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SPOILER ALERT! This post contains details from Monday’s episode of The Bachelor, including who does not receive a rose after hometowns.
The time has quickly come for Joey to meet the families of the four remaining women on The Bachelor.
The episode doesn’t waste any time getting into the hometown dates, beginning with Kelsey A. Then Rachel, Daisy and, lastly, Maria. Here’s how each of the dates went:
Kelsey A. — New Orleans, Louisiana
Joey takes his second ABC-sponsored trip to New Orleans (where Charity narrowed in on her final four last season) to meet Kelsey’s family. The pair begin their date with a tandem bike ride around City Park, followed by a snack break for some beignets.
At this point, Joey seems like he’s chomping at the bit to dive deeper with each of these ladies and really secure a commitment from them. Kelsey looks to be all in on Joey, but she does admit that the prospect of not being chosen still scares her.
Still, she brings Joey to meet her dad and her siblings. They share a truly heartfelt moment together when Kelsey’s dad presents Joey with a photo album that includes images of Kelsey’s late mom, so he can get to know her as well. Naturally, this day is very hard for Kelsey, since it’s a milestone in her life that her mom is missing.
When speaking with her dad, Kelsey says she learned not to settle from watching her parents’ relationship. Her dad is glad to hear that, because he always wanted to model a healthy relationship for his kids, and he seems to see that potential with Joey. He tells Joey that he wants him to protect Kelsey, and Joey assures him his feelings for Kelsey are very real.
At the end of the date, Kelsey’s dad tells her he hopes she’s engaged the next time he sees her. In all, it’s a very successful hometown No. 1!
Rachel — Rancho Cucamonga, California
Though she’s originally from Hawai’i, Rachel meets Joey in Southern California for her hometown date, where he meets not only her parents and her sister but also her distant relatives. While Joey impresses them right away with his respectfulness and his willingness to learn about their Filipino heritage, her parents are clearly skeptical.
Joey tries to explain that he understands their hesitancy and reaffirm his feelings for Rachel, but they really aren’t buying it. Her mom tells Joey that she doesn’t want Rachel to settle and is concerned about the idea that he’s dating multiple women. She says she likes Joey, but the jury is still out on whether he’s the right fit for Rachel.
His conversation with Rachel’s dad doesn’t go much better. Joey says he’s a bit nervous moving forward with Rachel if he doesn’t have a stamp of approval from her parents, but when he asks her dad for his blessing, his response is “If that time comes, she has my number.” Oof.
For whatever reason, Rachel doesn’t seem phased by her parents’ hesitancy. At the end of the date, she still tells Joey that she’s falling in love with him.
Daisy — Becker, Minnesota
For his third hometown date, Joey finds himself on a Christmas tree farm in Minnesota, reliving Daisy’s childhood. They even get a surprise visit from some of Daisy’s friends as they explore the farm before meeting her family.
A lot is riding on this hometown, since Daisy told Joey she couldn’t really take the next step with him or open up further with him until she saw how he was with her family. While speaking with Daisy’s mom, Joey lets her in on Daisy’s hesitancy but says he has zero doubts about his feelings for her.
Her parents must really like Joey, because both of them encourage her to open up to him and be vulnerable, even though it might seem scary. They both tell her that, if she wants the relationship to work, she has to let go of that fear and just be honest.
She takes that advice to heart and opens up to Joey about her feelings, which he seems to appreciate. Another successful hometown!
Maria — Niagara Falls, New York
Last, but certainly not least, Joey visits Niagara Falls to meet Maria’s family. He is a bit more nervous about this date than the others, simply because he and Maria have had a rocky journey thus far. Joey still seems uneasy about how Maria handled her feelings last week, when she considered leaving the show. Before they meet the family, they sit down to have a talk about where they’re at, and Joey admits he isn’t feeling confident. Maria says she regrets how she handled the previous situation, so she’s hoping she can give him some reassurance while they’re together this time around.
But, when Joey finds out that he’s the first man she’s ever brought home, it freaks him out even more. He’s not sure whether to feel honored or concerned, but he definitely leans toward feeling concerned. Maria insists that meeting her family is an important step that she doesn’t take lightly, and that’s why she’s never brought anyone home before.
Joey’s chat with Maria’s dad goes well. He says he is confident in his feelings about Maria, even though he hasn’t said much to her yet, because he doesn’t want to tell four different women he’s falling in love with them — which is fair. Maria’s dad must get a good vibe, because he gives Joey his blessing. If Maria chooses him too, of course.
Maria’s dad also tells his daughter she needs to be a bit more vulnerable and open herself up to the idea of this romance. Maria seems like she’s ready to be more open with Joey, but when she gets a moment alone with him, she still isn’t able to truly express her feelings.
Rose Ceremony
Back in Los Angeles, the four women meet Joey at an airport hangar for the rose ceremony. Since they each had individual dates this week, there is no cocktail party. Joey hands out three roses to Daisy, Kelsey A. and Rachel.
The air is sucked out of the room as he sends Maria home. He walks her out, telling her that he would have felt dishonest moving forward with her while he still had doubts.
With only three women left, it’s time for fantasy suites. The Bachelor airs Mondays at 8 p.m. ET/PT on ABC.
