'The Bachelor' star Ben Flajnik ousts Kacie Boguskie, decides Final 3

The Bachelor star Ben Flajnik eliminated Kacie Boguskie and narrowed his love search to three women during last night's broadcast of the ABC reality dating series' sixteenth season.


Kacie B., a 24-year-old administrative assistant from Clarksville, TN, was eliminated during the eighth episode's Rose Ceremony.

"Why does this have to hurt so bad? I thought I knew what he was looking for, but I guess I was completely wrong. I had no clue this was coming and I'm so upset. Why?! It's not me. I thought it was me. I was stupid. Why am I not good enough?" Kacie lamented following her ouster.

"Like I don't get it! This is why I don't love. This is why! I loved him and I don't know what to do now. How did this happen?! What the f-ck happened?! What the f-ck happened?!"

The Bachelor's eighth sixteenth-season episode began with Ben and the remaining four bachelorettes traveling to their hometowns where Ben would be meeting their families while getting to know the bachelorettes better within their own element and comfortable surroundings.


Ben first traveled to Ocala, FL to spend the day with Lindzi Cox, a 27-year-old business development manager from Seattle, WA.

"I've only ever brought one guy home to meet my family and a year ago, that guy broke my heart. It was awful. God, for like a month I literally thought that life wouldn't go on. Being really broken-hearted, that was the first time that I ever really opened up to my family about relationships. So, it's really exciting to be bringing Ben home to them," Lindzi explained.

Ben met up with Lindzi and she made the same entrance she had made when she first introduced herself to The Bachelor star at the mansion by riding in on a horse -- a debut which influenced Ben to offer her the first impression rose. 

"There are moments when I look at Lindzi when we're together and I say, 'I could very well see myself falling in love with her. I could love this woman,'" Ben said. "But I am only the second guy that Lindzi has ever brought home to meet her parents, so we'll see if the parents think Lindzi is ready to be engaged or to be in a serious committed relationship."

The couple shared a little picnic and Lindzi told Ben she finally felt vulnerable again and thought it was a good feeling. She expressed how she thought she was going to marry her last boyfriend whom she was together with for two years, but he ended up breaking up with her and she was crushed.


Lindzi admitted red flags were present when her ex-boyfriend met her family but she expected that wouldn't happen this time around.

Ben and Lindzi then traveled by a little horse carriage to the bachelorette's house and met her parents and sibling. Lindzi's parents sat outside with the couple in the sun and drank some wine. The parents told Ben and Lindzi that they actually had their first date in San Francisco and eventually wed there City Hall. Ben found it to be quite the coincidence.

Afterward, the couple and Lindzi's parents went horse-carriage racing and they all had a good time. 

"It feels really great to have Ben here with my family and my mom and my dad at their house. Today was an amazing day and we had the best time, but there's a lot to talk about tonight that could very well impact the rest of my life," Lindzi said.

Lindzi's mom then talked to Lindzi and told her she was scared to see her heart get broken again if Ben were to end up choosing another girl. Lindzi revealed her mom wouldn't give her the "go-ahead" to be with Ben unless he was truly worth the risk. Lindzi's mom then told Ben that Lindzi was ready to get engaged despite her prior heartache and she had learned a lot from that failed relationship.


Ben then indirectly asked Lindzi's father for permission to marry Lindzi if their relationship was to progress to that point. Ben said he wasn't ready to propose to anyone yet but wanted to know if it would be okay down the road for his peace of mind. Lindzi's father seemed supportive of their relationship although he did not come out and say yes. 

Afterward, Ben and Lindzi's loved ones sat around a campfire and drank wine, and they opened welcomed him into their family as a potential future son-in-law. Ben said he really liked Lindzi's parents and believed they were the "salt of the earth," just like his own parents.

Lindzi said she could definitely see a "forever" with Ben and the couple kissed and she said goodbye to him.

"Lindzi would fit into my life very easily. She's humble. She's grounded and I like that," Ben said.

"A year ago, I didn't think that I would be here today in such a good, happy place. I never felt about anyone the way that I feel about Ben. I want to see Ben and I there in 40 years," Lindzi explained.


Ben admitted his feelings for Lindzi had grown immensely in just one day thanks to her hometown date. 

"It's a good feeling. Her opening up really leads me to believe that she wants this and that she likes me, she loves me, and I think I might be falling in love with Lindzi. I wouldn't change anything about the day. It was wonderful," Ben said.

Ben traveled to Clarksville to visit Kacie B. next.

When Ben arrived, he saw a marching band walk down a football field with Kacie appearing in the middle of them, joyfully twirling a baton. Her grand entrance surprised Ben and then the two sat down in the bleachers shortly afterwards and got serious. Kacie told Ben the high school football field they were at was named after her grandfather who was a former athlete.

She told Ben she wanted a relationship just like her grandparents' who had been madly in love and had a very healthy relationship before they both passed away in the same year. Before Ben met Kacie's parents, he asked her if he should know anything in advance, and she warned Ben that her father didn't drink.


Ben quickly became worried about whether her parents would accept and like him, especially since he was in the wine business.

Kacie then brought Ben home and he met her mother Martha, father Vinny and sister Allison. 

"I'm very sure they'll love Ben. I think bringing him home says a lot. I really want my parents to just see what Ben and I have and see how happy we are and that this is a real relationship. I want them to see that," Kacie said.

"Coming into this, my dad was very supportive but very skeptical. He's not somebody that takes risks. This is my one chance for it to go well for him to see that I have found somebody that I'm in love with."

Kacie thought the night started off smoothly, but she could tell her dad was very skeptical. She sat down with her sister after dinner and told her that Ben was her "future husband."

Kacie said she didn't want to settle and always did what others wanted when it came to her previous relationships. Kacie said she loved Ben and he had all the qualities she wanted in a husband, but she hoped her parents' reactions wouldn't change Ben's mind about their relationship.


Meanwhile, Ben was talking to Vinny and Ben asked him if he was okay with the process. Kacie's father explained that his family took marriage extremely seriously and he didn't want Kacie to get hurt.

Vinny went on to say that he hoped Ben would find the right person at the end of his journey but wanted him to let her go soon if he knew deep down Kacie wasn't going to be the one. He didn't want to see his daughter getting more hurt later on than she would be if Ben let her go soon.

"I had a nice chat with Kacie's dad, but the more I kind of think about it, I'm not sure if he likes me or if I'm the son-in-law he had in mind for his daughter. I hope that Kacie's mom will be a little bit easier on me," Ben said.

Martha then addressed Ben about whether he'd expect Kacie to move in with him once the show was over and done with like many The Bachelor couples had before them. She said she wouldn't approve of them living together before getting married and would be disappointed in both of them if they chose to do so without her and her husband's consent.

Ben told Kacie's mom that they may not always end up seeing eye-to-eye in certain situations and while he respected her opinion, he'd make decisions regarding his relationship with the women he ended up being with. 

"After speaking with Kacie's parents, it's clear to me they're very, very protective of their daughter. I don't know if I'm going to get Kacie's parents' approval. So, I don't know how to feel right now," Ben said.


Kacie then had a conversation with her father and he told her he'd like to see her get to know Ben even more before re-locating if he selected her in the end. However, she told him she'd want to move to San Francisco if their relationship worked out -- just not move in with him into the same place.

Kacie then admitted she had fallen in love with Ben, and her father worried that there were three other girls who were also in love with Ben.

"I think that Ben and I have something that nobody else does, and you might think that's naive, but I would say yes if he asked me to marry him," Kacie told her father despite the concerns he raised.

"Okay. If he were to ask me if he could marry you, I would probably say at this point, no. I would like to have just ya'll take your time and get to know each other better," Vinny explained.

"I'm kind of frustrated," Kacie said. "You make it seem like I'm discounting all of that, like I haven't thought a lot of this through."

Vinny then told her he just didn't want to see her get hurt and insisted she shouldn't rush things. Kacie told her dad she was being careful and was upset he wasn't "trusting her judgment" and kept questioning her feelings. After their talk ended, Kacie said regardless of what stood in her way, she would marry Ben if she wished to.


Kacie then walked Ben to the car and kissed him goodbye.

"It's a lot harder and stressful than I thought it was going to be. I don't know what's going to happen and I'm worried. All of a sudden, everything is going wrong and I don't know if I can fix it. I don't know what's going to happen. I'm scared," Kacie said.

Ben's next stop was Fort Worth, TX, where he went to meet Nicki Sterling's family.

"Today is going to be a huge day. The last time I brought a man home under these circumstances, I married him. Now I'm bringing Ben home under the same circumstance," Nicki, a 26-year-old dental hygienist from Hurst, TX, said.

"This is the best man I ever met and I'm falling in love with him. I'm so looking forward to seeing Ben as a country boy today."

Ben and Nicki went shopping for cowboy boots and hats, and Nicki explained picking boots out was like finding the right man in the sense it had to be "just the right fit."


The couple then went to a local bar and had a drink together.

"Having been through a divorce before, I absolutely feel that I'm more prepared this time. I'm stronger because of it. I see a better life because of it. I'm expecting questions from my parents," Nicki explained. 

"They saw me very hurt when they realized my marriage was failing and that is the reason that my father wasn't onboard right away for this whole journey. I would just hope that Ben is not turned on by the fact they won't have any problem stating their opinion."

Ben and Nicki then sat down on a bench surrounded by rose bushes and talked. She told him she was "daddy's girl" and her parents didn't want to see her get hurt again since they watched her go through such a hard time with her previous marriage. Nicki told Ben she didn't give up on her last relationship although people liked to claim that.

Nicki noted Ben meeting her family would either seal the deal for them or prove they weren't right for each other and ultimately be a deal breaker.

Nicki then brought Ben home and he met her mother Laura, her father Doug and her brother Matt. Nicki's parents were divorced but got along very well.


"I do like Ben -- a lot. I see, with Ben, some kind of connection I have not seen even with her first husband. I am concerned about Nicki getting her heart broken if this thing doesn't work out," Laura said.

Nicki and her mom then took off to a bedroom and Nicki told her she was falling in love with Ben. Laura could tell she looked "ecstatic," and Nicki told her mom Ben made her feel loved and special and she thought he'd be a great husband and father someday.

Afterward, Nicki's father was worried to give his daughter's hand in marriage a second time because he saw how painful Nicki's first split was for her and didn't want things to not work out for her again. Doug said he had more questions for Ben before he could go and give Ben his blessing.

The two then got very emotional and Doug told her he felt like he let her down the first time by making a bad decision in giving her ex-husband his permission to propose.

However, Nicki tried to calm her father's fears by telling him Ben was really good man. Doug then wished his daughter the best and told her he loved her.

"Nicki, you're just glowing and I can see why you're glowing. Ben's a tremendous man and my hope is that we will see you again in the not-too-distant future. If you don't wind up together, I'm not going to be mad at him," Doug told his family and Ben at the dinner table during a toast.


"I might be disappointed, but it's all an effort to let you both know you've got my total support and I couldn't be happier and it's just been great to see you guys."

Nicki then stole Ben for a conversation and she told him how she was feeling and that she had the best day of her life.

"You know how I am with the word love and you know I don't take it lightly. After today, I'm in love with you. I am. I can see myself with you. What hit home so far is that I don't want anything else. I want you and me in San Francisco. I want that," Nicki told him. "I don't want you to leave here tonight and me wishing I had told you how I was feeling."

They kissed then kissed and Ben felt great about their relationship.

"Today there were moments when I looked over and said, 'I love this girl.' I got the feeling that she had very warm and inviting family. I have great gut feelings about Nicki and her ability to make me happy for the rest of my life," Ben said.

Ben then traveled to Scottsdale, AZ, to visit Courtney Robertson, a 28-year-old model from Santa Monica, CA, and her family.


"I'm just so happy to be away from the girls. I've had a lot of time to think over the past few days about my interactions with the girls and how that's affected my relationship with Ben. I feel badly. I feel disappointed in myself for treating the girls the way that I have. This is hard for me. I'm not proud of everything that I've done," Courtney explained.

"But I'm falling in love with him and I feel like he's worth fighting for. I really haven't been with a guy that ever hasn't ended up hurting me or letting me down, but Ben is different. He's amazing and I'm excited for my family to meet him."

Ben admitted Courtney had always caught his eye and he saw his past, present and future while being with her on their one-on-one date in Belize.

"She's had a difficult time with the other women and it would bother me if I ended up with someone who rubbed people the wrong way," Ben said.

"But today I have the opportunity with her family of being able to ask her family questions about her past and how she relates with people -- how she reacts with people, her friends, her relationships -- all that kind of stuff. So today's really vital for me in figuring out if this is a woman in fact I can spend the rest of my life with."

Ben then met Courtney's father Rick, her mother Sherrie and sister Rachel.


Courtney said her family had seen her broken-hearted many times in her past, and so she was excited to introduce them to a man she believed wouldn't do the same thing. She told her family she liked Ben a lot and felt he was smart and funny -- a truly rare guy whom she "liked slash loved."

Courtney and her sister then went off alone to talk, and Courtney told her she was so happy and had a newfound appreciation for love. She explained that she was with the wrong people only to eventually appreciate the right person.

Meanwhile, Ben spoke to Courtney's father, and he asked Ben whether he was ready for marriage. Ben said he was ready for a serious committed relationship and that he loved how strong and confident Courtney was. Rick then said he wanted a son-in-law and a grandchild, suggesting he liked Ben and hoped things would work out between The Bachelor star and his daughter.

Courtney then told her mom she was only looking forward, not back, and was really falling for Ben. She said she'd be ready to say yes if Ben chose to propose to her, and Sherrie insisted she liked him very much.

"I needed this so badly. My family loves Ben and I think he had a good sense of where I come from and what my family's like. Ben has renewed my faith in men and finding new love. I'm falling in love with him, but I haven't told Ben that I love him yet. I've been wanting to tell Ben how I feel, but I'm scared. I'm just afraid that this fear will get in the way of what could be the best thing that ever happened to me," Courtney said. 

The couple then sat on a picnic table together outside and Courtney told Ben she was "ready" and felt really good about him. She told him she wanted to get married in the park where they were sitting and then revealed the surprise that she had a little wedding planned for them. Courtney wanted to tell Ben she loved him in a very special way.


After surprising Ben with paper to write vows, rings, and a black bowtie, the couple wrote their vows down and got ready for the mock wedding.

"I'm figuring out most about what I like about this woman. She challenges me, keeps me on my toes, she's funny, she's confident, she's sexy, she's sexy and beautiful, and I don't know. She keeps me thinking," Ben said.

Courtney was worried she was taking a huge risk in telling Ben she loved him, but she was ready to get over her fear and jump over that big hurdle for her in life.

The couple then recited their vows to each other in front of empty rows of chairs and Ben told her she took his breath away when they first met and he worried she was too good to be true but then discovered she wasn't at all. Ben told her he thought she was a beautiful, kind and honest woman and then thanked her for believing in him.

Courtney then told Ben she was in love with him after explaining how his happiness brought her happiness and she wanted to love him every day and every night forever. She wanted a real passionate love that would never die, and Ben seemed to tear up a little bit at the kind things Courtney had to say about their relationship. 

Courtney said the fake wedding was a real turning point for her because she wasn't sure if she'd be able to open up to someone and tell him she loved him. It made her "feel like the happiest person in the world."


"Courtney told me that she loves me and to put something like this together in such a romantic intimate setting means the world to me. In standing up there with Courtney, it felt pretty natural, especially after meeting her family. I saw another side of Courtney today, a vulnerable side and an open side that I haven't seen before," Ben said.

Later on, Ben had a conversation with host Chris Harrison. Ben told him he felt warmly welcomed into all the women's homes and labeled the hometown dates in general "unbelievable."

Ben said he was comfortable in Lindzi's hometown and was glad she brought out the bit of country he had in him. He liked to see her in her element and interact with her parents. Ben said he could see that community and family were both very important to Kacie, but he'd have to compromise with her family on living with his bachelorette before marriage.

Ben told Chris that Nicki continued to surprise him and she easily put a smile on his face. He thought everyone in her family was so loving. In addition, Ben said that seeing Courtney away from all the drama reminded him of the girl he knew and got to know during their one-on-one time together. He admitted he could have written a lot more in his vows if he wanted to.

Ben knew he had to make a decision and he felt terrible about having to let one of the girls go because he said he remembered being in their shoes during Ashley Hebert's The Bachelorette season and feeling like he was on Cloud 9. The girls had poured their hearts out to him and he said he was "dreading" eliminating one of them.

However, Ben said he knew what he had to do to find love and just kept looking forward to the future and ultimately being happy.


Because there was no cocktail reception, The Bachelor's eighth sixteenth-season Rose Ceremony then commenced.

Ben told his four remaining bachelorettes that it was the hardest decision he had to make and then he thanked them for being consistently open and honest with him, labeling the journey up to that point a very "eye-opening experience."

Ben gave roses to Courtney, Lindzi and Nicki.

Ben then walked Kacie out and she was clearly attempting to hold back a stream of tears.

"This breaks my heart," Ben told her.

"No, I don't want you to be broken-hearted," Kacie assured him. "I don't know. I knew there was a chance I could be broken-hearted and I was scared of it."


"I'm just so sorry," Ben said.

"I wish you the best," Kacie told him before stepping into the limo.






About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski