The Bachelorette Season 16, Episode 8, Recap: The Men Tell All

I've watched a lot of The Bachelor and The Bachelorette in my time, but this week's episode was a pleasant surprise. I knew Tayshia was going to be a good lead—but I did not expect to see such emotional depth from her contestants. Let's get into it.

We begin with Tayshia revealing she woke up “with an anxious stomach.” And yet she still found a way to lay out a massive, beautiful breakfast spread. I cannot relate—my “anxious stomach” mornings include a lot more tears and a lot fewer croissants. Happily, any fear Tayshia has about the week ahead seems to be put to rest after former Bachelorette JoJo Fletcher arrives. Is JoJo available for hire as an emotional support friend? Because she's really good at it, validating everything Tayshia's feeling and offering nonjudgmental advice. Chris Harrison wishes! 

Literally: We learn Chris is taking a brief hiatus from the show to help his son move, and JoJo will be filling in as host for the foreseeable future. And first on her to-do list is dropping off a date card to Zac C.

I have to give Zac credit: He is remarkably upbeat about a truly lame and bizarre date that involves dressing up as a bride and groom for fake wedding photos. Have they already run out of things to do at the La Quinta Inn? Shock. Even Tayshia is unenthused. She describes wanting to do this because it sounded “fun” and “exciting” in the most somber, pull-out-my-teeth tone possible. 

The producers are really on some shit to make Tayshia, a divorced woman, put on a princess-cut wedding dress to jump up and down on a trampoline while a “creative director” shouts, “You look like a rock star!” I suppose I can see what the producers were up to after Zac uses the opportunity to reveal that he, too, was once married. 

Later that night Zac opens up even more about the circumstances around his divorce. After college he learned he had a brain tumor. This led to surgery, which then led to an addiction to pain killers. Feeling lost, Zac jumped into a marriage but never stopped partying, drinking, or “hanging out with sketchy people.” He got a DUI, and his wife left him. But it was getting caught with a check he'd stolen from his father that led to the realization he was ready to go to rehab. Now he sits on the board of the facility and has made it his purpose in life. 

It's a powerful and honest conversation about addiction—one I don't recall having seen on The Bachelor or The Bachelorette before. Like last week's conversation about race, it's encouraging to see more real-life discussions beyond being “here for the right reasons” on the show.

And it doesn't stop there! The group date with Spencer, Ivan, Ed, Blake, Brendan, Riley, Demar, Bennett, Ben, and Noah also starts out awkward but transitions to a surprisingly deep moment. I didn't see that turn coming at the start of the date, as Tayshia leads the men into a room where two naked models are posed. Immediately, the men express fear they'll be asked to strip down for a third time this season. Bachelorette producers, are you paying attention? The relief that comes over as Tayshia reveals they'll simply be drawing, and not posing themselves, is extremely telling.

But it's the final challenge of the date that brings out the most vulnerability. The men are tasked with making a self-portrait, and they all take the assignment seriously. Well, mostly. Sweet Brendan just holds up an empty frame and makes a half-hearted speech about how there's an empty space next to him for a partner. It's a testament to how much Tayshia's into him that her response is “Oh my God, he included me. That's so special!” Also underwhelming is Bennett, Harvard grad, who tells the group he grew up with anything but privilege.

A more authentic example of showing vulnerability is Blake, who reveals he grew up in a dysfunctional home. Or Riley, who speaks on the pain of his mother withholding love. Last to go is Ben, who confusingly strips down naked and declares he's here to give Tayshia his “physical body…and everything inside.” 

It makes a lot more sense later that night, when Ben explains that he experienced disordered eating for 15 years. The only person who knew this—besides Tayshia, now—was his sister, and it's clearly something that is on his mind. 

It's another conversation we've never seen on The Bachelorette before, and definitely not from a male contestant. As I've said before, the platform of Bachelor Nation is huge. So of course it matters that we're watching in real time as Ben is supported and even celebrated (he gets the date rose) for sharing his truth. It's not like The Bachelorette has suddenly solved toxic masculinity, but…progress! 

On a much different note, Bennett and Noah's dick-measuring contest has gotten so heated that now Tayshia's aware of it. Before the group date ends, she calls them both out and warns that she'll get to the bottom of it. Proving no lessons were learned, the two bicker at each other as soon as she leaves. 

The next night is Tayshia's one-on-one date with Eazy, which involves a scavenger hunt of “haunted stories” around the La Quinta property. It's all of my interests—creepy things, The Bachelor franchise—aligned. Truly, I would watch the shit out of a Listen to Your Heart–style show that combined ghost hunting with falling in love. They could call it The Bachelor Presents: (I Just) Died in Your Arms Tonight. ABC, call me! 

However, the date was not…easy…for Eazy. After a night of haunted dolls and darkened tennis courts, Eazy decides to confess over dinner that he's falling in love with Tayshia. Unfortunately for him, she doesn't feel the same way and sends him home.

And the next day the surprises continue. Noah and Bennett are assigned the dreaded two-on-one date before that evening's rose ceremony—one will be sent packing, and one will stay. In a move that will undoubtedly get him a spot on Bachelor in Paradise, Bennett arrives with a gift for Noah. 

It seems sweet at first—a red bandana to reflect Noah's Oklahoma roots and a pair of socks printed with mustaches—but then. But then! The final gift is a book on emotional intelligence because, Bennett says, Noah is clearly lacking. What a petty king. 

When Tayshia joins them, she immediately clocks the package sitting on the table before them. “What's in the box?” she asks in a near-perfect Brad Pitt impression. We'll have to wait to see her reaction, though, because the episode ends on that cliff-hanger. Until next time!

Anna Moeslein is a senior editor at Glamour. Follow her on Instagram at @annamoeslein.

Originally Appeared on Glamour