This week of The Bachelorette kicked off with a (moderately nervous) Nick Viall arriving at the hotel to settle in with the other guys. “I do feel that there is a legitimate chance of something very special with her, but at the same time I am really nervous that I could come in and be very unwelcomed because I showed up late, or I showed up at all,” he revealed.
It turned out his instincts weren’t wrong and he was greeted by all of the guys looking like they wanted to kill him. The reality show vet didn’t waste a minute trying to make nice with his new roommates.
“I’m not here to cause drama. I’m not here to create a scene. That’s not what I’m here for,” he explained. “I actually kind of dig this girl from the little bit that I know and I’d like to get to know her a little bit more.”
Joshua and Shawn seemed the most put out by Nick’s presence. “I didn’t come here to get the firing squad, but I get it if you’re pissed. I totally get it. I just hope you at least respect why I came,” Nick said. At the end of the rather lengthy discussion, it seemed like the jury was still out on that topic.
Playing the Citifield
Though Kaitlyn Bristowe was hyper-aware that her decision to bring Nick into the fold could have negative repercussions, she was ready to get down to the business at hand — and that business was a cocktail party followed by a rose ceremony at New York’s iconic Citifield.
JJ literally swept Kaitlyn off her feet, running the bases with her in his arms. It looked more awkward than romantic, but apparently it worked for Kaitlyn, who said it was “a great way to start the night.”
Shawn was struggling to get over Nick’s arrival, however, and told Kaitlyn point-blank. “It’s so hard for me to let my guard down and I told you that and I’m sitting in the house and another guy comes in and it’s like I take two steps back and my guard goes up and that’s the last thing I want.” Kaitlyn did her best to reassure Shawn that allowing Nick to join the group had no bearing on her feelings for him, but he wasn’t convinced. “I don’t know, I would just hope that you were smarter—not smarter—I just think, this guy’s full of s—, 110 percent,” he quipped.
“I really like Nick, but my worst nightmare has come true,” Kaitlyn lamented before beginning the rose ceremony. Ultimately, Shawn got a rose despite airing his grievances. Others who stuck around were Ben H., Ben Z. Tanner, Joe, Ian, JJ, Joshua, and (drum roll please) Nick. This meant that Ryan, Jonathan, and Corey were sent packing.
“I know why I came. I’m here. Deal with it!” Nick cheered to the camera after receiving his rose.
Ben H. (Finally, Sorta) Opens Up During His One-on-One Date
Ben H. and Kaitlyn started their one-on-one date by competing in a two-step dance competition. Their dancing was patchy at best (and they were tapped out in the second round), but their connection appeared to be first-rate. “He seems up for anything,” Kaitlyn opined. “He’s just a handsome, handsome man.”
After not winning the dance competition, they enjoyed a romantic dinner on a rooftop where — with a little nudging — he told Kaitlyn about his last relationship.
“At the time, I just think I was kind of caught up in a relationship that I cared about and that meant something to me,” he began. “At the end of it, when we had our last breakdown of what happened, she said that I had lost the chase. The chase had ended. It definitely hurt because of the fact that life for me was centered around our relationship.” Kaitlyn then asked the 26-year-old if he really thought he was ready for something as serious as an engagement. He didn’t miss a beat. “Why would I not want that as soon as possible?” he asked.
She rewarded him with a rose and more making out.
Will You Mariachi Me?
Justin, Jared, Ian, Chris, Tanner, Joe, JJ, Ben Z., Joshua, and Nick then joined Kaitlyn on a group date that began with a mariachi lesson of sorts. Each guy was forced to write the Bachelorette a song and perform it in front of a rather large crowd. Joshua came up with the clever line, “Will you mariachi me?” but Nick is the one who stole the show, leading Kaitlyn up to a balcony for his turn. Though some of the other guys weren’t impressed, Kaitlyn was. She literally chased him down afterwards to kiss him.
Perhaps in an attempt to catch up to Nick, Josh let Kaitlyn cut his hair later that evening. She tried to give him a Mohawk, but … well … it didn’t turn out as planned.
“I’m not sure how that advances your relationship,” Nick said of Josh’s haircut. We have to admit, he might have a point.
Joshua Confesses to Kaitlyn
“I just had a sit-down with Nick. I called him out on his intentions and why he’s here when he’s claims his absolute love for Andi. He likes to talk about his last season all the time,” he informed Kaitlyn. “Nobody is comfortable with him in the house. Nobody likes him.”
A stunned Kaitlyn then asked, “So everybody is lying to my face?” She then bulldozed into the other room where the guys were waiting to confront them — but not one of them backed Joshua up. Oops. Kaitlyn took it all in — and then gave Nick a rose.
Shawn Drops the L-Bomb
For their one-on-one date, Kaitlyn and Josh went kayaking, and made out, a lot. “I don’t think I’ve ever felt that immediate of a connection with somebody,” Kaitlyn confessed. It went so well, in fact, that Shawn opened up, telling Kaitlyn about a really bad car accident he had five or six years ago that landed him in the hospital.
“I literally thought I was dying. I was in the hospital for a few months and the cops came to my hospital bed in the ICU and they said, ‘We want to let you know that we’ve never seen anybody survive an accident like that.'” He further dramatized the story by revealing that he never used to wear a seatbelt (umm… why?) but he had uncharacteristically put his seatbelt on just a few minutes before he got hit.
“I’m falling in love with you,” Shawn said. Kaitlyn replied by telling him she felt the same way.
“What I’m feeling right now is that was my husband telling me he loves me for the first time,” she confessed to the camera later. The date ended with Kaitlyn giving Shawn a rose and more making out.
Jared Drops the L-Bomb
But Shawn wasn’t the only one upping his game! During the next cocktail party, when Kaitlyn pulled Jared away to her room (for some more making out), he told her, “I do feel like I’m falling in love with you.”
“That makes me happy,” she cooed back. It wasn’t as passionate as her exchange with Shawn, but it was something.
Ian Is Over It
While some connections burned hot, however, others fizzled. Ian, in particular, announced he was over Kaitlyn.
“This woman’s been put on a pedestal and I’m like, ‘Wait, why has this girl been put on a pedestal? She’s not half as hot as my ex-girlfriend,'” he charmingly explained. “I don’t need to come on a TV show to make out with one girl who’s making out with 10 dudes, and if the guys left in the house are any indication, I don’t think she’s looking for someone that’s as deep as me and I really don’t think she’s looking for someone that’s as smart as me.” He decided it was time for him to go home, but he wasn’t leaving without telling Kaitlyn how he felt.
“I heard what you said about being honest,” he told her. “It’s tough for me because I came here expecting to meet the girl that had her heart broken and was devastated by Chris Soules, not the girl that wanted to get her field plowed by Chris.” (To her credit, Kaitlyn didn’t slap him when he said that.)
“I feel like you are here to make out with a bunch of dudes on TV and bringing Nick in, I don’t question his intentions, I question your intentions. I really see you as a surface-level person at this stage. I wonder if you really are that shallow because I don’t see anything beyond surface.” Sadly, the episode ended before we heard Kaitlyn’s reply.
Tell Us: What do you think she’s going to say to Ian?
