On Monday night the remaining ladies learn that they are going to Las Vegas where Bachelor Ben Higgins is waiting for them.
The girls arrive to their luxury suite at Atria which prompts Leah Block to refer to herself as a “baller” — just a side note, but I thought that saying was over in 2008?
Anyhow the ladies settle in to their sweet digs and anxiously wait to learn who gets the coveted 1 on 1.
The date card is for Jojo Fletcher.
Olivia has meltdown #1 as soon as she learns that Jojo got the date card and consequently goes from complete confidence to utter despair (which she does about 5 times during last night’s episode).
Ben picks up JoJo to take her to their personal date helicopter. The helicopter arrives but blows over their table, shattering their champagne glasses which prompts the couple to start kissing.
See ABC is on to the trick that couples who survive life-threatening situations bond very quickly. So obviously this is imperative when you need people to fall in love in 9 weeks. Not sure if the helicopter sitch was legit or choreographed. Either way it inspires Ben and Jojo to IMMEDIATELY and passionately make out on the tarmac.
This in turn causes Olivia Caridi to have meltdown #2 since the ladies have a clear view of the tarmac from their room.
The helicopter takes off and Ben and JoJo make out briefly—-once again circumnavigating the headsets.
And ABC is nothing if not efficient at helping people find life partners. While Ben is on his 1 on 1 with Jojo another date card arrives for Amanda, Jubilee, Caila, Lauren B., Amber, Haley, Emily, Leah, Lauren H., Jennifer, Rachel, and Olivia, leaving Becca Tilley for the 2nd 1 on 1.
In the meantime on the 1 on1, JoJo brings up her ex boyfriend Chad Rookstool who is 14 years older than her incidentally and at home watching her dog. Anyhow Chad broke her heart–and only 5 months ago. So Ben asks if Jojo is really ready to move on. She insists absolutely.
So Ben takes her to see some fireworks, which the other ladies also see and know is part of his date with Jojo and causes Olivia to have meltdown #3.
On to the group date:
It’s a “talent” show…which we all know by now is a joke and just a test to see how well you can make fun of yourself. Unfortunately Olivia Caridi genuinely believes that she will be judged on her “talent” and as usual she starts off super confident–perhaps over-confident which prompts everyone to think Olivia must be hiding a serious secret talent.
A giant cake is wheeled on stage and everyone prepares to be blown away by Olivia’s secret talent.
Olivia steps out tripping over her cape and proceeds to walk back and forth and kick her leg in the air. Everyone laughs and applauds. It’s a bad performance, but whatev no one cares (except Olivia).
Olivia goes to Ben and Ben gives her a hug, but this time there is no secret message in the hug. In fact Olivia senses that Ben is becoming distant…that they are growing apart. The exchange prompts her to run back to her dressing room and spiral into FULL meltdown mode. (meltdown #4)
But Olivia does not give up. She decides that she can fix things by talking to Ben. She tells him, “Im not good at being showy”.”I was just embarrassed.”
Again Olivia keeps cycling back and forth from delusional self-confidence to severe self hatred.
In the meantime Ben gets a 1 on 1 with Becca Tilley.
BTW, I love the juxtaposition of sending the most clean cut Christian in Bachelor history to the city of sin.
So what in the world is Bachelor Ben going to do in the city of sin?
What else…offficiate weddings. Ben is of course an ordained minister. So he takes self proclaimed virgin Becca Tilley to a wedding chapel to perform weddings.
It’s pretty cute and endearing how seriously Ben takes his role as minister. The only thing that would have made it better would have been if the couples he married were sloppy drunk and making a very impulsive decision that they would forget in the morning and not remember until they watched The Bachelor….but I digress.
I also can not help but think about the inside nugget of intel that Ben actually told Becca not to come on the show, but she came anyway. It makes watching their time together a bit cringeworthy.
To make it even more awkward Becca is in a wedding dress. Of course Ben is the consummate gentleman. He does give her a rose, but I suspect her days are numbered.
Next Ben puts in a request to spend the day with the twins since they live in Las Vegas. So he takes them to their home in Vegas where they live with their mom. One of them (I can’t tell which one) forgot to take down the pictures of her and her ex boyfriend!
Anyhow Ben tells them he needs to let one of them go. I love that the twins keep referring to it as “their relationship” with Ben and keep reassuring Ben that it’s Ok that he is dating both of them. But poor Ben can not stomach the idea of dating siblings so he lets Haley go.
BTW, I am really glad that ABC allowed the twins to compete as separate individuals and did not make them compete as sisters like they did with Ashley I and her sister on BiP!
Later at the cocktail party the ladies fight for time with Ben. I swear that Ben called Caila Quinn a “sex panda” when she attacks him and kisses him, which I was enjoying all night and all day until I realized he said “sex panther” which make more sense, but isn’t nearly as fun as “sex panda”.
Olivia continues her meltdown (meltdown #5) at the cocktail party and starts talking about herself in 3rd person, “Olivia is here for you. I’m not going anywhere.”
Well you may not be “going anywhere” Olivia but I think Ben is!
Anyhow, Rachel Tchen and Amber James get the boot. Not to worry. I’m sure Amber will be back!
Olivia gets the last rose. Thank God!
Next week, Ben and the 11 remaining bachelorettes head to Mexico.