Forget fancy helicopter rides and lavish dinners!
On Monday's episode of The Bachelorette, Emily Maynard decided to take contestant Ryan on what proved to be one of the most meaningful one-on-one dates in show history: She took him to her home to experience her everyday life as a single mom.
"Usually these dates are over-the-top and glamorous, but as a single mom, things aren't always as glamorous," Maynard, 26, said before she welcomed 31-year-old personal trainer Ryan into her kitchen to unpack groceries and bake cookies for her daughter Ricki's soccer team.
For his part, Ryan couldn't have been happier with his domestic date, which later included dinner at Charlotte, North Carolina's Osso and a Gloriana concert. "I feel pretty good about how things are. Just spending the time I did with Emily today, I found her attractive as heck dressed down in her 'mom wear,' as she calls it, just being herself."
Though she was smitten by Ryan, Maynard kept her guard up when the duo discussed their relationship histories over dinner. "I don't want anyone to see this as a competition, but I don't want to be the prize that you win at the end," Maynard reasoned. "I don't want to be the game."
Maynard also couldn't help but compare Ryan to her Bachelor ex-fiance Brad Womack, who proposed to her in 2011. "I really like Ryan but I almost worry that he's too perfect," she said in a voiceover. "He reminds me of Brad in that way and obviously that didn't work out for me."
Hitting it off with Ryan enough to give him a rose during their date, Maynard didn't have the same luck with Joe, whom she she wined and dined in West Virginia, her home state. Eliminating the 27-year-old Matthew McConaughey look-alike over dinner, Maynard argued that the duo were heading in different directions and she couldn't see her or her daughter, 6, fitting into his life.
Later, the woman of the hour met up with her remaining suitors at the Bachelorette mansion after having participated in a variety show group date alongside Muppets Kermit the Frog and Miss Piggy.
Sent packing this week along with Joe: biology teacher Aaron and financial advisor Kyle.
Tell Us: Is Ryan "too perfect" for Emily?
