women in their natural habitat, and it’s not only time for him to meet their parents but also for them to all start getting extra serious. Though only one girl met his parents last week (and ended up going home before the rose ceremony), he’s meeting all of the remaining parents this week.
Look, I’ll give Ben props -- I understand that hometowns is a staple in The Bachelor universe, but meeting one set of parents is hard enough. Meeting four sets of parents when they’re all aware you’re not just dating their daughter, they’re also all aware that he’s dating three other girls, and get to see all of your actions on national television months later. That’s a lot of pressure for one person, regardless of how nice they are.
Laguna Beach Babies
First comes his date with real-life Disney princess, Amanda. In a perfect rom-com moment, they literally run into each other’s arms on the beach as the waves crash behind them. They’re waiting for her kids to meet up with them, and she shares that while she’s falling in love him, she can’t decide how she feels about them until she sees how he interacts with her kids. When they finally show up, they appear shy at first, but Ben makes an effort to get to know them and even if they don’t end up together, Ben’s going to be an amazing dad one day. While Amanda’s still hesitant after their initial meeting, Ben’s feeling their connection is better than ever.
After a rocky car ride with the girls, Ben finally gets to meet her parents. Acknowledging that they’ve had a rough time with her ex-husband, he’s aware that this is a big deal. He looks overwhelmed, which the parents discuss as he and Amanda put the youngest down for a nap. “He looks like he’d be a good dad, but is he ready to be an instant dad?” Michelle, her mom, asks. Which, honestly, is a legitimate question. Ben takes it like a champ, though, admitting that while he had not imagined this would be a situation he thought he would’ve had to face, he was actually okay with the idea when Amanda brought it up.
Momma Michelle and Amanda have a similar heart-to-heart, but it’s clear that Amanda’s still having minor hesitations. She hadn’t imagined her life ending up like this, but her girls are her world, even if she feels like she needs a partner. “He’s a great guy and I’d be happy to see you with him,” Momma Michelle settles on.
Ben’s talk with Amanda's father is a little more intense. John, her father, wants Ben to know that the hypothetical idea of children is a lot different from the actual responsibility of them. “I care about Amanda a lot. I know it’s not easy, but the only way I would step into their life would be if that’s what she wants,” Ben reassures him.
After a day with them all together, Amanda admits that she’s actually in love with him. After watching him read to her daughters, I might be too, y’all.
Keep Portland Weird
Next stop for Ben is Portland to visit Lauren. Unlike Amanda, she’s already decided she’s in love with Ben and ready to tell him that...but she wants him to meet her parents first. They walk around and she gives him the full tourist experience, taking him to the infamous food trucks. To make the date even better, she leads him to a whisky library, which elicits possibly more excitement for him than anything else has this weekend. They get a chance to finally talk, and he admits that he was worried she would’ve wanted to leave early on, while she admits that she’s terrified about him meeting her family. Like every good meeting with the parents, they pregame with a few shots of whisky before making their way to her childhood home. Good liquid courage for meeting the parents and also for huge confessions of love.
This round of family bonding comes with two of Lauren's brothers and her sister, as well as the ‘rents. Her sister, Mollie, pulls Ben aside first to ask about everything, trying to connect with him as someone that is his age, but to her credit she does straight up ask him how much he’s been saying the same “I like your daughter so much” to all the other parents. He reassures her that while there are other girls, he’s not going to do anything unless he’s 100% sure that he loves her. And then he starts crying when talking about how lucky he feels to have Lauren in his life, which Lauren turns around and also does while talking to Mollie.
Ben has a slightly less positive moment with Lauren’s dad. He grills Ben about how fast they’re doing everything but also asks how Ben’s coping with all of this. Ben admits that he’s not handling it as well as he wished he was. Her father expresses the same concern for Lauren, wanting to make sure she’s careful about not getting her heart broken and staying level-headed during this competition.
Home Sweet Ohio
Making his way back to the midwest, Ben has his reunion with Caila. Instead of taking a tour of her high school hometown, she sets up a date Bachelor-style (hinting she’ll be the next Bachelorette, maybe?!) for the two of them. Turns out her father is the CEO of a toy company, so their date is designing and then building a dream home. They’re literally children in a toy store (erm, factory?), building their home together. Best line of the episode? “Seeing Caila with the power tools and the hard hat...I never thought a toy factory could be so sexy,” he tells the camera, giggling as he carries her out of the toy factory.
Turns out she also wants to tell him she loves him, but she wants to get her parents' validation first. Caila’s parents, hands down, win for the cutest set of parents he met this week. Her mom prepared a meal that I really hope did not go to waste like all the other food on this show, and her father not only jokes with Ben, but he acknowledges my first concern with this episode (four sets of parents! Seriously, that’s nerve wracking!).
