9:56 pm, July 1st, 2013
RECAP
(ABC)
On Monday’s “The Bachelorette,” the drama among the men reached a boiling point that left Desiree Hartsock in tears and questioning the entire competition.
The issue stemmed from some of the guys overhearing James saying he hoped to make it to the Top Four so he would have a chance at being the next “Bachelor.”
Drew, Kasey, and several of the other guys were insistent Hartsock find out that the 27-year-old advertising executive wasn’t there for the right reasons, but first Drew got to go on a 1-on-1 date in gorgeous Barcelona.
The digital marketing analyst kicked things off by telling the bachelorette he wanted to kiss her, and she happily obliged as they set out to explore the Spanish city.
He later took Hartsock by surprise by interrupting their dinner to take her into an alleyway… to make out…. in front of the cameras.
Unsurprisingly, Drew received the date rose — but then dropped the bombshell about James.
“Wow,” said a stunned Hartsock as she grappled with the news.
The next day, Drew revealed to the guys that he fulfilled their mission, and James, Brooks, Chris, Kasey, Michael G., and Juan Pablo set out for their group date.
The friendliness of their soccer game was left behind during the party portion of the date, where Kasey — accompanied by Chris and Michael — confronted James about his comments.
James at first denied ever uttering the statement about becoming the next “Bachelor,” then claimed it was a joke, and the situation quickly got heated with f-bombs being thrown left and right.
Kasey then went to Hartsock , and gave her additional details about James, including his comments about not needing to worry about a job or money after the “Bachelorette.”
The news made Hartsock decide to forgo the group date rose, send the guys home, and confront James about everything she’s heard.
Hartsock told James she trusted the guys and believed what they told her, but he tried to minimize the damage by placing the blame on eliminated contestant Mikey, saying he made the comments.
“I think they’re threatened by me,” James said of his competitors “ganging up” on him, going on to add, “Desiree, I have feelings for you. Period.”
As James got emotional — tears in his eyes and all — he swore he wanted to be there with her, and Hartsock soon started crying, too, feeling torn between him and the rest of the men, before ultimately deciding to take the night to process her feelings.
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The guys, in turn, were shocked when James arrived back at their hotel, and simply uttered, “Gentleman, goodnight.”
The next day, Zak W. went into his 1-on-1 date worried that the drama of the night before would affect his time with Hartsock, but she was ready to start fresh.
An art class lightened the mood considerably, especially when the drilling fluid engineer stripped to his underwear to pose as the model.
Things later took a romantic turn during dinner, as the two bonded over their adventurous spirits, and soon enough, Hartsock was giving Zak the date rose.
“At this point if my life, you kind of mean everything to me,” he told her afterward.
Back at the hotel, James again tried to defend his comments, talking in circles about why was justified to be thinking about a Hartsock-less future as he competed for her affections.
“How do you not see that those things are detrimental to a relationship with a person we all care about?” Drew asked him.
The next morning, James had to face Hartsock again, with him insisting he was only there “to fall in love” with her.
The bridal stylist, though entering the conversation ready to send him home, started doubting herself as she found his comments “sincere,” and ended up in tears again as they patched things up.
The guys weren’t so forgiving, as James dug himself into an even deeper hole as he defended his perspective for the umpteenth time before storming out.
With no cocktail party for the second week in a row, the rose ceremony was extra tense.
Hartsock called the night’s decisions the “hardest” she’s had to make, and vowed to make the “best” decisions for herself and the guys.
In the end, she gave roses to everyone but Kasey, Juan Pablo and… James.
“I don’t get how this came down this way,” he said during his exit, complaining he got “bullied right out the door.”
Now just five guys remain.
Do you agree with Hartsock’s reaction to all the drama?
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