The Bachelorette star Rachel Lindsay eliminated Jonathan Treece, Ignacio "Iggy" Rodriguez and Jack Stone, and also found herself at the center of Lee Garrett and Kenny Layne's drama, during Monday night's broadcast of the ABC reality dating competition's thirteenth season.
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"The tickle monster didn't get a rose tonight. I'm pretty bummed. I came into this with an open mind ready to find love again. The spark for us just didn't take off. I've got to get back out there and look for a girl who appreciates a good set of tickling hands. Bye Rachel," Jonathan said as he waved to the camera with a smile.
"It's always frustrating to be told that you aren't wanted," Iggy said in tears after Rachel denied him a rose.
"My biggest regret now is that in my time spent with Rachel, talking about other guys. It was a waste of time. This has been the single most revealing process of my life. I have learned more about me in the last four weeks than I have in 30 years. I feel like I was getting to the point where I felt being okay just being me. I'm so disappointed."
Rachel later sent Jack, a 32-year-old attorney from Dallas, TX, packing during their one-on-one date in Bluffton, SC. Rachel wasn't connecting with Jack on a romantic and physical level although Jack was beginning to fall for the Bachelorette.
Monday night's broadcast picked up where last week's episode had left off, with Lee and Kenny arguing on the group date in South Carolina. Kenny thought he had squashed any beef with Lee but learned the country guy had called him "aggressive" during his alone time with Rachel. Kenny hated the fact Lee had made him sound like an angry and antagonistic person, especially when they used to be friends.
Meanwhile, Rachel was having a wonderful and intimate chat with Bryan Abasolo, who told Rachel that since they both thought they were too good for one another, it actually meant they are a perfect match. Bryan said he's absolutely ready to get married, settle down and start a family, and he wanted Rachel to see how serious he was about her and the process in comparison to the other guys.
Bryan told Rachel that they were going to fall in love by the end of this journey together, and she was totally smitten with his charm.
Meanwhile, Kenny called Lee "a snake," and Lee insisted Kenny had "violent" tendencies. Kenny thought Lee was just trying to provoke him, and so the pair bickered back and forth. Kenny repeatedly called Lee "a b-tch," but made sure to do so in a soft voice so that he would not come across as aggressive.
"This is interesting. I'm totally in his head," Lee said in a confessional with a laugh.
At the end of the group date -- which had included a booze cruise and Bachelor Nation Spelling Bee -- Rachel decided to give a rose to Bryan since he always seemed confident in himself and their relationship.
Once Rachel left the room, Kenny addressed Bryan saying he's a classy guy who is going about this dating process the right way. Kenny was mocking Lee, suggesting he was not on The Bachelorette to behave the same way, and so Lee just blurted out a "f-ck you." Kenny told the cameras that he felt bad for Lee's parents because they had to raise that type of son.
RELATED LINK: 'THE BACHELORETTE' COUPLES NOW"I'm here to mess with everybody and it's working," Lee noted.
Rachel then embarked on her one-on-one date with Jack in Bluffton. The pair had so much in common in that they are both attorneys from Dallas who are around the same age, but Rachel needed to discover whether or not they were only perfect on paper.
For their date, the couple ate 10 cent oysters and they danced at what appeared to be a local festival. While they were dancing, Rachel realized something was missing between them, and from a viewer's perspective, it was chemistry -- a spark. Jack, however, said he couldn't have been happier and more comfortable around Rachel.
Jack really wanted to kiss the Bachelorette, and it's all he could think about. But Rachel didn't seem interested. Jack managed to get in a peck, but Rachel pulled away, and Jack didn't even seem to notice her skittish behavior. Jack was just gushing about how much he liked Rachel and how their first kiss was amazing.
Meanwhile, Will Gaskins was talking to Lee about his feud with Kenny. Will explained that the word "aggressive" can be a trigger point for some black men, but Lee was just annoyed Kenny was trying to play "the race card." Will explained that Kenny thought Lee's insult was racially charged, but Lee didn't get it or see it that way.
Back on Rachel's date, Jack told the cameras he could definitely see himself falling for Rachel. Jack said he could fall in love with her and noted how crazy that sounded. But for Rachel, the passion was missing.
Once at dinner that night, Rachel asked Jack what he'd like to do with her if they went back to Dallas together to hang out. Of all the possibilities for dates, Jack said he's love to just lay in bed with Rachel, an idea that simply did not sound good to Rachel. With that said, Rachel's feelings of doubt about her romance with Jack overshadowed any good or fun moments they had shared earlier that day.
Rachel then let Jack down gently as she gripped on to the date's rose. Rachel told Jack that she's looking for the "X factor" with someone, a a certain feeling or energy when she's with a man that can't be explained. While she found Jack easy to talk to, that romantic connection was lacking, and so she denied him the rose.
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It was a hard goodbye for Rachel, but she said she had to follow her gut and keep around the men she could truly envision a future with.
After her date with Jack, Rachel decided to cancel the cocktail party preceding the Rose Ceremony because her decisions were already made. This probably played to Lee and Kenny's advantage because the guys were still furious with one another. Lee, in fact, called Kenny "a ballerina on steroids who just dances" around.
At the Rose Ceremony, Rachel handed out roses to Eric Bigger, Peter Kraus, Adam Gottschalk, Will, Matthew "Matt" Munson, Alex Bordyukov, Josiah Graham, Anthony Battle, Kenny, and finally Lee. Bryan and Dean Unglert were given roses prior to the official ceremony.
Rachel then revealed to her group of suitors they'd be traveling to Oslo, Norway for the next week of dates.
Once settled in, Bryan learned he'd accompany Rachel on the first one-on-one date, and she picked him up immediately. Josiah vented to the group about how Rachel really seemed to like Bryan, but Dean confessed he wouldn't be surprised if Bryan didn't return due to his overconfidence.
Rachel told the cameras that things were always "hot" with Bryan and they definitely had a physical connection, however, she was hoping to dive into the emotional side of things. Bryan even agreed they had only learned the basics about each other up to this point.
For their date, Rachel and Bryan rappelled down an Olympic ski jump in Oslo that was 187 feet above the ground. Rachel was extremely scared, but her date made her feel safe, like she could do anything. Rachel thought Bryan's confidence was "contagious and very sexy." She had trouble verbalizing her feelings for Bryan, but Rachel said he made her excited and hopeful, and she never wanted time with him to end.
Rachel wondered if Bryan was too good to be true.
"He's devastatingly handsome, he's 37, [has a] great job, [is] well educated and just so sweet and sincere in how he handles me. I don't get it. I don't understand how he's still single and that's the part that scares me. He is such a catch. He is such an amazing person. I don't get it. And there may be absolutely nothing wrong with him, because right now, there isn't," Rachel gushed.
Meanwhile, Eric and Anthony discussed how Rachel had only been on a single one-on-one date with a black man so far this season. Eric questioned whether Rachel just wasn't really feeling "the brothers," but Anthony disagreed, explaining that Rachel takes time to open up and when she gives out a rose, it means she wants to take the time to do that. Anthony said Rachel is guarded and needs to build trust with the guys.
Back on Rachel's date, she couldn't believe how Bryan always said and did the right thing. She was afraid her feelings may not be reciprocated, and she definitely feared getting hurt again due to her insecurities. However, Bryan opened up to Rachel at dinner that night like no bachelor before him this season.
"I'm truly falling in love with you," Bryan confessed to the Bachelorette, "and I want to let you know how excited I am to let those words out of my mouth because it's very hard and not something that happens often... I really wish at the end of this that it's going to be me."
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Bryan could tell Rachel felt the same way about him by how she looked into his eyes after he confessed he was falling for her. The chiropractor called it a "magical" moment, and he said he could see them being best friends for life.
The next day, Rachel embarked on a group date with Adam, Dean, Anthony, Peter, Matt, Will, Alex, Eric and Josiah. Since Lee and Kenny's names were not called, they realized they'd be going on a two-on-one date together with Rachel.
Kenny had every intention of ignoring Lee and focusing on Rachel during this date to re-establish and hopefully grow their relationship that was a little stagnant due to all the drama.
For the group date, Rachel and her guys played Handball, a sport that is a combination of football, basketball and water polo. Peter got very flirty and handsy during the game, Josiah thought Rachel would notice him as the goalie when he blocked all of her shots. But the real standout of the date was Will, whom Rachel said looked like Michael Jordan in the 97 NBA Finals. Will's effort and athleticism that day did not go unnoticed.
That night, Will became vulnerable with Rachel and revealed a girl he had been in love with left him for another guy. Will said there was nothing more he could've done to make the girl stay and so he has no regrets. Rachel found Will handsome and optimistic, and she was always laughing and smiling with him. The couple sealed the deal with a kiss.
Rachel felt like every guy brought his "A-game" that night. Alex read her a beautiful letter, and Josiah told Rachel that he really believed she's the one for him and he could see themselves growing old together.
Josiah also called Rachel the woman of his dreams, but she worried he was more fascinated with the idea of her rather than with Rachel the person. Rachel admitted to Josiah that she was concerned because he never asked her questions about herself. Josiah was "so smooth" that she wondered if he was the real deal.
Rachel then had a hot and steamy makeout session with Peter in a hot tub. She said Peter noticed things about her that other men didn't, and she loved how his attention was always lasered onto her when they were together. Peter definitely felt a connection and figured it could grow into a lifelong partnership.
Despite their physical encounter, Rachel opted to give the group-date rose to Will because she saw a different side of him that she really liked that night. Will felt totally validated, but Peter began questioning his romance with Rachel because he didn't want to fall in love with someone who didn't feel the same way about him.
The next day, Kenny and Lee set off on their two-on-one date with Rachel in a helicopter. Kenny said in a confessional that he's Adam and Rachel is Eve, adding that Lee is the "slippery snake" in the garden trying to tempt and corrupt Rachel. With that said, Kenny was convinced he would win the day and come out on top, but Lee was equally confident in his wooing skills.
"I am real and Lee is a caricature of a man," Kenny said.
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During his alone time with Rachel, Kenny noted he saw a future with her and wanted to move forward with things rather than dwell on the past and his issues with Lee. Kenny told Rachel that she would come to see the truth on her own, and Rachel felt Kenny was being totally sincere.
Rachel then spoke to Lee alone. Lee was bragging about how he was "in it to win it" and was very proud of the fact he can be calculative. Lee then told Rachel that Kenny's behavior was out of hand, as the suitor called him a "b-tch" and even tried to pull him out of a van. Lee insisted Kenny has a "dark side" that especially comes out when he drinks alcohol.
Rachel couldn't believe what she was hearing, but Lee promised he was telling the truth, that Lee often showed "violent" behavior. Lee swore to Rachel that he'd never lie to her, but Kenny said Lee is full of lies.
The Bachelorette star heard two totally different stories and didn't know how to react. Kenny also denied everything Lee had said about him. Rachel therefore assumed that both guys were telling partial truths and partial exaggerations. She had to put her attorney hat on in order to figure this one out.
Once Kenny discovered that Lee had thrown him under the bus again, Kenny got incredibly frustrated and told the cameras that the country boy was a "short stack piece of garbage" who was about to "get washed under a tide of realness that is Kenny."
Kenny walked up to Lee pretending to laugh loudly, making the point that he was very amused by Lee's sneaky move. Lee appeared unfazed by Kenny's apparent anger, and the episode concluded right then and there. Fans will see the altercation unfold during Tuesday night's The Bachelorette episode.
About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski
