‘The Bachelorette’ Season 16, Episode 2: Rule Breakers Get Rewarded
Because she’s been there and done that, literally, former Bachelor contestant/tear fountain Ashley Iaconetti is recapping this season of The Bachelorette for Cosmopolitan. With insider insight as well as a clear eye for what’s going down both in front of and behind the cameras, she’s got a whole lot to say...and you’re gonna wanna hear it.
This post contains spoilers for last night’s (10/20/20) episode of The Bachelorette.
So, um, do we think Clare overreacted when the guys on her first group date didn’t jump to steal her away for one-on-ones, or would you have been as offended as she was? After the men show so much interest in her during the “love languages” portion of the date, Clare accuses them of not taking initiative at the after-party. (Side note: Did you guys also notice the weird nighttime turned daylight turned nighttime thing that happened on this date?)
Here’s my take: I think if this were a couple of weeks into the journey, sure, it would be really weird for a guy not to grab her hand right away for alone time. But these guys have never been on a group date before! They don’t know how this thing works yet! Clare’s such a veteran of the franchise that the routine is second nature, so I think she assumed the men would know when to make moves. This being said, I think her spiel will help guide the men to take a more aggressive approach in the future. Clare is looking to be pursued.
I LOVED the knight-in-shining armor moment Dale had in this situation. I was going to paraphrase it, but let’s just swoon over his perfect word choice with the full quote: “Never again will I restrict how I feel in front of these men. Since I’ve been here, since our first night together, since getting the first impression rose, I’ve been on cloud nine. I’m still on Cloud nine.” It was like something out of Jerry Maguire!!”
Clare again showcases her desire for these men to be bold and forward when she rewards Blake with an early rose at the rose ceremony. The night prior, he lost the naked dodgeball game and was supposed to go home before the after-party. As a man who has obviously seen the show before, he didn’t take a group-date game loss as a reason not to pursue his lady. The guys at the after-party complaining that he wasn’t following the rules have probably never watched the show before, as they apparently don’t remember Chris Harrison ever saying there are no rules. Huge LOL @ the other guys for thinking that winning a game of dodgeball gave them such exclusivity to Clare.
Last week, Clare made it clear to Blake that she’s cool with him not playing by the rules when she thanked him for reaching out to her before filming began. This week, he tells her that he knows interrupting the after-party will get him heat from the guys, but he doesn’t really care because he only cares about getting time with Clare and wanted to prove he had balls (pun totally intended). While some leads might be wary of those who ruffle feathers, I knew Clare was going to appreciate hearing this.
Holy awkwardness! Brandon, one of the guys that girls from previous seasons were already telling me they want to see in Paradise just based on his photo, totally bombed! He teased that he didn’t have the strongest night one showing going into his second chat with Clare, but I assume his Disney prince-like face kept him around. Well, looks can only go so far, and the interaction he has with Clare in this episode is proof. Brandon tells Clare he decided he wanted to do the show once she was announced as the Bachelorette. When she asked what it was about her that enticed him, he said she was beautiful and could think of nothing else to say. Dude!! I feel like I could come up with something redeeming about anyone with just a couple minutes with someone, but he was so nervous, he froze…again. I wish he would have just said something slightly endearing like “I’m so nervous, I’m speechless.” But nooo, he filled in the awkward silence by saying that there are times where he knew that she was feeling him. I don’t think Brandon is a bad guy, just a guy who’s bad under pressure.
Before I go, let’s talk about Dale a little bit more because Clare would want us to. During the first episode, I thought their interactions were cute. I didn’t feel rocked. But this week, I felt it. Their time together is easy to watch because it feels so real. We don’t sit on pins and needles waiting for something awkward to happen. Did you guys notice he was carrying a gift for Clare and we didn’t get to see her open it?! The suspense! Based on the teaser, the next episode seems to be all about Dale and Clare and the jealousy ignited in the rest of the men because of them. Will these fires lead to the “blowing up” of the season?! We’ll see next week.
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