‐ Tonight on "The Bachelorette"...
‐ You ready to do this? ‐ Let's do it!
‐ [screams] ‐ Whoo!
I always hear this ends in an engagement,
but it begins at an engagement.
‐ I love that.
I'm overwhelmed with what our love can be.
‐ I have not felt like this in a really long time.
‐ I feel such a strong pull to you.
‐ You're so passionate.
[crying]
‐ Karl singlehandedly made her doubt
her relationship with each and every one of us.
‐ Stop being like this!
‐ I'm not putting anybody on blast.
‐ You already did!
‐ Look what you just [bleep] did to her.
‐ We have to live in this house together,
but the house is broken.
‐ Her entire world right now has just crumbled.
‐ These guys are upset, but...
[grunting]
I don't give a [bleep].
‐ It's a bad thing that I did.
‐ It's his word against the entire house.
‐ Oh, my God.
‐ Saying that you're falling in love with her
is toying with her emotions.
You're making a mockery of her.
‐ I'm done with him. I'm done with him.
‐ You're gonna have to trust me on this.
‐ This is a real woman's life that's in the balance.
I don't even know what happens next.
‐ [sobbing] I don't know.
‐ If you wanna come at me, come at me.
‐ And it all starts right now.
[insects chirping]
‐ I'm not 100% sure that 100% of the people here
are here for the right reasons.
‐ Of course no one knows for sure,
but at the same time, you can't speculate
if it's gonna cause damage.
‐ Yo, listen, I'm not putting anybody on blast,
especially when I don't have
all the facts! ‐ You already did!
‐ You already have! ‐ You've already done that.
‐ I didn't put anyone on blast!
‐ We live together! You don't think that's gonna
come out tomorrow anyway?
Like, stop being like this, bro.
Be logical. You're a grown‐ass man, bro.
God.
‐ Tonight is the second cocktail party,
and, uh, Karl decided to ruin the night tonight
and say that there are certain people
that aren't here for the right reasons.
‐ All right, if I have the chance to go talk to her‐‐
‐ No, no, no, you don't need to be talking to her.
‐ What do you mean, I don't need to talk to her?
‐ Bro, you need to talk to us!
‐ You caused enough problems tonight.
‐ You've done enough. ‐ Yeah.
‐ Karl went and sabotaged
a lot of people in the house.
He had no ground to stand on.
He made up all these facts.
You know, if at least you're gonna lie,
come up with a different lie from last night.
‐ Where did this come from?
‐ I'm not gonna be the one to say it, man.
The person has to come and talk to me.
‐ Okay, wait, wait. ‐ You're the only one
who said anything about, like‐‐ ‐ Person has to talk to me.
‐ Guys... ‐ Is this "Twilight Zone," bro?
Are we‐‐are we being punked?
‐ Also, you said it was multiple people.
Like, now you're just asking for one guy to step forward.
You said it was multiple people.
‐ So it went from multiple people to one person.
Okay, cool. Lie.
He's not here for the right reasons.
He's trying to cause some drama.
Now he's got a whole house of men against him,
and you've got Katie freaking out and having doubt
for really no reason.
‐ [crying]
‐ Bro, you have to understand you're‐‐
there's people who haven't gotten time today.
‐ I know. ‐ I know, I know, man. I know.
‐ So please, can we resolve this?
‐ I'm not putting anyone on blast, bro.
‐ You have no one to put on blast.
You don't have a‐‐you claim you don't have a name.
It's like this just came out of thin air.
‐ All right, cool.
Then if that's what you wanna think,
then that's what you wanna think.
[tense music]
I didn't throw a grenade.
‐ Well, look at what you caused.
‐ That's the perfect analogy. ‐ There are tons of people
that didn't have time with her.
‐ I personally didn't get time with her tonight,
and I know there are a few others
that didn't as well.
He not only affected all of us in the house,
but more importantly, affected Katie.
‐ A whole group of people that wanted to go
speak with her today‐‐ now she's outside crying.
‐ I get that, bro. ‐ Karl.
‐ Bro, enough.
‐ Um...
thank you for your time tonight.
I just don't have the right mindset
to give some of the guys
the energy and time they deserve.
I'm not going to give
any more time to anyone else tonight.
Uh, we're just gonna go straight to the Rose Ceremony.
[tense music]
So that being said, I'll just see you guys later.
♪ ♪
[dramatic musical sting]
♪ ♪
‐ This is not how I expected tonight to go.
This is probably the worst‐case scenario
that could've happened.
‐ Look, he's not gonna talk. ‐ I'm pissed.
‐ Yeah, [bleep] you, dog. Come on.
I was very confident coming in,
and to be honest, now I don't know
what the hell's happening.
‐ [sniffling]
‐ Hey.
‐ Hi. ‐ You okay?
‐ Yeah. ‐ How's it going?
‐ It's fine.
As I'm, like, forming connections,
it's just, like, I don't need this, like,
insecurity being planted into my heart.
‐ He should be coming to us as men
if he has a problem with us.
He shouldn't be putting that on you.
And you don't deserve that.
‐ Appreciate that. ‐ Mm‐hmm.
‐ If I go home because of you, man...
‐ I didn't get any time, bro.
I was trying to figure out what I was gonna pivot to;
now I'm not gonna pivot to nothing.
I gotta hope that, you know, what I've done‐‐
like, you just‐‐oh, my God.
‐ [sighs] Like, I just wanna focus
on, like, being here and being present
and doing what I thought we all came here to do.
So it means a lot that you came out to check on me.
‐ Mm‐hmm. ‐ It still obviously hurts that
I can't be confident in everyone else in that room.
‐ So do you feel guilty? ‐ No, man. Yo.
Just come forward, and that's it.
‐ Oh, my God, bro. Why are you like this?
‐ Look what you just [bleep] did to her.
‐ You know what? It's a lot.
‐ Okay. ‐ It's a lot.
‐ [scoffs] ‐ Thanks.
‐ Is this real? ‐ I don't know if this is real.
‐ Like, what, like‐‐ ‐ Oh, my‐‐dude.
‐ I just can't feel anything but just anger
towards this man who's, like, so disrespectful, you worm.
♪ ♪
[tense music]
‐ Cocktail party got canceled.
‐ This eliminated the opportunity
for some people to have time with her
that could've been the difference maker
of getting a rose or not, and now that's‐‐
you know, some people no longer have that opportunity.
‐ Yeah, I mean, he singlehandedly
made her doubt her relationship with each and every one of us.
‐ There are some good guys that are gonna go home tonight,
and that's the part that sucks. ‐ Yeah.
‐ And is‐‐is he gonna stay? ‐ I don't know.
‐ He's gonna get a rose after that performance?
‐ Bring him back in here. Where is he?
‐ [sighs]
[bleep]'s getting intense.
That was a lot, you know what I mean?
And I know that these guys are upset at me,
and they're upset 'cause yeah,
we gotta go right to the Rose Ceremony.
But forget that, man.
Like, I'm not here for these dudes.
So if you wanna come at me, come at me.
Like, this is it.
You came here for the wrong reasons.
It's not my job to call you out.
Just step up and be a man.
And the one who's basically coming out
yelling, shouting, and all this stuff,
they're usually the ones that have the most to hide.
‐ We have the responsibility as a unit right now
to protect the queen.
all: Yeah. ‐ So‐‐
‐ Put our money where our mouth is.
‐ Yeah. ‐ He needs to be sent home.
‐ I'm just disappointed, you know,
I didn't get time with Katie tonight.
I think no one trusts Karl.
No one likes him anymore.
He's a snake. He's a scumbag.
‐ Pffft. ‐ If I don't get a rose
tonight and Karl does, it'd be terrible.
[sighs]
‐ I think we all got a sense of what Karl was all about.
I'm just frustrated that
what appears to be a baseless accusation
has now hurt Katie.
All I can do is hope that our connection
has been strong enough.
I have no idea what Katie's thinking.
[dramatic music]
‐ Obviously, after talking to Karl,
things shifted tonight, and now I have concerns about
not just one, but multiple men.
I want to trust Karl.
You know, he seems like he's a good guy.
You know, and I want the guys
to be my eyes and ears in the house.
That's what I'd be looking for in a husband,
is someone who is looking out for me.
♪ ♪
So tonight, I'm just gonna put it bluntly.
I'm here to find my husband,
I am here to fall in love,
and that is what I'm hoping all of you are here for.
And I appreciate the honesty that I have been given,
um, but I'm still very confused,
but I'm gonna follow my heart.
[sighs]
[suspenseful music]
♪ ♪
David.
‐ Excuse me. [clears throat]
‐ David, will you accept this rose?
‐ I will.
Thank you. ‐ Mm‐hmm.
‐ I hate seeing her like this. It's inexcusable.
Karl messing with her emotions purposefully
tore me up, and seeing her in that shape
sickens me.
‐ Hunter.
Hunter, will you accept this rose?
‐ You bet I will.
‐ I don't know what's going on in Katie's head right now.
She still thinks there might be people here
for the wrong reasons,
but Karl's talking about some nonsense.
I mean, if I go home because of Karl,
I mean, that's gonna be a huge problem.
‐ Connor C.
[suspenseful music]
Connor, will you accept this rose?
‐ Absolutely.
‐ I hate seeing her upset.
And now she's thinking, "Is anybody here for me?"
and I don't think that's okay.
You know, it's a guy's job to protect her heart,
and it's my job to create an atmosphere for Katie
to feel secure and safe.
That means that I need to do something about it.
‐ Mike P.
Mike P, will you accept this rose?
‐ Absolutely.
♪ ♪
This isn't something that we wanna do right now
because of what you've gone through,
but we feel, as a unit,
it's our job to protect your heart,
and we've come together in solidarity
that we think that, unfortunately,
what Karl said wasn't the truth,
and that's‐‐as a unit,
we really feel that's what you need to hear.
‐ Thank you.
‐ [whispers] My man.
‐ [sighs]
Do you all feel the same way?
[suspenseful music]
♪ ♪
Excuse me.
‐ If I was Katie right now,
I don't know what the hell I'd be feeling.
I'd be like, "Shut it all down."
At this point, even for her to continue with this
is amazing on her if she does
because this night has already not gone as planned.
Now it's like reached a point of like nightmare scenario.
If there's not a Rose Ceremony,
I don't even know what happens next.
All I know is, it's about to get crazy
if Karl gets a rose.
[suspenseful music]
[Katie sighs]
‐ Okay. ‐ What happened?
‐ Uh, I did not see that coming.
‐ What?
‐ We are right in the middle of the second Rose Ceremony,
and Katie walked out.
I'm nervous.
‐ Mike P, um, informed me that
as a collective group, as a house,
they all feel that
Karl needs to go home. ‐ Hmm.
‐ Like, I don't know what I should do
because originally, I planned to keep Karl tonight.
‐ Hmm. ‐ Wow.
♪ ♪
‐ There's a lot of tension in the air right now,
and it's daunting.
This is a big setback for everybody,
especially Katie.
‐ I mean, ultimately, I do trust and respect
the men in the house,
but I just don't know what I'm supposed to do.
‐ I think the great thing about this
is that it's your decision. ‐ Mm‐hmm.
‐ It's not really up to them at this point.
It's your decision now,
and we're here to back you up on that.
‐ All right. Thanks, ladies.
‐ Of course.
‐ [whispering] You feel okay about it?
‐ Yeah, I mean, I just want the best for her.
‐ Yeah.
‐ I feel like I'm kind of in shock.
I'm just‐‐I'm just trying to process it all.
She is throwing herself into this,
and her entire world right now has just like crumbled.
‐ If Karl goes home, I think that's great.
If I go home, I think that would be a huge mistake.
You know, he should've been exterminated
a long time ago.
♪ ♪
‐ Michael.
Michael, will you accept this rose?
‐ Of course.
Thank you.
Thanks, man.
‐ Karl is clearly not here for the right reasons,
and so I don't even wanna entertain the reality
of me not getting a rose tonight
because if that happens, yeah.
‐ Connor B.
Will you accept this rose? ‐ Of course.
‐ By not coming forward with names
and just sowing doubt into Katie's mind
was the worst thing you could've done in the moment.
‐ Quartney.
Will you accept this rose?
‐ Without a doubt.
‐ So it's like, if he gets a rose,
I'm snatching it off of him.
You're‐‐you're getting the hell out of here now.
You're, like, you're gone, and if you're not gone,
this is gonna be a living hell for you.
You're gonna wish you were.
‐ Tre.
Tre, will you accept this rose?
‐ Absolutely.
♪ ♪
‐ Karl is just‐‐ that guy's out of his mind.
I don't know if he gets a rose tonight.
You know, it's hard to tell,
you know, 'cause she doesn't see what we see.
‐ Justin.
‐ But I hope it sheds some light on his true character.
‐ Justin, will you accept this rose?
‐ Of course.
‐ I think she's gonna take a step back
from everybody's relationship.
‐ Andrew M.
Will you accept this rose?
‐ I will.
‐ And he's gonna take away a rose
from someone who's here for the right reasons
just because he took advantage of her
while she was vulnerable.
‐ Christian.
Christian, will you accept this rose?
‐ Absolutely.
‐ These guys hate me? Fine.
These guys can be mad at me all they want,
but at the end of the day,
I just know that I'm getting the rose.
‐ Josh.
Will you accept this rose? ‐ Absolutely.
‐ Brendan.
‐ I'm getting a rose tonight, right?
I'm not worried about it;
it's just‐‐ it's just gonna happen.
‐ Will you accept this rose? ‐ Of course.
‐ I'm not leaving.
You have to get the freakin' military
to come out and drag me the hell out.
I'm not going. I'm not leaving.
‐ James.
James, will you accept this rose?
‐ Of course.
‐ Well, gentlemen.
Katie.
This is the final rose of the evening.
Whenever you're ready.
♪ ♪
‐ Aaron.
Aaron. ‐ Uh‐huh.
‐ Will you accept this rose?
‐ I will.
There you go.
‐ Guys, if you did not receive a rose,
I'm so sorry, and please say your goodbyes.
[somber music]
‐ Been an honor. ‐ See you guys.
‐ All right.
‐ Thank you. You too, man. It was nice to meet you.
Katie is showing us time and time again
that she is living up to exactly
who she told us she was.
♪ ♪
I mean, if you're not here for the right reasons,
then get out the door.
‐ Heading into week three,
we now have a path that's clear.
I'm super excited. I mean, obviously, it's‐‐
all I want with her is more time.
‐ It was nice to meet you.
‐ It was great to meet you as well.
[uplifting music]
‐ Katie has, once again,
for the second night in a row,
cleaned house.
And that's my girl.
‐ Well, I wanna thank you guys
for being patient these last few days.
I believe in this journey,
and I think everyone here does as well,
and I'm very excited to continue
to get to know each and every one of you,
and it just means a lot that you guys
are choosing to be here for me.
I really do have a great group of guys here.
The fact that they came together to help me
gives me hope that as each week continues,
I'm going to be able to focus on
who is really a match for me.
Cheers to finding love...
all: Cheers.
‐ And being here for the right reasons.
all: Cheers.
[glasses clinking]
‐ We're searching for eligible men
to date our next Bachelorette, Michelle Young.
Nominate someone or apply at abc.com/casting
[mellow guitar music]
♪ ♪
‐ There was so much tension last night
that it's just like... [exhales]
‐ I don't know. ‐ Yeah.
‐ I'm seeing a trend with people
who are like extra confident or extra cocky are going home.
‐ I see her doing that, too,
just with how, like, quick she's been
to react to certain things.
‐ She really does not seem to wanna
waste anybody's time, you know? ‐ Yeah.
‐ Especially their own. ‐ Yeah.
‐ Now that Karl went home,
it feels like the drama is out of the house,
but with the drama that went on,
some of the guys haven't really
had much time with Katie.
So I'm looking forward to seeing how it goes today.
I am extremely hopeful that my name
is finally gonna be on that date card.
‐ Hey, we got a date card, guys.
‐ Yeah! ‐ Yeah.
[applause]
‐ The past few days have been absolutely draining,
but you know, we're turning the page today,
it's a clean slate, and, you know,
I'm anxious to see what we're getting into.
Moving forward, you know, the focus is simply on Katie.
‐ Aaron.
Quartney.
James.
Connor B.
David.
Justin.
Thomas.
Hunter.
Brendan.
[suspenseful music]
"Love is about honesty,
and I need 100%."
‐ Did she say, "Love, Katie"? ‐ No.
‐ She didn't say, "Love, Katie"?
‐ [whistles]
‐ Confirm or deny.
‐ There's a "dot, dot, dot" at the end.
‐ The date card said "Love is about honesty,
and I need 100%, dot, dot, dot."
Not even a "heart Katie" at the end.
Brutal.
‐ Cheers, guys. ‐ Good luck, guys.
‐ Thank you. ‐ Good luck, boys.
‐ Honesty is the best policy.
‐ Always is.
‐ Katie's not here to mess around.
She's here for honesty.
I think we're all very excited but a little bit nervous
about whatever this may hold.
‐ Hello, everybody.
‐ Hi! ‐ Hello, hello.
‐ Long time no see.
Hi. ‐ Hi.
‐ So I think it's gonna be an interesting day.
‐ Hi. [laughs]
All right.
Well, last night was, uh,
interesting.
It was tough, but ultimately,
you all are here to hopefully find love with me.
I have a friend here helping me out today.
So he has something very special planned
to help me get the clarity I'm looking for.
‐ Heck yeah. ‐ Let's do it.
‐ Let's go. ‐ All right.
‐ Last night was really intense,
and I wanna believe that I have a good group of men here now,
and so today's group date is about past relationships.
So I'm excited to get to learn about the guys today
and just see what they decide to share.
Oh. ‐ Oh, my God.
‐ What is it? ‐ What's up, guys?
‐ It is Nick! ‐ Katie, how you doing?
‐ Yes! ‐ Oh, wow.
‐ I want you guys to take a seat in the circle.
‐ I walk in, and there's Nick.
‐ How's everyone doing? ‐ Good. Hi.
‐ So he was a Bachelor.
He was on "Bachelorette."
He's been through a lot of this,
and seeing the chairs in the circle like that,
this is interesting.
‐ [laughs] This is the hot seat.
‐ You guys having fun so far?
‐ The room is completely dark.
You know, spotlights hitting you in your face.
You know, circle of chairs.
So, you know, looks like some sort of intervention.
I don't know what to think.
‐ So like, you guys wondering why you're here?
contestants: Yeah.
‐ All right.
My name's Nick, for those of you who don't know.
Few years back, I was on "The Bachelorette."
Fell in love, had my heart broken.
So trust me when I tell you,
I know exactly what you guys are going through.
Emotions move very quickly.
I've also been in Katie's shoes.
And I can tell you, having talked to her,
how serious she is about this ending in love
and hopefully, an engagement.
Also being in Katie's shoes, I can tell you
that our biggest fear being in this position
is getting to know people and falling in love with them
but not knowing everything about them.
So I'm here to hold you guys accountable.
[suspenseful music]
Today's about being truthful and sharing with Katie
the things that maybe we're not so proud of.
Stories like people who have led women on,
ghosting, cheating,
someone trying to be the next Bachelor.
All things Katie deserves to know
before she risks her feelings any further.
♪ ♪
‐ [exhales] Whew.
‐ Gonna start being honest right now,
say I'm a little bit nervous myself.
There are gonna be red flags that Katie doesn't like
or can't move past,
and just being so open completely
is scary.
‐ I know I'm gonna be entirely honest,
and I think that's all I can do.
But there are things from my past
that I'm not proud of.
So that's why I'm‐‐ I'm nervous.
It's extremely uncomfortable. [laughs]
‐ You know, we all have a past.
We all make mistakes. No one's perfect.
And I'm willing to hear you out
and whatever it is you are willing to share,
and so I'm thankful for Nick
to kinda open the floor for some discussions.
[tense music]
♪ ♪
‐ This is meant to be more of a soul‐searching,
meaningful date, and it's scary,
but it's the thing that I have to be doing right now
in order to really provide that sense of trust.
‐ What about you, Hunter?
How you doing?
‐ I've already developed significant feelings for Katie,
um, but I think out of, you know,
respect to her and myself,
there's a lot that she still has to learn about me
and I absolutely have to learn about her, so,
um...
I met a woman,
and she was absolutely the woman
that I knew I would spend the rest of my life with.
We got married, we had a little baby girl.
And by the time we had my son,
I had just completely
shifted priorities.
You know, I‐‐I justified it by saying that
[voice breaking] I had to work because, like,
I wanted them to have everything.
But it's so catastrophically ironic
because I was destroying all of that
while I was trying to build it,
and we drifted apart.
And I failed at marriage,
and that doesn't just affect me and her;
it affects two...
Two amazing kids.
[sentimental music]
I never imagined divorce for myself.
That's‐‐it's absurd.
So I‐I tell you that because
when I'm in that position again,
I will cherish it;
I will never stop maintaining that love.
‐ Thanks, Hunter.
‐ Thanks for sharing.
‐ With Hunter, the fact that he is open
and just put it on the table,
I think that says something.
You know, it really shows that these guys
are taking this seriously
and I will find love.
I want to hear their stories.
I need to hear their stories.
‐ My dad had gotten sick, he had a stroke,
and so I met a girl that,
she was going through a time too,
and, you know, we needed each other at that time, right?
But as‐‐as time goes on,
it was more of an obligation to be together
rather than you want to be with them at that point,
and I wasn't the man I wanted to be.
‐ Thank you for sharing that.
‐ I had to make a decision:
for love or for my career or for my future,
and I decided to move on with my life.
And you know, sometimes you wonder, like,
"Did I make the right decision?
You know, did I let something slip away?"
‐ It was a mistake that broke some of the trust with her,
and I realize how important trust is,
and I just want you to know that.
‐ Thanks, Quartney.
I appreciate being vulnerable.
The guys didn't have to say anything today.
‐ The reason why I bring that up is...
‐ But slowly, they started to open up,
and I believe a lot of them have learned
and are trying to grow in who they are as a man.
You know, and I think today,
it just brought us all a little bit closer.
‐ How about you, Thomas?
‐ I'd say since the moment I met you, I‐‐
it's just been a very up‐front
"what you see is what you get" conversation,
and, like, I think everything happens
the way it's supposed to happen,
and this is one of them for me.
I couldn't sit here and look you in the face
and say, "Yeah, when I showed up to this place,
I was here for the right reasons,"
because I didn't know who you were.
And worst‐case scenario, I give it a shot,
and yeah, you could build a great platform from it,
and that's just the honest‐to‐God truth,
like, my approach to this.
And I could sit here and tell you right now
the best thing I ever did was lean into the potential
of what could be here,
because the feelings that I have for you are real,
and I feel that's reciprocated.
I mean, any red flag that you wanna know,
yeah, I'll tell you.
I'll tell you any secret that I've ever had.
There's people who I've led on.
I went on a date, like, the week before I left
because, like I said, I came in just not knowing.
‐ I was listening to Thomas.
I didn't understand what he was doing.
‐ I sit here, and I look at you, and I smile.
‐ You compliment her, and then you run over
all the things we're supposed to talk about.
‐ The reason why I'm smiling, I get excited about that.
‐ Like, how is he possibly grinning
like a freaking clown from a Stephen King novel,
staring at her right in the face
after all these heartfelt,
really hard conversations to have?
None of it sat well with me.
‐ When you have just, like, no expectation,
and you start seeing something emerge on that,
and you're like, "Whoa."
‐ The speech he gave was like a sales pitch.
I was like, "Who the [bleep] is this guy?"
‐ Thanks, Thomas.
Well, Connor, we're gonna end it with you.
‐ Okay. [sniffles]
Um, this is gonna be really hard
for me to talk about.
Uh, pretty terrified right now,
so thanks for bearing with me together here.
‐ Take a big breath.
‐ This is something I would've
shared with you in private, but, you know.
Um...
I guess the reason I wanna talk about it
is because I do care about you, Katie.
I'm really a little terrified
of how much I care about you already.
This is gonna be tough.
It's just not a story where I'm the good guy.
But I‐‐I guess I just hope
she's seen enough in me
to still trust me.
There was a time in my life
when I was maybe 24 or 25,
and I was in grad school,
and I was supposed to get a PhD,
and I hated it, and I was miserable,
and so I‐‐I dropped out.
And then I was working as a musician full time,
uh, like, at a piano bar, and I drank for free there,
and so I just...
It‐‐it became more and more of my life.
Uh, the drinking.
And I started to just
get angrier and angrier when I was drunk.
Um, just get blackout drunk, and my friends,
the people I cared about,
and, like, my girlfriend at the time
would tell me things I said
when I was blackout drunk that were just
cruel and hurtful and terrible,
and I didn't even understand [sniffles]
who the person was that was saying those things
or where it was coming from.
And so it kind of all culminated one night...
So I got really, really drunk,
and I picked a fight with my girlfriend at the time,
and then I went to a party,
and I got more drunk, and I got high,
and I ended up cheating on her, [sniffles]
and kind of blowing up my entire life
in, like, one day.
And from there,
I read every self‐help book I could find,
I went to therapy, I talked to family,
I talked to friends.
I tried to make amends where I could,
[voice breaking] but I‐‐I really hurt somebody,
and that‐‐I carried a lot of guilt with that.
And all I can say is that, like,
I don't recognize who that person was,
and that's not me.
And I used that to become a better man,
and to become somebody who deserves someone like you
and who can stand up and confidently say
that they are a better person in every way.
