'Bachelor in Paradise' recap: Brayden betrays Sean and wins over Rachel, Eliza and Olivia test dating waters, Kat lashes out, and Sam leaves

Bachelor in Paradise featured Rachel Recchia dumping Sean McLaughlin and running into Brayden Bowers' arms, Eliza Isichei testing her romance with Aaron Bryant, Olivia Lewis stuck in a love triangle, Kat Izzo having a total meltdown, and Sam Jeffries leaving Paradise due to her medical emergency during the Season 9 episode that aired Thursday night on ABC.


The Bachelor in Paradise broadcast began with Sam still hoping to have a bowel movement after nine days and 23 hours of not pooping.

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Sam didn't want to leave Paradise because she had developed a strong connection with Aaron Schwartzman, but she was severely backed up and time was ticking.

Bachelor in Paradise's Dr. Kelly Tenbrink then advised Sam, who had already taken laxatives, to go home and seek more serious medical treatment. She had failed to poop before sunrise, and so it was time to leave after 10 days and take care of herself.


Aaron said Sam departing Bachelor in Paradise really sucked because his world had collided with hers and they got along beautifully. Aaron really liked Sam and wanted to be with her, but at the same time, Sam didn't want to deprive him of the Paradise experience.

Sam therefore exited Bachelor in Paradise and Aaron decided to stay.

"You have been such a special person. I will never forget the time that we shared. I've had so much fun getting to meet you and hang out with you," Sam told Aaron on her way out.

"It's so sad because you and I connected on a really amazing emotional basis," Aaron replied.

Sam cried about having to leave Paradise prematurely and end her romance with Aaron. Sean had even pictured Aaron and Sam making it to the end of the Bachelor in Paradise process together.


"Aaron is so amazing. He's so sweet and so supportive, and the tip of the iceberg, we haven't even cracked it! I am really bummed that I'm leaving him," Sam said in her final words. "It's literally a crappy situation."

Meanwhile, Peter Cappio found himself pretty smitten with Olivia. While he had given her a rose just to be able to get to know her better, Peter said a romantic connection definitely blossomed and he really liked Olivia.

The other couples in Bachelor in Paradise were Aaron B. and Eliza, Sean and Rachel, Kat and Tanner Courtad, Blake Moynes and Jessica "Jess" Girod, and Aven Jones and Kylee Russell.

Mercedes Northup was also in a love triangle with Tyler Norris and Will Urena.

There were 10 men and seven women in Paradise, and the women were going to be handing out the roses at the next Rose Ceremony.


Brayden was shown venting to the guys how Kat seemingly wanted to date a bunch of guys and not find a serious relationship on Bachelor in Paradise. He wished she had been more upfront with him "from the jump."

Brayden admitted he had fallen hard for Kat and at the bottom of "the trap" was a "knife" that stabbed him in the face.

"Kat is like a female praying mantis. It's like they get this guy, and then after they meet with him, they eat him. She got my rose and she killed me!" Brayden complained.

"Kat is over there cuddling with Tanner. In one regard, I want to give him a heads-up, because I thought I was in a safe relationship, but I'm sure Kat is going to be on the hunt for someone else. There is a maneater on that beach, and bro, she's hungry!"

John Henry Spurlock from Charity Lawson's The Bachelorette season then walked into Bachelor in Paradise as a nervous wreck. The underwater welder had shared with host Jesse Palmer how he's shy and it takes him time to open up to women, but most of the ladies thought he was hot.


John Henry spoke to Kat first, and she gushed, "Everything makes John Henry is hot. He talks and I don't hear what's coming out of his mouth!"

John Henry admitted he thought Kylee was "a smokeshow" and she was at the top of his list going into Paradise, but after having a cool and comfortable conversation with Olivia that put him "at ease," he asked Peter's love interest on the date.

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"John Henry is a 12 out of 10!... I'd love to get to know him more," Olivia told the Bachelor in Paradise cameras.

But before accepting John Henry's date invitation, Olivia pulled Peter aside for a chat out of respect for him.


Peter admitted he'd rather Olivia not go on the date so they could swim, laugh, have a good time, and deepen what they had, but Olivia wasn't sure what to do. Peter said he selfishly wanted her to stay, but he advised Olivia to also be selfish and make her own decision.

Olivia was excited about where she and Peter were headed, but she ultimately chose to give John Henry a chance.

John Henry hadn't been on a date in so long, and so he was a little uptight and anxious. However, he slowly relaxed during a spa date with Olivia in which they massaged each other and did facials.

The pair enjoyed a few laughs together, and Olivia gushed about how she loved John Henry's strong hands on her back.

John Henry, who had traveled around the world and worked very hard in his career, told Olivia that she was easy to talk to and he wanted to meet a best friend with whom he could settle down and start a relationship with.

John Henry and Olivia then jumped into a pool and shared a sexy kiss, and Olivia noted how she was excited to see where things could go with him.


Meanwhile, Aaron B. thought it was going to be smooth sailing for Eliza and himself, and Brayden called them the strongest couple on the beach.

"Nothing is going to come between the two of them," Brayden told the Bachelor in Paradise cameras.

However, John Buresh from Charity's The Bachelorette season stepped into Paradise with a huge smile on his face and a Date Card in his hands. The women thought John B. was tall and good looking.

John asked to speak with Mercedes first, and Will felt like he couldn't catch a break in Paradise. John also talked to Eliza, which immediately stressed Aaron B. out.

When Eliza and John B. talked, Aaron B. threw a towel over his head and took a few deep breaths.

"It sucks. I really kind of made myself exclusive with her, at least on my end, and I really hope she's on the same page," Aaron B. told the Bachelor in Paradise cameras.


John B. decided to ask Eliza on his date, and so Eliza pulled Aaron B. aside for a conversation first. Aaron B. flat out told Eliza that he didn't want her to go on a date at all, but Eliza explained how she didn't want to repeat the mistakes she had made on the show last year.

On Bachelor in Paradise's eighth season, Eliza was "closed off" and chose to stick with one man, Rodney Mathews, thinking it was the right thing to do. Eliza had given Rodney her rose, but her heart was leading her towards Justin Glaze last summer.

When Eliza realized she liked Justin more and wanted to be with him instead of Rodney, it was already too late and Justin was no longer interested.

Eliza said "yes" to John B.'s date as a result, and Rachel admitted she didn't expect that to unfold at all.

That night, John B. and Eliza went out to dinner together, and Aaron B. appeared crushed when he saw how stunning she looked in her blue sundress.

Aaron B. understood where Eliza was coming from by choosing to go on the date, but it was killing him. He sat with hurt in his heart and just hoped Eliza would come back to him. Aaron B. said he cared for Eliza and didn't want to lose her.


John B. kissed Eliza on their date and the couple danced to music while Peter and Aaron B. were stressing on the beach. Peter and Olivia hadn't even kissed, so Peter was worried about Olivia and John Henry sparking a physical connection.

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Once Olivia and John Henry returned from their Bachelor in Paradise date, Olivia was noticeably glowing and giddy.

Olivia and Peter separated themselves from the group to have a conversation, and Olivia admitted to Peter that she and John Henry had hit it off and he was "super great and super cool." Olivia told Peter that she had vibed with John Henry but she was also still thinking about him.

"I missed you... I've got more feels [for you now]," Peter admitted to Olivia.

Olivia said she didn't know what to do, especially because Peter was so understanding, sweet and patient. She recognized that she had two great men and a difficult decision to make between them.


Olivia told the Bachelor in Paradise cameras that she really liked John Henry, but Peter confessed to her later that night how he had been wanting to kiss her for two days. Peter said he wanted the moment to be right, and then he went in for it.

Olivia noted her kiss with Peter was "so good" and it tasted like ice cream, and so she had no idea where her head was at or where her heart was leaning.

Meanwhile, Kylee said she could see her future with Aven outside of the show, adding, "I do want to get engaged to him. I am not interested in talking to or meeting anyone else. I just want to explore this... and I want it to work out."

Aven also assured Kylee that no woman in Paradise could take him away from her.

Bachelor in Paradise bartender Wells Adams then introduced the "Paradise Truth Box," allowing cast members to write down whatever they wanted to say or reveal, anonymously.

Bachelors and bachelorettes were slipping in little truths and notes, and during this time, Sean was "truthfully" questioning his relationship with Rachel.


"I truly haven't felt a spark with Rachel," Sean shared in a confessional. "I like Rachel. Rachel is a cool girl and we definitely have incredible conversations, but if I'm being truthful, honestly, the first night, my conversation with Jess was better than it was with Rachel."

Sean added, "I feel like if I don't shoot my shot with Jess, there's always going to be that side of me wondering what could have been -- so now is the time."

As a result, Sean asked Jess to speak with him alone for a moment. Sean shared how he wanted to see if anything was between them because he loved her energy and could see their lives meshing outside of Bachelor in Paradise.

Jess broke the news to Sean that while she enjoyed talking to him and definitely cared about him, she didn't want to date him or get to know him on a romantic level.

Sean asked Jess if she was "all in" on Blake, and Jess responded, "We're open, if we feel there is a connection we want to explore."

Sean pointed out how Jess was still open to exploring things -- just not with him.


"Umm," Jess muttered. "I just don't know. I don't know if I would get to that point."

Brayden then shared with Bachelor in Paradise cameras how Sean had confessed to him that he really liked Jess.

"He's so sold on Jess. He was like, 'I know Rachel really likes me, but it's just, like, I'm wanting to pursue this connection with Jess,'" Brayden said in a confessional. "In the process of you pursuing something with Jess, you're hurting Rachel."

Brayden pulled Rachel aside and asked if she was all in on Sean. Before Rachel could answer, Brayden warned the former The Bachelorette star about Sean's attraction to Jess and how Sean had allegedly mentioned how much Rachel liked him while he was unsure about their connection.

Rachel seemed totally shocked by this news, and she felt disrespected. She couldn't believe Sean was allegedly boasting about how "into" him she was, when he was supposedly more into Jess.

Rachel, who was clearly "angry and embarrassed," immediately confronted Sean and asked him to explain himself.


"My blood is boiling right now," Rachel said.

"Okay, I am very confused," Sean responded.

Rachel asked Sean about Brayden's disclosure, and Sean was taken aback that his buddy had thrown him under the bus on Bachelor in Paradise.

Rachel said Sean had put her in "the most awkward position" by pursuing Jess and telling people that he was staying with Rachel because she really liked him.

"I really like you, I just feel like I haven't talked to anybody else," Sean explained.

"You have never told me how much you were struggling, so how would I know? Do I deserve that?!" Rachel complained to Bachelor in Paradise's Ken Doll.


Sean insisted he wanted to keep talking to Rachel because his communication with Jess wasn't effective, and then Rachel didn't like how Sean was now blaming things on Jess.

Rachel asked for some time and space away from Sean, and Sean could tell that his relationship with Rachel was over and that she probably hated him at this point.

"Brayden just f-cked me, just stabbed me in the back," Sean complained to the Bachelor in Paradise cameras.

Eliza and John B. then returned to the Paradise beach from their date, and Eliza asked Aaron B. to talk to her.

Aaron B. expressed to Eliza how he was afraid to be rejected and left behind, but Eliza admitted that she was "still thinking about" him and considering his feelings during her date with John B.

"I was excited to see you when I came back!" Eliza revealed with a big smile.


Aaron B. felt totally relieved and "elated," and the pair shared how they had missed each other.

Later that night, Sean approached Brayden about his "bro code" betrayal.

Brayden explained how he didn't want to "f-ck" over Sean, but at the same time, he didn't want to see Rachel be strung along. Regardless of his explanation, Sean was furious and felt really letdown.

"The fact he would do that is just very hurtful. What he just did is so f-cked up. There is no reason to do it other than to maybe fight for a rose. The odds are not in my favor right now. Going into a night with a Rose Ceremony, I don't have a single connection," Sean said in a confessional.

Five guys were going to go home at the next Rose Ceremony, and so Sean began to panic.

It then became time for the cocktail party preceding the next Rose Ceremony, and Jesse announced how Sam still hadn't pooped yet.


Olivia and Mercedes weren't sure whom to give their rose to, and then Wells started reading some notes from the "Paradise Truth Box."

After a few silly messages, Aaron S. decided to smash the box wide open to get to the good, juicy stuff.

One note read, "Kat played Brayden. Tanner should watch out for Kat," but Kat felt she had been honest with everyone throughout the whole process.

Another note read, "I don't think Kat is actually looking out for Jess like she thinks," and Kat said that also wasn't true and Aaron S. was just trying to stir the pot.

A couple of notes read that Brayden and Rachel should make out, and Sean accused Brayden of stuffing the box.

Brayden and Rachel "gave the people what they wanted" and got comfortable on a daybed, where they made out. Rachel gushed about their chemistry and how hot the kiss turned out to be.


"Brayden is definitely the best kisser on the beach. I was so surprised at how much chemistry we have," Rachel shared with the Bachelor in Paradise cameras. "So, yeah, I do feel happy."

Kat and Tanner then discussed the "Paradise Truth Box," and Tanner explained how Brayden felt really blindsided by their breakup. Kat promised Tanner that she was all about him and she's not the type of person who just randomly switches it up.

Tanner, however, wasn't sure if he should be cautious, and Kat screamed about how the men on the beach needed to grow up and be more mature.

Aaron S. asked Kat if she wished she had handled things differently with Brayden, but she didn't feel like she owed him an explanation. She accused him of starting false rumors and gossiping.

"I don't care to put any more energy towards it," Kat told Aaron S.

"That's fine," Aaron S. replied. "You have literally confirmed everything that I thought about you. That's great."


Kat then yelled in a Bachelor in Paradise confessional, "Why are we still talking about something that happened f-cking days ago?! I could give a f-ck what these weird men on the beach think of me. I literally don't care! I don't need to talk to f-cking toxic men!... Aaron S., there is a reason you are still single at 33."

Kat insisted she's a graceful, respectful and charismatic person while Aaron S. "needs so much therapy." Kat shouted about how Aaron S. needed to "shut the f-ck up" and just leave Paradise.

Heading into the Rose Ceremony, there were 12 guys and seven women.

John B. could tell that Eliza was leaning towards Aaron B., even though she checked off most of his boxes. And Sean was also losing hope.

Sean said he had to quit his job to go on Bachelor in Paradise and he thought his chances of receiving a rose that night were pretty slim. Sean therefore prayed to "the Paradise gods" that another woman would walk onto the beach and possibly save him from elimination.

With that being said, a blonde woman -- who will be revealed next week -- started walking down the steps into Paradise.


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About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski