The Bachelorette star Desiree Hartsock eliminated three bachelors during last night's broadcast of the ninth season of the ABC reality dating series.
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"Oh man, it's hard to swallow. I don't get it. I don't get how this came down this way. I had a conversation in a car with [Mikey Tenerelli] about reality and different scenarios in life and how this journey could possibly go or end, and there's nothing wrong with that at all I don't think," James said following his ouster.
"Nobody will ever know the exact truth and it sucks. These guys, I think they felt very threatened by me. I'm a confident person, I had an unbelievable date with her, and it's sad, because I really thought that Desiree and I could have something special. I got bullied here. I got bullied right out the door and I feel robbed. These guys made me feel like I'm a bad person and I'm not. I just became the next [Ben Scott], and ugh, how? How did I come off as being such a bad person? Why me?"
The Bachelorette's sixth ninth-season episode began with the eight remaining bachelors traveling to Barcelona, Spain for the week of dates with Desiree.
Once they arrived and got settled in their hotel suite, host Chris Harrison met up with the men and told them there would be two one-on-one dates and a group date over the course of the next week. There would be a rose up for grabs during each date -- and if the bachelors on the one-on-one dates failed to receive a rose, they would be ousted immediately.
In addition, Chris Harrison explained there would be no cocktail party at the end of the week, so the guys had to do everything in their power to spend some time with Des prior to the Rose Ceremony.
Drew Kenney, a 27-year-old digital marketing analyst from Scottsdale, AZ, learned he'd be accompanying Des on the week's first one-on-one date.
Right as their date kicked off, Drew expressed how he had been anticipating kissing Desiree, so he snagged a kiss immediately. Afterward, the couple explored the city together, and Des noted Drew was reserved but they had a strong friendship that could serve as the foundation of a great romantic relationship.
Drew then opened up to Des about his father, whom Drew called his hero and is apparently a recovered alcoholic. Drew teared up when talking about his father's obstacle in life and how he currently strives to help other alcoholics in his community.
Drew's father also has cancer, but according to Drew, he lives life positively every day. Desiree said she wanted a man with depth who could express his feelings to her, and she definitely saw that quality in Drew, whom she also trusted.
During the dinner portion of their date, Drew said his thoughts and emotions were running crazy, so he escorted her into a quiet little alley and madeout with her. Des said it was incredible and he made her feel special. She hoped the moment would last forever and the way Drew was passionately kissing her made Des see the suitor in a different light.
Meanwhile, the bachelors at the hotel received the group date card which listed the following names: Kasey; Brooks Forester, a 28-year-old marketing consultant from Salt Lake City, UT; Juan Pablo; James; Chris Siegfried, a 27-year-old mortgage broker from Seattle, WA; and Michael Garofola, a 33-year-old federal prosecutor from Miami Beach, FL. That left Zak Waddell, a 31-year-old drilling fluid engineer from Mico, TX, with the other one-on-one date.
RELATED LINK: 'THE BACHELORETTE' COUPLES NOWOn Des' date with Drew, The Bachelorette star offered him the rose and he gladly accepted. Once he was safe for another week, Drew brought up his concerns about James. He told her that James had said if he made it to the Top 4, he'd get enough exposure to further his career and/or become the next Bachelor, which would change his life.
Des thanked Drew for the warning and immediately became angry. She said James was an assh-le because she had been led to believe he was an honest, sincere man. Des was convinced all the remaining men were truly there to find love, so the news upset her, but she admitted she didn't want to jump the gun and would give James the benefit of the doubt.
The next day, Des embarked on her group date with the men in Sitges. The guys played in a soccer game against Desiree and five professional female soccer players from Spain. The guys were so confident they'd win, but they got crushed. James was in the net and Brooks said he looked like a little girl who was afraid of the ball.
Des picked up on James' lack of effort and said she could tell he wasn't into the date and seemed like an outcast. Likewise, Kasey pointed out to the cameras that James wasn't into anything, including Des.
That night, Kasey planned to confront Des about what he had overheard James talking about with Mikey. Similar to Drew, Kasey was convinced all James cared about was being the next Bachelor, meeting new women, becoming famous, and furthering his career.
Meanwhile, Des read Chris a sweet, romantic poem she wrote for him and he loved it and thought it was beautiful. Chris noted "the Chris and Des love scale was rapidly rising."
Once James sat down next to Kasey, Kasey found it to be a good opportunity to bring up the issues he had with him. Kasey said the comments James had allegedly made about being the next Bachelor and wanting to party and meet women on Mikey' s boat in Chicago were disturbing and shocking.
James seemed taken aback by the accusation and claimed he never said it. James said he was kidding around about clubs and partying with Mikey, and Michael G. said the conversation sounded like an audition for Jersey Shore. James insisted Mikey brought that up and made the comments about other women and partying, repeatedly expressing he was not the person to say those things.
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An overwhelmed James began telling all the guys to f-ck off. James said he mentioned the Bachelor comment as a "worst comes to worst" type of situation if he was not the guy to end up winning Desiree's heart. Kasey then told Des the same story as Drew and she felt blindsided, wondering whether James really was just on the show for fame and fortune.
"Kasey tells me the same story Drew did and it's so disappointing and it's disgusting. I'm not okay with anything that James supposedly said. He's disrespecting anybody who is here to actually find love," Desiree said. "I'm pissed. James doesn't know what's coming for him. The walls are closing in on James and sh-t's about to hit the fan."
