Chris Harrison Blogs 'The Bachelor' Episode 3
One thing about The Bachelor is that we truly never really know what to expect. One minute Lace is acting strange and seems to be disconnected from the world, and the next minute she’s profoundly explaining her internal struggles. One minute Olivia is America’s favorite girl, and the next minute everyone in America is trying to figure out who the real Olivia is. One minute Jubilee is giving Ben an innocent massage, and then next minute she’s locked herself in a bathroom. No matter how long we do this, every Bachelor is different and every woman who comes looking for love is different, and we always find ourselves totally surprised.
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The week started off beautifully, as Ben took Lauren B. on a one-on-one date like no other. A bi-plane is very cool, but a hot tub literally in the middle of nowhere? Well, it doesn’t get more Bachelor than that. One thing you didn’t get to see is that Lauren B. actually saw a snake and from the time they landed until they got in the tub, she and Ben were in a heck of a hurry to get out of the open field.
It’s pretty clear that Lauren B. and Ben have an instant connection, and hearing Ben open up about his Dad was really telling. It’s good to see that he is also taking the necessary steps of being totally open, honest, and vulnerable. And Lucy Angel was there to really cement a wonderfully romantic evening.
Those that know me know that I’m a huge soccer fan and I was cheering the Women’s National team on all the way to their World Cup victory, so helping to plan a soccer date and calling in some help from Alex Morgan and Kelley O’Hara was exactly my kind of date. You could see the game got intense but honestly, you cant’ even imagine how crazy it got. When Emily went into “beast mode” as goalie, everyone was screaming. Our crew was screaming. It was maybe the most insane, competitive game we’ve ever had on the show. These women proved that it’s not about how good you are, but about how much heart you have, and these women really gave it their all.
Last week Olivia started becoming a divisive figure in the house, but this week the deal was really sealed. From this point on, it’s really Olivia versus the other women in the house, and things are about to get even more heated. The women had a lot to say about Olivia, her appearance, and even her breath, and at some point it’s important to ask this question: is this a case of groupthink? Or is Olivia really as bad as they say? As we move forward, keep asking yourself this question. What do you think?
Speaking of unexpected moments: Jubilee getting a one on one date this week was not too surprising for us. She’s strong, smart, beautiful, and bold. But let me tell you, we’ve never had to bleep out someone getting a date card before. She was surprised all right. And she was even more surprised when the helicopter landed and took her away to Cal-A-Vie Health Spa, which really is one of the most relaxing places in California. Still, I think her question “Does anyone else want my date?” took on a life of it’s own after she left in the helicopter with Ben.
On the date, Jubilee really opened up about her difficult past. It was beautiful to see how touched Ben was and I think all of us really respect her even more than we already did, knowing what she’s been through, but back at the Bachelor mansion, a different kind of talk was brewing. At this point, relationships are getting more and more intense and with that, every single person you see as a threat can become a target. I think more than anything, the conflict between Amber, Jubilee, and some of the other girls can be explained by remembering this: Ben is a catch, as are a lot of these women. Tensions will run high when people want the same thing.
As tensions mount, I expect more and more of that to revolved around Olivia, who has been in the sights of every woman since the first night. How that progresses is yet to be seen, but tune in next week as we head to Las Vegas. What happens there ends up on in your living room next Monday at 8/7c. Keep joining the conversation on Bachelor Live! and talk to me all week long @chrisbharrison. See you next week!
The Bachelor airs Mondays at 8 p.m. on ABC. Bachelor Live airs Mondays at 10 p.m. on ABC.