Ben gets to chat with Caila’s mom first, and when she asks what sets Caila apart, he admits that he likes that even when she’s confusing, she doesn’t take the easy route; she takes the honest route instead (see: the most awkward moment of all time in the Bahamas two weeks ago). Unlike with the other parents, Ben tells her that his fear with Caila is different: he’s afraid that she may not reciprocate the feelings and just wants her to give him a clear answer.
Her father grills Caila about how she’s dealing with the other girls also competing for Ben's love. She gets the chance to tell him that she feels like he could be “it” for her and goes the opposite route of the other parents: instead of warning her to keep guarded, he tells her that “there’s no rule book for love,” and doesn’t invalidate her feelings. Her mother is equally excited to hear that and tells her that she not only thinks the feelings may be reciprocated, but she also thinks Caila should stop holding back. However, despite how much she wants to say those three little words to him, Caila still couldn’t allow herself to fully open up to him.
Texas Two-Step
The final hometown was deep in the heart of Texas. Jojo's greeted by a set of a dozen roses, which she initially thinks is from Ben but turns out to be from her ex. It’s not a great start to the day... She throws the letter down and paces around her room, trying (and failing) not to cry. She breaks and gives him a call; her ex explains that “he’s been through, like, so much” and realized she was what he wanted. However, instead of falling for it, she gives him hell for all the crap he gave her while they were together.
Naturally, Ben walks up at the tail end of the conversation and is thrown off by the fact that she’s already crying and they haven’t been on the date yet. She explains that her ex popped up, and he looks so incredibly uncomfortable with this situation. She goes on to further explain that she called him to tell him that she’s happy with her situation right now and she’s not interested in going backwards, only forwards. He uses this to ask if she’s feeling comfortable in their relationship, and she reassures him that she’s not only comfortable, but she’s “the happiest [she’s] ever been.” I tried to keep track of the times “comfortable” was used in this conversation and lost track after around six.
They make their way to her parents' house, where they’re promptly greeted by her brothers and family. It’s very obvious that her family is super close, as evidenced by the loud greeting and innumerable amount of hugs. Unlike the other parents, hers don’t pull Ben aside, choosing to ask the awkward questions right at the dinner table. It feels like the most awkward interview of all time, made even better when her brothers start going into overprotective mode. “I’d like to say this guy’s terrific, but I just genuinely can’t say that,” her eldest brother confesses.
The two brothers take him aside first, doing their due diligence to intimidate Ben. They don’t beat around the bush, asking if Jojo is going to end up with her heart broken. Ben’s honest with them, telling them that while he can’t say at this moment if she’s the one or not, he definitely has real feeling for her. Her father (Dr. Phil, is that you?) also tries to break Ben, staring him down for a good minute first. The men are clearly not as interested in Ben’s attempts to remain noncommittal as the other parents were.
Jojo's mother is less restrained, telling her to go for it and to be less guarded, which Jojo takes to be a sign. Her feelings are promptly dashed as her brothers get their chance with Jojo and tell her the opposite. They tell her to be guarded, understandably afraid she’s going to get her heart broken. “My read is that he’s not as emotionally invested as you are,” they tell her, which makes her doubt everything even more.
Rounding out this super date, her brothers tell Ben the same, even claiming at one point that he’s not only “brainwashed” the girls, but that he’s being put in a situation with so many girls fawning over him that he’s not entirely into them. They continue to grill him, asking him for the honest answers, not the ones he was “coached” to give. Out of his element, Ben tries to keep the peace while staying honest. Jojo's father is appeased, while her mother wants them all to understand this isn’t as easy on Ben as they believe it is.
Ultimately, Ben ends up leaving “unsettled” after this date, instead of feeling reassured.
City of Angels (and Roses)
The girls make their way back to the Bachelor Mansion in Los Angeles, with each feeling incredibly anxious about this ceremony. Though Caila and Lauren are worried about the fact that they didn’t get to tell Ben they loved him, Amanda isn’t quite sure how to feel and Jojo is straight up scared after his meeting with her parents.
Ben starts off the ceremony by giving a heartfelt speech about how he’s feeling after meeting all the parents, but at the end of the day, a girl still has to go home. Lauren, Caila and Jojo all move on to the next round.
Amanda says a tearful goodbye to the girls and manages to stay relatively level-headed through her goodbye with Ben, though she does admit that she wished he had just told her right after the date instead of bringing her back to LA only to send her back home. “I saw you with your daughters this week, and I was more impressed with you than I ever could’ve imagined,” he tells her. He’s reluctant to let her go, but the show must go on and they part.
Her camera confession is heartbreaking, made even more dramatic as Ben watches the limo and lingers outside, not ready to go back in yet. This is the first goodbye in which he actually cries after they part. “I would like her to know that I care about her a lot,” he says as he fights off tears and walks away from the camera.
Next week, we finally get to find out which two girls Ben is in love with (my bet is Lauren is definitely one, though I can’t decide between Caila and Jojo). Overnight dates in a tropical location with more helicopter rides to follow...I can’t wait.