'The Bachelor' star Juan Pablo Galavis eliminates Renee Oteri after hometown dates

The Bachelor star Juan Pablo Galavis eliminated Final 4 bachelorette Renee Oteri during Monday night's eighth episode of the ABC reality dating series' eighteenth season.


Renee, a 32-year-old real estate agent from Sarasota, FL, was ousted traditionally by The Bachelor star during the season's eighth Rose Ceremony.

"I didn't want to say goodbye. I mean, it sucks. I had fallen in love with him. I wanted it more than anything. I did think it was right this time. I let myself feel things that I didn't think I could feel. He obviously shared more meaningful moments or deeper moments with the other girls. I can't force him, you know? You can't force anyone," Renee said after she was denied a rose.

"It definitely makes it harder for me because I saw what life could be like with me and Ben and someone else that I really cared about. I want to have a family and I want Ben to see what love is. That's why I came here, to see if I could find love, and I did."

Renee continued, "There's not a lot of guys like Juan Pablo. He's as good as they come. I'm very thankful for him showing me that there are actually men that exist like him. I mean, I have a lot of love to give, a lot, and I want to give that. I want to make someone really happy."


The Bachelor's eighth eighteenth-season episode began with Juan Pablo and his remaining four bachelorettes traveling to their hometowns where Juan Pablo would get to meet their families while getting to know the bachelorettes better within their own element and comfortable surroundings.

Juan Pablo first traveled to Kansas City, MO to spend the day with Nikki Ferrell, a 26-year-old pediatric nurse.

Nikki said she was crazy about Juan Pablo because he was unlike any guy she's ever met and the Bachelor loved how well they got along. Nikki took him to her favorite barbecue spot for some ribs and he said he'd probably get fat living there because he loved the food so much. Nikki then forced Juan Pablo to ride a mechanical bull at a bar and she was impressed with his ability to be a cowboy.

"I am totally in love with Juan Pablo and I want to tell him. I'm so excited but I'm also super nervous," Nikki told the cameras.

Nikki had trouble saying those three words out loud but she trusted her feelings. She decided that if her family gave her their blessing, she'd tell him then. Juan Pablo then met Nikki's dad Tom, her two brothers Eric and Alex, her sister-in-law and her mother Jennifer.


Juan Pablo appreciated how they tried to make him feel comfortable right off the bat. Nikki talked to her mom in private for a bit and admitted there was both a mental and physical attraction between herself and the Bachelor. She wanted her mom, her best friend, to know things were very serious between them.

"The next time you guys see me, I could be engaged," Nikki told Jennifer, adding that she would certainly say yes if Juan Pablo popped the question at the end of their journey on the show.

Nikki, however, was worried how her "logical" father felt because he obviously feared his daughter may get hurt. Juan Pablo told Tom he loved Nikki's honesty and things were just easy and felt right. He explained that Nikki was ready to get married, just like him, and they were on the same page. Tom just asked him to make sure he wouldn't propose unless he was 100% sure.

Tom ultimately left the decision up to Nikki, who told her dad her connection with Juan Pablo was "magical." Nikki also insisted she didn't think any surprises awaited in regards to joining a blended family as a stepmom. She said she had a lot of love to give, and her dad noted she was a bright and talented girl. Tom said any man would be lucky to win her heart but he must stand the test of time.

When Nikki walked Juan Pablo out of her family's house at the end of the night, she hugged him goodbye but folded under the pressure and couldn't say she loved him yet.


"It didn't feel right to tell him that I love him. I came so close to telling him, but I didn't. I don't know why. I want him to know how I feel about him and I hope that I'm around next to be able to tell him," Nikki said in a confessional.

Juan Pablo traveled to Atlanta, GA next to visit Andi Dorfman, a 26-year-old federal prosecutor.

Andi had been on the top of Juan Pablo's list since the beginning. They had great chemistry and smiled and laughed together. Andi was so excited and knew the day was going to be a turning point for them.

Andi first took Juan Pablo to the gun range and he was ecstatic about it. Andi shot the bullseye her very first try but it took Juan Pablo a lot of attempts to nail the shot. Andi told him that he had to shoot a bullseye or else it wouldn't be acceptable to bring him home. While Juan Pablo thought Andi looked hot, Andi wanted him to prove his manhood by handling the gun correctly.

The gun range outing relaxed the couple, but Andi was still panicked a bit because she was sure her family would be skeptical of her relationship with Juan Pablo. She said it was one of the scariest feelings she's ever had.


Andi then took Juan Pablo home to meet her mother Patty, father Hy, sister Rachel, and her brother-in-law. Andi was still waiting to fall in love but revealed she was close and thought her family could be the tipping point to lead her in either direction.

Juan Pablo quickly realized he had a lot of work to do when Andi's family began firing questions. Andi's dad called him out for waiting to take his daughter on their first one-on-one date with only eight women left. He could see they were infatuated with one another, but Hy worried Juan Pablo felt the same way about three other women. He thought it was "all fun and games" for the Bachelor.

Andi's parents apparently got engaged after only six months of dating and got married six months after that. Thirty years later, they're still together, so Andi pictured having the same outcome with Juan Pablo.

Juan Pablo then told Andi's mother that her daughter is beautiful, smart and basically witty on her toes. He showed Patty how to salsa and Andi's mom had fun with him and could see how happy Andi was. However, Hy told the cameras if Juan Pablo broke his daughter's heart he must run and hide.

When The Bachelor star asked Hy's permission to potentially marry his daughter, asking whether they'd accept him into their family, Hy said he didn't want to have that conversation. Hy believed Andi didn't have an issue with finding somebody, rather, the issue was finding somebody good enough. 


"The person that is going to be good enough for my daughter is going to come to me and say, 'There is no one else in the world for me.' When and if that time comes, we will have this discussion," Hy told Juan Pablo.

"That was tough," Juan Pablo said in a confessional afterwards. "Maybe her dad doesn't like me, but his answer was very honest and I appreciate that."

Rachel also wasn't sure Juan Pablo was the guy for Andi because she didn't see love in her sister's heart and didn't get that vibe when Andi spoke of the Bachelor. Andi got upset because she so badly just wanted someone in her family to reassure her and say, "I totally see it." She worried her dad would be "the final blow."

Andi then told her dad she could see herself falling in love with Juan Pablo and she couldn't control his relationships with the other women. However, she insisted she was willing to risk a broken heart because her "gut instinct" told her that she was "very, very close to being in love with him."

"I was looking for something tonight, and despite everyone's concerns, I felt it. I felt like I could be falling in love," Andi told the cameras at the end of her date. "It's a huge step from where I was 12 hours ago."

Juan Pablo's next stop was Sarasota, FL, where he'd meet Renee's family.


It had been two months since Renee saw her eight-year-old son Ben and she found that torturous. She couldn't believe she was even functioning without him. Juan Pablo explained to cameras it was going to be a very special day for him since he was going to meet the biggest part of Renee's life.

Renee then introduced Juan Pablo to Ben and he seemed to handle that very well. Juan Pablo talked to Ben about sports and thought he was an "adorable nice" kid. The couple then watched Ben's little league baseball game, and Juan Pablo said he couldn't wait to have a son of his own to play sports with and teach things to. Renee thought the day went better than she ever could have imagined and she was overjoyed.

Afterward, Juan Pablo met Renee's mother Brenda, dad Tom and brother Brian. 

Renee realized if things worked out, she'd get the family she always wanted. Juan Pablo told her brother he and Renee wanted the same things out of life, and then the Bachelor talked to her mother about their adventures. Juan Pablo revealed he loved how Renee was just herself all season and didn't try to show off or be something she's not. He also told her mom there was a lot of chemistry.

Brenda was looking for a sparkle in her daughter's eyes to know whether she had fallen in love, and it was pretty obvious Renee had.

"I'm totally madly crazy in love with him," Renee told her mom, saying she still had her guard up a little though.


Renee teared up a bit to her mom about how easy and natural things had been between herself and Juan Pablo. Renee said in a confessional she went through a couple failed relationships and her dad was always right about everything, but this time, her dad saw a glow in Renee he hadn't seen for a very long time.

Renee said she could see herself spending the rest of her life with Juan Pablo and him being Ben's stepdad. She wanted it more than anything and her family loved the Bachelor. Renee feared getting her heart broken but told Juan Pablo if she wasn't experiencing such extreme feelings for him, she never would've brought him home to meet Ben.

In the end, Renee couldn't work up the nerve to tell Juan Pablo she loved him although she was feeling it. She actually regretted not telling him the second he got in the car and drove away, and she was frustrated by that.

Juan Pablo then traveled to Sacramento, CA to meet up with Clare Crawley, a 32-year-old hairstylist.

Juan Pablo thought Clare was beautiful and smart and they had a great time together. She brought him to a rose garden in the park where she spent a lot of time in her childhood.

This would mark the first time Clare's brought a guy home since her dad passed away, and she opened up more to Juan Pablo about her dad's final days. She believed he was always with her and Juan Pablo got emotional listening to her stories. Clare said she was activating a part of her heart that had been dormant for awhile since her father's passing, and she felt vulnerable and nervous.


Juan Pablo was then introduced to Clare's mother Lillia, sister Lisa, sister Laura, sister Madeline, sister Julie and brother-in-law Ernie.

Clare is one of six sisters and she's the youngest. Her family could tell Clare was happy and liked the fact Juan Pablo was very affectionate towards her.

Since Clare really valued Madeline's opinion, the pair went off to chat. Clare admitted she was scared, but if Juan Pablo was to propose to her, she "would say yes in a heartbeat." Clare's parents became engaged after only three weeks of dating and they lasted, so the idea of Clare's deep love didn't seem strange or forced to Madeline.

Juan Pablo told Clare's sisters his connection with Clare started as a physical attraction but then he liked her the more he got to know her. Lisa thought Juan Pablo was a southern gentleman, just like their father, and he seemed deserving of Clare's love. Lisa thought Juan Pablo was worth waiting for since Clare hadn't found love in so long. Clare explained that if she was to get dumped by Juan Pablo, she could deal with it because she became a stronger person in the process and opened up to love again.

Laura, however, wasn't sure she could give Clare the family's blessing if Juan Pablo was to propose. Clare explained she was following her heart and Laura just didn't understand how she felt. When Clare was trying to find out her mother's opinion on everything, Laura accused her sister of "manipulating" her. Laura insisted Clare was being disrespectful, but Clare said she just wanted her family's support and Laura speaking for their mother made her "fume."

Clare hoped Laura's negativity wouldn't affect her relationship with Juan Pablo or she'd be devastated. She noted Laura was "killing her spirit."


Laura seemed to come around though. She liked how family oriented Juan Pablo seemed, and then Clare's mother gave Juan Pablo her blessing. Juan Pablo thought Lillia was understanding and amazing. At the end of the night, Clare didn't want Juan Pablo to leave because she loved how he served as her "rock."

"If he can look past my crazy family, I would love to marry him. I would love it. I would absolutely love it," Clare told the cameras.

Juan Pablo and the four women then returned to Miami, FL, the Bachelor's hometown, for the Rose Ceremony.

The bachelorettes were desperate to find out whether Juan Pablo reciprocated the feelings they had for him. Renee feared Juan Pablo may reject her because she didn't express her love for him earlier on.

Juan Pablo, telling the women he was "privileged" to be dating them and to have met their families, then gave a rose to Nikki, Clare and Andi.

Juan Pablo immediately started to cry when he looked at the saddened expression on Renee's face. He said letting her go was "horrible," and Renee told him that she never felt that way for a man before -- that she fell in love with him. However, Renee insisted to the Bachelor it was okay because he had opened her eyes to "a whole new world."


Juan Pablo ended their conversation by saying, "You're so great. I respect you a lot. I do."

Renee thanked him and then departed.






About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski