The Bachelor star Juan Pablo Galavis ousted two bachelorettes during Monday night's third episode of the ABC reality dating series' eighteenth season.
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Lucy Aragon, a 24-year-old free spirit from Santa Barbara, CA, and Christy Hansen, a 24-year-old marketing manager from Chicago, IL, were ousted traditionally by Juan Pablo during the season's third Rose Ceremony.
"Goodbye is hard. I hoped that it would work for me, but better that it happened now than later when I cared even more than I already do. I hope that everyone here finds exactly what they're looking for, because every person deserves to have love and to have something so, so special," Lucy said in tears following her ouster.
"I can't believe it's over. Being out here right now is my worst nightmare. I wish I would've opened up faster. This happened because people are way more open than I am. It's not fair. It's really hard for me to open up. I think I should be in there. It's so hard to say goodbye. This sucks," Christy explained after her elimination.
The Bachelor's third eighteenth-season episode began with Cassandra Ferguson, a 21-year-old former NBA dancer from Rochester Hills, MI, learning from the date card she'd be receiving the week's first one-on-one date.
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Everyone was well aware that if Juan Pablo didn't feel anything for Cassandra, he was going to let her go right away because she had a little boy at home she missed and needed to take care of. Juan Pablo didn't want to waste her time if he felt like they weren't going to work out.
For their date, Juan Pablo drove Cassandra around in what appeared to be a jeep or an off-roading vehicle, but before Cassandra could even get a grasp on what was happening, Juan Pablo drove the WaterCar right into the ocean. Cassandra was shocked and thrilled by the speeds they were traveling in the water.
Cassandra, however, had been pretty tense and nervous. She hadn't been on a date since she was 18-years-old, so she was nervous and skeptical. Juan Pablo could tell she was shy so he kept trying to make her feel comfortable. Cassandra initially thought Juan Pablo was going to send her home, but she decided to just trust him and have some fun. The couple then swam together in the ocean and kissed.
That night, Juan Pablo and Cassandra had dinner at the house where the Bachelor himself was staying. He wanted her to feel right at home and she admitted a guy had never cooked for her before. The pair made a special Venezuelan pasta, and to continue to loosen Cassandra up, Juan Pablo began dancing with her in the kitchen. She finally felt relaxed and was surprised by her feelings for him.
Meanwhile, Lucy; Christy; Kelly Travis, a 27-year-old dog lover from Atlanta, GA; Andi Dorfman, a 26-year-old federal prosecutor from Atlanta, GA; Renee Oteri, a 32-year-old real estate agent from Sarasota, FL; Lauren Solomon, a 26-year-old music composer from Austin, TX; Alli Restko, a 26-year-old nanny from Chicago, IL; Nikki Ferrell, a 26-year-old pediatric nurse from Kansas City, MO; Danielle Ronco, a 25-year-old psychiatric nurse from St. Louis, MO; and Sharleen Joynt, a 29-year-old opera singer from Heidelberg, Germany, discovered they'd share the upcoming group date with Juan Pablo.
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Chelsie Webster, a 24-year-old science educator from Columbus, OH; Elise Mosca, a 27-year-old first grade teacher from Forty Fort, PA; Kat Hurd, a 29-year-old medical sales representative from Scottsdale, AZ; and Clare Crawley, a 32-year-old hairstylist from Sacramento, CA, were the only girls left out of the equation.
Because Clare and Kat already had one-on-one dates, Chelsie and Elise realized via process of elimination that one of them would be getting the second one-on-one date of the week with Juan Pablo. Elise was convinced it'd be her over Chelsie, whom she kept telling everyone was like "a baby" in that she seemed to young or immature to become a stepmom to Juan Pablo's four-year-old daughter Camila.
Back on Juan Pablo and Cassandra's date, the parents showed each other pictures of their children. Juan Pablo said he could tell she was a good mom, an overprotective mom. The Bachelor then told Cassandra he had been thinking a lot about her case since she was a single mom but wanted her to stay, so he offered her the date's rose.
"The last time I felt this way about a guy was three years ago. This is just so exciting right now and it's pretty awesome that I could be looking at my future husband. I miss [my son] Trey all the time, but he's okay and I'm so ready to see what happens with this now. I'm kind of like back into the swing of things," Cassandra explained.
"Aye Cassandra. She's beautiful, she's funny, she dances. I like that about her and I want to get to know her more," Juan Pablo said in a confessional.
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The next day, Juan Pablo practiced with the LA Galaxy soccer team at a stadium. The former pro soccer player reiterated how the sport had always been his passion but he gave it up for Camila in order to spend time with her. The girls then arrived at the same stadium and observed Juan Pablo in his element.
Juan Pablo said he didn't expect the girls to be great soccer players but he wanted to see whether they'd try, who had experience and how they played as part of a team. Alli, for example, had played soccer her whole life, while Kelly acknowledged she wasn't athletic at all and didn't have a clue as to what she should be doing.
The two teams ended up being Nikki, Alli, Kelly, Lucy, and Danielle -- the Red Team -- against Blue Team members Sharleen, Lauren, Andi, Renee, and Christy. The Red Team destroyed the other team in the game. Juan Pablo even felt it necessary to help the Blue Team out.
That night, the girls on the group date and Juan Pablo enjoyed a little cocktail party. Nikki sat down with Juan Pablo first and revealed her biggest fear was getting hurt. Likewise, Juan Pablo's biggest fear going into The Bachelor process was having to hurt people. Juan Pablo said he liked her vibe and thought she was sexy. Nikki didn't think anyone would have a better connection with him that day.
Andi then sat down with Juan Pablo inside of the stadium's snack bar. She said he made her "giddy" and she definitely saw some attraction there. They shared their first kiss and Andi began feeling confident in what they had. She found it exciting.
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Meanwhile, the date card arrived at the mansion and revealed Chelsie would be going on the next one-on-one date -- not Elise. Elise was shocked and disappointed about the news.
On the group date, Juan Pablo sat on a blanket with Sharleen in the middle of the field. She said he was very attractive so she was interested to see where their relationship could go. Juan Pablo explained she had class, which Sharleen found to be a great compliment, and then they kissed. Sharleen asked for a "retake" shortly afterwards because she wasn't quite sure about the kiss.
The girls were watching the pair makeout from around the stadium. Sharleen felt special and saw the beginning of a connection that she explained could end up being "powerful."
Juan Pablo then chose to give the group date's rose to Nikki. She "absolutely" accepted the rose and was thrilled. Andi immediately became insecure, feeling all types of emotions since she had just kissed Juan Pablo and he denied her the rose.
Sharleen also wondered where she stood with him and wasn't feeling confident anymore. Sharleen told the cameras she didn't feel secure in their connection and it "surprised and bothered" her that she cared as much as she did.
The following day, Chelsie was ready to embark on her date with Juan Pablo and was excited not to share him. Juan Pablo apologized to Elise for not getting a date when he came to pick Chelsie up. Because of that little gesture, Elise was sure the Bachelor had feelings for her.
On the way to their first stop, Chelsie and Juan Pablo danced in the car to Spanish music. The pair then ate Venezuelan food at a little restaurant and Juan Pablo said he was impressed with Chelsie. Afterward, they went bungee jumping off a bridge. He wanted her to trust him, but Chelsie was terrified and started crying. Juan Pablo was scared as well, but he kept asking her to jump for him.
Chelsie wanted to try the jump but then backed out multiple times. Juan Pablo tried to tell her that it would be fine if she opted out, but after some hesitation and deep thoughts, Chelsie finally decided to take the plunge while harnessed to Juan Pablo.
The couple shared their first kiss while hanging upside-down from the bridge. Juan Pablo thought the event was amazing and he was proud of Chelsie for facing her fears. Chelsie believed the "epic" date was representative of how their relationship could be in the future.
"If you don't trust someone, you can't do all these things in life together, like have kids and be each other's best friend. So I think if we can jump off a bridge together, we could pretty much get through anything," Chelsie noted.
That night, the couple enjoyed a dinner date at City Hall in Pasadena, CA. Juan Pablo told Chelsie his biggest fear was not setting a good example for his daughter. Chelsie said, besides jumping off a bridge, her biggest fear was being unhappy. Juan Pablo noticed she had maternal instincts and a very positive, optimistic attitude, which he admired.
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Juan Pablo then offered Chelsie, "a keeper" in his eyes, the rose. He said he appreciated her courage and trust in him. Juan Pablo also liked how fun Chelsie was, how often she smiled and how she seemed to really care about the people in her life. The couple then danced to a private concert from Billy Currington in the courtyard.
The next morning, Juan Pablo surprised the girls early in the morning by cooking them all a Venezuelan breakfast inside their mansion. He wanted to see them in their natural morning state, without makeup and not dressed up.
Kelly came downstairs first to take Molly out, and when she noticed Juan Pablo in the kitchen, she ran upstairs and barely spoke to him because she was afraid he'd catch her without makeup and wearing her glasses. Kelly admitted she's not happy about a man seeing her without her face on.
Afterward, instead of a traditional cocktail party, Juan Pablo decided he wanted to have a fun, laid-back pool party. Everyone thought Kat was trying too hard, as she sat on Juan Pablo's shoulders and played games in the pool with him and such.
"There are definitely some girls that love attention... Juan Pablo's head was in her crutch for 20 minutes. I think you need to be a little bit more considerate that there are 14 other girls and you look like a whore," Kelly told the cameras.
"Kat is always sidling up to him and, you know, when the cameras -- even if he's not around -- she's always in front of them," Sharleen added. "I'm surprised at how people transform depending on whether or not there's a camera around. I wasn't expecting that. It's just not the most natural of situations, when you have to make a spectacle of yourself to be noticed. It's just not really how I would be in the real world."
Clare was also frustrated about going from an amazing first date to basically having no time with Juan Pablo. Sharleen was also trying not to overanalyze things, but she began wondering whether she was the right type of girl for Juan Pablo.
Sharleen then spoke to the Bachelor about how she was struggling with all the cameras in her face and the process. She cried in Juan Pablo's arms but he kept comforting her. Sharleen then went in for another kiss.
Watching Sharleen and Juan Pablo's interactions from a distance, Clare got overwhelmed and upset and ran to a room where she was able to shut the door and hide. Clare wasn't sure that her feelings were being reciprocated, and Sharleen noticed Clare had a "slight possessiveness" over Juan Pablo since she had the first one-on-one date with him of the season. Clare worried she had faded into the background.
However, once Clare got some time to talk to Juan Pablo, she realized he hadn't forgotten about her and she felt better.
The Bachelor's third eighteenth-season Rose Ceremony then commenced. Chelsie, Cassandra and Nikki already had a rose in their hands.
Juan Pablo then handed out additional roses to Andi, Renee, Kelly, Sharleen, Elise, Kat, Alli, Clare, Lauren, and Danielle. Only 13 bachelorettes remain going forward.
About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski