by Gina Scarpa

 

The Bachelor heads to Utah this week, where the women check in to the amazing Canyon Resorts in Park City and wait for the date cards to start arriving. The first one on one of the night goes to Rachel, and Kacie B is immediately upset it's not her. She's having a tough time emotionally and wants to get to the part already where they're living together. After only one date, that seems a little premature, but she's convinced she's in love.

 

But back to Rachel, who is Ben's focus at the moment. They arrive, via helicopter, to a beautiful lake where he wastes no time in kissing her. Over a picnic afterwards though, he realizes that they do not have much going on in the conversation department. Things really start to crash and burn over dinner but Rachel makes a nice recovery and promises that she can open up and take a chance with him. That's all he needed - the rose is hers.

 

For the group date, Jamie, Casey S, Blakeley, Lindzi, Samantha, Nicki, Kacie B, and Courtney head out on a horseback ride (romantic) followed by some fly fishing (not romantic). Kacie B gets a few minutes alone with him but Courtney pulls him away to sink her hook into him. If the rumors are true, we're going to be seeing her for longer than just tonight but I don't get what the appeal is.

 

During the party afterwards, Nicki and Ben share a somber moment and bond over the loss of friends of theirs just days before they came out to film the show. Samantha interrupts their kiss to ask why she hasn't had a one on one date and that conversation goes downhill really fast. He seems to think that she's overemotional, silly, and doesn't see any kind of future with her. He ends it right then and there. Oof, The Bachelor is harsh. On a completely unrelated note, she looks so much like Ashley Tisdale.

 

And speaking of harsh, no sooner does Ben steal Kacie B away for a little makeout session that he returns her and swaps her out for Courtney again, only to do the exact same thing except she gest the rose. This is why relationships never last post-final rose. Everything you thought was special for you was actually being used on two, three, four other girls at the exact same time.

 

Jennifer gets the next one on one date and she and Ben head out on a little hike. They arrive at a crater (yeah, you heard me), face their fears, and head down it for a little private swim. A rainstorm interrupts their dinner but that just lends itself to a heightened sense of romance and Jennifer get the rose. Things cap off with a concert by country star Clay Walker.

 

At the rose ceremony, Emily pull Ben aside to try to warn him about Ben but of course, he doesn't want to hear it.  Many a Bachelor haven't listened when they were warned about a particular girl - Jake Pavelka, I'm lookin' at you.  When Emily tries to make her case to Casey S, she runs right back to Courtney and tells her everything that was said.  That, of course, leads to a showdown and the other girls just sit in silence, too afraid to open their mouths for fear of not getting a rose.  

 

The first rose at the ceremony goes to Lindzi.  Jamie, Nicki, Kacie B, Elyse, Blakeley, Casey S, and Emily.  She survived!  And so Monica is sent home in the limo and her tears are more from the humiliation than any feelings for Ben.

 

The Bachelor airs Mondays at 8/7c on ABC.

 

(Image courtesy of ABC)

 

 

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