Des then announced to her group of guys she wouldn't be handing out the rose because she had other things to deal with. She asked to speak with James, and Kasey was convinced James would be going home. Des said she believed Drew and Kasey because she truly trusted them. But James insisted Mikey made the comments about having fun in Chicago with girls and boats and partying and he was just being polite in response.
James swore on his father that the comments about girls and clubbing came out of Mikey's mouth, and he admitted he felt ganged up on by the guys probably because the other suitors were threatened by him. He also reiterated how he had phrased the Bachelor comment, saying it was just a possibility and a reality if Des didn't select him. James said potentially being the next Bachelor had nothing to do with why he went on the show or his connection with Des.
James stood by the Bachelor comment because he didn't think he had said anything wrong or disrespectful, and Des seemed very conflicted.
"Desiree, I have feelings for you, period. I had an unbelievable time with you. I really do feel a connection, and I'm sorry that this is how it's starting to happen, because I feel so excluded now... It sucks. That's not why I'm here. It's not. And if you think that, then I should go, but it's been hard. I'm confused. It's been tough Des," James said in tears.
Des started crying because she began realizing she trusted both James and the other men. James insisted he wanted to be there and go through the process with Des. He said what they have couldn't be erased, and Des finally decided to sleep on all the information and think about things more.
"At this point, I'm emotionally exhausted. I'm so disappointed that the night came to this. I feel robbed -- totally shocked and just totally disappointed in these guys. They're trying to exclude me and push me out the door and I'm not going anywhere. I'm going to stay and they can watch me walk off in the sunset with her," James told the cameras.
"I'm sad because I don't think I can live with these guys much longer. I'm not a bad person and I don't get why they're trying to make me seem like that's what I'm here for. They're taking everything I came here with and they're taking it away from me, and that sucks, dude."
James then returned to the house and just said, "Gentlemen, goodnight." They were horrified he was still there.
The following day, Zak went on his one-on-one date with Des. The couple took a drawing class together and sketched a man, each other and finally a naked man. Zak's sketch of Des was terrible and he made her laugh hysterically. Zak loved art and appreciated the fact he could enjoy Des' passion with her. He then joked around and modeled for Des in his underwear.
Des said they had a friendship growing into a romance and Zak mentioned his intentions were true and real. Afterward, the couple enjoyed dinner in a wine cellar lit up by lanterns and candles.
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Des realized Zak had many of the qualities she was looking for in a partner, including his positive outlook on life. Therefore, she gave Zak a rose to continue spending time with one another, and Zak was thrilled and kissed her. He told Des she meant everything to him.
"I'm absolutely in love with this woman. There's no doubt about it. I can finally say that and I don't feel any sort of hesitation anymore. This is about falling in love and it's about marriage," Zak said. "It feels insanely good to be in love -- not just to be in love but to be in love with a woman that is so incredible."
Des knew she wouldn't question Zak's motives like she had been doing with James, which made her evaluate her relationship with James.
At the hotel, James confronted Drew, and the two bickered and argued until Drew expressed how they were never going to be on the same page. Drew said James was all about positioning himself to be the next Bachelor, and James just kept shooting down the allegations. James insisted he was just talking about going back to normal life, reality, if things didn't go his way with Des.
Drew told James he was dismissive of Des and it was insulting to the other guys who were completely focused on her and falling for the woman of their dreams. James argued he was completely focused on Des and not the bad guy they kept describing.
"James is exactly who we thought he was. For him to sit there and try to justify his thoughts of being the next Bachelor or justify his intention of dating other women -- not exactly thoughts of someone who is prepared to enter a lifelong relationship with someone who is as incredible as Des. He has his own motives. He's here for other reasons. James is a piece of sh-t," Drew explained.
"There's a lot of tension and animosity towards James. We all feel like we all care about her and we all want to protect her from someone that's toxic and quite frankly as evil and sinister as someone like James," Michael said.
James then sat outside with Des and they talked about the situation.
"Waking up this morning, I just knew that I needed to send James home because of what I heard. I want the guys to know that I trust them. I want them to know that I believe them in regards to James. I don't think he's someone who you can trust and I need to send him home at this point. But at the same time, letting him go, it's hard because we had something and that's hard to walk away from," Desiree told the cameras.
James told Des he was not there to fool her, he was there to fall in love with her without a doubt in his mind. He apologized again, and Des found him to be sincere.
Des then broke down into tears because she was confused, and James explained he thought she was an absolutely beautiful person and had the qualities he wanted in a wife and mother to his kids. Des said he laid on a sweetness and she just couldn't let him go yet. She said she kind of resented the other guys for putting her in that position.
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The Bachelorette's sixth Rose Ceremony of the ninth season then commenced.
Besides Drew and Zak, Des gave roses to Chris, Brooks and Michael -- ultimately eliminating Kasey, James and Juan Pablo.
"It's tough. I thought that we had quite a connection, but she wanted me to go home and that's how life is. I came here to find somebody that's on the same page as me -- somebody that wants to have a family, have kids," Juan Pablo said following his ouster.
"I have my daughter at home, but I really want to have that wife and a couple of other kids and spend Christmas and birthday parties. And that's why I took the chance to come here. Hopefully I'll find that stepmom for [my daughter] soon. It's very hard to date when you have a daughter."
About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski
