The Bachelorette star Tayshia Adams eliminated Ben Smith after her Final 4 bachelors introduced her to their families during the Season 16 episode that aired Tuesday night on ABC.
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"I don't know what to do. I'm still in love with her. I really thought we were going to be together. I wanted to marry her and she was going to be my wife, the mother of my children, all of these things," Ben lamented after his ouster.
"I should have told her how I felt when I had the chance after my hometown. I'm not sure how I'm supposed to fall out of love with her. Maybe she loved me and she thought I didn't love her back, and if that's the case, then I f-cking blew it."
Tayshia therefore determined her Final 3 bachelors: Brendan Morais, a 30-year-old commercial roofer from Milford, MA; Ivan Hall, a 28-year-old aeronautical engineer from Dallas, TX; Zac Clark, a 36-year-old addiction specialist from Haddonfield, NJ;
Tayshia was so excited about the men's hometowns but also a little bit nervous. Tayshia knew meeting her Final 4 bachelors' families would show her what life would be like outside of and after the show.
The Bachelorette host Chris Harrison then met with Tayshia's remaining four men and explained they couldn't travel around the country due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Chris therefore asked the men to each put together a "hometown" date at La Quinta Resort & Club in Palm Springs, CA, that would give Tayshia a feel for their hometowns -- from the vibe to the food or activities.
Chris also revealed production had done the best they could to bring the meaningful people in the guys' lives to The Bachelorette resort. The men were told their families had arrived and were going through quarantine and testing just for them.
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Zac was told his mother, father and brother Matt were at the resort, and Chris told Ivan that both of his parents had arrived. Chris shared with Ben that his sister made an effort to come for him -- which clearly meant the world to Ben -- and Brendan learned his brother, niece and sister-in-law were present.
Brendan shared how his brother is the closest thing he has to a father after his father had passed away. Brendan broke down into tears and called his brother "astonishing, selfless and amazing."
RELATED LINK: 'THE BACHELORETTE' COUPLES NOWBrendan's date with Tayshia was up first, and he planned a small-town carnival for the Bachelorette, and the pair was joined by Brendan's niece Aliyah.
Brendan from Milford, MA, played games with Tayshia and Aliyah, and Tayshia enjoyed watching how loving Brendan was to his young niece. Brendan said he couldn't wait to have kids of his own, but that didn't work out for him in his first marriage.
Brendan said Tayshia made Aliyah feel really comfortable, and he could apparently tell Tayshia would make a great aunt and mother as well.
The trio danced to music and had a blast, and Tayshia said she loved watching Brendan let loose.
"I could definitely see Tayshia as the mother of my kids. I really do see something real here," Brendan told the cameras.
But since Brendan had been married and divorced before, he only wanted to propose marriage one more time and make that marriage last forever.
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That evening, Tayshia admitted she was "all in" with Brendan but she found him hard to read at times.
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Tayshia expressed concern to Brendan's loved ones he may not be ready for another engagement, and even Brendan seemed hesitant about the idea of getting down on one knee again if he made it to the finale.
Tayshia told Brendan's sister-in-law she had gotten married at age 25 and really related to Brendan's past, especially since they both felt "shame" over their divorces.
Daniel could tell Brendan and Tayshia had a physical connection and cared about one another by the way they looked at each other, and Brendan pointed out, "If I could have molded a Bachelorette, it would be Tayshia."
Brendan then cried to the cameras about how this process was "really real" for him, and then Tayshia told Daniel that she felt "enamored" by Brendan although it took him some time to come out of his shell.
Daniel insisted to Tayshia that Brendan was ready for marriage and he wanted to build a strong foundation with a woman first.
"Just getting a different perspective and [my family's] opinion put all of my doubts and all of the reservations I had aside. I feel like our connection has grown, and I do have strong, strong feelings for this beautiful woman," Brendan said in a confessional.
Tayshia said she could see herself falling in love with Brendan and when it became time to leave him, she never wanted to.
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"It's like 'game over' in a sense. I truly feel like Brendan could be my husband, and I could really see him standing next to me at the end of all this," Tayshia gushed.
The next day, Tayshia enjoyed a New York-themed "hometown" with Zac, who had already expressed he was "falling in love" with Tayshia.
Zac taught Tayshia how to hail a cab and then he showed her how he'd typically grab coffee and a bagel in the city. Zac pretended that he grabbed a slice of pizza with Tayshia in the city, followed by a nice conversation on a park bench.
Tayshia said she always had so much fun with Zac and she liked how much of a dork he seemed to be. She even jumped into a fountain with Zac, who said Tayshia "lights" him up.
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Zac told his family that he couldn't stop smiling -- and they noticed that for themselves -- and then Zac's brother Matthew pulled Tayshia aside for a chat and hoped for "a fairy tale ending" for Zac.
Matthew, however, was skeptical how things were going to turn out since The Bachelorette seemed to be all about timing.
Matthew asked Tayshia to compare her relationship with Zac to the other three, and Tayshia said she was falling in love and could see herself marrying Zac at the end of the process.
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"You didn't answer the question," Matthew said. "Is he asking you that question -- where you are at with your other relationships?"
Tayshia replied, "No," and explained it never felt good to talk about her relationships with other men.
Zac's father could tell Zac was smitten with Tayshia, and he thought she's "a pretty wonderful person." Zac's father hoped his son's relationship would thrive and flourish.
Zac told his mother Beatrice that he wanted to be a husband and a father and welcome children, although he previously told "a lie" in saying he'd just be happy as a single uncle.
Tayshia said she loved Zac's family and they were protective "in the best way possible." Tayshia told Zac that things felt "easy and natural" with him, and she told the cameras she had "zero hesitations" about her relationship with him and being with him just felt "good."
Ivan's "hometown" date was up next, and Tayshia said she loved his subtle confidence and how he always made her feel safe and secure in their relationship. Only one person had ever met Ivan's family before, so this was a big deal for him.
Ivan and Tayshia received a cooking lesson from Ivan's niece Kehlani, who taught the pair how to prepare a traditional Filipino dish.
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Ivan was a little disappointed his brother wasn't going to be able to attend the family gathering since his brother is so influential in his life, but Ivan was so excited for Tayshia to meet his parents.
Ivan's father apparently has pulmonary fibrosis and getting COVID-19 would be like "a death sentence," according to Ivan, so it meant the world to him to have his father there.
Ivan's mother admitted she was a little skeptical of the process because of how fast things were moving, but Tayshia assured her that love can be found in this process.
Tayshia gushed about Ivan's maturity and how he carries himself, but she could tell Ivan's mom had some walls up. Ivan's father, however, was impressed by Tayshia's confidence and predicted she and Ivan could be a good match.
Ivan admitted to his mother that he wasn't ready to propose marriage yet but that could change by the end of the process. He said he had "a special bond" with Tayshia and just wished his brother could have been there.
Suddenly, Ivan's brother Gabriel showed up in the middle of the date, and Ivan burst into tears. Even Tayshia cried because of how happy Ivan's brother just made him.
Gabriel could tell his brother was "glowing" and Ivan gushed about how much he liked Tayshia, but Ivan noticeably didn't say the word "love" or that he was falling.
Tayshia told Gabriel that Ivan is reliable, loyal and would be a great father, which are traits she's looking for in a husband. Gabriel said he couldn't picture his life without Ivan and he liked the idea of Ivan and Tayshia together.
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Tayshia wasn't shocked to discover how "amazing" Ivan's family is, and she said she'd love to be a part of it.
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"I just felt like I saw a glimpse of the future. To get my family's approval means the world because quite frankly, I'm falling in love with Tayshia," Ivan gushed.
And finally, Ben took Tayshia to "the Venice Beach boardwalk," where they rollerbladed, enjoyed fresh juice and went shopping. Tayshia was starting to fall in love with Ben, but he had yet to show where his heart was in the process.
Tayshia hoped Ben could be vulnerable with her and really tell her how he was feeling.
Ben had a caricature taken of Tayshia and himself, and Tayshia confessed she was "smitten" with the bachelor due to his fun-loving energy. Ben said he hadn't been so happy in a long time and Tayshia was going to meet his sister Madalyn and close family friend Antonia.
"Tayshia is the most pleasant surprise I've ever gotten in my life," Ben told the cameras.
Tayshia shared with Ben's sister how he came across perfect but seemed very guarded and closed-off. Tayshia was essentially waiting for the other shoe to drop, but Madalyn promised Tayshia that Ben was not hiding anything and he's a sensitive man who wears his heart on his sleeve.
Wearing his heart on his sleeve, however, once got Ben hurt, according to Madalyn.
Ben then told Antonia that Tayshia is decisive, intelligent and wonderful, adding that Tayshia made him a better person and always knew the right thing to do or say.
"Have you felt about another woman this way before?" Antonia asked.
"No, not even close," Ben replied. "I have the strongest feelings I've ever had for a person for her. It's just 'love' is a scary word. Once you say it, it can't be unsaid."
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But Antonia said there was no doubt in the world that Ben loved Tayshia, and then Ben took a moment to think and conceded, "I love her... I just don't know how to say it."
Antonia advised Ben to just let go and reveal what he was feeling, and Ben acknowledged it was "wild" to realize he was in love with Tayshia.
Ben left the gathering with a new perspective and became extremely nervous when talking to Tayshia again. Ben just couldn't express how he was feeling, and Tayshia seemingly needed some reassurance.
"In true Ben fashion, I just blew it. I'm in love with her and I should've told her, and now I'm terrified I won't get a rose this week and I won't get to tell her how I feel. That kills me inside," Ben explained.
Tayshia was falling for all four men, and so she didn't have an easy decision to make.
It then became time for the Rose Ceremony following hometown dates.
Tayshia handed out roses to Ivan, Zac and Brendan.
Ben told Tayshia on his way out that she had a great group of guys left.
Tayshia said she wasn't sure whether their pages were aligned at that time, and Ben didn't know how to respond. Ben said he would've liked things to have gone a different way but he'd be alright.
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"Don't shut down on me," Tayshia begged.
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Tayshia felt confused because Ben showed no emotion in the moment. She said their goodbye was just empty and Ben didn't show any sadness, anger or anything.
"I just felt like, 'Please let me feel like these past few weeks meant anything to you,'" Tayshia explained in a confessional.
Ben was completely speechless and said he didn't know what to do, and Tayshia said she didn't think things were going to end up this way with Ben.
Tayshia initially thought they could have ended up together.
Tayshia was apparently tired of pulling things out of Ben, and she said her heart was "starting to hurt."
"It's just a lot -- a lot," Tayshia cried.
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About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski
