The Bachelorette featured Logan Palmer dumping Rachel Recchia and then receiving a rose from Gabby Windey, which made Rachel almost want to quit and Gabby's men question if their connection with Gabby was enough, as well as the elimination of three more bachelors during the Season 19 episode that aired Monday night on ABC.
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Gabby also denied roses to Michael Vaughan, a 32-year-old pharmaceutical salesman from Long Beach, CA, and Mario Vassall, a 31-year-old personal trainer from Naperville, IL, who had received Gabby's First Impression Rose.
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The Bachelorette broadcast began with Rachel, Gabby and their respective group of men traveling to Bruges, Belgium, for the next week of dates.
Rachel looked forward to a fresh start and her remaining men stepping it up for her, but Logan Palmer, a 26-year-old videographer from San Diego, CA, was still thinking about and "feeling for" Gabby unbeknownst to Rachel.
A Date Card then arrived for Rachel's group of men: Meatball; Logan; Tino Franco, a 28-year-old general contractor from Playa Del Rey, CA -- who had received Rachel's First Impression Rose -- Zach Shallcross, a 25-year-old tech executive from Anaheim Hills, CA; Ethan Kang, a 27-year-old advertising executive from New York, NY; and Tyler Norris is a 25-year-old small business owner from Wildwood, NJ.
The news meant Aven Jones, a 28-year-old sales executive from San Diego, CA, would be accompanying Rachel on the week's only one-on-one date.
Before the date began, Logan sought Rachel out to talk since he didn't think it would be right to keep leading Rachel on by going on the group date.
Rachel seemed surprised by Logan's sudden appearance, and she seemed a little uneasy when he asked to talk.
Logan said that every time Rachel pinned a rose on him, he felt honored; however, feelings for Gabby had been anchoring down.
Logan said he felt a strong connection with both Rachel and Gabby when he kissed them both earlier in the season and he had been anticipating a rose from Gabby.
"It's been hard for me moving forward to forget about that connection... I felt that everyone else on that [Date Card] was sure that you're going to be someone who they could end up with at the end of this. Well, I still had reservations and feelings for Gabby," Logan confessed.
RELATED LINK: 'THE BACHELORETTE' COUPLES NOWLogan decided to step away from pursuing things with Rachel, and she appeared shocked.
"I look at myself, like, 'You're a fool, I'm surprised you even gave me a chance in the first place," Logan said.
"Yeah, you accepted so many roses from me when the whole time you really didn't even want to spend time. But I appreciate you bringing this to me if that's where your heart is," Rachel responded. "I just wish it would've been earlier."
Logan insisted he wasn't sure his lingering feelings for Gabby meant anything "until recently."
Logan continued to compliment Rachel, calling himself "crazy" for leaving her, but she shut him down and said, "I'm not trying to be mean, but I get it. No one really wants to hear this."
Rachel initially had optimism that her romance with Logan could take off, and so she felt rejection and hurt once again. Rachel wondered if something was wrong with her because men had been rejecting her week after week.
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Rachel questioned why she was even on the show, adding in tears, "I don't want to do this anymore."
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Rachel was not ready to go on a group date and act like she wasn't "a huge loser."
"Logan, how many weeks were you going to go until you did this, when you knew that first group date? Why did you accept my rose? This is two weeks before hometowns this is happening!" Rachel cried.
Rachel said she felt like "such a failure as the Bachelorette."
The Bachelorette host Jesse Palmer then visited Rachel's room to talk to her. Rachel thought it was the past the time when men would change their minds, and she said it was scary and expected heartbreak to keep happening.
Rachel admitted she had built walls up and it wasn't fair for the guys to have to keep picking her up after disappointing dates.
Jesse told Rachel that it's impossible to be the perfect Bachelorette or Bachelor, and he said that all she could do was make the best decisions in real-time following her intuition. Jesse reminded her it was still totally possible for one of her remaining guys to get down on one knee by the end of the process.
Jesse then shared with Rachel's guys how Rachel had decided to cancel the group date because she simply wasn't in the right mindset to enjoy herself and put on a happy face.
However, Jesse gave them the good news that they'd still be seeing Rachel that night at the afterparty.
