The Bachelorette star Ashley Hebert sent three bachelors packing during last night's broadcast of the ABC reality dating series' seventh season.
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"I'm bummed out. I feel like I just wasted an entire trip for losing it to a guy that had a mask on. My mask's off. My book's open, and I put myself out there. It would have felt good to feel a little bit more desired. I let it all out on the line and then didn't get the rose. Now I'm going home," Matt said following his ouster before he called his mother to share with her the bad news and then request a ride home from the airport.
The Bachelorette's second seventh-season episode began with the 18 remaining bachelors moving into the season's The Bachelorette mansion and host Chris Harrison telling the men there would be two one-on-one dates and one group date over the course of the next week. There would be a rose up for grabs during each -- and if the bachelors on the one-on-one dates failed to receive a rose, they would be ousted immediately.
William Holman, a 30-year-old cellular phone salesman from Galloway, OH, then learned he would be accompanying Ashley on the week's first one-on-one date in Las Vegas.
"I have really mixed emotions right now. I'm really excited and I'm nervous. I just hope I'm not going to blow it," William said after his invitation was read aloud.
Ashley picked William up and the two drove to an airport where a private jet awaited them. They took off for Las Vegas and upon landing, they took a limo to the Bellagio casino. Once there, the couple enjoyed a wedding-themed date. William and Ashley tried samples of different wedding cakes, looked at engagement rings, and then to William's surprise, the couple entered a wedding chapel and were about to take the plunge.
William said he was really nervous about getting married because it was apparent he wasn't ready since he and Ashley were on their first date together. However, he had a hard time believing Ashley would actually follow through with the wedding, so he went with the flow and had fun with it.
Ashley then walked down the aisle and they began to exchange vows. William said, "I do," but she chose not to validate the marriage by voicing her part of the vows. They then shared a kiss at the altar, but it wasn't as man and wife.
"I can't believe how great this date is going with William. The date isn't even half-way over and I feel like he could be somebody that I could spend a really long time with... I'm falling for William after just one date. I can't believe I just said that," Ashley said.
The couple then rowed across the waters of the famous Bellagio Fountains to their table that was set up in the middle of the water.
"As much as I love how fun and outgoing he is, I'm looking for somebody serious. I hope that William can bring that tonight, because that's really important to me," Ashley said before their conversation got heavy.
William opened up to Ashley about the death of his father and how he was an alcoholic. He told her the story of how he had discovered one morning that his watch was mysteriously set to the time and date his father died, and he hadn't reset the watch since.
RELATED LINK: 'THE BACHELORETTE' COUPLES NOWAshley realized she and William had similarities in their childhoods, as her father also suffered from a problem with alcohol. She noted his past hit close to home for her.
Meanwhile, back at the LA mansion, the other 17 men learned that 12 of them would have to share the group date with Ashley and would also be traveling to Las Vegas.
Constantine Tzortzis, a 30-year-old restaurant owner from Atlanta, GA; Ryan M.; Chris Drish, a 25-year-old sports marketing coordinator from Chicago, IL; Ben Flajnik, a 28-year-old winemaker from Sonoma, CA; Nick Peterson, a 26-year-old personal trainer from Tampa, FL; and Bentley Williams, a 28-year-old businessman from Salt Lake City, UT, would be accompanying Ashley on the week's group date.
The other men who were selected for the group date included: West Lee, a 30-year-old lawyer from Chapin, SC; Lucas Daniels, a 30-year-old oilfield equipment distributor from Odessa, TX; Stephen; Blake Julian, a 27-year-old dentist from Greenville, SC; Matt; and Ames Brown, a 31-year-old portfolio manager from New York, NY.
During Ashley and William's one-on-one date, Ashley decided to give William the rose.
"You really surprised me today. I feel like this whole experience is so unpredictable. I feel like the day part of it was amazing and I saw a really, really fun side of you. But, I'm looking for something serious, you know? I'm looking for a relationship, not just a friend. In you, I see everything. I want to give you this rose and I really, really hope that you accept it," Ashley told William.
William's accepted the rose, which meant he would be safe at the upcoming elimination Rose Ceremony, and he couldn't be happier about the outcome of his romantic date with Ashley.
"I can't wait for the second date. I know we'll have a second date," William said.
