Bachelor in Paradise featured the exits of Lauren Himle, Shushanna Mkrtychyan, Tiara Soleim, Brett Melnick, Izzy Goodkind, Jami Letain, Ashley Iaconetti and Wells Adams during Monday night's ABC broadcast.

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Bachelor in Paradise's penultimate episode began with Jennifer Saviano falling in love with Nick Viall, however, he still had walls up and was pumping the brakes when she was hoping to propel their relationship forward. Jennifer hoped the Fantasy Suite would help them get the time they needed.

Tiara "the chicken enthusiast" then arrived from Ben Higgins' season of The Bachelor. Evan Bass thought she was beautiful. Because she was the last person to arrive in Paradise, everyone was pretty much coupled up, and Wells already had three girls to choose from -- Ashley, Jami Letain and Shushanna.

Nick therefore convinced Tiara to give him the Date Card she had brought with her. Everyone was glad because they thought Nick and Jen needed alone time together more than anyone else. Nick knew Jen was "a rare find" in that she's "graceful, intelligent and confident," but he wasn't sure if she's "the one" for him.

For their date, Nick and Jen went to a carnival and had a lot of fun together. Jen thought Nick was sweet, honest and genuine, and those are qualities she looks for in a husband. The physical connection was definitely there as well, but Nick refused to tell Jen how he really felt.

Nick wondered if he was holding back in fear of getting hurt again -- as he had been brutally dumped by both former The Bachelorette stars Kaitlyn Bristowe and Andi Dorfman -- or his relationship with Jen simply wasn't meant to be. All Nick was certain of was that strong feelings existed mutually.

After receiving a fortune teller's reading, Nick decided to open up and let Jen know how much he cared for her. Nick told the bachelorette that she was the only reason he stayed in Paradise and he found her to be amazing. She challenged Nick to break down his walls, and he was excited about their relationship. Nick was "all in" and wanted to let himself be vulnerable again.

Meanwhile, Lauren and Izzy were fighting for Brett's attention and affection. Lauren liked him and wanted to see where their relationship could go, and Brett revealed he felt more connected with her than Izzy. Brett wanted to move on from Izzy and give Lauren his rose, so he needed to break up with Izzy. He felt bad about the situation since Izzy broke up with Vinny Ventiera just for him.

After Izzy gushed about how attracted she was to Brett and how he's "funny and personable," Brett broke the news to her. Brett said something was missing between them and their dynamic felt more like a friendship. Brett flat out said he had a better connection with Lauren and wanted to pursue that.

Izzy felt silly and fully regretted her decision to say goodbye to Vinny. She noted how she let someone "unbelievably amazing" go, and she cried to Lace Morris and Amanda Stanton about having made a "huge mistake."

"I don't feel good about myself. I just feel really stupid," Izzy told the girls. "It literally makes me miss everything I had with Vinny. Everything."

Izzy warned Amanda and Lace not to "f-ck up" their romances like she did. Izzy hoped to reconcile and reunite with Vinny by leaving Paradise. She admitted she loved Vinny and hoped for a second chance. Izzy said the reason she broke it off with the Florida deejay was because she was "terrified" to enter a serious relationship. According to the men, Vinny was contemplating proposing the whole time.

Before leaving Paradise, Izzy asked Amanda and Lace not to second-guess anything like she did because Josh Murray and Grant Kemp, respectively, truly loved them. Izzy hoped to find a fairytale ending with Vinny, saying that getting back together would be incredibly romantic.

While driving in the SUV, Izzy called Vinny asking for forgiveness. Izzy told Vinny she felt horrible about the way she had handled things with Brett and she never intended to hurt him. Izzy explained that Vinny was one of the best things she ever had and she definitely regretted letting him go.

Izzy claimed she left Paradise to pursue a second shot at love with Vinny -- but she left out the fact Brett had dumped her first. Izzy was ready to fly to Florida and talk to Vinny face-to-face, but he quickly made it clear he wasn't interested.

Vinny told Izzy that all the feelings he had for her "went out the window" when she chose to throw away everything they had based on a first impression she had with another guy. Vinny insisted there was "no coming back from that," and Izzy bawled her eyes out and felt "so stupid." She had dismissed how great Vinny had treated her, and she basically had a panic attack on the way to the airport.

Back in Paradise, Tiara planned to leave and vented she'll probably be alone for the rest of her life. With the next Rose Ceremony up ahead, Wells and Brett had five different girls to choose from. Shushanna, Jami and Ashley all hoped to get a rose from Wells, while Tiara and Lauren were Brett's possibilities.

Jami thought Wells was a "lovely, genuine human," and he was comfortable around her. Ashley, however, was certain she liked Wells more than Jami did. She was excited about him. Shushanna, on the other hand, wasn't going "to hunt or try to chase" a man and she felt powerless in Paradise.

Shushanna didn't like how Wells seemed to have connections with other women, so she decided this environment wasn't the best for her. Shushanna therefore told Wells that she wanted to leave. Wells was looking forward to spending more time with her, but he understood where she was coming from.

Shushanna told him that if their connection was great, he wouldn't have doubts or questions about other women. Shushanna needed a man who was going to fight for her; She didn't want to push herself onto somebody. Once Wells said goodbye, the exotic beauty had a tearful exit.

Carly Waddell thought Shushanna ran before being rejected, and while it made sense, it was "a cowardly move."

At the last Rose Ceremony of the season, Chris Harrison explained to the group that giving and accepting a rose meant they were ready to be in a serious relationship, potentially one that could last a lifetime 

Josh gave his rose to Amanda and said he was more impressed by her everyday. He added, "I love you so much." Nick gave his rose to Jen because he really cared for her, and then Grant gave his rose to Lace, saying that she owned his heart. Evan gave his rose to Carly and admitted he never felt this way about a girl before.

Once it was Brett's turn, he announced that solid relationships had developed and he didn't feel enough of a spark with Lauren to hand out his rose. Brett simply wasn't in the same place as couples who were in love or falling in love. He apologized to Lauren but didn't want to fake anything.

Wells then handed his rose to Ashley, who was ecstatic. Wells said he didn't know where their relationship was going, but he wanted to spend another day with her in Paradise. Lauren, Jami and Tiara therefore left the show without love.

The next day, Chris congratulated the five remaining couples and said their relationships were going to be put to the test. He asked each couple to engage in a serious discussion, because up ahead, a one-on-one date and then a Fantasy Suite date awaited them.

This same time last year, Kirk DeWindt crushed Carly's heart, so she was in "panic mode" that Evan could do the same thing to her. She knew that a blindside could still happen even though she was in a solid relationship.

Meanwhile, Wells wasn't sure if Ashley would be comfortable with an overnight date since she's a virgin and they hadn't dated for very long. While Ashley talked to the girls about potentially being ready to have sex with Wells, he expressed to the guys how he wasn't ready for that.

Wells wanted to take the Fantasy Suite off the table because he didn't think it was appropriate since, at this point in the show, it was "all or nothing" for the remaining couples.

Just as Ashley celebrated escaping "Paradise hell" this season, Wells broke the news that it was against his character to take her into the Fantasy Suite so soon, and although he cared about her, it was the right decision to leave now because he didn't know where their relationship was going.

"I can't say something is that isn't," Wells confessed to Ashley. "But I know that I got to go."

Wells told Ashley she's a great girl and they had a great connection. He told the cameras afterward he feared making a "bad judgment call" like Izzy had with Vinny. He hoped regret wouldn't come his way.

Ashley appreciated how sensitive and thoughtful Wells was. However, she had tried not to get too excited about him to begin with since things don't usually work out for her in the end. Ashley cried and left the show.

Meanwhile, Carly was feeling overwhelmed since there was still a possibility of rejection and getting hurt again.

Chris then met with the four remaining couples and asked them to determine whether they'd like to pursue a real relationship outside of Paradise. He wanted them to think about marriage, children and the future.

"There is nothing worse than an empty promise," Chris told the group.

Lace was excited and nervous to think she could be getting engaged the next day. For their last one-on-one date of the season, Lace and Grant walked around shops in a little beach town and got matching "Grace" tattoos, which combines their first names.

Grant wanted their relationship to last forever and be permanent, just like the ink on their wrists. Grant knew Lace loved him, but he needed to hear her say it. 

Nick and Jen went stand-up paddleboarding together. At this point, Jen told the cameras she loved Nick but wanted him to trust her. If Nick didn't open up to her more, she'd leave. Nick loved Jen as a person, but he wasn't sure if he was "in love" with her. He didn't want to leave Paradise with any questions. Jen just didn't know what Nick wanted at the end of this journey, and that scared her.

Carly and Evan participated in a body-painting activity, and Carly told the cameras she wasn't surprised about getting the "weird" date since they were perceived as the "weird couple." The pair stripped down into underwear and painted a giant canvas. Carly felt "way more" for Evan than she ever did for Kirk, but all she needed to hear from Evan was, "I love you."

For their one-on-one date, Amanda and Josh played soccer with some local kids. It was a big deal for Amanda to bring a man into her life because of her two young daughters, so she hoped Josh understood what that meant. Josh talked to Amanda about wanting to be a coach for his future children and how he anticipated meeting her little girls.

Amanda was terrified of a man leaving her after meeting her kids, because that's what Ben did on The Bachelor.

Meanwhile, Carly told Evan during their dinner that she had pushed him away at first because she wasn't sure she deserved a "wonderful" guy like him. Carly was excited to meet his kids as well.

"It's more than just falling in love with you. I love you," Evan told Carly. "I love you so much."

Carly repeated in reply how much she loved Evan. She apparently had wanted to say that for "so long," and Evan whole-heartedly agreed. Carly admitted she had never been so happy in all of her life.

"I finally found my person. I found him! He was right in front of me the whole time! Oh man. This is what I've always dreamed of. If Evan proposed tomorrow, I would say yes," Carly told the cameras.

As for Jen and Nick, she told him that she saw love between them as a real possibility, but both individuals were scared about trying to make a long-distance relationship work in the real world since they live across the country from one another.

Nick, however, was allowing himself to fall for Jen and give the relationship the shot it deserved. Nick knew a commitment would have its challenges but they had what it takes to make it work. 

"It's an amazing feeling to realize I could wake up with that certainty of being in love with Jen and knowing she's the one for me. I think we need to use tonight to really figure that out," Nick told the cameras.

During the night portion of Lace and Grant's one-on-on date, Lace assured Grant that she was "all in" and happy with him. Grant made her feel "super special," and she loved how they balanced one another. Lace told the cameras that Grant is the man every woman would want and she's therefore "super lucky."

After admitting in a confessional that she couldn't wait for Grant to propose to her, Lace finally expressed her love for Grant, and he was ecstatic to learn she reciprocated his feelings.

The episode concluded with Amanda and Josh entering their Fantasy Suite. She was so excited for Josh to meet her little girls and felt like everything was "right" between them. Amanda never expected things would work out so wonderfully for her in Paradise.

Josh agreed with Amanda, saying they had grown together and passed every test that came their way so far. The couple expressed how genuine they were and how much they loved each other. Amanda felt "so happy and so secure" in her relationship with Josh.

"I know I want to marry Josh, and I just hope nothing gets in the way of that happening. We've both gone through a lot in past relationships... It's hard to picture a life without him... We've been making so many plans for the future," Amanda told the cameras.

"I put this thought in my head that he's going to be a part of our life. It's something we've talked about so much that if that were to not happen, I think I would be completely crushed."
About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski

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