by David McAlpine

Last night on The Bachelor, it was the hardest decision for Brad yet (or at least he says so) as he and the women jet off to South Africa for their Fantasy Suite dreams that may or may not come true.

After the ever-lengthening recap of the increasingly smaller number of girls, Brad meets up with his first day date: Chantal. As of right now, Chantal is in good standing: her parents weren't crazy, she doesn't have a child and her dad is fairly well off. Strike against Chantal: she's in Africa and she expects not to go on a safari. Sorry Chantal, but that would make things too easy!

The safari is mild at best, though, as her and Brad get a chance to see all the basic animals like lions and elephants, but nothing too exotic. After a picnic and then a dinner (both with wine, of course), the conversation starts to get serious. The topic: getting engaged (which, in case Brad forgot, is only a matter of days away). Chantal says the only point in getting engaged is getting married, which is a massive hint to Brad to not be like almost every other Bachelor.

Chantal conveniently forgets all about that, though, once the Fantasy Suite card arrives. Surprise, surprise, they're all for it and it's clear that they have some major jungle loving' up in their treehouse of a hotel.

Day two brings Emily into Brad's arms…and up onto the back of an elephant. After talking and yet another picnic (what else do they do in South Africa?), Brad goes straight for the topic of the night: Emily's daughter. Clearly she was not as big a fan of Brad as Brad was hoping for. Apparently Brad is ready for the stepdad factor, though.

Later, Brad says he's nervous around Emily. Her reason: she's hard to read, but she wants Brad to know how much she likes him. But putting Brad and Ricki, her daughter, in the same sentence almost seems impossible for Emily to do. Awkward!

Of course, the Fantasy Suite card fixed that one. Sure, Emily was a little unsettled, and she said she wanted to set a "good example." But did that stop her? Absolutely not, as it shouldn't have.

Day three began with Ashley and Brad jetting off in a helicopter, which apparently scares Ashley more than life itself. Brad is there to protect her, though his face seems to read "needy and emotional." In the middle of the country, where there's a gorgeous 360 view, Brad drops another bomb: he wonders if he's going to get in the way of Ashley's dentistry career.

Ashley doesn't think so, so Brad qualifies: apparently he worked so much in his 20s that life just passed him by. Instead, he thinks he can help Ashley find balance, which she coos in agreeance with.

But Brad won't drop the issue, so Ashley has to spend a good portion of dinner convincing him she can work and be a good wife, too. Says Brad: apparently Ashley never mentioned living in Austin, which seems to be Brad's wish since he owns a chain of bars there. Ashley counters with the fact that she's never been there, and that it's more about the person than the place.

Brad then realizes that his dates with Ashley in the past have been, well, shallow to say the least and haven't provided much meaning. It's almost as if they weren't that real! And thus The Bachelor paradox becomes apparent to Brad. Point Brad and his skittish behavior.

Though Ashley has managed to massively screw up this date, she still takes full advantage of the Fantasy Suite card, and Brad's not complaining, either.

After a long one-on-one with Chris, Brad realizes that he needs a little more time with Ashley before he makes his final decision. So, in true Brad fashion, he pulls Ashley aside at the rose ceremony while Emily and Chantal stew in fear.

Brad is still scared that he won't fit into Ashley's life (why, because she's educating herself?) and Ashley collapses in a giant crying mess, basically admitting defeat. And she's right--what else can she do? Brad seems to be dead set against her finishing out dentistry school.

Ashley and Brad part ways, allowing him to give the last two roses to Emily and Chantal, setting us up for quite the exciting finale. But next week, it's that time again for our favorite part of the season and, most likely, the reason why we all tune in: the Women Tell All special. Am I the only one who can't wait?

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

(Photo courtesy of ABC)

Follow David on Twitter: @DavidMcAlpine