'The Bachelorette': Chris Harrison Blogs Episode 5
Hello Bachelor Nation! We pick up right where we left you last week, with the arrival of Nick. He hadn’t even moved in with the guys yet and already he has been a divisive force among all of you out there. Some of you still don’t like him from Andi’s season, and some of you feel like he is genuine and deserves another chance. At this point, the guys in the house are divided. Some of them think Nick should pack his bags and turn around and some of them think “Hey, he’s just another guy. Who cares? It has no bearing on me and my relationship with Kaitlyn.”
I’ve never seen quite a firing squad on our show like the one that was waiting for Nick’s arrival. Love him or hate him, he stood there and explained himself and took the questions in stride. Now, it’s really up to Kaitlyn to decide whether he’s being real or not.
Our rose ceremony was really one for the history books. We got to take over Citi Field, the home of the Mets. There are few things as amazing as being able to run the bases around an empty ballpark with all the lights on. All the guys really enjoyed the experience, but man was it ever freezing! The guys were all shivering and shaking by the time the ceremony was over, but they were good sports about the whole thing. On a personal note, a huge thanks to the owner of the Mets, Jeff Wilpon, for the incredible tour — including a little pre-rose ceremony batting practice under the stadium.
Photo credit: Chris Harrison
As sad I was to leave my beautiful room at the Knickerbocker Hotel in New York City, I was truly thrilled to be going back to Texas, my home state. San Antonio is a bustling city and the riverwalk is a great place to walk around with the kids or go for a nice meal. As awkward as it was to have all the guys traveling with Nick, I think everyone was ready to try to move ahead and refocus on their relationships with Kaitlyn. Well, except for Joshua. More on that later.
Ben H. got the first one-on-one date this week and it was classic Texan. Two-stepping is part of Texas life, and Gruene Hall is as much a part of Texas as BBQ and Willie Nelson. Speaking of which, if you ever get the chance to see a show at Gruene Hall, do it. It may not be on your bucket list, but it sure should be. Ben H. and Kaitlyn certainly weren’t going to win any dance competitions, but they had an amazing time. That night, it was really great to see Ben H. start to come out of his shell. I know Kaitlyn really appreciated it. Obviously this is an accelerated process and opening up quickly is tremendously important.
Related: ‘The Bachelorette’ Recap: Texas is For Lovers
The next date was a mariachi group date. On behalf of our entire cast and crew, I would like to apologize to the residents of San Antonio. We did our best, but we truly destroyed that music. Thankfully, everyone knew it was all for fun and got a kick out of it. In usual Nick fashion, Nick tried to be different and stand out. Obviously, a few of the guys didn’t like that move, but as you know, you just have to be bold if you want to get a group date rose.
Oh, Joshua. I don’t know what was worse for him this week: asking Kaitlyn to give him a haircut or sticking both of his feet in his mouth. He really dug his own grave on this date and it’s going to be hard for him to recover. Kaitlyn didn’t mean to give him a bad haircut, but between poor lighting and old clippers, there was really no chance it would turn out well. But he insisted, so she complied. Oh well — at least no one was talking about him the rest of the night. Oh, wait… yes, they were. Joshua made the mistake of speaking for all the guys in his attempt to warn Kaitlyn about Nick, but between speaking out of turn and then lying to all the guys about where he was, it created a perfect storm for him. Nick got the rose and Joshua has a lot of explaining to do.
The next one-on-one date was Shawn. Ever since he got the first impression rose, everyone has been wondering when we would get to see more of him. Well, Kaitlyn gave him a romantic date this week (complete with fireworks!), and we really got to learn more about him. His tragic car accident really shaped his world view. It was great to see that at least for now, he has put the Nick issue aside and really focused on his relationship with Kaitlyn. It was an amazing date and some would say that at this point, Shawn and Kaitlyn may have the strongest relationship leaving San Antonio.
Our cocktail party this week was in the lobby of the St. Anthony hotel. We couldn’t have picked a better spot. Ian, who has been relatively quiet, apparently has had a lot to say this week. I’m not entirely sure where all of his opinions are coming from, but it’s clear that he has strong ones and he has decided to go down in a blaze of glory. As you saw, Kaitlyn was not impressed by what Ian was saying to her, and next week, you’ll get to see the explosive conclusion.
Next week’s rose ceremony is at the Alamo, and it was truly one of the most beautiful and dramatic places we have ever shot. Then it’s time for The Bachelorette to go international. Next stop: Dublin, Ireland — and you will see a Bachelorette first that you won’t believe. Don’t miss it. We’ll see you then.
The Bachelorette airs Mondays at 8 p.m. on ABC.
