The Bachelorette star Emily Maynard sent two bachelors home and narrowed her love search to four men during last night's broadcast of the ABC reality dating series' eighth season.
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"I did not see that one coming today. I finally went for that kiss a day late and a dollar short. I think my girl radar is just totally broken. I came here hoping that I might meet the girl that I spend the rest of my life with. I really thought in my heart of hearts that Emily would appreciate somebody just wanting to get to know her and the real her. I took a risk. I'm bummed out," Doug, who had received Emily's first impression rose at the beginning of the season, said following his ouster.
"It's tough being a single dad trying to find the right person. I definitely want to find the love of my life. I don't want to be alone at all. Someday I think I'll find the right girl and then Austin and I will have that safe place. We'll have our own family. That's all I want man, and I feel bad about that every day, man."
The Bachelorette's seventh eighth-season episode began with the remaining six bachelors traveling to Prague, Czech Republic for the next week of dates with Emily.
Once they arrived and got settled into their hotel, host Chris Harrison met up with the men and told them there would be an upcoming twist in the competition.
Chris Harrison explained there would be four dates over the course of the next week -- three one-on-one dates and one group date. However, there would only be a rose up for grabs during the group date, which meant the bachelors would feel no pressure to receive a rose or fear failing to receive a rose and being ousted immediately as a result -- allowing them the chance to just spend some special time with Emily.
Arie Luyendyk, Jr., a 30-year-old race car driver from Scottsdale, AZ, then learned he'd be accompanying Emily on the week's first one-on-one date.
Chris Bukowski, a 25-year-old corporate sales director from Chicago, IL, was upset because he desperately wanted alone time with Emily, as his last one-on-one date with The Bachelorette star was back in Charlotte, NC.
Sean Lowe, a 28-year-old insurance agent from Dallas, TX who didn't know whether he'd end up on the group date, said he'd feel just as much pressure on the one-on-one without a rose being offered because surviving the next Rose Ceremony eliminations meant bringing Emily to their hometowns to meet their families.
"I'm nervous. My heart's pounding. Emily is totally the woman of my dreams and somebody that I've fallen in love with after a few dates. I want a hometown so badly. I want Emily to meet my parents. I'm a little anxious. I have a lot invested -- my emotions and my feelings," Arie said before his date.
Arie and Emily then took off on their date, but they had no set plans. They were just going to do a little exploring and make fun out of whatever came their way. The couple walked through the streets of Prague and enjoyed each other's company, but Emily then admitted to the cameras she knew Arie was hiding something from her, a secret, and she was hoping he'd tell her.
Chris Harrison then interrupted the broadcast in a special segment in which he told viewers Arie was in a brief relationship years ago with one of The Bachelorette's producers, Cassie Lambert, and she had taken it upon herself to share that information with Emily once it had become clear The Bachelorette star was starting to develop strong feelings for him.
RELATED LINK: 'THE BACHELORETTE' COUPLES NOWHarrison then explained the show was going to air a taped conversation in which Cassie discussed her old relationship with Arie with Emily and answered any necessary questions she might have.
During the conversation, Emily told Cassie she was upset Arie had yet to share that he knew or dated Cassie with her and it made her wonder what else he might be hiding or lying about.
Emily feared that if Arie couldn't just come clean with her about Cassie, then maybe he wasn't being completely open about his past.
However, Cassie told Emily that Arie was probably worried about making things awkward since had only dated Caassie briefly 10 years ago and it was no longer a relevant topic of discussion.
Emily understood Cassie's notion but argued the relationship, or at least the fact Arie and Cassie had known each other well for awhile, still should've been brought to her attention on Day 1 in order for her not to have any concerns. Cassie insisted it wasn't a big deal and Emily shouldn't let it bother her.
Emily had the talk with Cassie prior to her date with Arie, and so while their date was in action, Emily was acting very suspicious of Arie and kept hinting about how important loyalty and honesty were in a relationship. Arie seemed to catch on to Emily's attempts but was confused at what she was trying to get at.
Arie then told Emily he got a woman's name tattooed on him when he was younger but got it covered up. He was referring to his ex-girlfriend that had two kids, not Cassie, but he was still declining to offer up the information Emily was desperately in pursuit of.
Chris Harrison then explained that Arie, Emily and Cassie had an "honest conversation" about the issue off camera. Arie told Emily that he thought the relationship was so brief and long ago that it just didn't matter anymore, and Emily finally agreed and let things go. According to the host, Arie told Emily it didn't even cross his mind to tell her because the relationship was over and done with.
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Meanwhile, John learned he'd be accompanying Emily on the week's second one-on-one date, his very first individual date of the season with The Bachelorette star. While John was jumping for joy about the opportunity, Chris was "livid" and said watching Emily go on dates with other guys was "killing him inside."
During her date with Arie, Emily said she was excited but nervous to meet his family because she hoped they'd like her. Arie assured Emily they'd all get along great, and then he told her that he was in love with her and felt like he had been falling in love with her from their very first date. Arie made Emily "the happiest girl," and she said if things kept going the way they were going, she couldn't be happier.
"Hearing Arie tell me that he loves me, it was so amazing. But it scared me a little bit, because I'm like, 'Whoa. It just changed everything.' I just have so many thoughts going through my head... it's everything that I wanted to hear. It made me so happy and I love that he said it tonight. I love that he's so confident in the way he feels and I don't feel like Arie is somebody that just throws that around. It makes me that much more excited and believe in all this," Emily explained.
The couple then watched a fireworks display from a boat on the water.
"I'm just so giddy right now. Tonight was a huge step. Tonight has completely changed my life and now I can completely see myself marrying her. I feel like I'm ontop of the world," Arie said.
The next day, Emily embarked on her date with John. Their relationship started slowly, but after seeing his emotional side in Croatia, Emily realized she wanted to get to know him better and give the relationship more of a chance.
"There have been times I honestly thought I was going to send him home, but he's really showed me a sensitive side to him last week... but at the same time, I hope John realizes that time is running out. I know he's trying and I feel like he really does want to show me who he is, but next week is hometowns, and a lot of the other guys are feeling the exact same thing but are being a lot more open. So today needs to be kicked into high gear," Emily explained.
"Today's make or break for me. It's tough for me to open up and be vulnerable, but my goal today is just to let her know why I've been on the quieter side through this whole journey," John said.
The couple then took a ferry and walked around the streets of Prague. They painted on the John Lennon wall and then wrote their names on a lock and added it to a collection of "eternal love locks." However, Emily and John had trouble clamping their lock shut, and Emily felt it was representative of how they had a little trouble connecting in their relationship. She was still waiting for the romance to bloom.
Meanwhile, Jef Holm, a 27-year-old entrepreneur from Salt Lake City, UT, and Arie noticed Chris was a "little off."
"I'm tired of doing this. I'm tired of talking about it. I'm just driving myself crazy sitting her. I just want to hang out with her! It's been awhile since I've had time with her and I've made a point throughout this whole thing to just keep it to myself and not worry about other guys, but now it's kind of hard to," Chris told the guys.
Chris was "very on edge" because he wanted to spend time with the girl he was on the show for, and being without her for such long periods of time, was really bothering and starting to eat at him.
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However, that girlfriend cheated on him one week after their one-year anniversary. She turned her phone off for three days and ignored John completely. John called prisons and hospitals, worrying something terrible had happened to her, but little did he know she was just interested in other men.
John thought it was nice he could be vulnerable with Emily and open up to her. He said he could definitely fall in love with Emily. At that point, Emily realized why John had been taking their relationship so slowly, and she appreciated the fact he was willing to share his hurtful past with her, because he clearly had his heart broken before.
"I'm not a starter. I'm a closer," John said, adding that he thought he could be the guy to make Emily's dreams come true.
Meanwhile, Sean, Doug and Chris learned they'd be unfortunately going on the group date with Emily. Sean didn't want to make himself crazy like Chris, so he decided to search for her in the streets by randomly roaming around and yelling her name in the hopes she was still close by after dropping John off at the hotel.
To Sean's surprise and excitement, he ended up finding Emily. He told her that he had to see her, and Emily thought it was an "awesome surprise." They told each other they missed one another and kissed, and then they opted to head over to a local pub for a drink to spend a little more time together.
Sean was falling for Emily more and more with each passing day.
"I was bummed when we got the date card. I did not want to be on the group date. That all changed. I made the move to find Emily and spend some alone time with her and it could not have gone better. And now, I'm on top of the world and I'm excited about the group date. I can see myself marrying this girl. It's an exciting thought, and I can't help but smile when I start thinking about spending my life with someone that would be such a great companion, such a wonderful person," Sean explained.
"Every time I'm around Sean, he just always makes me feel like I matter to him and that he thinks about me a lot, and not just me in Prague or me on our dates, but me in a life after all of this. I think that he'd be a great husband," Emily said.
The following day, Emily met up with Sean, Chris and Doug for the season's final group date. The three men and Emily took a horse-drawn carriage to the top of a hill where there was a castle awaiting them. Emily didn't know if she and Doug had the chemistry she was looking for at that point in the competition, but she knew he had so many qualities she wanted in a father and husband. Emily began to wonder whether he was open enough to fall in love and potentially be her man and life partner.
Emily and Doug went off together to chat in the castle's tower, and she asked him where he saw himself with her if they were to end up together after their journey on the show. He said they'd be "just starting out," and Emily seemingly realized in that moment her other relationships were much further along, and because of that, maybe she and Doug just weren't clicking.
"Doug's body language in the tower is not giving me the feeling like he even wants to sit next to me much less put his arm around me and give me a kiss. If Doug doesn't want to get close to me now, he's never going to want to, and now I know what I have to do," Emily said.
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"I wish Emily would give me the, 'Hey you big dummy, come and give me a kiss' eyes. I'd love to give her a kiss," Doug said.
"I completely understand being a slow mover, but then there's no moving at all. I wanted you to know that I was okay with that," said Emily, who was then interrupted when Doug leaned in for the kiss and gave her a peck.
"Thank you for that. I fought for you because I couldn't say goodbye to you yet and I don't feel like you're fighting for me. Like I told you, I want to end up with a good guy obviously, but I want to end up with a good guy that wants to be with me just as bad and wants to put himself out there for me," Emily told Doug.
"Did I do something wrong?" Doug asked.
"No, no. You have been such a gentleman -- almost to a fault -- and we're not opening up in the way that we should be at this point in order for me to feel confident in going home and involving your son. I have way too much respect for you to keep you away from him another day and make you stand at a Rose Ceremony. I think it's best if I walk you out and let you go back home so you can cuddle with your little boy," Emily said.
"I feel really stupid for just giving you a kiss," Doug noted.
Emily told him not to feel that way, and then Doug gave her a hug and walked off.
As the group date continued, Sean pulled Emily aside to talk, and he told her she would love his family and they would love her in return.
Meanwhile, Jef got the final date card of the week and officially learned he'd be going on the third one-on-one date.
The guys talked about what might be happening on the group date, and they all agreed that it was going to be equally bad listening to Chris when he came back whether he got the rose or didn't. They said Chris loved to rub in people's faces how strong his connection was with Emily.
During the group date, Chris then had a conversation with Emily. Chris told her that he was a bit upset with her because watching guys come home from dates was making him crazy. Chris couldn't help but lay a little guilt trip on Emily because of how insecure he was feeling about his place in the competition. Emily comforted him and told him she knew the process was difficult, and therefore, appreciated how he always tended to make the best of everything. They then shared a kiss.
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Afterward, Emily decided to give the group date's rose to Sean. Chris thought it was "insulting" and "fricking crazy" that Emily wanted to meet Sean's family more than his. Although Chris took offense to Emily's gesture, Emily insisted Chris shouldn't take it personally because there was only one rose to give out and two men left.
"If I don't get a hometown date, I'd be scared for anyone around me," Chris told the cameras.
The following day, Emily picked up Jef for their date and admitted she selected him for the opportunity because she just liked to be around him. Jef said he'd be the luckiest guy in the world to have a future with Emily, and Emily was really interested in him.
The couple shopped around and talked, and they ended up buying puppets whose features reminded them of themselves. Jef also bought one for Ricki, and Emily was so pleased with Jef's thoughtfulness. Emily and Jef then found their way into a beautiful library with murals painted on the ceiling. The two decided to joke around and have a little puppet show, but the couple ultimately re-enacted their whole relationship.
The two expressed their feelings although they were fooling around, and each person revealed some insecurities they had throughout the season -- such as how Jef had played it cool in the beginning, leaving Emily wanting more but questioning whether he even liked her.
At the end of their little performance, Jef announced some big news while talking through his puppet.
"This whole thing has blown my wildest dreams out of the water and I am 100 million percent in love with you, and I can't even imagine what I would do without you in my life. Can we get a dog together?" Jef told Emily.
The couple's puppets kissed and then Emily and Jef shared a real-life kiss.
Emily and Jef then settled down on a blanket inside the library and Jef told Emily he once broke up with a girl because his family didn't like her. While Jef thought he was saying the right thing by portraying the idea of how close he was to his family, Emily viewed the comment in a negative light. It made her nervous and worried because she was about to step into that same position.
However, Jef assured her everything would be fine, and he reminded her they both wanted the same things in life and pictured having the same big loving family. Emily basically told Jef she didn't want to live with a guy prior to marriage and he agreed. They both also wanted kids right away after marriage, finding even more things in common.
Jef was completely taken with Emily and said he wanted to grow old with her.
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"There's definitely some things I want to talk to her about tonight. I just feel like I finished the date real bad. I should've been more accepting that she was in an awkward position and understood that it's not easy for her. And she said it. She said it was very awkward, and she told me not to take it personally, and I did. I took it personally," Chris said.
Chris was ready to talk to Emily in order to admit his mistake and remind her why he was there, but Emily told Chris Harrison she didn't want a cocktail party at all because she had already made her mind up. When Chris Harrison made that announcement to the guys, Chris brought himself to the point of tears because he felt like he was the best man for Emily and he wasn't ready for it to be over -- although he had a gut feeling Emily might eliminate him.
John was convinced the rose was definitely going to be his, so he remained calm. John's quiet confidence frustrated Chris even more and made him increasingly more nervous. Chris told the cameras he took the week and the group date for granted, and he felt he was probably going to pay for it. He admitted his actions were not representative of the man he was.
The Bachelorette's seventh eighth-season Rose Ceremony then began. Emily apologized for not giving the guys time to talk to her, but she said she knew in her heart what she wanted to do and the cocktail parties for her served as a way to help her come to a decision.
Besides Sean, Emily gave roses to Jef and Arie. Before she handed out her final rose, Chris interrupted her out of desperation and asked to briefly speak with her.
The pair went outside, and Chris told Emily he had acted like a boy and should've been more respectful. Chris told her he was ready to be the man that both she and Ricki deserved, and then he let her know he was falling in love with her. Emily was grateful for his last-minute attempt and openness.
Afterward, Emily got back on track and Chris got back into place with the rest of the bachelors. Emily then gave her last rose to Chris -- who claimed he was the "happiest man in the world" -- and John seemed shocked and deflated.
"After our date, I thought we really had something. I mean, I'm completely shocked right now. I'm not going to lie. But if you don't see it, I can't force something that you don't see. I'm definitely hurt right now," John said.
"I'm just really sorry and I thank you for opening up to me so much," Emily noted.
"I'm a little disappointed right now. I mean, Emily is a great girl -- beautiful -- and I'm shocked, you know? I just didn't see it coming because I felt like we really connected the other night. I thought we could have something really great. She kept wanting more, wanting more, wanting more, wanting more. So I gave her more," John said following his ouster.
"I shared things with her that I don't share with a lot of people. I put myself out there and I was expecting to bring her home. I don't know what Chris told her; I think she made a mistake. I want to find somebody. I thought Emily was the right person, she wasn't. Maybe I'll find my Cinderella someday."
About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski
