(ABC)
On Monday’s “The Bachelor,” Ben Higgins had his first one-on-one date of the season before a stunning rose ceremony in which one woman quit. Get the full recap here!
As Gossip Cop reported, Ben’s “Bachelor” journey began on last week’s season premiere, where he met the women vying for his affection. Olivia received the first impression rose and Lace turned Ben off by trying to score a second kiss after unexpectedly smooching him upon her limo arrival. At the end of the episode, he had to make cuts, and now another round with the 21 remaining competitors began.
The second episode of the season now started with Ben meeting 10 of the women at a high school, where the contestants had to show their smarts and strengths in challenges related to geography and science, as well as gym and lunch. At the end, one lucky gal would be named homecoming queen and get to spend special time with the homecoming king, which, of course, was Ben. And after tasks that entailed making a volcano erupt, bobbing for apples, identifying states to place on a map, shooting free-throws, and running a track with hurdles, Mandi was declared the winner.
At the nighttime after-party, Lace was determined to “redeem” herself for her previous behavior, but it was Jennifer who scored a big kiss. That only made Lace more set on winning the group date rose, to the point where she “stole” Ben away from Mandi. Lace apologized for how she “came off” the previous night, and while the conversation seemed awkward, she was thrilled with their “eye f*cking.” She then became upset all over again when Jubilee interrupted before she could get in a lip-lock. And though Ben kissed Jubilee, too, it was JoJo who won the lone rose.
Caila was the most fortunate, though, as she was the first to be chosen for a one-on-one date. The outing began with Ride Along 2 stars Kevin Hart and Ice Cube unexpectedly showing up to steer the day. Ice Cube amusingly tried to get Ben to buy condoms, and they ended up at a hot tub store (see photo above). It all culminated in a private concert with Amos Lee at night after Ben gave Caila the date’s rose, ensuring she’ll be around another week.
For the episode’s second and final group date, six ladies went to The Love Lab, where they were tested to see how compatible they were with the Bachelor. They all had to participate in “experiments,” including retinal tracking, getting sweaty to see if Ben was attracted to their scents, and whether their thermal energies changed when getting close on a naked bed while wearing nothing but underwear. Sam was stunned to find out she had the lowest amount of chemistry with Ben, while Olivia scored the highest. That, combined with her grating personality and getting the first impression rose, annoyed the other girls, who became even more pissed off when she later received the group date rose, too.
Of course, there was still a cocktail party to hold toward the end of the two hours. And Olivia, though she was already safe, took Ben away from the rest of the women. “What a selfish bitch,” Jubilee exclaimed. After, Lace and Ben had yet another awkward conversation about how she’s not truly “crazy,” and she had a tearful meltdown afterward over looking “stupid.” Ben went on to reassure some of the women, including Amanda and Lauren B., just how interested he was in them.
The rose ceremony began with Ben admitting he was “overwhelmed” in a good way, before “doing the part that I don’t love.” He then handed out roses one by one, and the camera cut to a confessional in which Lauren “LB” Barr said how uncomfortable she was with the show’s process and the difficulty of dating alongside so many other women. So while Lace was greatly relieved when Ben offered her a rose, LB asked to talk Ben privately when he called her name. “I don’t want to cause a scene,” she told him. “But I don’t know if I can do it.”
When Ben returned sans the contestant, he announced that LB chose to quit the competition and go home. “I understand that this isn’t for everybody,” he acknowledged. But he also said this was the opportunity to give her rose to someone else he “might not have had the chance to get to know better.” So the rose ceremony resumed, but it wasn’t clear who Ben chose in LB’s place.
At the end, Sam and Jackie were left rose-less, and therefore eliminated from the competition. Now 18 women remain, with more group dates and another one-on-one to come next week.