[sentimental music]
‐ Thanks, Connor. ‐ Thanks for sharing, Connor.
‐ I did not expect to hear a Connor B story.
Him opening up about his past [sniffles]
just shows how serious he's taking this.
He's willing to be open and vulnerable,
and, you know, I think initially,
the guys were a little nervous today,
but slowly, they really opened up about stuff
that they didn't want to talk about,
and I feel safe with them.
[exhales]
You guys have been great at being open and vulnerable.
So I'm going to do the same.
And what I'm gonna tell you,
a lot of people actually don't know,
including my own mom.
I know you see me today as this very sex‐positive woman
who's very confident,
but she hasn't always been here.
Ten years ago, it was New Year's Eve.
And I had been drinking.
And...
I was involved in a situation where there wasn't consent.
And that is not something I wish upon anybody.
And I was in denial about what happened.
So much so that I tried to form a relationship with him
because I didn't wanna believe what actually had happened.
And when that didn't work out,
for years I had a very
unhealthy relationship with sex.
I didn't want to have sex, [sniffles]
which affects the relationship.
I didn't like talking about sex.
And it's taken me a long time to get to where I am now...
[clears throat]
In being open and comfortable talking about it
and loving myself
and accepting things that I can no longer control.
And I just want you guys to know that
I've come a long way in who I was ten years ago,
and how important consent is,
how important communication is,
and how important it is to not guilt trip
somebody for not having enough sex with them,
guilt trip them for not having sex with them in general.
And so that is something that‐‐
really big that has happened in my life
that in some ways has really shaped me
to who exactly I am today. [sniffles]
And so with you guys sharing your stories,
I thought it was important to share mine as well.
all: Thank you.
‐ Thanks, Katie. I know that was really hard.
‐ What I shared with the group today
is something I never really talked about.
For a long time, I felt responsible
for being too drunk,
too irresponsible, too stupid.
[sniffling]
But it's not my fault.
Because consent is important,
and I did not give it that night.
‐ The truth is a powerful thing.
It brings us closer together.
Katie seems like she has a pretty good group.
‐ I think so.
I didn't think I would go there today,
but every single guy here stepped up to the plate
and really exceeded my expectations, truly.
[laughs]
‐ You're the best. ‐ Thank you.
‐ You're a trooper.
‐ I feel just like this weight
has been lifted.
I feel liberated.
Thank you.
I just feel closer with them,
with each and every one of them today.
‐ Group hug. [laughter]
‐ And I think it's just gonna help all of us going forward.
Thank you. ‐ Wow.
‐ That was heavy. ‐ Yeah.
[laughs]
[gentle music]
♪ ♪
‐ Communication is key
in every relationship,
but especially in a romantic relationship.
It is important to be honest and transparent.
‐ Yeah.
It's totally important.
I mean, for me, personally,
I‐‐I come with a different‐‐
like, a‐‐a different set of‐‐of things...
‐ Yeah. ‐ That come with me.
From the day that I got here,
I've had this, like, weight on my shoulders about my story.
Being a single dad, it's a big part of who I am.
It's something I haven't been hiding
as much as it is trying to control
until I get an opportunity to speak with Katie.
What we need to discuss requires time.
It's not something I can easily bring up with Katie.
So I've been holding back
because I haven't found the right time.
My journey to get here is‐‐is very strange.
Um, I met my wife,
uh, you know, in 2003.
We were together for 16 years,
and seven months after delivering our child,
she was diagnosed with breast cancer,
and about two years ago, Laura passed away.
‐ Gosh. ‐ Um...
so, you know, there's, uh...
like‐‐it's all right.
Um... ‐ Take your time, dude.
‐ [groans]
[clicks tongue, grunts softly]
Literally overnight, like, life flipped upside‐down
at a time when, you know, we have a little child.
I just, you know, I'm doing this primarily
to take some risks and start to look at, like,
a future for myself and my son
that maybe I wouldn't have done at home.
‐ Yeah.
Michael A. went through all of our worst nightmare.
To lose your person that you know you love,
you start a family with, you know,
you dream of growing old with,
and for that to be taken away from him,
I was speechless.
I didn't‐‐how do you respond to that?
‐ You know, if I get that opportunity
to talk to Katie about this,
I'm going to be very honest.
‐ Yeah.
‐ My entire life‐‐ 36 years old‐‐
I've only told one girl I love her.
My wife Laura.
But I came here to find that spark with Katie
that's really been missing in my life,
and so I'm hoping,
with everything that I come with,
that it doesn't scare her away.
I appreciate you guys listening, though.
It feels good to get it off my chest.
[soft music]
[crickets chirping]
♪ ♪
[fire crackling]
‐ I think the guys stepped up today.
That was a really, really hard date,
but especially for Katie.
It meant so much that she shared what she did
and really opened herself up.
That can't have been easy for her to say.
Tonight, I'm really looking forward
to some actual one‐on‐one time.
I want to continue to show her that vulnerability.
I think that that's what she's looking for.
‐ I don't know about you guys,
but I'm‐‐I'm happy I kind of got that off my chest today.
‐ Yeah.
‐ It's a bit expected for us to do that,
but I was not expecting her to immediately turn around
and share what she did with us. ‐ Mm‐hmm.
‐ It just shows that she's wanting to make herself
just as vulnerable as we are. ‐ Sure. Of course. Yeah.
‐ Yeah, exactly.
And it was just very impressive,
and she didn't have to do that.
‐ Yeah. ‐ Mm‐hmm.
‐ You know, we're all here to protect her feelings,
have her best interests in mind,
and I just want to make sure that we are‐‐
we're all on the same page in that effort.
‐ Yeah. ‐ Hello!
‐ Well, hello. ‐ Wow.
‐ All right, hey.
‐ Hey, hey.
‐ Look at that pretty girl. ‐ [laughs]
I always forget how well you guys clean up.
[laughter]
Let's sit. [laughs]
Whew.
Um, I would like to have a toast.
[tender music]
Today was a really great time.
For me, it felt transformative,
and, you know, I shared something
I wouldn't normally share with you guys,
and it just means a lot.
Thank you for being vulnerable and honest,
because that's all I've really asked for
in our journey together.
So cheers to a good night. ‐ Cheers.
‐ Cheers.
[glasses clinking]
‐ Today was such a powerful thing.
A lot of the guys really put in the effort,
the heart, in telling their story, you know,
and so it's like, at this point,
I have no idea who I'm gonna give my rose to tonight.
I feel like that's a good thing,
to not know who I wanna give my rose to.
There are men here who I want to get to know more.
There are men here who I think could be the one,
and it's very exciting.
‐ Today was a lot, and, uh, you know,
I don't like seeing you shook up and‐‐and hurt,
so I wanted to, first and foremost, check in with you
and‐‐and see how you're doing, especially, you know,
not only with the past few days,
but how today went
and how open and vulnerable you were.
I know that's not easy for you to share.
‐ I mean, obviously, today was a lot,
but at the same time, I actually feel really good,
not only you guys opening up,
but me feeling that I was also in a safe space
and kind of, you know, letting you guys know my story.
‐ Yeah. ‐ And I'll be honest.
It felt, like, liberating... ‐ Exactly. Yeah.
‐ For me. ‐ Yeah.
‐ You know, if‐‐if‐‐if we're going on this journey together
and‐‐and we have a life after this,
it's not gonna be just the fairytale great things.
Right? You need to know everything about me.
So, you know, I want to keep
learning more and more about you, so...
‐ You continue to show up every day,
and I think that means a lot to me.
‐ Each and every time I‐I connect with Katie,
um, you know...[laughs]
the feelings just keep developing.
I would love to get the Group Date Rose
because it just solidifies the notion that, you know,
your conversation with her
and‐‐and the connection that you've made
means something.
But I'm not gonna lie.
It's gonna be difficult to stand out
amongst all these great guys here.
‐ I just wanna make sure you're okay,
and I wanted to say thank you for what you shared today,
'cause you‐‐you didn't have to do that,
and it was really a lot.
Um, and I'm sorry for what happened to you.
But thank you for trusting enough
to‐‐to talk to us about that.
It meant a lot. ‐ I mean,
that's kind of, I mean, what today was about.
‐ Mm‐hmm. ‐ I‐‐I didn't know
I was going to share that. ‐ Mm‐hmm.
‐ I didn't know what everyone else was going to share.
But you‐‐you know? ‐ Mm.
‐ And‐‐and today, I really felt, like, growth.
‐ Yeah. ‐ Strength.
And it just felt like I was taking control
of that situation, and it just‐‐
you know, not letting it control me
or my pain anymore.
At the end of it, I just felt...
like, relief, you know?
Like, that we all were now,
like, able to share things and...
‐ Mm‐hmm. ‐ And learn about each other,
and I just think it's great that you really were open
about everything.
‐ I think the one thing I wanted to do coming on‐‐
my biggest goal was to just bring my whole self
and be completely genuine and honest,
and I think you're really, really perceptive.
You‐‐you have this way of seeing people,
and I haven't felt that seen in a really long time,
maybe ever.
‐ I hope that I can give you the confidence,
and I want you to see you the way I see you,
because I think you're a catch.
I‐‐you really are. ‐ Come here.
[romantic music]
♪ ♪
‐ [laughs]
‐ She's...
I‐‐I have not felt like this
in a really, really long time.
If she gave me the rose,
it could mean that she might
be feeling something like that too.
‐ I don't know about you guys; like, I've felt stretched
in ways that I didn't foresee, you know, occurring,
especially this early, and it's wild to me
that, you know, she kind of has this ability to...
make us want to open up, you know what I mean?
‐ Right.
I think Katie has preached 100% open and honesty,
and, you know, I plan on showing more of that tonight.
♪ ♪
‐ I have to say that I'm just so thankful
every single time... ‐ [giggles]
‐ That I get to share these moments with you,
and I am sorry for squeezing your hands.
‐ No! You've done great. ‐ Like last time.
‐ [laughs] Thank you.
Um, I will say, um, given our very limited time,
you mentioned earlier that there's a list of red flags
that you're happy to discuss. ‐ Mm‐hmm.
‐ Now that we're not in this group setting,
I'm curious what it is you want to share.
My biggest... thing I wanted you to know
is, in getting here, I‐‐I didn't ask for you,
and everything that we've gone through
in our lives to get us to this point‐‐
I believe when two people come together
in circumstances that would never possibly
ever be obtainable and have a connection like that,
it's for a reason. ‐ Mm‐hmm.
‐ And I'm gonna do everything I have to
every single day to show you that.
‐ I appreciate that.
I will say it feels like you're dodging a question,
which is‐‐ ‐ Answer. Sorry.
‐ What‐‐give me‐‐ ‐ Sorry, sorry, sorry.
‐ What are some‐‐you mentioned
you have a whole list of red flags.
‐ Okay. ‐ I wanna hear 'em.
I wanna know them and understand
kind of where you're coming from.
You know, I just don't wanna be blindsided at the end of this.
‐ I promise I'm not dodging any question.
You could ask anything you want.
‐ [laughs] ‐ At any point.
‐ I mean, that's the hard part.
Like, I‐‐for me, I don't know what to ask.
I'd rath‐‐you know, if there was anything else
that I should know...
[tense music]
‐ I don't know what it is, but it's just like an intuition
that something's not quite...
‐ Who, Thomas? ‐ Yeah.
I can't even imagine Katie being Thomas's type.
‐ You know, talking about Thomas,
coming in with the intentions
of building your platform, right,
and then having such a major shift
to suddenly realizing you're here for love‐‐
in my eyes, it's too drastic of a change in mindset
to be believable.
‐ Well, I can't imagine that Katie can't see through that.
‐ It's hard, though, because it's like,
he turns on the charm.
‐ I mean, that's‐‐ that's what Thomas does.
‐ Yeah.
‐ Every single day that I'm here,
this gets realer and realer,
and I don't ever want a second of doubt
to come into the feelings that we have.
And the things that I feel
and the things that I think you feel are just...
I'm not gonna say it's a certain word.
‐ [laughs] ‐ Um...
‐ But it's developing to something,
and I want you to know my intention on this
is that we're leaving and getting married.
Ideally, where would you want to live?
'Cause we could buy a house anywhere.
‐ [laughs] ‐ We'll figure it out.
‐ To be determined.
Thank you. ‐ Thank you.
‐ [chuckles]
‐ My time with Katie, it was...
wasn't what I wanted it to be.
‐ Well, even today, man, like, we‐‐we opened up,
we cried, and he just said,
"Oh, hey, this is my red flags."
Bam, bam, bam, bam, bam.
‐ When Thomas is put on the spot,
it comes off a little bit as... ‐ Prepared, maybe.
‐ [clears throat]
[dramatic music]
‐ [sighs]
♪ ♪
She was asking probing questions,
and I wish I had more of a response for her.
It was‐‐my nerves were rattled,
and I let that moment get the best of me.
‐ I don't know about you guys, but every minute that passes,
that rose is just becoming more and more visible to me.
‐ How'd I get [bleep] rattled? That never [bleep] happens.
That doesn't feel good.
That sucks.
♪ ♪
[bleep] me.
‐ How are you? ‐ Remember me?
‐ Yes! [laughs] Of course.
‐ I'm going to do whatever it takes to actually fix this.
It might cause a lot of tension
with me and the guys in the house.
I can live with that.
A lot of those guys aren't gonna be here next week.
I will be.
[crickets chirping]
‐ I was, like, 19.
He got sick. He had a stroke, essentially.
‐ Yeah.
‐ It was like the biggest wake‐up call
in my life. ‐ Yeah.
‐ Um, I became very acutely aware of my own mortality.
I didn't want to bring that up, but...
‐ I'm glad you did, though.
[tense music]
‐ Um...so‐‐I'm sorry.
That's a little bit distracting.
‐ [stammers] Me too.
‐ [sighs] ‐ Conti‐‐but finish your story.
I want to hear more.
‐ I‐‐I was rattled earlier, and I didn't feel
my conversation with Katie went the strongest.
‐ But yeah, so‐‐I lost track.
‐ And the only way I can make sure
that I have the best chance of coming home with a rose
is to talk to her again tonight.
I would just want to clean some things up.
I want to clarify some certain things.
And I have more to prove.
‐ Tch. Um... ‐ What's up, brother?
I was seeing if there was something
I could share with Katie momentarily.
‐ Um...
♪ ♪
Yeah, so a little bit confused.
‐ [laughs]
It's always good to see you.
‐ You too.
‐ Until we meet again. ‐ Yes.
Talk to you soon.
♪ ♪
‐ Getting this rose, it's everything,
because that means I'm the one
who's able to continue moving forward with Katie.
That's where my priority is.
Since‐‐
‐ I'm surprised to see you again.
‐ As soon as I walked away from you,
it was just put on my heart so heavy
that I‐‐I had to just come
express where I was coming from.
What I feel with you
and the understanding that I'm having
is...
fear and love are two very, very similar things
rooted in the same concept.
And when I look at you
and the things that I feel with you,
I feel both of those so strongly at the same time,
and I couldn't leave tonight without letting you know
exactly how special I see you and...
how special feeling that fear was again.
And I haven't felt this way...
in as long as I can remember.
I feel an energy that's just such a strong pull to you,
and...[groans softly]
I‐‐I need you to know that.
‐ [laughs]
‐ I need you to know that. It's...
‐ You're so passionate about your feelings,
and I love that.
Like I told you before, like,
I felt this instant chemistry or spark,
and I'm just happy you're here.
[giggles]
[romantic music]
♪ ♪
‐ I was just in there with Katie.
Uh, we were talking,
and Thomas kind of walked around,
paced around, uh, a few feet away
and‐‐and said he‐‐he has to share something, so...
‐ While you're talking to her? ‐ While I'm talking to her.
So ended up just leaving.
‐ He came and interrupted your time?
‐ Yeah. He's‐‐he's in there right now.
[tense music]
[sighs] Bro, he's full of [bleep].
‐ Here's my question.
She won't give him a rose, will she?
‐ I hope not.
♪ ♪
[knocking on door]
‐ [bleep]! [bleep]!
‐ Date card. [laughter]
‐ I got it. ‐ My God.
‐ I miss Katie.
At the Rose Ceremony,
I didn't even get to talk to her.
So it was a little bit tough for me.
I was really pissed.
‐ There it is.
‐ Oh. ‐ Oh, boy.
‐ At this moment, I'm praying I have the one‐on‐one.
♪ ♪
‐ "Michael A., love is an adventure...
Love, Katie."
[soft music]
‐ I'm sure I can speak for pretty much every guy in here
that we wanted to be on that card a lot.
‐ Yeah.
It's kind of a‐‐a flurry of emotions.
I‐I‐‐there's something there with Katie,
and I want to tell her why I'm here.
The magnitude of the moment is not lost on me whatsoever.
I may be nervous for the first time since I've been here.
♪ ♪
‐ What's up, man?
Talking to Katie again?
‐ Yeah. [sighs]
‐ So it's kind of tough to see you getting...
two opportunities with her when some of us haven't.
‐ The opportunity presented itself.
‐ Did it, though? ‐ It did.
‐ He was speaking with her. ‐ What, to interrupt me?
‐ Having an urge to go speak with her
isn't seeing a window or an opportunity.
‐ That's super disrespectful to me.
‐ I know if you guys had a chance
to speak with her a second time‐‐
‐ I thought‐‐wait, I thought you had a specific purpose.
‐ I did.
That purpose was to tell her how I feel about her.
‐ That's‐‐that's what I was doing.
‐ Mm‐hmm.
‐ You're saying your time is worth more than mine?
‐ Yes. I will say yes, 100%.
‐ Well, that's disrespectful, because‐‐
‐ That's disrespectful.
Dude, you are‐‐you are something else, man.
‐ How can‐‐how can‐‐ ‐ That's‐‐that's disrespectful.
‐ I'm fine with being something else.
‐ I was trying to respect you,
'cause I thought it was something important.
‐ I told her that I was falling in love with her.
[dramatic music]
And I told her that I was afraid‐‐
‐ All right, man. That's [bleep] crazy.
‐ Because of how things are progressing.
And it's something that I am sorry
you're never gonna understand.
‐ Okay, well, I don't wanna‐‐ I don't wanna‐‐
I'm not you, and I don't wanna hear it.
I think you're full of [bleep].
♪ ♪
‐ Hello.
‐ Hi. ‐ Hello.
[tense music]
‐ Thank you.
‐ Tonight, Thomas showed that he has zero respect
for any of the other boys.
He's walking all over everyone.
I don't think Katie knows how disrespectful Thomas is.
If he gets a rose,
it would be, frankly, super disappointing.
‐ I had a really great time with each and every one of you.
Unfortunately, the night has come to an end.
[sighs]
♪ ♪
Connor B., I think what you shared today
took a lot of courage and strength.
David, I know how uncomfortable you have expressed
being in this environment, and today, I really recognized
you stepping up, and I see the effort you're putting in.
Hunter, I appreciate
how vulnerable you have continued to be
with each and every conversation we have,
with how honest you are with me every time we speak.
That means a lot to me.
That being said...
[tense music]
♪ ♪
Connor B., will you accept this rose?
‐ Oh, my God, of course.
[gentle music]
‐ [laughs]
♪ ♪
‐ It's my little victory dance.
I'm gonna work on that.
I'm really excited. [laughs]
This is just a confirmation that there's something there,
and it's not just me kind of picturing it.
It's not just, you know, my imagination.
Every moment with her
just leaves me wanting another moment with her.
‐ Hey, good night. I'll see you soon.
‐ Have a good night. ‐ Sleep well.
‐ Yes, yes, yes.
‐ You mind if we get hugs?
Connor got the date rose, but tonight,
Thomas was taking time away from us.
He's rubbed everybody the wrong way,
and he's manipulating Katie.
He's starting to show his true colors.
[tense music]
‐ There's a lot that's on my mind.
How could I feel confident going into a Rose Ceremony
knowing that I didn't have any time?
‐ Thomas, you getting extra time today,
it took away from some guys,
and this is what happens.
‐ I get it, and I know, if I was you guys,
I would be looking at me the same way
all of you are, especially that‐‐
‐ Don't look at me, man.
Just pretend we don't know each other.
‐ We could do that, but I also know that‐‐
‐ I would prefer that.
‐ If you guys were where I were,
we know how this works.
‐ Dude, you already acknowledged
you would be furious too.
So you know exactly where we're coming from, right?
It is blatantly disrespectful.
I find it disgusting. It's repulsive.
That's how I feel.
‐ If you guys had the opportunity
to have that time‐‐
‐ Yeah, but dude, saying that you're falling in love with her
is toying with her emotions, man.
‐ What I said‐‐ what I told her‐‐
‐ You're making a mockery of it.
♪ ♪
‐ I didn't say that I loved her.
I said that you can't have fear without love.
♪ ♪
‐ Thomas flat‐out told everyone
he let Katie know he was falling in love with her,
and now, well, that's not really the case.
And, uh, that's‐‐I mean, that's [bleep].
‐ I'm here to find a wife.
‐ This morning you were here for a platform.
I find his behavior disturbing.
I find him, um, a [bleep] human.
[dramatic music]
At this point, I think Thomas is a cancer.
I think he needs to be cut out...
♪ ♪
Until he's absolutely gone.
[bird calling]
[light chomping]
[engine revving]
[rock music]
♪ ♪
‐ Today, Michael A. and I have a one‐on‐one date,
and we're going on an adventure.
Whoo!
Michael A. is one of the older guys in the house.
You know, he has a son,
and he has called himself like the dad of the house,
but with today, I just want to have fun with him.
Yes!
I like to travel.
I like to have new experiences.
And so it is important
to find someone who wants to do that with me.
And I'm hoping he can cut loose, get messy,
and have fun with it.
[tires squealing] Whoo!
♪ ♪
Oh...my God.
[sputters]
Whoo!
[engine thrumming]
‐ Yep!
[tranquil music]
[engine revving in distance]
♪ ♪
[upbeat music]
♪ ♪
‐ What?
♪ ♪
Whoo!
♪ ♪
Hey, girl.
‐ Hi!
Ugh. [laughs]
‐ It's so nice to see you. ‐ You too!
‐ Oh, God, I missed you.
‐ Well, I thought it would be fun
to just get out of the house.
‐ Yes. [both laugh]
‐ Oh, my. ‐ Yes, yes.
It's been following me.
‐ And, you know, have a little adventure.
‐ Yeah. ‐ Well, you excited?
‐ Whatever you have planned, I'm ready. I'm game.
‐ All right, well, let's get in.
‐ Jump on in? All right.
‐ Yeah. I'm driving. ‐ All right. Cool.
I've been waiting for this date for so long,
and I'm nervous.
‐ You ready to do this? ‐ Let's do it.
Let's go. ‐ Let's go!
‐ Whoo!
[rock music]
Whoo! ‐ [laughs]
‐ Since my wife passed away, I had difficulty
kind of opening up my heart again,
and I feel strong for Katie.
And that's equally as scary as it is exciting.
‐ Oh, God, here‐‐hang on!
‐ Oh! ‐ [screams]
‐ Yes! Whoo!
‐ Aah!
♪ ♪
Whoo!
I'm a good driver, I promise.
‐ Oh, no, I believe it.
Anytime I feel like I am feeling a little bit tense
or nervous, seeing Katie smile
just brings out the best in me.
‐ Oh, God! Aah!
‐ Yes, yes! ‐ [shrieks]
‐ It's challenging opening up your heart again,
but one thing I do know is I'm excited,
and that's something I haven't felt in a long time.
♪ ♪
[hawk screeches]
‐ Gosh. Whoo!
‐ That was so much fun.
When you were driving, I had the utmost confidence in you.
‐ Um, okay, I do have a confession, though.
‐ Hmm? ‐ Earlier today,
we were practicing on the dune buggies,
and I flipped it.
The car's broken. ‐ [laughing]
‐ I broke the mirror. It was up‐‐
It took‐‐like, all the men had to, like, flip it back over.
‐ So you weren't like hurt at all, though?
‐ No, I mean, I did bang up my knee.
‐ Ego, maybe, or, like... ‐ Yeah.
Like, I'll have to‐‐ I'll have to see
what that looks like later when I put on, like, a dress.
‐ Right.
‐ That big bruise? That's from that.
‐ I mean, that is kind of badass, though.
‐ [laughs] ‐ Like...
that's the way to do it.
You made it all worth it, and...
‐ Oh, my gosh. ‐ You know, I've been patiently
sitting around, and that's one of the things
that's been weighing on me since I've gotten here
is time, like, with you. ‐ Mm.
‐ There's, you know‐‐
some things in my life, like, require explanation,
and I've held off talking about, you know, my life
with you, just because just looking for that right time.
‐ Yeah. ‐ You know, obviously,
we're just getting to know each other.
Like, it's a long process, um,
but there's something really strangely, like,
comforting and familiar with you
that, you know, I feel like could really be something.
Like, I really do.
Otherwise, I pr‐‐I promise, I'll leave.
‐ Yeah.
‐ Like, I won't waste your time.
Um, but I've got no reason to think that.
‐ Yeah. ‐ Yeah.
‐ Well, no‐‐ ‐ I think you're special.
‐ I‐I'm glad that you say that, you know,
and I know the sacrifice it is for you as a dad
to be here, you know, and so I want you to know that
however long you are here,
I know the weight that that carries,
you know, given everything you've left behind,
and that I don't take that decision lightly.
‐ Thank you.
Yeah, I mean, as far as, like, my son,
it's‐‐it's crazy,
because I think about him all the time.
Coming out here, I felt like I was being, like, selfish,
but my son, he deserves, like, the happiest dad.
‐ Of course. ‐ And so it's more or less
like a pause in order to, you know,
invest a little bit in myself.
‐ I mean, yeah, he's looking up to you
and learning from you,
and I think one of the greatest lessons of life
is love. ‐ Oh, my God, yeah.
Like, at least, at my age, like,
I'm experiencing life all over again, like, brand‐new.
‐ Yeah. ‐ That really excites me.
Like, I always hear, "This ends in an engagement,"
but it‐‐it begins in an engagement.
‐ I love that.
‐ I didn't know how amazing you would be.
‐ That's really beautiful.
‐ I'm, like, so happy I'm here.
I don't know what will happen
if I get, like, super attached to you
and then you have to go on other dates,
but I know that that's a thing, um,
and I'll be respectful of it.
But I'm just like happy for the moment.
‐ Yeah.
‐ Like, my life's better
because of you, like, right now.
[romantic music]
Can I kiss you?
‐ Abso‐[bleep]‐lutely. ‐[laughs]
♪ ♪
Today was just an amazing day.
I've been waiting to spend some time with Katie
since I got here, and, um,
the day couldn't have gone better.
[both laughing]
♪ ♪
‐ Let's go. ‐ Okay.
I came here to see whether or not
I could love again,
that I can feel that energy and life
and like there's hope,
and I can feel that with Katie,
and I've been holding back telling her my story.
Now, going into tonight,
she needs to know everything.
I felt something really special today,
and I'm hoping that it doesn't scare her off.
♪ ♪
[crickets chirping]
‐ Yesterday's date wasn't really that fun.
‐ No, I know. ‐ It was actually‐‐
it brought up‐‐ ‐ It's tough.
‐ It brought up a lot of very painful memories,
and for me, I was really struggling.
And Thomas interrupted me
after, like, probably two, three minutes,
and then he had the audacity to tell me straight to my face
that my time is less important than his.
Thomas doesn't really care about anyone here,
um, including Katie, in my opinion.
You know, he's absolutely full of [bleep].
I'll tell him that to his face.
His‐‐his mom probably tells him that.
‐ We don't want this kind of person in the house.
‐ I mean, he wasn't uncomfortable telling everybody
that his relationship with her takes precedent.
‐ Right.
‐ He will stab you in the back, step on your toes
to get to Katie. ‐ Yeah.
‐ I think the Rose Ceremony will be really telling,
to see if he's gonna continue that sort of behavior
where he's disrespecting people,
he's stealing Katie a second time and that sort of thing,
or if it's something where he wants to try to make amends
and apologize to people and stand up
and do that sort of thing.
Thomas is obviously not here for the right reasons.
The guys are pretty united in what we've seen,
what we've heard,
and we don't think he should be here anymore.
He's lost that trust.
‐ I'm not gonna let him walk all over me.
I'm not gonna let him walk all over everybody else.
And it's like, when is enough enough?
You know, is the question I guess we have to ask ourselves.
For me, it's enough.
‐ Your integrity, right now, it's starting to be questioned,
slowly and slowly. ‐ Yeah.
I can never apologize for being in a place
to talk to Katie. ‐ Here's the problem, though.
If you have this "I don't give a [bleep]" attitude...
I think that's gonna backfire on you.
‐ It's hard for me to really focus my energy
into where they're coming from, because I realize
the love that we can ultimately grow into is sky‐high.
Like, it's an infinite thing.
‐ It's not my business if you're in love or not
or if you're falling in lo‐‐ I‐‐I don't‐‐that's on you.
And that's fine. ‐ Mm‐hmm.
‐ I'm just trying to tell you, like,
if this seeps into Rose Ceremony,
we're gonna have another really bad night.
Thomas needs to be held accountable,
and I called him out.
If he digs his ditch further,
then I‐‐I'm out of shovels.
♪ ♪
[owl hoots]
‐ I'd like to make a toast.
To getting to know each other on a deeper level...
‐ Yes. ‐ And being vulnerable.
‐ Cheers. ‐ Cheers.
What I loved about today with Michael
is everything was natural.
He's just very honest.
I believe Michael's intentions are so pure.
Today was just so much fun... ‐ Yeah.
‐ And it just flowed.
For me, it was like we had been talking for, like, a month...
‐ Yeah. ‐ And we finally agreed
to meet in person or something. ‐ Right.
‐ You know? ‐ Like pen pals.
‐ Yeah. [laughs] ‐ Yeah.
‐ There's so much to explore still
with his life and his family,
and I just hope that this feeling and this connection
and the chemistry we have can continue.
‐ You know, I've been...
like, waiting... ‐ [laughs]
‐ For so much of this,
and, you know, as we've spoken before,
we have so much to unwind.
You know, I got to learn a lot about you...
‐ Yeah. ‐ And, you know,
I've been waiting for a moment
for you to learn a little bit about me.
Um, so...
if, uh...
in order to, like, understand why I'm here,
it's like, you gotta understand my story,
and basically, you know,
16 years ago, I saw my wife on campus.
Her name was Laura.
And when I saw her, I said, "That's it.
Like, that's everything." ‐ Yeah.
‐ And that fall, we started dating.
We got married in 2012,
and in 2016, we had James.
Uh, just the greatest gift ever.
‐ Mm‐hmm.
‐ And so life was perfect.
And then seven months after, uh, James was born,
uh, Laura was diagnosed with breast cancer.
And for years, she was just an amazing advocate
that exuberated courage‐‐
like, grace, humor‐‐
you know, as cancer took a stronghold.
There was a time when, you know,
her hair was starting to fall out...
[gentle music]
♪ ♪
Um...
because of, uh, chemotherapy,
and‐‐it's still very real, sorry.
‐ [whispers] Take your time.
‐ We traveled the country aimlessly,
trying to find a cure,
and we went to every hospital, every clinical trial,
never‐‐never giving up hope.
♪ ♪
In January 2019,
she passed away,
and...
like, she was in a room...
♪ ♪
[sniffs]
Full of people she loved.
[somber music]
Um, and...
on that day, I was happy she wasn't in pain anymore.
♪ ♪
[sniffles] Sorry.
‐ Don't be sorry.
♪ ♪
‐ As anybody who ever has lost somebody knows,
the following days and months
to rebuild your life without that critical piece in it
is difficult.
[sniffles]
In the end, what I have acknowledged
is that, like...
I, um...
♪ ♪
I know what it's like to love.
I know what it's like to give everything.
And I have finally gotten to this place where...
♪ ♪
I'm ready to, like, open up my heart.
‐ Mm‐hmm.
‐ The way I look at this is like
what a gift to be able to fall in love twice.
♪ ♪
‐ First of all, I think the story of you and Laura
is very beautiful. ‐ Thank you.
‐ And I can only be as lucky
to have half the love that you guys had.
And I feel very, very fortunate
to have you here in this very moment.
‐ Thank you.
‐ I think, for some people,
you know, they‐‐ they may be intimidated
by this‐‐this forever love
that you will always have for Laura...
‐ Absolutely. ‐ And that is something
I know and respect and would never, you know,
feel insecure by.
I think what you had is beautiful.
‐ It's also my job to make sure
that you feel that the relationship that we create
is unique and our own. ‐ Yeah.
‐ And...
I‐I have no doubt we can do that.
‐ Tonight, Michael and I
just went to a whole different level together,
and the way he spoke about love, it was just‐‐
it was just beautiful.
♪ ♪
I'm like‐‐I don't know.
I'm, like, overwhelmed with, like,
sadness for his pain but happiness for, like,
what our love can be.
Like, he said it so beautifully.
"What a blessing to fall in love twice."
♪ ♪
And he talked about it in a way that was, like,
the love that him and I can create
can be so unique.
[sighs]
And I believe that.
[soft uplifting music]
I know the weight of every rose I offer you,
as I'm also offering it to James.
‐ Aw, thank you.
‐ So, Michael, will you accept this rose?
‐ Absolutely.
♪ ♪
Thank you.
♪ ♪
I think Katie's extraordinary.
[laughs]
I don't even know where to begin.
♪ ♪
‐ Whoo!
Look at all these beautiful stars.
‐ Since my wife passed away,
I didn't think any of this was possible for me,
but building this relationship with Katie,
it's given me hope,
because she's someone I could love.
100%.
I love looking at the stars.
‐ We're just so busy, like, working
and looking down at our phones, like,
you forget, like, the beauty of, like,
all of this.
♪ ♪
‐ Absolutely. ‐ [laughs]
‐ I like that.
♪ ♪
‐ With Michael, I really feel like,
if we walked away from this together,
it would truly be a forever kind of love.
♪ ♪
And that's, like...
♪ ♪
That's all I want leaving here.
And I think this could be the start
of me, you know, falling in love with Michael.
And it's...
♪ ♪
So unexpected.
♪ ♪
[gentle music]
♪ ♪
‐ After my date with Michael, I feel so much hope
about finding love at the end of this.
He was true to himself.
He was vulnerable. He was honest.
That's what I want from all the guys.
That's what I want in a partner.
I'm really excited for the group date today.
I just hope that the guys continue to be honest
and really put it all out there.
And I'm just ready to let loose.
♪ ♪
‐ Karl was just too dumb.
Like, it came out very quickly.
As much as I don't like Thomas, like,
he is smart. ‐ Yeah.
I haven't really had, like, an experience,
like, where he hasn't done a whole lot to me,
and he hasn't, like, taken my time,
like David or like James.
Like, I'd be pissed. ‐ I think he's, like,
very sociopathic with his tendencies.
‐ Yeah.
‐ Like, I think he's hugely sociopa‐‐
like, I don't even under‐‐ I think he's like a psycho.
I think Thomas is trying to be successful with Katie,
uh, for the wrong reasons.
I find his behavior disturbing.
And I think he's legitimately, like,
some sort of manipulative psychopath.
It's annoying. I'm pissed off.
You know, I think everyone else is as well.
‐ He interrupted Aaron
and he said he had something really important to tell her.
And he said that‐‐you know,
"I am 100% falling in love with this woman."
‐ He‐‐he said that phrase to wh‐‐to you?
Or to who? ‐ I heard him say,
"I am 100% falling in love with this woman."
‐ He has changed that story twice now and told
so many different people that he did not say that.
‐ It's just, you know, he's a pathological liar
and manipulator. ‐ He 100%‐‐
‐ I'm done with him. I'm done with him.
‐ I would never lie about that.
‐ Everyone makes mistakes, and that's‐‐
you know, I'm not perfect, you're not perfect,
nobody's perfect, but it's‐‐it's the lies.
How many examples do we have of this behavior
that's‐‐that's showing his character,
you know what I mean?
‐ If you're lying about small stuff like this,
what else could you be lying about?
‐ Exactly.
‐ I'm a nice guy until you lie to me,
and then I can be, like,
unfortunately, the polar opposite of that,
and that's kind of what I'm feeling right now, so...
Thomas's reputation is really crumbling
in the viewpoint of the house.
We're all tired of his lies and manipulation.
Before the guys go on their group date,
I'm gonna call him out,
and I'm done being kind.
♪ ♪
‐ Morning, gentlemen.
[sniffs]
[tense music]
‐ [robot sound] Nebeh‐dop‐bop.
‐ [sniffs]
Um...[clears throat, sniffs]
Might as well address this right now.
Um...
So I talked to a lot of you guys yesterday
about the situation with Thomas
and, you know, everything that went on with the group date.
And last night and this morning,
I hear that conversations that are taking place
with you and other people are the exact opposite,
and there's flipping and flopping,
and there's constant smiles,
and it feels fraudulent.
I mean, it feels like a‐‐ almost like a campaign.
You know, like you‐‐
like you wanna be Bachelor or‐‐ I don't know what it is.
I mean, is that something you've thought about?
Is that‐‐have you even considered that?
‐ I would never do anything to hurt you,
so to feel that I came across
in a way that this is the result‐‐
‐ See, that's the problem.
I feel like you know how to have conversations with people,
and I feel manipulated.
It just makes me really worry
about what's going on with Katie,
because you could be doing the same thing with her,
and I would like to know.
Like, have you ever thought,
"Maybe I could end up being the Bachelor"?
Has‐‐has that crossed your mind?
‐ I wanna say I appreciate all you guys
for being so honest and coming at‐‐
I don't have the [bleep] right answers,
and one of the biggest issues that I face
is I always felt I had to say something to everybody
and always have those smiles,
and I felt I had to be that person,
and that's not who I was.
‐ And is that bleeding into
the way that you're treating Katie?
‐ Not one bit. It's something‐‐ ‐ Because here's the thing.
Like, if you're positioning for something else,
she's gonna get her heart broken,
and I'm not okay with that.
[dramatic music]
So is that your answer? Yes?
You were thinking about being the Bachelor?
Is that what you're saying?
‐ Before coming here, I didn't know what to expect.
♪ ♪
‐ That's a non‐answer.
‐ I'm not asking you what you expected.
Was being the Bachelor, was that a prerogative for you?
♪ ♪
‐ Okay.
I can't be disingenuine to you guys,
and I'm not gonna be.
Yes, coming into this, one of the thoughts on my mind
was potentially being the next Bachelor.
♪ ♪
‐ Okay, well, then that explains a lot to me.
Like, that makes a lot of things clear,
and it's upsetting and frustrating and...
‐ That's messed up.
♪ ♪
‐ I'm‐‐I'm over it. Like, for me.
Because you've been so good at the manipulation.
I gotta give you credit, man.
You've really done a good job.
That was just insane to hear.
You don't come out here and say
that you were trying to be the next Bachelor.
I'm glad he's admitting it, because now it's like,
his intentions are out there.
People don't trick me.
Like, it doesn't happen in my life.
And you got me multiple times, bro.
‐ Is that in your mind still?
‐ It's gone. ‐ At all?
‐ It's not. It's not. ‐ I don't believe that.
I just don't believe that, man. I really don't.
‐ Now Katie's been tricked or lied to
by at least three of the guys.
That's what really pisses me off.
‐ Without a doubt, I mean,
he's completely walking all over everyone,
including Katie.
It's not something I want around me.
I don't think it's anything we‐‐
anyone wants around them.
‐ I'm not gonna lie about the way I'm feeling,
and right now, it's not good.
I'm very worried that Katie's gonna be scared and nervous,
and walls are going up.
It's hard for her to even believe
anything anyone's saying now.
‐ You are going to talk your way around that so well,
because that's what you do.
When she finds out, she's gonna be hurt.
My biggest fear here is everything gets derailed,
and Katie's gonna give up on this whole process
and go home.
[dramatic musical sting]
‐ Coming up next week on "The Bachelorette"...
‐ Ready? ‐ I'm so nervous.
[men screaming]
‐ Love is pain.
‐ Every day here is about
stepping out of your comfort zone.
There's been a lot of drama
regarding who's here for the right reason.
‐ Thomas wants to be the Bachelor.
He's willing to do anything to get to the top.
‐ I'm concerned!
The dude is a terrible person.
‐ They don't understand
the way I feel when I look at you.
‐ He may be manipulating Katie.
‐ He knows exactly what he's doing.
‐ He came here for a platform.
‐ There's things being said about me.
[knock at door]
I don't care.
‐ By the time she figures it out,
it's gonna be too late.
‐ She needs to know about this.
‐ He doesn't deserve to be here.
‐ Katie is not able to see the Thomas that we see.
‐ He's still here! ‐ Hey, don't yell at me.
‐ Shut up, bro.
‐ There's no way back from this.
‐ I feel so defeated.
‐ This is Katie's journey... ‐ [crying]
‐ And that journey is about to change.
♪ ♪
Someone from my past
reached out to me,
and he's here.
‐ This can't be real.
♪ ♪
‐ The drama continues
next week on "The Bachelorette."
[playful music]
‐ Look at all these beautiful stars.
‐ Oh, my‐‐yes, right?
‐ [laughing]
Okay, which ones do you know?
The Big Dipper.
Is it O'Brien's Belt?
‐ Um, no, that's an Irishman.
Orion's. ‐ Oh, shoot.
[both laughing]
‐ Pat O'Brien's Belt.
‐ Shoot. Okay, I was‐‐ ‐ Yeah.
‐ The North Star?
‐ The North Star.
There is, uh, um...
‐ Saturn.
‐ That's a planet. ‐ No, but I‐‐can you‐‐
which one can you see from here?
Pluto? ‐ Pluto is really far.
‐ Okay. ‐ And actually,
Pluto's not a planet anymore.
‐ That's what I hear. ‐ Haters.
[both laugh]
‐ In my world, it is. [both laugh]
Okay, actually,
this‐‐this one right here.
‐ Yeah?
‐ It's called Michael A.'s Royal Pain In My Ass.
‐ Oh, really?
‐ Yeah, it's that one right there.
‐ Oh, my‐‐ ‐ [laughs]
‐ It's so beautiful. [laughing]
‐ It's the brightest one in the sky.
‐ It really is. It's gorgeous.
‐ It was some ass cheek.
Like, I don't know what else to say about it.
[both laughing]