Tonight’s ABC’s The Bachelorette is what we have been waiting for - Hometowns! WIth only 3 men: Greg, Blake and Justin, it’ll be interesting to see who will continue on although we feel that there is a drama in the air.
Katie Thurston kicks off Hometowns with Blake and they do a Canada-themed date prior to when she meets his family. He brings a number of elements from Canada to her and he bartends for her and shares that they use syrup for everything and have it everywhere. They do shots of syrup and they also learn that he has used it in the bedroom before as they keep it by their bedside? They also play darts with a series of questions to get to know more about one another. Of course, they play hockey in the street and they ride a mechanical Moose. While they are enjoying their date, Greg sees them and he’s not ok - especially when he sees them go into the penalty box and make out. Seeing their 1-on-1 date, Greg can’t take watching them and seeing how unhappy they are.
As she heads into Blake’s second portion of the date with his family, she realizes that Blake isn’t in love with her yet; however, she wants to make a great impression. She also wants to mesh with his family and see where he comes from. His family definitely seems like they’re cool and the kind of people that would give her a chance to know more about her. They see there is a connection, but they wonder if there is a real connection as opposed to just an infatuation with her. Katie is very honest in letting her know that they haven’t told one another that they love each other; however, they are willing to continue to see where it goes. Blake’s sister really asks the tough questions with him to ensure that he understands what’s going on as she has seen him fall in love with a number of people quickly. Blake and his mom chat and feel that they are a good fit, but wants to know if he sees her as his wife. She also agrees that he should tell her that he loves her just so that he is clear with her on what he wants. The date ends with a bit more street hockey and a successful date. Blake didn’t tell her that he loved her at the end of the night.
We see that Justin’s family is not coming to the resort for Hometowns. But he gives them a call to get their feedback. He’s bummed that he is unable to share his parents with her. His parents say they will support him, but by them not being there, it’s unfortunate that he will not be able to share them with her. Thankfully, his friends will be there. He will show Baltimore to Katie for his Hometowns. Katie feels that their connection started early and she is excited to know more about him and where he comes from. He shares the grafitti wall that is iconic to the area and they find out that they both love Blue Cheese over Ranch. He also has a crab lunch with her and lets her know that this is just a major part of where he’s from. Their connection is one that has always been undeniable. He wants to let Katie know about the dynamics of the date and where he is out. He lets her know that his parents couldn’t come and she will only meet his best friends which are like his brothers. Katie is happy that she told him and is looking forward to meeting his friends. She does wonder if he is ready for a marriage since his parents won’t be there.
His friends defintely seem like his brothers and you can tell that they have his best interest at heart. His friends let him know that his vulnerability has been an issue in the past. By not sharing his thoughts and being reserved, they feel that he has had some missed opportunities in the past. Katie realizes that his friends are shocked to see him being so comfortable with her and hopefully that lets Katie know that even though his parents aren’t there, that there are things that they can continue to explore. Justin lets her know that he is falling in love with her. She kisses him and although she will reserve saying “I love you,” until there is only 1 man, it’s for the best that he lets her know so that she can properly assess what is going on.
The final Hometown will be with Greg, but we already know that he has been having issues throughout this process as she has dated others in the house. After seeing Blake’s date, we know that he is feeling even more unsettled! Greg gives a taste of his town in New Jersey which will kick off with a tandem bike. Their first stop is the iconic pork roll and cheese. They also enjoy an Italian ice as well as a bouncy wave that has them surfing. He brings her to the basketball court and lets her know that his dad coached him throughout his career and he hasn’t played since his dad passed away. He thought it would be great to do something sentimental as they did that with the last 1-on-1 date that he had with Katie when she shared what her and her father did. Greg’s mom, brother and his friend will be there for Hometowns. He enjoyed the rain in Seattle and then let her know that it rains in Jersey too - which it did and it gave them the moment to enjoy a few kisses.
When she meets Greg’s family, even though some of his other members were unable to be there, his mom shares pre-recorded video of them showing their support. They all talk about how they have not seen him this happy in a long time. They notice that he is glowing. When Greg’s mom talks to Katie and tries to get specific questions out of her, Katie answers but is also clear on why she will not say, “I love you,” until it’s the last person that’s there as she wants to give that gift. As he speaks with his mom, he tells her that he wants to hear that she is in love with him, but he would love to hear that validation. He tells her that he is falling in love with her and hasn’t been this happy in such a long time. She tells him what she talked with his family about and that she knows he will be there next week, but he looks hurt that she will not be vulnerable and share more of her thoughts with him. Katie asks him to trust in their relationship, but we can see that Greg probably will not make it to the end.
All 3 of the Hometown dates have been completed. Blake and Greg talk about how the uncertainty is tough to handle and they both agree that they don’t know what she is thinking. Greg is sad because he feels that his heart opened up to her and that she didn’t really respond and that she just shut down. He feels that he needs to talk to her because he feels it’s clear that she doesn’t feel the same as him as she hasn’t given the indications that he is looking for. He swings by her place and lets her know that he wants to talk to her about the other night. He lets her know that he told his family that she was the one and when he let her know those feelings, he felt that she dismissed him and his feelings. Katie tells him that she only wants to say, “I love you,” to one person. He says that he gets that, but he didn’t even see an emotion from her and he says that he’s not asking for her to give a “love you” or that he is guaranteed a rose the following week - he didn’t like the way that she hasn’t shared. He is also upset that she told him that she doesn’t trust anything. He lets her know that this is his breaking point and that he will no longer continue. Her lack of acknowledgment is his issue and not the fact that she didn’t say that she was in love with him. He feels that there is a wall. He’s also embarrassed that he told his family that he thought she was the one.
Katie attempts to chat with Greg once he leaves, but he’s completely over the entire situation. She heads back to her room and lets production know that she is done and wants a plane ticket home. Kaitlyn comes over to talk with Katie. Through the door, Kaitlyn connects with Katie and she explains that she has been there as she remembers crying into her salad. Kaitlyn walks her through what happened to see if there is a nugget that they can learn. She then asks her if there is anything that could change, at that point Katie lets her in and they have a heart-to-heart moment as they figure out where they can go from where she is. Kaitlyn being able to hold her hand and to share how she understands is probably something that Chris Harrison would have not been able to do in the same way. Katie wonders if it is worth it and to be blindsided by someone that she knows that she connected with and to see him go away. She ticks off that Michael as well as Greg left - is there a reason for her to be able to continue as her confidence is shaken.
Katie doesn’t know how to navigate the rest of the process and asks for someone to book her a flight home. Without knowing what the future holds, we do know that the season finale is next week. We see her chatting with her mom, we know that Tayshia and Kaitlyn talk to the remaining men Blake and Justin about what has taken place.
Each night, when the season airs, we’ll tweet about The Bachelor and you can chat along with us (@AthleisureMag + with our Co-Founder/Creative + Style Director, Kimmie Smith @ShesKimmie) to see what’s taking place!
Each week we will let you know who our faves were last episode and if we’ve changed up since then as it pertains to who we think should go to Hometowns.
We also suggest a podcast that we’ve become obsessed with over the past few seasons, Wondery’s Bachelor Happy Hour to get their feedback!
SEASON 17, EPISODE 9
Last week, we knew that Andrew, Blake,and Greg would be introducing Katie during Hometowns.
THE BACHELOR CONTESTANTS
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