The Bachelorette star Andi Dorfman eliminated two more bachelors during Monday night's broadcast of the ABC reality dating series' tenth season.
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"I'm sad because I saw that there could be potential there and it's too bad. It hurt me to see Andi cry. Love is the most important thing to me in my entire life. A lot of unorthodox ways of doing things have happened in my life, and maybe this is exactly what I need to find love. It is the reason to live. Love leads to family, and those two together is what life is all about," Eric said following his ouster.
"I feel more ready than I've ever felt before. It's the most important thing in a relationship to just be open and real with each other. And if Andi knew the way that I meant it, I really cared to get to know her more and I wanted to see her just be comfortable around me. I don't know, but something went very wrong with that."
The Bachelorette's fourth tenth-season episode featured three dates: two one-on-one dates and one group date.
Out of all the men remaining, Dylan, a 26-year-old accountant from Boston, MA, got the first one-on-one date in New England. Being a Boston boy, Dylan was excited to get his date in Connecticut.
Andrew, a 30-year-old social media marketer from Culver City, CA, told the cameras in order for Dylan to get a rose, he needed to open up and get out of his head. Dylan had been patiently waiting for some lengthy alone time with Andi to share his tragic family history.
For their date, Dylan and Andi took the Essex Steam Train up the Connecticut river. Andi told Dylan her longest relationship was three-and-a-half years and it ended because things were good but not incredible. Dylan explained he was in an eight-year relationship but ended it his senior year in college. Dylan admitted it was a messy split and his ex-girlfriend got engaged to another guy the day after her brother's funeral.
After that brief discussion, the conversation was really lacking between the couple, and Andi could tell a big story was weighing him down. She could sense his past was a burden and hoped he'd open up at dinner. Andi wanted to get to know the real him besides the nervous part of him and their connection wouldn't grow until he broke down his walls.
Meanwhile, Andi's suitors at the hotel received their next date card.
The following guys learned they'd be accompanying Andi on the group date: Tasos; Andrew; Eric; JJ, a 30-year-old entrepreneur from San Francisco, CA; Chris, a 32-year-old farmer from Arlington, IA; Nick V., a 33-year-old software sales executive from Chicago, IL; Marquel, a 26-year-old sponsorship salesman from Las Vegas, NV; Cody, a 28-year-old personal trainer from Chicago, IL; Brian, a 27-year-old basketball coach from Camp Hill, PA; Patrick, a 29-year-old advertising executive from Newport Beach, CA; and Josh, a 29-year-old former professional baseball player from Atlanta, GA.
Josh was bummed out because he really wanted a one-on-one with Andi. He said he was there for one reason and that reason was to be with Andi.
Back on Andi's date, Dylan knew the story of his past was going to be really difficult to tell, but he knew he needed to share it in order to make things work. Dylan apologized for being nervous because the atmosphere was unnatural. He said if Andi gave him more time, she'd eventually see the real him. But Andi noted she wanted to see Dylan sooner rather than later.
RELATED LINK: 'THE BACHELORETTE' COUPLES NOWDylan then opened up. He explained how he didn't have a father around his entire life and his sister died of a drug overdose. Dylan's brother -- who had been extremely close to the sister that passed -- then got deep into drugs despite multiple rehab attempts. He died this past November.
Dylan asked Andi not to feel bad for him, but she admitted it was impossible not to. Andi felt honored he shared that story with her, and while she kept herself composed in front of him, she bawled in a later confessional -- wondering whether she had pushed him to open up at the wrong time. Their location brought up good memories for Dylan, but Andi couldn't help thinking it also brought up bad memories. She felt horrible anyone would ever have to go through something like that.
Andi felt Dylan had completely dropped his guard, and he was happy to get the story off his chest. Even most of Dylan's friends apparently don't know much about his past. Andi then offered Dylan the date's rose, stressing that it was not a pity or sympathy rose. She said she was so moved by his willingness to let someone in. Andi was impressed how raw he had been and she believed it was the start of something for sure. Dylan called the event one of the happiest moments of his life.
The next day, for the group date, the guys discovered they'd be playing basketball. Brian "lit up like the Fourth of July," because as a basketball coach, he was completely in his element. The guys all shot some hoops and then got schooled by a group of WNBA superstars. The female athletes jokingly called the game "a warm up."
Andi then split her bachelors into two teams so they could play a game against one another. She wanted to break up the bromance going on in the house and make them get competitive with one another. Andi then explained the wining team would get to continue on to the night portion of the date, while the losing team must head back to the hotel.
"Team Rosebuds" was comprised of Nick, Cody, Andrew, Eric, Marquel, and Brian.
"Team Five Hearts" featured Josh, Patrick, Tasos, JJ, and Chris.
Everyone was just desperate to win time with Andi, who was especially impressed and taken with Brian. She noted he looked "so hot" and was clearly the secret weapon on "Team Rosebuds."
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That night, Andi talked to Eric and, although she saw great potential in their relationship, she thought they weren't progressing and were stalled. Eric explained he was happy to be in the competition but he didn't like how formal their conversations tended to be following their first date of the season.
Andi explained they had a great first date but they couldn't keep the flow up and weren't moving forward. She felt Eric was holding back emotionally. As a result, Eric opened up more about his Mormon faith, leaving the church, and his family. The "brutally honest conversation" led Andi to believe they were back on track and had regained their spark.
Meanwhile, Brian believed the group date's rose was his to lose. He brought Andi out onto the deserted basketball court and taught her some moves. Brian said in a confessional he was smitten with Andi and their bond was just getting stronger. Andi thought "coach" was "sexy." After making a half-court shot, both parties wanted to kiss each other but no one made the first move. Brian noted he misread Andi's signs and simply froze up. He admitted he has "no game" when it comes to girls.
Afterward, Andi realized she felt most comfortable with Nick and their connection was powerful. Nick was on the same page, saying he could 100% envision spending the rest of his life with Andi. He told the cameras that Andi was the last thing he thought about before going to bed and the first thing he thought about when waking up in the morning.
Andi then gave the group date's rose to Brian because he had impressed her with his kindness, consideration and confidence. Brian said getting the rose was better than winning a state championship.
The next day, Andi embarked on her one-on-one date with Marcus. They were both terrified of heights, but Andi wanted to face that fear with Marcus to test whether he's a protective guy. For their date, they rappelled down the 30-story hotel where the guys were staying. It was windy and cold, and Marcus talked Andi through the adventure the whole way down. Andi told the cameras she had yet to find a flaw in Marcus.
That night, the couple enjoyed a dinner in the oldest working Inn in America. Andi said Marcus didn't realize how much of a catch he was, especially because he was still insecure about getting a rose. Marcus then explained he had been shut down emotionally ever since his ex-girlfriend dumped him. He told her that she's the first person he's opened up to since his previous relationship. Andi revealed to Marcus she's a very trusting person and had gotten burned in the past because of that.
Andi decided to give Marcus a rose, and he admitted to her face he was "addicted" to her. The pair then danced and kissed the night away at an outdoor concert featuring Jon Pardi. At one point, Marcus whispered in Andi's ear that he was falling in love with her.
The following day, Andi got a special delivery while inside her hotel suite. It was a letter from "a secret admirer," telling her that she had every quality he was looking for in a soulmate. She thought it was really cute.
At the cocktail party that night, Andi said in a confessional that falling in love wasn't about the gestures or gimmicks, it was about the guys. Brian then took her back to the basketball court, saying his one regret on their date was not kissing her. Andi was relieved and the two shared their first kiss. She called Brian "a really good kisser."
After Marquel cracked her up during their alone time, Eric cracked her in a different way.
Eric approached Andi and said that while he was willing to tell her anything and everything about himself, he needed a little reassurance from her and felt she wasn't the one opening up in their dynamic. Eric believed they weren't moving forward in their relationship because Andi wasn't acting comfortable around him since their one-on-one date and she wasn't being herself around him.
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"You think I'm a TV actress?!" Andi asked him in shock.
Eric explained he saw two different sides of her and she often put on a "poker face" when other guys were around -- resulting in him have a tough time reading her. Eric kept insisting he wanted to see "the real Andi" -- the side of Andi he really liked -- but his explanation just made her more and more heated until she started to cry. Andi said she respected Eric's openness but was completely taken aback by his comments at the same time.
"Am I comfortable and natural all the time? Not a chance. Do I work my ass off and stay up late so that everyone knows I'm here for them? Yeah I do. You have no idea what it takes. You have no idea how exhausted I am. You have no clue how it is to look at people in the face and send them home," Andi told Eric.
"You have no idea. And so for you to sit here and tell me I have a poker face, it's so offensive to me. That is like the one thing -- I tried to come into this and be natural. I've tried to give everything I've got to this... There is a part of me that doesn't want to waste another minute of yours."
Eric reiterated that when cameras were around, he saw a different side of Andi. Andi felt Eric was just standing there repeatedly insulting her and calling her fake. Regardless, Andi told Eric that their arguing was very unhealthy and she wanted him to have a good experience on the show, which clearly wasn't happening. She said it was clear things weren't going to work out between them.
Andi explained she couldn't fight for someone who didn't believe in her, and she didn't think Eric believed in her. Eric agreed that if she had that perspective, they'd never make it together. He told the Bachelorette that he believed in what they had on their first date but through all the little times she wasn't "acting." Andi was so incredibly upset, and Eric didn't understand what was happening. He said she was interpreting his comments in a heavy manner.
Andi then hugged Eric goodbye and sent him packing. In a fit of rage, Andi yelled at the guys to leave the show if they thought she had a "poker face" or the process was a joke to them. She reiterated how serious the dating process was to her and she was exhausted trying to be as natural as possible for everyone. Andi apologized for getting mad at them at the end of her rant.
The episode concluded with Andi talking to host Chris Harrison about Eric and his memory. Andi admitted her last conversation with Eric was not ideal. She figured they could laugh about it later at The Men Tell All special, but now he won't be there and that's a tough pill for her to swallow.
Andi said Eric's loss put things into perspective for her and it was tough to lose a member of The Bachelor family. She had nothing but nice things to say about Eric and acknowledged how devastated she's been about his death.
Although the Rose Ceremony was not shown, Chris Harrison announced Tasos had failed to receive a rose.
About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski
