The Bachelor star Arie Luyendyk Jr. eliminated Tia Booth after visiting her Weiner, AR, hometown and meeting her family during Monday night's Season 22 broadcast on ABC.

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"I don't know what to say. I was not expecting this. What did I do wrong? I feel like I put myself out there," Tia said after Arie denied her a rose at the Rose Ceremony held in Los Angeles, CA, following the Final 4 bachelorettes' hometown dates.

Arie assured Tia that she had done nothing wrong, although she wondered if she had maybe expressed her feelings of love for The Bachelor star too soon or too much.

Arie insisted that wasn't the case and there was "just something missing" between them. Arie said he admired Tia and her elimination had nothing to do with her worth but rather the emotion and connection between them. Before Tia departed, she told Arie to follow his heart in the process.

"Sh-t like this is what makes me put my walls up and my guard up, telling someone how I feel for them and not feeling it in return," Tia told the cameras in her final words.

"It's extremely hard for me to be vulnerable because I've done it before and it's left me feeling like this, and it makes me not want to do it again. I'm tired of feeling like I'm not good enough for people... that I can't say or do enough. I'm tired of it."

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The Bachelor broadcast began with Arie traveling to Kendall Long's hometown in Los Angeles, CA.

Arie explained that Kendall was "not your average girl," as she's quirky, funny and curious. This was a very important date for the couple since their relationship had moved slower than the others.

Kendall first showed Arie her shed full of taxidermy, and then she asked Arie to stuff rat skins with her for a little puppet show. Arie was completely freaked out and thought all the dead animals were "creepy," but he was a good sport, and his willingness to do the activity spoke volumes about his feelings for Kendall.

Before Arie met Kendall's father Bob, mom Michelle, twin sister Kylie, and little brother Colton, he told the bachelorette, "I am falling for you." Kendall thought Arie was more compassionate than any man she's ever dated, but she wasn't comfortable being open and vulnerable with him yet.

Kendall hoped seeing Arie with her family would bring them to the next level in their relationship, and Arie thought their romance was "blossoming into something amazing."

At dinner, Kylie picked up on a good connection between Arie and Kendall, but she also noticed there was a little bit of space between them.

Arie explained how Kendall was interesting, and how she challenged him and they had great chemistry. Arie revealed a proposal was definitely coming at the end of the process, but Kylie wasn't sure her sister was ready for marriage -- or to be in love like that.

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Kylie feared Kendall might jump into romance without the necessary solid base or foundation.

Kylie just didn't see Kendall feeling an "undeniable love" for Arie, that the Bachelor was her "person." Kendall's family agreed the bachelorette wasn't ready for an engagement but they'd support her and Arie in whatever they decided to do.

"I don't want to lose what Arie and I have created, and part of me is afraid to open up... but I feel I need to move aside the fear and just go for it, because I'm going to regret it if I don't," Kendall told the cameras after admitting to her sister she needed more time before feeling ready to accept a marriage proposal.

At the end of the night, Kendall confessed to Arie, "I definitely see myself falling for you, and it's scary but extremely exciting... it's hard to talk about my emotions."

Next up was Tia's hometown date in Arkansas. Tia took Arie racing, and the Bachelor was so impressed by how thoughtful she was. He also appreciated the fact Tia was willing to participate in activities outside of her comfort zone.

Arie was more nervous than he thought he'd be to meet Tia's mom Denise, father Kenny, brother Jason, aunt Carol and cousin Ronda. Arie also knew that he needed to win over Tia's protective brother, who had heard of Arie's "Kissing Bandit" nickname as well as rumors he was a bit of a "playboy."

Arie admitted to Jason that he wasn't serious about finding a wife for several years, as he just raced and traveled the world, but he's in a very different place in his life now. Arie insisted he's ready to settle down and was falling for Tia. Arie loved how strong and cool Tia was, not to mention that she often put him in his place.

Jason thought Arie seemed like a genuine, nice person, and he said it was clear Arie had admiration for Tia.

Arie then promised Kenny that if things worked out between Tia and himself in the end, he would protect her heart and always put her first. Kenny therefore gave Arie his blessing to propose, saying he seemed sincere and would probably be a good husband.

Tia closed out the date by telling Arie: "I'm feeling like I'm in love with you and not just falling in love with you. It's hard for me to say that out loud, but it's the truth. It's the f-cking truth."

Arie kissed Tia goodnight and noted that their relationship had really progressed that day.

Arie's next stop was Minneapolis, MN, to see Becca Kufrin, who had an apple-picking date planned for Arie at an orchard where she shared many memories with her family, including her father who had passed away from a brain tumor when she was 19-years-old.

Becca thought her father would have viewed Arie as a "stand-up guy," and she missed him terribly.

"I know I'm falling for Becca," Arie said in a confessional. "Becca is someone I could see spending the rest of my life with. She'd make a great wife and a great mom. And we have that chemistry and passion for each other."

Arie learned he was going to meet Becca's mom Jill as well as her protective uncle Gary. Before Arie entered the house, Gary was shown saying that Becca's romance was moving "ridiculously fast" and, since Becca is pragmatic, there was no way she'd be ready to get engaged at the end of the process.

Becca knew her family was going to be skeptical of Arie and The Bachelor journey, so Gary got some time to talk to Arie in private. Gary explained that Becca's uncles were her "guard dogs."

"Are you wasting our time or is Becca the real deal to you?" Gary flat out asked, to which Arie replied with confidence, "She is [the real deal]... and I'm falling for her"

Jill confessed she wouldn't be ready to give Arie her blessing to pop the question after just one night of getting to know him. Jill wanted Becca to be absolutely certain Arie could be her husband and the father of her children before even thinking about saying yes, but Becca acknowledged that Arie had exceeded her expectations.

Jill just wanted the best for her daughter, admitting that she would grieve if Becca moved to Scottsdale, AZ. Arie then talked to Jill and gushed about how grounded, sweet and caring Becca was. Arie said he adored Becca and it was "obvious" she would be "an amazing wife."

Although she didn't give Arie her blessing to propose, she did say that she would honor Becca's choice in the end because she trusted and respected her wishes and decisions. Arie felt accepted and welcomed into this family.

"Words can't describe how happy I am right now... I know I keep saying I'm falling and I'm falling and I'm falling, and I still am. You keep [stealing] a piece of my heart," Becca told Arie at the end of the night, before telling the cameras she could see him fitting in with her family forever.

Arie then traveled to Virginia Beach, VA, to meet Lauren Burnham's family.

For the day portion of their date, Lauren took Arie horseback riding on the beach, and she said in a confessional, "I could see him being my future husband at this point... I could potentially be introducing Arie to his new in-laws."

Lauren warned Arie her family was going to be skeptical of him as well as the process, but Arie really wanted the gathering to go well because he had such strong feelings for her.

"On a scale from 1 to having a complete meltdown, I'm at about an 8," Arie confessed.

Once Arie walked into Lauren's mother's home, he could tell the room was tense and a bit awkward. There were also moments of silence when everyone was trying to get to know Arie. Both Lauren's mother and father were tough critics and difficult to win over.

Arie told Lauren's mom that he was always really drawn to her, but the family continued to question Arie's intentions -- so much so, that at one point, he politely asked to leave the table for a moment. Cameras then flashed to Arie sweating profusely and freaking out.

Lauren was then shown talking to her mother in private about how sweet, special, honest, and genuine Arie happened to be. She also said they were like the same person, in that she could always tell what he was thinking.

Lauren's parents ultimately decided to trust Lauren's decisions and allow her to follow her heart, because they had no doubt she'd pick the right guy for herself.

However, Lauren's dad noticed some red flags about Arie, and the main one was that he might be self-centered. But when they received more time to chat, they got along well.

Afterward, Arie told Lauren's mother, "I'm falling in love with her," and it would "kill" him to see Lauren get hurt at the end of all this.

It was hard for Lauren's parents to give Arie their blessing to propose marriage since they had just met him, but similar to the other hometown visits, they had faith in Lauren and would support her 100 percent in whatever she chose to do.

Lauren assumed that if Arie was telling her that he was falling "deeply in love" with her, he wasn't telling the other women the same thing.

"I never felt this same way about anyone -- ever," Lauren cried to her mom.

Lauren then said in a confessional, "I know that Arie is someone I can see a future with, and that's really exciting. But part of me is scared because I don't really know where his relationships are with the other girls. If he chooses another girl over me, that will be devastating. I feel really strongly for him and I don't want to say goodbye to him -- ever."

It then became time for another Rose Ceremony, and Becca, Lauren and Tia all bluntly told the cameras that they were "in love" or "loved" Arie. But Kendall was in a totally different place, as she said she had confidence in her relationship with Arie but there were still things they needed to talk about.

Arie noted he had "an impossible decision" to make and he was terrified about making the wrong one and ending the process with regrets. He said it was the hardest decision he's ever had to make in his life.

Just as Arie was about to hand out the first rose of the night, he excused himself from the room and took a minute to himself, when he attempted to compose himself and take some deep breaths.

Once Arie returned to the Rose Ceremony, he asked to speak with Kendall. Tia told the cameras that Kendall made "the least sense" for Arie.

Arie then asked Kendall if she could see herself being ready for an engagement by the end of the show. Arie said he was looking for a wife and he needed to know whether Kendall was sincerely on the same page.

Kendall cried because she didn't really have an answer for Arie on that topic. All she knew was that she was afraid to leave him and would be crushed if their romance ended that night.

Arie didn't want to take a rose from someone who really wanted to get married and give it to Kendall if she couldn't see herself accepting a proposal.

Kendall could not say, "I'm ready to get engaged," but it was clear she was crazy about Arie, and that ended up being enough for The Bachelor star -- at least for right now.

It then became time for Arie to hand out his roses, and he apologized to the group for pulling Kendall away.

"I just need to get it right," he told the bachelorettes.

Arie then handed a rose to Becca and then Lauren, followed by Kendall. Within seconds of Kendall accepting her rose, Tia broke down into tears.

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About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski

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