Bachelor in Paradise ended in a cliffhanger with Graham Bunn debating whether to accept a rose from AshLee Frazier during Monday night's broadcast of the new ABC reality dating series.

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The episode began with Michelle Money believing there was still a chance Robert Graham was interested in her and could still develop feelings for her.

Robert then received a date card and asked Sarah Herron to join him. While Sarah celebrated, Michelle wondered what she was doing wrong and noted how she felt "like an idiot." Michelle worried the guys felt pressure because she has a daughter back home, and she realized she needed a man who could handle taking on that responsibility.

Michelle's biggest fears had come to fruition in that she was the only woman at the resort without a man. She hoped a new bachelor would come along and she'd find a connection with him.

For their date in Playa del Carmen, Sarah and Robert went sailing. He told Sarah that things just didn't work out with Michelle even though she's a great person. Sarah felt like Robert definitely liked her more than Michelle, which was flattering and "spoke volumes" to her. She felt happy and safe with him.

Cody Sattler then arrived at the beach villa with a date card. Marcus Grodd and Marquel Martin were both ecstatic because the three of them had formed a strong friendship during Andi Dorfman's The Bachelorette season. Michelle regained some hope only to see Cody fiercely pursue Clare Crawley, who was already pretty invested in her relationship with Zack Kalter.

Cody picked Clare for his date because he liked her from the start of Juan Pablo Galavis' season. Clare, however, was hesitant to accept the invitation and felt the need to talk the situation out with Zack. Cody tried to convince Clare to give him a chance since she and Zack had only been on the island together for five or six days. She admired his positivity and persistence.

Clare admitted to the cameras she was "all the way in" with Zack and didn't want to spend time with any other guy, however, she wanted to hear Zack say he felt the same way.

Once Clare asked Zack what he would do if a girl arrived on the beach and asked him on a date, Zack confessed it would depend on the girl and the scenario. Clare realized they weren't on the same page and she didn't want to put all her eggs in one basket if he didn't as well. Clare told Zack she wants a man who knows what he wants and doesn't question it.

Clare was taken aback by Zack's answer and didn't like that she didn't feel completely confident in where she stood with him. Clare told Zack he was just allowing the opportunity for another man to jump in and take her away. He said it was her decision to make and seemed very confused. Clare noted in a confessional that if the serious conversation scared Zack away, so be it.

Although Clare was the reason Cody even went on Bachelor in Paradise to begin with, she declined his offer for a date. She didn't want to set something back that could ultimately be amazing, and although Cody said he understood, he planned to be "nipping" at her toes all season long. Cody told the cameras he was "heartbroken" because he had taken such a leap of faith and really put himself out there.

Cody thought it would've been awkward to ask another girl out after making his feelings for Clare so well known. Therefore, he gave up his date card to his buddy Marcus, who later enjoyed a romantic dinner with his girlfriend Lacy Faddoul. Cody's selfless gesture made Clare like him even more. She hoped her decision of sticking with Zack would be worth it, and in the end, it was.

Zack eventually determined he wouldn't like Clare dating other guys and wanted to see their relationship all the way through the show. Meanwhile, Marcus and Lacy were completely smitten with one another. Marcus even said, "I love you for who you are." Lacy believed he just admitted his love for her but got too scared to say it back.

Michelle wanted to get to know Cody better even though he was clearly hung up on Clare.

To everyone's surprise -- and dismay -- Kalon McMahon walked his way into the villa with a date card. None of the girls were happy, calling Kalon an assh-le and discussing his bad reputation. It bothered Michelle especially because, as a single mother, she was offended how Kalon had previously called Emily Maynard's young daughter "baggage."

Kalon first asked Michelle out because he thought she was gorgeous and couldn't help talking about her breasts. She was caught off-guard and accepted in the moment, only to take it back the following morning during an uncomfortable confrontation. After Michelle, both Jackie Parr and Sarah turned Kalon down as well. Kalon's ego, however, wasn't bruised in the slightest. None of the girls were attracted to Kalon's looks or personality.

"Kalon is just fake and cheesy and sleazy. Kalon wouldn't get close enough to my mouth for me to throw up in his mouth when he kissed me," Sarah said with a smile in a confessional.

Kalon then went on his date alone simply because he didn't want to pass up the opportunity of spelunking. Sarah noted to the cameras Kalon was spending time with someone whom he was very fond of.

"This is the perfect place to re-fall in love with myself," Kalon joked, adding it was the best date he's ever been on in three seasons of the show and he had finally found someone he could spend the rest of his life with. 

