Chris Harrison blogs 'The Bachelor' episode 6
I hope that everybody is still employed and okay after two straight days of Bachelor drama. I know that’s a lot of boxed wine and chocolate consumed in a very short time period. This week, we left the quaint little town of Whitefish, Montana for the breathtaking vistas of Banff National Park in Alberta, Canada. The Fairmont Lake Louise is one of the more majestic places we have stayed in all our trips around the world. If you ever get the chance to see the crystal blue waters and the mountains that surround this lake, you really need to do so.
Catherine got the first one-on-one date this week. She’s an interesting figure in the house as we really haven’t had the opportunity see her that much and don’t really know her that well, nor does Sean. So this was a pivotal date for her to show him what she’s all about. The date they went on was easily one of the coldest we’ve ever had. I put it up there with Ali’s two-on-one date on a glacier in Iceland. It was absolutely brutal with the wind blowing ice sideways. Catherine could have been a diva and complained and I don’t think anybody would have blamed her. Instead, she took it all in stride and made the best of it and had Sean laughing and smiling all day. At night, in this incredible ice castle that we had constructed just outside the hotel just for them, Catherine also showed Sean she has a deeper side as she opened up about a tragedy from her childhood. This date definitely helped Sean forget about last week’s rough times and get him back on the right track.
Then it was time for the group date. This week’s group date, the polar bear plunge, may have seemed like torture, but turned out to be inspiring. After canoeing across Lake Louise, Sean shared with the ladies that they would be stripping down and jumping in the freezing cold waters. Whether reluctant or not all the ladies, except Selma, decided to take the plunge. This is something that would end up biting her in the backside later.
We’ve already had paramedics involved in the show this season but on this date they were on hand prior to the date starting, just to be safe. I guess it was a good thing we did because guess what happened? Yep, Tierra needed attention after the plunge into the cold waters. It’s hard to tell where the truth ends and the drama begins with Tierra, but in this case it was probably somewhere between getting back to the hotel and the time Sean crawled into bed with her to once again console her and make sure she was okay. You have to admit she’s good at pulling the wool over Sean’s eyes and getting his attention.
The big news out of this group date was Sean deciding to say goodbye to Sarah. I respect Sean for not taking the easy way out in this instance and waiting for the rose ceremony to let her go. He respected Sarah too much not to let her know immediately, and do it in a personal way. It was heart-wrenching to hear Sarah say what she did on the way out. She’s a sweet girl and I know Sean really does wish her the best. It was also a big surprise when Sean decided to give Desiree another one-on-one date before all the girls had a chance to have one. Sean really felt like Desiree needed some reassurance so he wanted to give her another date. It turned out to be a good call, as they had an amazing date that ended up a tree, as all good dates should. It’s really interesting this season, as Sean seems to have so many strong relationships going at the same time.
It’s pretty shocking considering how good some of their dates have been that Selma, Sarah and Daniella were all sent home this week. Selma really didn’t do herself any favors by not taking the polar bear plunge, but that’s not what sunk her relationship. I think it was the way she explained to Sean that once she makes up her mind she doesn’t change it — no matter what. Sean is looking for a free spirit that will let go and make him laugh. He just didn’t see that in Selma or Sarah. We left Los Angeles just a couple weeks ago with eleven women and we’re now down to just six as we head for the blue waters of St. Croix. While the weather is warm and rum is cold, the drama looms large as we head towards what turns out to easily be the most emotional, pivotal episode so far. Thanks for watching this special two-night Bachelor extravaganza. We now take you back to your regularly scheduled programming on Monday nights. For more lovin’ in the meantime, you can always find me on twitter and instagram @chrisbharrison.
More Bachelor from EW:
Bachelor episode 6 recap: Northern Exposure
Plus, check out Sean’s blog on people.com
