Two more bachelors were eliminated from the competition for Jillian Harris' heart during last night's The Bachelorette broadcast on ABC, however only one of the departure decisions was made by the bachelorette.
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"Leaving today is the hardest thing I think I've ever had to do in my life," Ed said after telling Jillian he was quitting the show. "I think Jillian is probably pretty upset right now, I could tell when she walked away that it was just this empty goodbye. I absolutely could have seen myself falling in love with Jillian and being with her and marrying her. I feel frustrated with myself that I've let this happen and I'm sad to go. I mean I'm really sad to go."
Mark, a 26-year-old pizza entrepreneur from Denver, CO, was later eliminated after he failed to receive a rose at the episode's Rose Ceremony, bringing his The Bachelorette experience to an end in the traditional manner.
"It's a little frustrating. This whole situation has made me think very strongly about my whole barrier situation," Mark said after his elimination. "I've always just kind of struggled with relationships. I've been cheated on four times, which is a lot, so I am the kind of guy that has a wall that has to be broken down. She absolutely has the kind of personality that I really love. Like I really had strong feelings for her but I couldn't get past my own barriers."
The Bachelorette's fifth fifth-season episode began with the 10 remaining bachelors meeting Jillian in Whistler, BC, the Canadian mountain resort town that would serve as the location of her next three dates. The dates would consist of two one-on-one dates and a group date.
As usual, Jillian would be presenting a rose during the group date and the bachelor who received it would automatically be safe from elimination at the next Rose Ceremony. She would also be able to present a rose during the one-on-one dates, but if a bachelor failed to receive it he would be eliminated immediately.
After settling into their resort suite, the bachelors learned that Jillian's first date would be a solo date with Michael, a 25-year-old break dance instructor from Astoria, NY.
The date began with Jillian and Michael traveling to a zipline location where they ziplined -- first individually and then in tandem -- across a chasm in the wilderness. After discussing what they were looking for in a relationship while they warmed back up with some hot chocolate, the couple then enjoyed a private dinner in the wine cellar of a Whistler restaurant.
During the date, Jillian and Michael continued to discuss their potential relationship, with Jillian focusing on whether Michael was truly ready to settle down but making it clear that she wasn't expecting to have a perfect relationship with her future husband.
"I definitely think I know what I want," Jillian told Michael. "I don't need to be a trophy wife, I don't need a beautiful house. We don't need [to be] like tip-toeing through the tulip fields all the time, I just want it to be real. You get along and talk about things and you stay up late and then there are some days that you're just grouchy."
"I really underestimated how fast I got attracted to you," Michael told Jillian. "I really honestly got blindsided."
"So if the subject came up [about] who came here for the right reasons and who is here now for the right reasons, you're sure that you're here for the right reasons?" Jillian asked.
RELATED LINK: 'THE BACHELORETTE' COUPLES NOW"I am 100% sure, I don't even need to say a complex answer," Michael replied. "Yes, I am here for the right reasons."
The date seemed to go well and Jillian eventually presented Michael with its rose, allowing him to continue in the competition.
"I know that had some concerns earlier, like if you're ready, and I'm going to have to figure that out, but I would be really disappointed if I didn't get to know you more," Jillian told Michael as she gave him the rose.
Meanwhile, back at the bachelors' resort suite, the men received a note informing them that eight of them -- Ed; Mark; Wes, a 32-year-old musician from Austin, TX; Robby, a 25-year-old bartender from Spring, TX; Kiptyn, a 31-year-old business developer from Encinitas, CA; Tanner P., a 30-year-old financial analyst from Dallas, TX; Jake, a 31-year-old commercial pilot from Dallas, TX; and Reid, a 30-year-old realtor from Philadelphia, PA -- would be going on a "snow date" with Jillian.
The group date announcement also meant that Jesse, a 27-year-old wine maker from Carmel Valley, CA, would get to be the bachelor that would accompany Jillian on the episode's second one-on-one date.
"I'm pumped, this is what I've been waiting for the entire time," Jesse said.
In addition, the men continued to discuss whether the previous Rose Ceremony's controversy about whether rumors some of the bachelors still had girlfriends back home were true.
"I don't remember anybody ever talking about a girlfriend ever, not even like a previous relationship," Ed told some of the other bachelors as Wes -- the chief target of the men's suspicions -- silently looked down from a second floor railing.
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While they waited for their own turns with her, some of the men took shots at Robby, whom Jillian had initially selected to ride along with her on her snowmobile.
"I think he's next to go anyways... [they're] totally incompatible," Tanner said.
"Is it because he's 25 and he doesn't have a job?" Wes replied.
"And he drinks like a fish," Tanner added.
"No dude, he's young and doesn't have any responsibilities, she might not mind somebody like that," Wes responded.
"Yeah, if she likes taking care of kids he's perfect," Ed added.
When his own one-on-one time came, Tanner seemed to use most of it following up on their previous pre-Rose Ceremony conversation with Jillian in which he had confidentially told her several men weren't on the show for the right reasons and that he had heard at least one bachelor mention that he had a girlfriend back home.
"That night.. .you said that you would let me know who that person was," Jillian told Tanner.
However Tanner continued to decline Jillian's requests to name names.
"I know there are people who definitely talked about girlfriends and things like that," he told her. "I wasn't trying to throw anybody under the bus but at the same time I wanted to let you know basically to keep your eyes open. You're going to see eventually who is here for the right reasons and who is not."
"I'm not here to make enemies so I'm just going to leave it up to Jillian," Tanner told the cameras later. "I still think that Wes is the guy that she has to worry about."
Meanwhile, Wes used his own one-on-one time to insist he was on the show for the right reasons and didn't come on it to promote a country music album he will be releasing soon.
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Afterward, Jillian seemed reassured by her conversation with Wes.
"I love Wes. I like that he's kind of bad-ass, but so sweet and has a huge heart," she told the cameras. "And even though I was so concerned about him being here for his career I can see that he is into me. If he had a girlfriend I'm pretty sure that I would know."
Later that night, the group enjoyed a party at a private ski lodge. During the party, Ed revealed that his employer was pressuring him to leave the show and return to his job.
"I had a conference call with my boss this morning and he's giving me a lot of pressure about being here," Ed told Jillian. "He's like 'What are you doing?' I don't know, it was almost like an ultimatum and so it just made me think about what I'm doing and I don't know. I'm like 'What am I doing here?' I'm jeopardizing a ton."
"I'm not asking you to jeopardize your life for me," Jillian told Ed. "What I do know is that if you couldn't stay here and you couldn't be here because if that I would understand but I would be really upset."
"Things are starting to snowball and things are kind of starting to fall apart and my boss basically laid it out and said 'Well either you're going to be here working or you're going to be unemployed and you can go and find love,'" Ed explained during an interview. "If Jillian gave me the indicators that she felt strongly about me then I could potentially walk away from my career. If she really gives me those signs then that's what I may do."
"Ed has a lot to think about over the next couple of days," Jillian told the cameras. "And I can't guarantee anything to Ed right now, I wish I could, but all I know is he is somebody that I'm attracted to, that I'm comfortable with, [and] I want him to stay."
However Jillian did end the group date by deciding to guarantee Ed one thing: a spot in the final eight bachelors competing for her heart.
"I really like you and I want you to stay and I want you to be here," she told Ed as she gave him the date's rose. "I also want you to know that there is no pressure with this rose. I want to you think about it for a couple of days and I want you to decide whether you want to keep this rose or you want to give it back and whatever you decide I will completely understand."
The next day, Jillian went on her one-on-one date with Jesse. After meeting him at a small airport, the couple boarded a ski plane and flew to a nearby glacier, where they got to spend some private time frolicking through the snow and getting to know each other better.
Following their day on the glacier, the Jillian and Jesse returned to Whistler and spent the evening enjoying drinks and a dinner by an outdoor fire. Afterward, the couple ended their date with a dip in an outdoor hot tub, where Jillian presented Jesse with the date's rose, allowing him to continue in the competition.
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"Jesse and I do have a connection," she added. "There's major sparks and he's someone I need to spent more time with to see if he is husband material."
"I'm gleaming right now. I'm glowing," Jesse said after the date. "I won't be able to sleep tonight, I guarantee it. I just can't wait to see her next."
The next day, Ed disappointed Jillian with the news she didn't want to hear -- he had decided to leave the show to be able to return to his job.
"After the [group] date I felt like everything was perfect [but] some things have transpired since then and I've talked with my boss and it's just, I'm not being fair to them," Ed told Jillian after she met him privately in a resort suite. "It is a job, and I know you've gone through this too, but this has been one of the hardest things I've ever done. I have to leave."
Jillian didn't take the news well and was quickly on the verge of tears.
"I don't know, I'm upset but I don't know, it makes it hard for sure because I really, really liked you, but this has to be your priority," she told Ed when he asked what she thought. "I just don't understand. I guess it's hard when you sign up for something because you don't know what you're getting into and you don't realize you're going to make a connection with somebody and stay this long, and you probably just didn't expect to still be here. I don't know if you bit off more than you can chew or whatever, but yeah, it sucks. But it is it what it is, right?"
"I told you the other day when I gave you that rose that this is your life and I can't make those calls for you and that sucks, but I'm glad we're figuring this out now and not down the road when I'm starting to think that you could be the one, right?" she added.
"I realize that I'm letting you down [but] I feel that I would probably be letting six or seven people down if I didn't leave," Ed responded.
"Okay," Jillian said as they shared a goodbye hug.
Ed then awkwardly asked Jillian to still keep the rose she had given him during their group date.
"I know you said to give this back but I would like to keep it, is that okay?" he asked.
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"I just want to keep it. I don't think that anybody else should have it," Ed said.
"Fair enough," Jillian said. "Promise me something. When you do find the person that you're crazy about don't let work get in the way."
After leaving the hotel suite, Jillian continued crying and mourned Ed's decision to leave.
"I definitely wasn't ready to let Ed go, I really liked him," she said in a tearful interview. "I cared about him and he was somebody I thought about a lot. I just wish that he would have thought about this before he came here. But at this point I think Ed just weighs his priorities differently than I do. I threw away everything that I had for the possibility to find love. Like everything, and I'm pretty sure I'm not going to get it back. And it scares me but I have no regrets, even if I don't find the one, I have no regrets."
"It's such a short amount of time when you think that it's for the rest of your life and I really wish he could have taken that risk and I really don't know how much of it was his decision or his work. I don't know.... this just proves that whether you're wearing the pants or not doesn't protect you from getting your heart broken. I just didn't expect to feel so sad about it. I didn't expect to lose somebody that I cared about at all, never mind in the middle of all this. But I need somebody who can get through uncomfortable weird times and not run."
Later that day, a more composed Jillian discussed the situation with The Bachelorette host Chris Harrison.
"I can definitely say that he was somebody I was starting to fall for in a big way, for sure," she told Chris. "[But] I still needed to learn a lot about him, by no means did I know that he was the one. Ed was just somebody I was really attracted to and wanted to learn more about and I didn't get that opportunity and it makes me so sad."
"I definitely am going to miss Ed but he wasn't the only one I was falling for. I will definitely miss him and I think what hurts me the most about Ed is the knowing that I'll never know."
Afterward, the remaining bachelors gathered for the Rose Ceremony, however Jillian surprised them by deciding that it wouldn't be proceeded by a cocktail reception that would give the men one final chance to convince her to keep them.
"I've thought about this hard over the last couple of days and I think it's best for me tonight and it's best for them if we sort of skip the cocktail party and just get to business," she explained to Chris.
During the Rose Ceremony, Jillian presented additional roses to Reid, Kiptyn, Robby, Jake, Tanner, and -- finally -- Wes, leaving Mark as the only bachelor eliminated during the ceremony.
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"There are a couple of guys in there that I'm not sure have been as honest with Jillian as I have," Mark said. "Like I didn't come here to sell records and I don't have a girlfriend, so I feel a little bit cheated. Unfortunately it's not for me to get in the middle of like their thing."
About The Author: Steven Rogers