Jesse Kovacs arrived at the villa on the beach next and the girls all agreed he had a "playboy" reputation and seemed to be a big partier. He asked Jackie out although she had been hitting it off with Marquel, who really liked Jackie, and she accepted.

For their date, Jackie and Jesse walked through an old Mayan cave and had dinner. He thought she looked amazing but was a bit reserved. Jesse told her that he felt a great vibe from her, and Jackie questioned whether he was just strategizing since a Rose Ceremony was coming up the next day. Jesse insisted that wasn't the case because he could've stayed at the island to mingle with all the different girls to better his chances of staying.

Jackie could see herself with Jesse, as he appeared to be the whole package. Jesse, on the other hand, told the cameras that Jackie was simply his only shot to stay on the show. He was just desperate to receive her rose.

Meanwhile, Cody and Michelle flirted by the fire at their resort. Cody gave her a massage and the couple seemed to be getting along very well. Clare had also warned Cody that she was completely focused on Zack.

During a private conversation with Zack, AshLee advised him to meet and date other people considering Clare had a bad reputation ever since she had allegedly slept with Juan Pablo in the ocean during his The Bachelor season. AshLee was convinced no cameras were around, and then after discovering a couple, she started worrying about what she had said and feeling guilty.

Zack didn't care about Clare's past and figured AshLee would end up regretting making such catty comments. Lacy believed AshLee was a different person on-camera than in person. She insisted AshLee tried to be someone she's not. Lacy then told Clare about what AshLee had said to Zack, and Clare was upset that her friend had thrown her under the bus just to make herself feel better.

Everyone in the house was sure a storm was coming due to the fact Clare was a very emotional person and AshLee was a strong one. Graham was out of the loop, as he didn't know why everyone appeared so uncomfortable. He thought AshLee, whom he had been tied to the hip with since Day 1, was a nice, giving and caring person.

Clare wanted to settle the drama, but Zack asked her not to focus on the other girls. She wished Zack would've stuck up for her in his conversation with AshLee, but Clare's frustration "put a bad taste" in Zack's mouth. He said he didn't come to the island to get in the middle of a girl fight.

AshLee noticed Clare was a little off, and so she pulled her aside to chat. AshLee pretended like she didn't know why Clare was upset, and Clare made it known they were no longer friends and AshLee had done something "disrespectful, tacky and tasteless." AshLee told Clare that she didn't mean to hurt her feelings and apologized. Clare accepted the apology but it was obvious their friendship was ruined. AshLee walked into her bedroom crying and called Clare a "bitch."

Prior to the Rose Ceremony, everyone knew Jackie and Michelle were the wild cards since the girls would be handing out the roses. Cody really wanted Michelle's rose, as she was the only person he wanted to talk to and get to know better. Cody opened up to Michelle about his feelings -- saying that his connection with her was stronger than anything he could've had with Clare -- and she definitely reciprocated. The couple kissed and Michelle said Cody had swept her off her feet, calling him "a really, really good guy."

Meanwhile, Jesse wasn't thinking about Jackie but rather the significance of her rose. He wanted to stay in paradise terribly and therefore told Jackie how beautiful she was and how interested in her he really was. Marquel was still waiting in the wings, hoping Jackie felt more of a connection with him.

After the whole Clare and AshLee incident, Michelle no longer wanted her best friend Graham to date AshLee. Michelle explained how Graham was a wonderful guy and deserved the world whereas AshLee was selling something she wasn't buying. As a result, Michelle spilled the beans about how AshLee had talked to Zack about Clare's sex life. Graham found the information "disturbing and difficult to stomach."

"If you can't talk about it on-camera, then are you pretending to be someone that you are not? Because if you are on-camera, that is who you are," Graham said in a confessional, confused as to whether he'd accept AshLee's rose in order to continue dating her.

Michelle said she just didn't know what AshLee's intentions were and it was "do or die time." Graham was listening to Michelle because he was beginning to have some serious doubts about having AshLee in his life. Graham was looking for a wife and worried AshLee was blinding him from seeing her true colors. He figured AshLee hadn't told him about the incident because she was "insane with regret."

The Rose Ceremony then commenced. Lacy gave her rose to Marcus. Zack offered his rose to Clare. AshLee then asked Graham to accept her rose, and he simply walked out of the room. The broadcast concluded with Michelle following her best friend, reiterating the fact he should deny AshLee's rose. 


About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski

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