Zach, Meatball, Tyler, Ethan and Tino were admittedly really bummed because they had wanted to explore Bruges with Rachel. The guys felt "stripped" of a wonderful opportunity with their potential wife, and they just wanted her to be okay.
Logan then visited Gabby in her room, and Logan explained how he was on fire for her that first night and was hoping to receive one of her roses -- but then he got one from Rachel.
Logan said he always came back to thinking about Gabby and his feelings had gotten in the way of his relationship with Rachel. Logan therefore shared how he had decided to step away from Rachel.
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"You were the only one that the both of us could comfortably say, 'I'm into him,' and then that night when you came over and you had kissed both of us, it sounded like you and her had a really great conversation and so I completely backed away."
Gabby elaborated, "That's when I was like, 'Dang, I'm very interested and it might not be that easy for me to let go of my feelings.'"
Gabby said she wanted to check in with Rachel and this was her worst nightmare. Gabby planned to put her best friend first, and the pair laughed about Logan's bold and risky move.
Logan said he felt great about his conversation with Gabby but his future was unknown, adding, "I could go home tomorrow."
Logan knew the girls would want what's best for each other, and he hoped maybe he'd be a part of that for Gabby.
Gabby immediately ran to Rachel, who vented about how Logan had accepted multiple of her roses when he knew he wanted to possibly jump ship. She wondered how many roses it was going to take for Logan to make the switch.
Rachel wished she knew whether Logan was truly unsure about which woman to pursue the whole time he was on "Team Rachel" or if he just wanted to see how far he could get with Rachel in the process.
Gabby was shocked to hear Rachel had canceled her group date and felt like a failure as the Bachelorette. Rachel admitted it was "humiliating," and Gabby said she would have felt the same way.
Gabby didn't want Rachel to be upset if she kept Logan around and Rachel had to keep seeing him, but Rachel advised her friend to pursue Logan and see what's there if Gabby genuinely had feelings for him.
Gabby said the only reason she would agree to keep Logan on the show would be to explore what they had more, but she also didn't want Rachel feeling like the guys on the show weren't there for her.
"I see the way they look at you, and I know how crazy they are about you," Gabby told the flight instructor. "I want you to see that."
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That night at the afterparty of Rachel's group date, the men noticed Logan was missing but there was a rose on the table. The men planned to listen to Rachel and support her, and Zach said he had a feeling that something bad happened.
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Rachel kicked off the night with an apology and explained the Logan situation. Rachel said "the constant rejection" was tough, and she told the guys that if they didn't want to be in her group or wanted to leave the show, they needed to speak up and go immediately.
Rachel was having a hard time moving forward and trusting that the rest of her guys would stay.
Ethan complimented Rachel's composure and grace, and he said he loved seeing her smile and making her happy.
Rachel and Tino popped champagne together and Tino insisted that he wanted to be her best friend and future husband. Tino said they lost out on an amazing memory earlier that day, and he confessed how Rachel's absence hurt him and made him feel unseen.
Tino wanted a relationship with good communication, and Rachel assured Tino that she looked forward to every moment they got to spend together. Rachel appreciated Tino telling her how he felt and being vulnerable, and Rachel felt good knowing that Tino wanted to be around her even when she's not in a good mood.
Rachel felt validated and special that night on her group date.
Tyler danced with Rachel in a room of twinkly lights that looked like stars, and Zach praised the Bachelorette for handing the process "like a champion." The couple yelled together to release some stress and tension, and Rachel said Zach made her laugh and she could be herself around him.
Rachel opted to give her group date rose to Tino for opening up to her even when it was really hard. Tino said this rose meant a lot because he and Rachel had overcome a tough day in their relationship. Zach was very disappointed and expressed how he was afraid to get hurt.
Meanwhile, Logan felt relieved and optimistic Gabby might give him a shot.
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The group explored the charming European city by enjoying a boat ride, eating waffles, playing soccer with some local kids, and playing Rock, Paper, Scissors in which the loser got slapped with a big fish that was on ice.
Suddenly, Logan showed up to the afterparty and Gabby's guys looked shocked. Logan explained how he couldn't see something special with Rachel and so he asked Gabby to consider dating him.
Gabby's men were upset, with Nate saying how he thought Gabby believed her "person" was already among them. The men were upset about Logan's presence because it indicated her pre-existing relationships weren't strong enough.
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Gabby didn't want to jeopardize what she had with her guys, but she also wanted to remain open to all possibilities. Mario reminded Gabby that he was there for her, but the other guys were really-evaluating where they stood.
Nate ultimately determined that he wanted to be chosen, and so he gave Gabby his support. All Gabby could hope was that the guys trusted her, and Gabby promised Erich that she thought about him often.
When Logan had his time with Gabby, he said he was thankful to be holding her hand and that's exactly where he wanted to be.
Logan said he was "very into" Gabby, and she was glad Logan had spoken from his heart with integrity.
The pair therefore kissed, and Logan said, "Sitting with Gabby, there is no doubt in my mind that I made the right choice. I'm going to pursue Gabby in a way that is fierce... and will make up for lost time."
But Gabby decided to give the group-date rose to Nate.
The next day, Logan acknowledged how he didn't care if there was tension with the other guys because he thought Gabby was worth it.
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Rachel said Aven is "one of the most handsome men" she's ever seen, and they tasted chocolate.
Rachel said Aven stepped up their physical connection by making her feel desired and wanted. They also soaked in beautiful views.
That night, Rachel was afraid of getting hurt or Aven's other shoe to drop. At dinner, Aven revealed how he didn't get to see his mother much growing up after his parents divorced, but they became close once Aven became an adult.
Aven's mother had made her son a good-luck bracelet, and Aven let Rachel hold onto it. Aven reminded Rachel that he was there for her, and so she gave him the date's rose.
"I've never felt this strong of a connection or this natural of a connection so quickly," Aven gushed to the cameras, before the couple enjoyed a fireworks display. "I really do see Rachel as someone who could be my future wife and someone I want to spend the rest of my life with."
Rachel called it a perfect night, especially because Aven had never wavered in his feelings for her.
"I could easily see myself falling in love with Aven. I feel like I'm almost there," Rachel said in a confessional.
After Logan officially joined Gabby's group of men, Johnny DePhillipo, a 25-year-old realtor from Palm Beach Gardens, FL, went out with Gabby on a one-on-one date.
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Johnny said he was looking for his forever person, and he hoped Gabby wasn't questioning what they had by bringing Logan onboard.
Gabby and Johnny, whom she called "too cool for school" and a bit "goofy," explored the countryside of Belgium. The pair went to a local brewery and did a beer tasting, and Johnny gushed about the date being right down his alley.
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Gabby was hoping to have more of an intense and deep conversation that night with Johnny. Johnny shared how his ex-girlfriend disappeared once he started being himself, and so he made it known that he has insecurities even though he comes across confidence.
Johnny said he struggled with confidence, depression, and self-loathing and should maybe seek a therapist to talk to. Gabby bonded with him over her own anxiety and depression, and she advised Johnny to be easier on himself and cut himself some slack.
Gabby gave Johnny the rose on her date, saying she never had to be reserved around Johnny, and Johnny said the rose meant the world.
"I do believe that what Johnny and I have could be really special. I do love the inside of Johnny, all of things that I think he's maybe scared to put forth. [They're] all of the things that I love most," Gabby said, adding how her suitor was romantic and sweet.
At the cocktail party preceding the fifth Rose Ceremony of the season, Gabby gifted Nate some Belgium chocolate for his daughter, and Logan gifted Gabby some fish to play with since he hadn't been invited on the group date.
The other guys were worried that Gabby saw something in Logan that she didn't see in them. Johnny worried Logan's entrance was going to push someone else out.
Logan said he knew what he wanted and that person was Gabby, but he wasn't sure if Gabby felt the same way. Regardless, he said he had made the right decision in ending things with Rachel.
At the Rose Ceremony, Ethan felt he was definitely on the chopping block, and Mario was also worried.
Gabby handed out roses to Jason, Spencer, Erich, and Logan.
Rachel offered roses to Zach, Tyler, and Ethan.
Meatball was therefore eliminated from "Team Rachel" and Michael and Mario were sent packing from "Team Gabby."
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Johnny called Logan's rose "tough to see" but pointed out how weak links were gone and things were starting to get real.
Gabby and Rachel then announced to the two groups how they'd be traveling to Amsterdam.
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About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski
