It's going to be difficult only getting one episode of this a week, especially if they cut them off pre-rose ceremony like they did this week!
So with Katilyn officially the Bachelorette, Chris Harrison has a short sit-down with her to talk about a few things, including her many lip-locks that occurred during that first cocktail party. I personally have no problem with Kaitlyn kissing any and all of the contestants if she feels like it, so no judgement here!
Then it was on to the mansion where the dudes are being dudes and still talking about Britt. Which brings us away from the guys and to Britt in her hotel room, crying on the phone to her mom. Brady then knocks on the door and surprises her. She invites him in, gets a hug, and they presumably sit and chat. We don't know because we're whisked away again to the mansion where Chris Harrison gives the guys the details on the dates for the week: two group dates and a one-on-one.
The guys picked for the first group date are Daniel, Justin, Jared, Corey, Tanner, Kupah, Ben H., and Ben Z. The hint in the date card is about a ring, which turns out to be a boxing ring. At first, the date is pretty good. Laila Ali is the special guest and every one gets to work on boxing skills and talk to Katilyn intermittently.
Kaitlyn looks super-cute in her boxing outfit and she clearly has chemistry with some of the guys. There are lots of laughs, until Kaitlyn admits she forgot Kupah was even on the date because he's so into the boxing and never approaches her to talk. Then Laila Ali drops the bomb that the guys are going to go head-to-head in the ring. They get changed and then are paired up in a single-elimination tournament. It's clear in a few of the pairs who will win. Ben Z. is a beast and it shows. Kupah is another one everyone expects to succeed. Fitness trainer Justin looks like he could handle himself. Some of the others, not so much.
Kaitlyn admits she is nervous and asks the guys not to hurt each other. Starting off the first round is Ben Z. against Daniel. The guys don't start soft or slow - they go after it right away. Ben Z. has Daniel running around the ring until it is called in favor of Ben Z. Next is Corey versus Justin. Justin seems like he'd be the clear winner, but Corey goes fast and hard at him, and though they don't show it, Corey wins. Next is Ben H. against Jared, and surprisingly Jared is feisty and gets Ben H. down and out fast. Then it's Tanner versus Kupah, and Chris Harrison jokes that he's bet a Hyundai on Kupah. Tanner tries but the towel is thrown in favor of Kupah pretty quickly.
The second round starts with Ben Z. taking on Corey, which is decided in Ben Z.'s favor after a few well-placed, hard hits. Next is Jared versus Kupah, which seems like a no-brainer, but feisty Jared hammers at Kupah until he goes down. The main event is Jared against Ben Z. It's not exactly an even fight, and Jared tries hard to do what he did in his previous matches, but he gets a hard hit to the head and goes down. Katilyn feels bad that he got hurt. The medics check Jared out and it is determined he should to to the hospital, so he misses the rest of the group date.
Katilyn keeps Jared in the back of her mind, but she has other guys to worry about, so she takes some time with Ben Z. first since he won. Kaitlyn is already attracted to him but they make a connection over cooking and the tragic loss of his mom at a young age. Justin gets some time and he talks about his son, which makes Katilyn talk about how she wants a family. There is something off about Justin for me that I can't put my finger on. Maybe once we see more of his personality, that will go away (or that aspect I'm picking up on will be revealed). It's clear that Katilyn has more chemistry with some of the guys than she does others. I think she puts herself out there in conversations and is very much looking for the guys that reciprocate. Some of them either don't pick up what she's putting down or they just don't respond in kind (I think of Katilyn as being pretty free with her words and her body language, especially when she's into a guy).
While Katilyn is talking to Daniel, she gets a note telling her to come downstairs, sender unknown. She goes outside and finds that it is Jared. He can't join the party, but on the way back to the mansion he was allowed to stop by and go for a walk with her so he doesn't completely miss out. He kisses her and she was into it. The more screen time Jared gets, the more I like him. He is attractive once you get past the scruff and wolf-like features, but I'm worried that he is more into her than she is/will be into him. Maybe he'll be on Bachelor in Paradise? Here's hoping!
Inside again, Ben Z. gets the group date rose and the first rose of the episode. Meanwhile, back at the mansion, we get a taste of J.J. He's extremely confident that he will get the one-on-one date, but it goes to Clint. J.J. is "so bummed, so bummed" yet he's also not worried at all and is certain he will get a rose. Ick. The hint in the date card was about taking Katilyn's breath away, and it turns out the date is an underwater photo shoot. Katilyn wants to see if she and Clint have real chemistry, and also she was impressed by his drawing of Chris Harrison riding a dinosaur.
Before the shoot, they get dressed in fancy clothes and then do some get-in-the-mood yoga, reminiscent of poor Carly's sex guru date with Farmer Chris. The photo shoot looks like a lot of fun and the pictures are pretty cool. Katilyn has trouble not holding her nose, though my question is how are the able to open their eyes? Anyway, the chemistry is definitely there and Katilyn gets her first ever underwater first kiss. Then there is more making out at the side of the pool. After, on a roof overlooking the city, is a romantic dinner, more conversation, and more kissing. Katilyn is continually impressed with Clint (he doesn't say much but when he does it seems to be the right things). He gets the date rose and second rose of the episode.
Meanwhile, back at the mansion, we get our first glimpse of the crazy that is Tony the Healer. When he talks, it's like he's riding a word wave the never ends, and only a little of it makes sense. He even says Britt when he means to say Katilyn and doesn't recover from the blunder. Then the second group date card arrives and J.J., Jonathan, Joshua, Chris, Ian, Joe, and Tony are listed for the date, which means Cory (no 'e'), Ryan B. and Shawn B. don't get a date this week.
The hint in the date card is "stand up" so the guys figure out that the date may involve stand-up comedy. They are right and arrive to find Katilyn with the episode's second special guest, Amy Schumer. I love Amy Schumer. This segment is my favorite part of the whole night by far. Amy spits some truth out of the gate while talking to Katilyn and then the guys arrive. J.J. keeps saying he will get the group date rose, and I get more and more annoyed with him each time his face is on the screen.
The guys are stoked that Amy Schumer is there until they are told they will be the show that night. But Amy brought help: Nikki Glaser, Rachel Feinstein, and Bridget Everett. The guys and the mentors go work on the routines. It doesn't look good for the guys, though Cupcake Chris seems to have some natural humor that I appreciate. The best part, though, is when J.J. is with Amy Schumer and he is trying so hard, and then he reveals his true self, saying, "Sometimes I feel like I'm too smart for, like, 90% of the audience..." and you can see Amy just judging this guy and it is hilarious. In response to this she says, "I wanna make you feel better. You're not." and it totally goes over his head. She says something similar a little later and he's not even paying attention to her (trying to work on his "comedy"), which brings me to my favorite shot of the night, seen below, followed by Amy, in her ITM, calling J.J. a turd.
The Bachelorette Amateur Night commences and first up is Ian. I was afraid he was going to bomb (he was afraid as well) but he has a really good joke about sweating like Juan Pablo at the Women Tell All episode. Joshua is next and he gets self-deprecating by making fun of his job title, then turns it around into a dirty joke, which Katilyn loves, of course. We see Jonathan for a split second, and his open is very much like what you see most comedians do, and he 's smooth about it, but we don't actually see any comedy from him. Next is Cupcake Chris, and he was impressive, even through his obvious nerves, turning his lack of stand-up skills into a big joke, which everyone loved, and earned him a big hug from Katilyn.
Train-wreck Tony follows Chris. Tony just word vomited all over the audience, being very sincere which most people there did not understand wasn't an act or a joke, so there were a lot of twitters until the audience realized he was serious (and seriously not funny). He goes into what amounts to a motivational speech and also admits that's he's drunk. At one point the crowd is laughing at his ineptitude and he gets confused and just ends it by welcoming the next contestant. J.J. is next and he is better than Tony and uses Tony's crazy to make some jokes that work. Last is Joe, who makes a really good joke about his accent. Overall, it was pretty fun to watch (except for Tony), and the group heads off for the next part of the date.
Katilyn gets some time with Joshua first, and he continues being funny by talking about his dogs. He just seems like a really down-to-earth guy, and he's a hunk, so Katilyn is definitely feeling him. J.J. is talking to the guys and gets Tony going on whatever he is saying about him and Katilyn and who is there for whom and whatnot. This leads to my second most favorite moment of the night - the look on Joe's face as he has to sit next to Tony and listen to the crazy babble (seen below). To me, Joe's face is saying, "Someone get me some more moonshine before I dropkick this dingbat." Tony continues his ridiculousness once he gets some time with Katilyn, and while he's talking all about their connection in his ITM, her face while she is with him is not what I'd call connected. More confused than anything, and a little bit of, "I can't believe this s***."
Then J.J. gets his time with Katilyn and he talks about his daughter, which Katilyn is into, but I still just want to wipe his face off the screen. He pulls her in for a kiss, and at this point, I'm definitely sure that Katilyn gives a lot of credit to the guys that go in for the kiss. She likes funny and she likes physical. When Joe takes Katilyn outside, he doesn't waste any time and they start making out, then he's all cute and southern about it, which just seems to attract Katilyn even more. He then admits that he didn't event talk to Britt and if Katilyn had been sent home, Joe would have pulled a Brady and pursued her anyway. The group reconvenes and the group date rose gets picked up and Katilyn starts going through what she likes about each guy. She lands on J.J. and gives him the third rose of the episode. I (along with most viewers, I'm sure) were not happy, and J.J. just makes it worse by being a smug d-bag about it.
Going into the cocktail party, everyone is nervous, except those guys with roses (Ben Z., Clint, and J.J.). In Tanner's ITM he says the group decided to let the guys who didn't get a date this week get the first alone time with Katilyn. But when she comes in, J.J. grabs her right away, pissing off literally everyone. The other guys are certain J.J. is a snake and he makes it clear to Katilyn that he's not there for the boys, and literally says "sorry, not sorry" when he goes back inside. Kupah is very upset and gets right in J.J.'s face. Instead of feeling intimidated or sorry, J.J. just lets all of the guys' ill-will pump up his smug aura.
The next conversation we get to see is Ian and he tells Katilyn his story, which is sad but also hopeful since he worked back from his injuries to be able to run again. He also goes in for the kiss and seems to make a genuine connection with Katilyn. Inside, Kupah continues to rant and Tony shows his less peaceful side, which is kind of funny because even mad, Tony is as intense as ever. Clint seems to find J.J.'s antics amusing, but he's sitting pretty with a rose so that is probably why he doesn't care.
Then we're back to Kupah, who's worried he's filling the minority quota (which, let's be honest, this show is TERRIBLE with diversity, so I can see why he'd worry about that). But when he goes to talk with Katilyn, the situation just implodes. He questions if he's made an impression because she hasn't paid him much attention but she counters with that he wasn't noticing her because he didn't go talk to her on the group date. But he continues to air grievances, including that he doesn't want to be there because "he looks good on the roster of men." And from there Katilyn is pretty much over it. But he keeps talking and putting his foot in his mouth and she says she felt a connection until that moment. But Kupah keeps trying (badly), and if you want to see Katilyn's "I"m not buying this." face, look below.
The conversation ends when Katilyn says she needs some time to think about what's he's said. But Kupah goes straight to some of the other guys talking about his time with Katilyn, and Katilyn can totally hear everything. She gets peeved and goes over to the group, saying Kupah doesn't have a quiet voice and that he's clearly upset and she wants to talk to him. Kupah is laughing as she leads him away, but when she says she's going to let him go, he's stunned. Then he argues with her, going over and over about how hot she is, but she stands her ground and he refuses to listen to her. He tells her good luck before she goes inside, but then during her ITM she can hear him yelling at the producers (which that is also on tape for his ITM). The last thing we see is Kaitlyn running outside.
So no rose ceremony, but wait! We're not done yet! As the credits play, we see Britt and Brady talking about their connection and how they've hung out for a week. We see them kiss and laugh and, really, I'm over it. They do look cute and I'm sure we'll keep getting updates like this (at least they don't take up actual episode time).
Overall, it was an eventful episode, but I hope they don't keep putting off the rose ceremonies like they did tonight. My week 2 list is as follows:
Funniest: tie between Chris and Joshua
Biggest hunk: tie between Ben Z. and Joshua
Guy I think currently has the most chemistry with Kaitlyn: Clint
Guy I was most surprised by (in a good way): Jared
Guy I'm fine never seeing again: tie between J.J., Tony, and Kupah
Guy with the least screen time: Cory
Letter of the alphabet most abused by this show: J (seven contestants with 'J' names)
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