'The Bachelor' star Jason Mesnick cuts three more bachelorettes

The third episode of The Bachelor's thirteenth season resulted in more than a few arguments among the season's bachelorettes as well as the elimination of three more women from the ABC reality dating competition.


The Bachelor star Jason Mesnick rejected Erica, a 25-year-old account executive from Monroe, CT, and Kari, a 27-year-old advertising executive from Lee's Summit, MO, at the episode's Rose Ceremony.  In addition, Natalie, a 27-year-old human resources associate from Morton, IL, became the first girl to fail to receive a rose from Jason during a one-on one date earlier in the episode.

"I came here to fall in love with Jason, and to be a step mom to Ty and to have a family and
to move to Seattle and to love Jason," Kari said following her elimination. "It's hard, it's hard to pick up a broken heart, but if I had been more open and been more communicative and been more flirty up front, things could've been different."

The Bachelor's third thirteenth-season episode began with host Chris Harrison informing the 12 remaining bachelorettes that, like the previous week, Jason would be taking the women out on two one-on-one dates and one group date. He added that, once again, not all of the bachelorettes would be going on dates before that week's Rose Ceremony.

Chris then revealed that Stephanie, a 34-year-old medical marketing representative and single mom from Huntsville, AL, would be going on the first one-on-one date with Jason. After feeling that she had not gotten to spend enough time with Jason during the show's first two weeks, Stephanie wasn't afraid to show her excitement in front of the other girls.


"Finally! Finally!" she screamed.

"I'm just so charged and excited," she added later. "I just can't wait to spend time with him."

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"My connection with Stephanie is different because of the hard past that we went through," Jason said prior to the date, referring to the death of Stephanie's husband in a plane crash when her daughter was only 10 weeks old.

"I mean she's gone through her own heartache with her husband passing and her being a single mom, and I have my own story, being a  single dad. So we were late on a lot of fronts, and today's gonna be an amazing day full of surprises."


While in the limousine to meet up with Jason, Stephanie attempted to phone her daughter Sophia to wish her a happy birthday but could not get through. However, she got a second chance to speak to her daughter soon thereafter when she was walking on a beach with Jason.

"I know you gave up a lot, especially today, to be here, did you get to talk to [Sophia]?" Jason asked her.

After Stephanie responded that she had not, Jason surprised her by having Sophia run out onto the beach. As Stephanie met with her daughter she broke into tears along with Jason, who watched the reunion.

"I am on a cloud right now, I hadn't seen her for so long and it as so unexpected," Stephanie said of the reunion. "For Jason to bring Sophia to me on her birthday and wanting to share it with both of us, this is a dream come true."

"Watching Stephanie and Sophia see each other for the first time on her birthday, it was just magical, I was in tears," Jason said later. "It was like the happiest tears I could've ever felt... Stephanie deserves the world. She's been through so much in her life."


For the second part of his date with Stephanie, Jason took her and her daughter to Legoland California, which had been closed off to the public just for them, and celebrated Sophia's birthday even more.

As she walked around the park with Jason, Stephanie said he reminded her of her deceased husband and the connection she had shared with him.

"I can feel the connection to [Jason], and I can now see for myself now what a perfect compliment to each other we would be, with his little boy and Sophia," Stephanie said. "This, to me, is the way that families are."

Jason was similarly impressed with his date with Stephanie -- particularly with her awareness of what role she would play in his son's life as a stepmother. He showed little hesitation deciding to present Stephanie with a Lego-constructed rose, which she gladly accepted.

"Seeing Stephanie interact with her daughter today, it was awesome," Jason said following the date. "I knew Stephanie was an amazing person, but to see her as an amazing mom definitely made me think that there could be something more."


"Please pinch me to say this is real," Stephanie said later regarding the date. "I now can see for myself the way he interacts with me, with Sophia, and I think today is a running start into Jason and I falling in love."

For Jason's group date, he selected Erica; Jillian, a 29-year-old interior designer from Peace River, Alberta, Canada; Kari; Megan, a 25-year-old lacrosse coach and single mom from Sewickley, PA; Melissa, a 25-year-old sales representative from Dallas, TX; Naomi, a 24-year-old flight attendant from Carlsbad, CA; Nikki, a 29-year-old administrative assistant from Blue Island, IL; and Shannon, a 29-year-old dental hygienist from Marshall, MO.

"I feel like I can maybe be a little bit more like myself on this group date, just because the girls that I am most threatened by, Natalie and Lauren [a 27-year-old teacher from Malboro, NJ], are staying home," said Kari before leaving on the date.

The bachelorettes chosen for the group date then traveled to an art studio where they learned that they would be taking casts of their busts. The bachelorettes would then paint their paper mache cast, which would then be put up for auction, with the proceeds going to Keep Abreast, a breast cancer awareness group.

After Jason did a cast of himself first to show the girls how to do it -- and received many "helping hands" from the bachelorettes as he covered himself in baby oil -- the girls proceeded to get their busts done behind lit privacy screens.


In an attempt to get some alone time with Jason during the date, Shannon asked him to help paper mache her body.

"It was nice, it was neat, it felt good for him to rub my body," she said with a laugh.

As Jason watched each of the girls complete their busts and then decide how they were going to paint them, he noted how impressed he was with their dedication.

"All of the girls were great today, doing something so amazing for breast cancer is fantastic," he said. "But there's one rose for eight girls today, and what I want to do today is see their spontaneity. I want them to have fun. I'm the type of guy that sees life as one big adventure, and I wanna see what girl sees it the same way."

Following the completion of their busts, the girls all gathered as Jason chose which girls he wanted to have some one-on-one time with.

Some of the highlights of the one-on-one discussions included Melissa telling him that she had breast reduction surgery when she was younger, Megan exclaiming that one of her hobbies was to be a role model for girls and how working with Keep Abreast had satisfied her charitable side, and Nikki admitting to being something of a control freak and perfectionist before running out of things to say to him.


When Jason met with Jillian, she explained to him that she had recently had a "light bulb moment" about marriage and realized that she was not against the concept of marriage, but rather had just not found someone good enough to spend the rest of her life with. Jason agreed, saying that he did not care about a "marriage" as much as simply finding someone to spend the rest of his life with.

"Jillian, in our one-on-one, is just so easy to talk to," Jason said. "[We have the] same type of belief in relationships and marriage, and why people should be married."

After reconvening all of the girls, Jason revealed that he was giving his rose to Jillian.

For Jason's third date -- the week's second and final one-on-one date -- he chose Natalie. Prior to the date, many of the bachelorettes expressed concern and anger over his selection of Natalie, whom they considered one of the more materialistic and childish girls at the house.

"I think Jason's looking for someone who's a little more grounded and secure with themselves where they're at in life," Shannon said. "Honestly in my opinion, I think she'll probably go home."

Upon meeting Natalie for their date, Jason immediately appealed to her materialistic side by presenting her with a necklace and bracelet containing $1 million worth of diamonds to wear for the evening. After getting into a limo, Natalie was shocked to learn that she and Jason would be jetting to Las Vegas for their date. She was surprised yet again when, upon arriving in Vegas, she learned that she and Jason would be going on a helicopter tour of the city.


"It's so crazy, I feel like I'm in a dream, I really do," she told Jason.

"It felt like we were a couple, a real celebrity couple in some sense, with diamonds and a jet and everything," Jason said following the helicopter ride. "She's beautiful as can be, she's fun, she's outgoing. I wanna see if it can be more, and that's what I need to find out tonight."

However, Jason soon learned that there was not much "more" between the pair. After some relatively stale conversations that included a discussion of Natalie's childhood depression, her love of bears, and her belief that she is always falsely stereotyped as a party girl due to her looks, Jason began to realize that she was not the girl for him.

"Natalie is telling me she's ready to settle down and not go out and party every night, but I can tell that's what she likes," he said. "So is she just saying that? I dunno we'll see."

Following a private performance by singer Kate Voegele in which Natalie attempted to kiss him but was denied, Jason told Natalie that she would not be receiving a rose and had been eliminated.

"Your qualities, heart, and ability to give are all amazing, but I can't give you this rose," he told her. "I wanted there to be something tonight, I really did. But if I kept you here any longer, it would be unfair to you."


"I feel you're still exploring yourself, and I could be wrong and I'm gonna have to risk that," he added.

"Yeah, I mean I've explored myself, and I'm ready, I'm very successful, I'm ready for a husband, I'm ready to have children, and I'm really sick of getting stereotyped into somebody because of my appearance," and angry Natalie responded.

"It's not your appearance," Jason said back. "Your appearance is why it's impossible not to be attracted to you!"

Natalie took several additional parting shots as Jason walked her to a waiting limo, included her repeating numerous times that there were girls in the house who were mean and disrespectful and should have gone home before her.

"I'm surprised, there are some girls in that house that are real mean people and you're keeping them here," Natalie told Jason.

"That's not true," Jason responded.  "I chose you to come here -- if I could have sent other people home before that I would, but I wanted to find out with you first."


"Whatever," Natalie shot back.

Natalie continued venting her frustration further during her final limo ride.

"[Jason's] like 'You're not in the same place as me right now' and I'm thinking 'I don't know any girl in the house that's in the same place as you more than me right now,'" Natalie vented.  "I know I'm going to be an awesome mother and I could do that tomorrow."

"He's an idiot," Natalie continued. "He's probably intimidated by me.  I mean like just because he's 'Jason' what did he want me to do [be] like 'Oh, Jason' [and fawn over him?]"

"I'm not mad, I just think it's odd.  I don't mean to sound conceited but [censored] like, I mean I got a lot going on.  I'm super-attractive. You don't feel a connection with me? Who do you think you are, God?"

Upon learning that Natalie had been eliminated, many of the girls, including Nikki, Erica and Megan all celebrated and said that if Natalie had received a rose it would have been a sign that Jason was not interested in the more mature personality and lifestyle that they could provide.


However, Lauren took issue with the women's celebrations.

"Right now I don't feel like there's anyone here I can really identify with. When the girls found out that Natalie was going home, the claws came out and it really disgusted me," she said. I really thought some of the girls here had bad intentions and I hope that Jason sees this too."

The next day, Jason arrived at the house for the cocktail party prior to the evening's Rose Ceremony eager to see which girls Natalie may have been talking about. While Naomi and Nikki were tight-lipped regarding when Jason asked about the other girls, Lauren was more willing to provide information and said that Erica and Megan were "two drama queens of the house."

Megan, worried that she may have been lumped into the "mean girls" by Natalie, eavesdropped on Lauren's conversation with Jason and was angered when her name came up. Under the guise of speaking about Natalie, Megan went on to tell Lauren how little respect she had for anyone who would "tattle" on anyone in the house.

Prior to the Rose Ceremony, Jason admitted to being "lost" in his decision-making process and worried that he make a mistake.

"I'm more confused than ever," he said. "I'm afraid I can make the wrong choice. I could let the wrong woman go tonight, that is definitely possible."


At the Rose Ceremony, Chris gave the women an opportunity to address any problems they had seen in the house. While Megan and Lauren began to get into an argument about tattling once again, nothing much was resolved before the Rose Ceremony got underway.

In addition to Stephanie and Jillian, Jason announced that he had given roses to Molly, a 24-year-old department store buyer from Grand Rapids, MI; Lauren; Melissa; Naomi; Shannon; Nikki; and Megan -- which left Erica and Kari as the two bachelorettes that didn't receive roses.

"Personally at this point, I'm really disappointed," Erica said following her elimination. "If these girls want to pretend and lie [that] they are my friends, and if they wanna say bad stuff about me to Jason, then I think this is bulls**t."

The Bachelor's next episode will air on Monday, January 27 at 8PM ET/PT on ABC.

(Photo credit ABC/Adam Larkey)






About The Author: John Bracchitta