'The Bachelorette' star Emily Maynard axes Kalon McMahon and Alejandro Velez

The Bachelorette star Emily Maynard sent two more bachelors away and narrowed her love search to eight men during last night's broadcast of the ABC reality dating series' eighth season.


Kalon McMahon, a 27-year-old luxury brand consultant from Houston, TX, was eliminated during the fifth episode's group date for infuriating Emily by making a comment that her six-year-old daughter Ricki was "baggage," while Alejandro Velez, a 25-year-old mushroom farmer from San Francisco, CA, was traditionally eliminated during the Rose Ceremony.

"I did say it and I did absolutely mean it. Obviously it was taken out of context. I think I'm a standup guy and I have my mother and my grandmother to thank for that. I think she absolutely deserves a partner that can make her life easier. I certainly have knowledge that I'm probably not that man," Kalon said following his ouster.

The Bachelorette's fifth eighth-season episode began with the remaining 10 bachelors traveling to London, England for the next week of dates with Emily.

Once they arrived and got settled into their hotel suite, host Chris Harrison met up with the men and told them there would be two one-on-one dates and a group date over the course of the week. There would be a rose up for grabs during each date -- and if the bachelors on the one-on-one dates failed to receive a rose, they would be ousted immediately.


Sean Lowe, a 28-year-old insurance agent from Dallas, TX, then was told he'd be accompanying Emily on the week's first one-on-one date. He was thrilled about the opportunity, while the other guys were very jealous. Jef Holm, a 27-year-old entrepreneur from Salt Lake City, UT, was still awaiting some one-on-one time with Emily and Kalon also was frustrated about continuously getting stuck on group dates likewise.

Emily then picked up Sean for their date and they toured London on their very own double-decker bus. They observed the sites and took photos at historic landmarks, looking like true tourists.

Meanwhile, Jeff was joking with a few of his fellow bachelors by saying he was becoming the "group date master." Kalon, who had been expressing similar feelings, said in the end, every date with Emily in the future was going to be a group date because Ricki would always be in the picture. Kalon thought his sarcastic remark was funny, but it clearly rubbed Jef and Arie Luyendyk, Jr., a 30-year-old race car driver from Scottsdale, AZ, the wrong way.

"Wow, I just think it's so uncalled for, for Kalon to say anything about Emily raising Ricki. I mean, Ricki means the world to her. He was raised by a single mother, so I was just like, 'You are seriously an arrogant egotistical pr-ck. Do you think that's fair to Emily? Why are you here?'" Jef told the cameras.

Back on Sean's date, he and Emily enjoyed a quiet picnic. Sean admitted he hadn't been on a date in awhile because he was very selective and often found girls who didn't share his same values. He said good girls were hard to come by, clearly insisting Emily was one of the good girls he'd been searching for.


Afterward, Sean stepped up on a platform and was asked to address the local crowd about his feelings on love. He discussed how he was hopeful he'd find a real true love with Emily.

Afterward, the couple had dinner in the London Tower, which was a prison. Emily said Sean was going to be her "prisoner of love" for the night, and Sean had no complaints. Emily was waiting for a bomb to drop in that Sean was going to have seven kids or have been divorced a couple times, but he kept surprising her with how seemingly perfect and humble he was.

Meanwhile, back at the suite, the other bachelors learned who would share the group date with Emily.

Ryan Bowers, a 31-year-old pro sports trainer from Augusta, GA; Chris Bukowski, a 25-year-old corporate sales director from Chicago, IL; Arie; Travis Pope, a 30-year-old advertising sales representative from Madison, MS; Kalon; Alejandro; Doug Clerget, a 33-year-old real estate agent from Seattle, WA; and John "Wolf" Wolfner, a 30-year-old data destruction specialist from St. Louis, MO, discovered they would not be getting a one-on-one date with Emily.

On Emily's date, Sean said he couldn't wait to be a father and told Emily he thought having two children would be a good number. However, when Emily asked if he'd be willing to have three or four, he said yes and he'd be open to many possibilities.


"I think Sean is really like the whole package. I couldn't imagine anyone being more perfect of a husband than Sean and being more marriage-material than he is," Emily told the cameras.

"I had the best day. Any questions or worries that I had were put to rest and you blew me away. It's crazy for me to think that you're the first one out of the limo and now you're here. You set the tone for that night and you certainly set the tone for here on out. And so, Sean, would you accept this rose?" Emily asked.

Sean said "absolutely" and was "very excited" to get the rose. He said that when he was around Emily, he was full of happiness, and Emily was also excited to see what was going to happen next between them. The couple then walked outside and shared a kiss by the water.

"My kisses in a relationship with Sean are only going to get better," Emily said.

The following day, the guys on the group date and Emily arrived at the Stratford Upon Avon, which was where Shakespeare was born. Emily told her suitors they'd be required to act out some scenes from Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet together and that they'd have to audition for three professional actors to receive a specific role -- the lead role of Romeo or a supporting role. Both Doug and Arie were dreading the idea because they believed themselves to be terrible actors.


In the end, Alejandro, John, Ryan, and Kalon earned the chance to play Romeo because they impressed the judges the most. Arie and Doug unfortunately but hysterically both landed roles as the nurse, which was a female part. 

"This is the absolute last thing I would have ever wanted to do, but apparently my strength as an actor is playing the opposite sex. I had no idea," Doug said with a laugh.

"I'm playing the Romeo who actually gets a kiss, so Arie's going to be wearing a dress today and I'm going to kiss the girl. Damn, poor fella," Ryan noted.

While rehearsing, Emily thought Travis was a great funny guy, and she thought he had a lot of qualities she was looking for in a husband and father. However, Kalon shooed Emily away because he needed his time to practice and she wasn't happy about it. His attitude was that he was going to own the date and the group-date rose because he had theatrical skills.

"Kalon shoo's me away. I don't know who he thinks he is but he needs to chill out and realize that he's not on Broadway. Kalon needs to lighten up. He is way too intense," Emily explained.


The guys then performed their scenes in front of a live audience and were nervous the entire time but tried to have fun with it. All the guys, along with Emily, agreed Kalon was too serious, and Emily said he ended up having the least romantic scene of them all. Ryan, however, stole a romantic kiss during the show and felt like it was real -- even though all of Emily's suitors believed she was simply acting. Emily thought Ryan's kiss was sweet and perceived him as being the "perfect Romeo."

That night on the group date, Emily and the men enjoyed some beers and relaxed at a local pub. Ryan pulled Emily into a private room so they could chat, and he gave her a turquoise necklace, which happened to be her favorite color. Emily was both surprised, grateful and impressed with Ryan's thoughtful gesture.

Afterward, the guys were beginning to really gang up on Kalon, as they were annoyed with his snide remarks and condescending nature. Chris heard Kalon say Emily had a lot of "baggage." Chris told Arie the story and Arie was angry because he thought Kalon was on the show for the wrong reasons and didn't deserve to compete for Emily's heart.

Once Doug found out what Kalon had said, as a single father, he felt the need to run to Emily's defense and tell her the news to protect her. Doug was "genuinely pissed off" and confronted Kalon about his statement before telling on him.

"Yeah, I'm not going to apologize for it. I'm not going to retract it. Baggage again has a negative connotation when it's brought up like that. All it is, is a responsibility. That is a huge responsibility," Kalon told Doug.

"Calling Ricki baggage is like calling [my son] Austin baggage. It's just f-cked up all around. I'm certain Emily wants to end up with somebody who doesn't think of her daughter as baggage," Doug told the cameras.


Doug then sat down with Emily and told her what Kalon had said. Emily got really angry and said her heart was beating extremely fast.

"I want to go out there and rip his limbs off and beat him with them," Emily told Doug.

"I will never, as long as I live, let anyone speak ill of Ricki or any other kids I might have or any husband I might have. I will protect my family until the day I die. I want to go off and go crazy, because that's how much I love my daughter. I want to go West Virginia, hood rat, back woods on his ass," Emily said her talk with Doug.

Emily then approached Kalon about his "baggage" comment.

"Do you have anything to say for yourself," Emily asked Kalon.

"Yeah. Unfortunately it came up again with a negative connotation. It's not baggage. It's a part of your life and it's going to be a big responsibility for whoever of these men you're going to end up with," Kalon said.


"It's a huge blessing. That is my heart and soul and for anyone to say that it's baggage..." Emily started.

Kalon interrupted her to get a word in, but Emily wasn't having it.

"Let me talk. I love to hear you talk, but not until I'm done. I got that line from you... Anyone who says that's baggage does not deserve to be on any date with me. If you asked me about Ricki, you would see that she's the furthest thing from baggage and anyone with the tiniest heart could see that. It makes me sad for you, not for me. So, is there anything you can say to say, 'No, I didn't say that?'" Emily asked Kalon.

"No, not at all," Kalon said.

"Then get the f-ck out," Emily explained.

Kalon said his dream was to have his first child be his own biological child, and then Emily said she was very disappointed in his behavior because he was raised by a single mother -- a woman who is in her same position. She repeated, "How dare you." Emily was then quick to end the "inappropriate and insulting" conversation.


Emily said the only thing Kalon could've said that would've saved him or possibly have changed her mind was him not having said the "baggage" comment at all.

"I think Kalon's just a terrible human being -- just not a nice person. Thank God I didn't have a voice tonight, or else he really would've heard what I thought," Emily said. "I can honestly say I've never felt the amount of hurt and anger before that I felt in that moment... I'm worried about my own judgment and how I let someone so terrible slide through the cracks and keep going, but it also makes me worried for the guys."

Emily wondered why the guys didn't say anything about Kalon's remarks, and she was questioning whether the men really had her back. Emily was bummed out and disappointed no one told her sooner. Arie regretted not saying to Emily, but regardless, Emily left the group date without handing out a rose.

Emily said her dream guy would be willing to stand up and fight for her and her daughter, and she didn't know if she had that amongst her selected group of bachelors.

After the group date, Emily felt beat up and her trust in the guys had been shaken. She didn't feel confident in any of her relationships at that point. Knowing her next one-on-one date was with Jef, she hoped he really liked her "mom and all," and she was anticipating getting to know him better. Jef was aware of what went down with Kalon and planned to be there for her.

For their date, Emily and Jef started it off with receiving lessons from an etiquette teacher on how to drink afternoon tea properly. Jef wasn't used of having someone correct his every move on a date, and he wished he had some space -- some alone time with Emily -- because his time with her was precious. 


The couple then bailed on the teacher before the session was officially over, and they went to a nearby restaurant for some food and beer. Jef wanted Emily to know he would always stand up for her. He told Emily he was present for Kalon's comments, and the only reason Kalon was on the show, although he thought everything was "stupid," was for a "fun adventure" because his life back home was pretty "boring."

Emily said she was really into Jef but thought he was very hard to read. She wanted him to show her rather than tell her he was into her. That night, the couple had dessert in the London Eye. Emily worried Jef was going to take their relationship even slower than she had been taking it, but Jef was at least ready to tell the cameras how he felt.

"Emily and my relationship is really flirty and really fun, and we have chemistry and we have a connection. I think we have huge potential together, and I feel like I know and I want Emily to know that I'm here because I like her. I'm beginning to like her a lot and I think she's one of the most amazing girls I've ever met," Jef explained.

Jef told Emily he had a lot of respect for the way she kicked Kalon out. He also said he's been ready to give himself completely to someone for awhile and was truly ready to start a family. Jef told Emily the party would just begin in his eyes if she and Ricki were to move to his hometown and begin a life with him.

"I just want someone to share the details with and come home to and hang out with -- someone who will have my back too -- someone that we can just unconditionally love each other, like a best friend... I like you and I would like to be best friends with you, because I want to be with the person who's like my best friend. I want something that lasts forever and that I'm so sure of -- someone that I can completely trust," Jef told Emily.

"I honestly feel like we could have something great. I really do."


Jef told the cameras he felt like he was in a really good place with Emily and that they both wanted the same things out of life, including goals and an overall outlook. He felt something was there and he really wanted the rose, but more than that, he simply wanted Emily.

Emily then decided she wanted to give Jef the date's rose. She thought he was funny, chill and down-to-earth. He made her feel like a lady and that she was special. After offering him the rose, Emily noted her relationship with Jef was easy and felt comfortable.

Jef and Emily then looked out over London and was waiting for the perfect moment to share his first kiss with Emily. Once they walked outside, Jef went for the "most anticipated kiss of his life" and Emily was thrilled he finally did. Jef said he liked everything about Emily, especially the person she is as a woman, mom and friend. He said being with her was one of the best feelings he had ever experienced in his life.

The next night, the cocktail party preceding the Rose Ceremony took place, so each of the bachelors would have one last chance to steal some personal time with Emily.

Emily felt very disrespected over the course of the week, and the guys who hadn't received roses could really feel the pressure. Emily then grilled most of the guys about why they didn't tell her about Kalon earlier, especially Arie. She said she felt like she was by herself in that situation, and Arie said he didn't want to get caught up in the drama because he wanted to the time they spent together to be solely focused on just them.

Emily understood where Arie was coming from and seemed to let things go. Arie apologized again for not handling the situation better -- in the way that Emily would've preferred. He felt bad and didn't like how his conversation with her went. Arie admitted he was "freaking out" about the possibility of being sent home.


Afterward, Ryan impressed Emily with another little scene from Shakespeare and then gave her a passionate kiss.

"I don't know where I turned a corner with Ryan, but I'm mad at myself for saying it, but I find myself liking him more and more. He's so smooth and he thinks he can get any girl, and here I am falling for it. I'm just going to keep telling myself, 'Keep an eye on him,'" Emily explained.

Emily then talked to Sean and said she had "butterflies in her heart" for him, not just in her stomach. She noted that being around Sean just felt good and right.

The Bachelorette's fifth eighth-season Rose Ceremony then commenced.

Besides Sean and Jef, Emily gave roses to Doug, Ryan, Chris, John, Travis, and Arie. Alejandro was the only man to not receive a rose since Kalon had been sent home earlier in the week.

"Gosh, I was definitely not expecting to go home tonight. I really wasn't. It's hard to say goodbye to her because I was finally feeling like I was moving forward with her. I came here for love and to really open up and kind of make that a priority. Maybe it's partly my fault, maybe I didn't put myself out there enough, but I feel like she was finally starting to get to see who I was," Alejandro said following his ouster.


"It took me a little longer than most of the guys, but I wish the best for her. She really is an amazing girl. It hurts. It hurts pretty badly, and I don't wish it upon anybody. I'm ready to find love. I'm ready to find somebody that I can share my life with. Unfortunately, it's not Emily. Yeah, goodbye Emily."






About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski