How many people can Nick antagonize in one episode? That appeared to be the theme of tonight's The Bachelorette, as Andi Dorfman whittled down her suitors to the final four. And the guys would presumably have hated Nick even more if they knew about his secret late-night rendezvous with Andi.
This week's episode took place in Brussels, which means Belgium is really having its pop-culture moment this week (if you count tomorrow's World Cup match against the U.S. squad). Marcus got the first one-on-one date, and he revealed that he wasn't close to his parents while growing up. Marcus then called Andi his "soul mate." Andi is definitely taken with him, but he still seems a bit bland for her.
After Marcus returned from the romantic date, Nick didn't feel like sticking around to hear the details. So he slipped down to the hotel lobby, where he told the concierge that he forgot his key and that the room is under his wife, Andi's, name. Andi was shocked to see him at her door, but his risk paid off, as they walked hand-in-hand through the city. They then kissed (a lot), and Andi said their relationship is defined by "passion." Looks like Nick may have taken the lead.
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Josh got the other one-on-one, which meant a chance to redeem himself after he groused so much last week about the polygraph test. He and Andi explored Ghent, where they saw completely normal things, like a goose parade. Andi was still wary that Josh may break her heart, but he finally admitted to falling in love with her. Reticent Josh still hasn't gushed to Andi as much as the other guys, and he soon may need to, but he's at least saying enough to stay in the game.
Now, things got awkward. The four remaining men – Chris, Dylan, Brian and Nick — headed out on an tiring rail-bike group date, where only one would get a rose. Despite Andi then sharing a romantic pottery-wheel session with Chris that rivaled the one in Ghost, Nick got the rose and a private dinner with Andi. The guys unleashed a flurry of expletives in the car as they groused about Nick's overt confidence.
Back at the hotel, the other guys agreed that Nick has appeared to be strategic and more concerned with winning the competition that falling in love with Andi. Josh pointed out that Nick can't be trusted because he has seen so many previous episodes of The Bachelorette. (C'mon, it's not a bad thing to have seen a ton of episodes of The Bachelorette, right? We're, uh, asking for a friend.) Things got extremely uncomfortable when Nick returned, and none of the guys said a word for what felt like years. Finally, the guys let Nick know how they're feeling, and Nick admitted to getting a "tongue-lashing" from them and that he won't miss them when they're gone.
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At the cocktail party, the three guys who had only been on a single one-on-one so far with Andi — Chris, Brian and Dylan – did their best to plead their cases, with Chris pulling Andi aside an extra time just for a surreptitious kiss. Nick, apparently sensing that one of the guys might inform Andi about the previous night's tension, explained to Andi that he feels like he's wearing a target.
Finally, the rose ceremony revealed which four guys would be taking Andi home to meet their families in next week's episode: Josh, Marcus and Chris joined Nick in earning roses, meaning the end of the road for Dylan and Brian. Dylan said he wished he had opened up more, while Brian got quite irate when he overheard the remaining guys sharing a tension-breaking laugh with Andi.
Are you surprised that Andi has such a strong connection with Nick? Do you think Josh isn't as ready to fall in love as the others? And do you still suddenly have a hankering for a pickle? Sound off in the comments.
Twitter: @_RyanGajewski