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The next morning, the 12 men met up with Ashley, who brought them to a theater in the Monte Carlo Hotel. The group watched the dance crew Jabbawockeez -- who won the first season of MTV's America's Best Dance Crew reality show -- perform onstage, and then they learned they would be rehearsing with the dancers.
Ashley said the dancing date wasn't a "make it or break it" situation, but a guy having an ability to dance would certainly be a plus.
A representative from Jabbawockeez then explained to the bachelors that they would be broken down into two crews of six people and would be required to come up with their own dance routine that would later be judged on its style, synchronicity and showmanship.
The winning crew would be able to stay and "rock it out" onstage with Ashley and the Jabbawockeez, while the other crew would be forced to hop on a plane head back to LA -- missing out on the rest of the planned date.
Both sets of bachelors had 30 minutes to choreograph a routine and it apparently wasn't easy for either crew.
No Rhythm Nation -- which consisted of Bentley, West, Blake, Ben F., Lucas, and Nick -- came up with a Rose Ceremony-like dance, while the other six men -- Constantine, Ryan M., Chris, Stephen, Matt, and Ames -- entitled their crew The Best Men and thought of a choreographed wedding idea.
No Rhythm Nation utilized Ashley throughout their whole routine, and in the end, the Jabbawockeez chose No Rhythm Nation as the winning crew. As a result, The Best Men crew was eliminated and the guys' dates were over.
"Having less guys here competing for Ashley's attention is wonderful. Later!" Ben F., teased.
"I'm bummed out. I'm heavy-hearted. I'm upset that we're going back home and that I'm not going to get to spend any time with Ashley," Stephen said.
The winning crew later performed with the Jabbawockeez and Ashley in front of a couple thousand people, while The Best Men crew was on its way back to the mansion.
The men who were left out of the group date were shocked to see the return of Constantine, Ryan M., Chris, Stephen, Matt, and Ames, while the men who lost out on their chance to spend time with Ashley were upset about the hand that was dealt them.
West was captivated by Ashley when she was dancing and said he thought she looked absolutely amazing. But Ashley also felt like she was the luckiest girl in the world to be on a date with so many great guys.
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"We all want to get that rose. Yeah, we were a team onstage, but now it's every man for himself. I just want her to know that I'm better than any other guy," Bentley said.
After talking a little bit with Blake, who said his matched perfectionism trait with Ashley's would enable them to be twice as perfect together, West opened up to Ashley about his past. West explained her was previously married to a woman he had been with for seven years. However, after being married for only nine months, she passed away.
Ashley cried when she heard West's story and was impressed with the message he took out of his disheartening experience. West told her it's important to tell the one you love that you love him or her as often as possible. He also attempted to convince Ashley that he was ready to fall in love again but was aware it would be a big step in his life. He appreciated that Ashley everything so well and was caring and supportive.
"West is really hoping to get the rose, but I am very competitive and I will be pissed if I don't get the rose. She's obviously a beautiful girl, she has an amazing butt, and rocking legs, and having her tickle my ****, I'm in. That would be amazing. The competition makes it exciting and competing for her, that's the extent in terms of my interest. She's just not my type," Bentley said.
Bentley then pulled Ashley away from the group and joked with her about how he had received the rose last at the previous Rose Ceremony. Ashley said he was acting insecure like she did during her The Bachelor season with Brad Womack.
Bentley said whatever his reasons were for his actions, he had a daughter back home and if he ever were to leave the show, it would be because of those responsibilities. Ashley then told Bentley that if he felt anything for her at all to please stick around.
After a long day, Ashley was ready to announce which of the six bachelors would receive the next rose. She chose to offer it to Bentley after they had a good conversation, and Bentley admitted Ashley was falling right into his lap.
"Got the rose. Can we just bag this and go play blackjack?" Bentley boasted.
The following day, the men got the date card and learned the person who would be joining Ashley on the week's third one-on-one date would be determined by the flip of a coin. J.P. Rosenbaum, a 34-year-old construction manager from New York, NY, and Mickey McLean, a 31-year-old chef from Cleveland, OH, then squared off in a coin toss and Mickey fairly won. Ashley then picked up Mickey for their date and they went to the Mandalay Bay casino for the day.
The couple decided they would flip for everything throughout the date even when it came to choosing between red or white wine. They enjoyed their white bottle of wine in an aquarium setting, and Mickey attempted to open Ashley up by asking her when the last time was that she cried.
Ashley admitted she cried when she watched her The Bachelor season again. The couple then shared a nice dinner together in the hotel with a "beautiful view" of the lights of Las Vegas.
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Ashley was impressed he could take the good out of a situation and learn so much from it. Then following right along with the gambling theme to their date, Ashley said her relationship's fate with Mickey all depended on the flip of a coin. Mickey grew worried that she was willing to let him go based on a little bit of luck, but after she offered him the date's rose, she let him know that she was going to give it to him regardless.
"I've had such an amazing night with Mickey... Mickey is having a great night," Ashley said.
Mickey and Ashley then walked on the beach, and Ashley surprised him with a live private concert from Colbie Caillat. Ashley expressed how she liked kissing Mickey.
"Tonight's kiss was a lot better than the first night out of the limo because there was something behind it. So, kissing him a second, a third, and a fourth time just got easier each time," Ashley explained.
"I hope this is the last first date I ever go on," Mickey said.
The next night, the cocktail party preceding the Rose Ceremony took place, so each of them bachelors would have one last chance to steal some personal time with Ashley. The men who did not get a one-on-one date or group date with Ashley were especially on edge, because they did not want to be sent home without a fair shot to get to know her.
J.P. got his first kiss with Ashley on the luck of a coin toss since he lost the first one -- which took his shot of a one-on-one date with Ashley right from under his feet. The draw didn't work out in his favor, but Ashley kissed him anyway. J.P. then said he felt a lot better about place in the competition after getting to sit down with Ashley and talk.
Afterward, Nick line-danced with Ashley, but then William stole her away even though he already had a rose.
Jeff Medolla, a 35-year-old entrepreneur from St. Louis, MO, then pulled Ashley aside and told her it was what's on the inside that counted. He still wore his mask but told Ashley a little bit about himself.
Jeff explained he suffered a brain hemorrhage and was found seizuring on the bathroom floor by his significant other. He endured short-term memory loss and had a very long recovery. Jeff also told Ashley he got divorced from the woman he was with for 10 years after there was untruthfulness in their marriage.
Matt interrupted Jeff seconds before he was ready to reveal his face and take off his mask for the first time.
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"Wow. That was kind of boring. It started out kind of good, but it sucked towards the end. But it's more of like an expected feeling, you know? I'd be lying to everyone if I'm like, 'Yeah. I'm in this till the end. I'm going to ride this out for two months.' There's no way that I'm going to last that long," Bentley said.
But Ashley's feelings for Bentley were the complete opposite.
"There's definitely a little bit of concern when I think about Bentley. The only reason for that is because of the text messages that I received that he's here for the wrong reasons. But to be honest, I have a pretty good radar in terms of somebody that's not being sincere, and I'm seeing such sincerity in him that my gut tells me to trust him," Ashley explained.
"I could be completely wrong, but in my heart, I really feel something strong for him. He could be the one for me."
The Bachelorette's second Rose Ceremony then commenced.
"As I'm standing on this side of the room, I remember what it feels like to be where you guys are at. I know it's not easy, but please just stick with it and have faith in the process, because it's really crazy for me, but after this week of dates, I can say that I think my husband is standing in this room," Ashley told her suitors.
Besides William, Bentley and Mickey, Ashley gave roses to West; Constantine; Ryan Park, a 31-year-old solar energy executive from Corona Del Mar, CA; Ben Castoriano, a 28-year-old lawyer from New Orleans, LA; Nick, Ames, Lucas, Jeff, J.P., Chris, Ben F., and Blake.
"I'm really disappointed. I came in there really open, and I wanted to meet somebody that I could be a friend with first and the enjoy life and fall in love. That's something that my mom and dad told me to do. I tried to take their advice, but she's just not for me, I guess," Stephen said following his elimination.
"Life is definitely not fair. I came here for the chance of finding love, and I wish things would have turned out differently. Ashley is somebody that I see myself being able to have a true connection with. So, in me, Ashley's missing out on a great guy that would bend over backwards to take care of her and love her. Now, all of a sudden, I'm going home. Yeah, sucks," Ryan M. explained.
About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski
