Chris Harrison Blogs ‘The Bachelorette’ Episode 5
Welcome back, Bachelor Nation! It’s been a long two weeks and we have truly missed you. The long national nightmare that was Chad has come to an end. Love him or hate him or love to hate him, Chad has been on the forefront of everyone’s minds since this whole thing started. And just when one Chad disappears, another Chad comes in out of the clear blue sky, and that Chad is the same Chad who dropped roses on JoJo’s doorstep last season. Before we get to that, though, let’s talk about the first Chad.
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After being sent home by JoJo, Chad elected to go back to the house to pack up his suitcase of supplements and protein powder. This isn’t actually that unusual. Sometimes, people who are sent home on dates end up back at the house to pack up a few of their possessions, but you don’t always see it because we are usually focused on the man or woman who is still on the date. In this case, things were very different. Chad didn’t just pack his protein and go. (He couldn’t; the other guys blew his protein powder into the wind like ashes.) Instead of using this opportunity to apologize and clear the air, Chad doubled down on his dislike for the other guys. While we’ve said goodbye to Chad for now, we look forward to seeing him again at the Men Tell All episode coming up in July.
We were sad to say goodbye to Nemacolin Woodlands Resort, which was our home away from home for a while, but very excited to take this journey international! We have never had a chance to visit South America and were all so excited to get to follow along with JoJo to Punta del Este, Uruguay. Beautiful beaches, amazing deserts, and delicious food. I had never had a chance to go to Uruguay before, but man was I glad I did. As you could see, these are some of the most amazing dates we’ve ever had.
Jordan got the first one-on-one date. After getting the first impression rose, he had really been waiting a long time to get that quality time with JoJo. The date to the island of the seals was out of this world. There are over 200,000 seals that call this place their home and they are friendly, but they are loud, and they are wild. Jordan and JoJo were pretty scared, but it didn’t stop them from jumping in and enjoying it. You can see they have an undeniable chemistry, but that evening they discussed some of the underlying fears that JoJo had. JoJo had been warned that Jordan wasn’t great in a previous relationship, and I think it’s really important that JoJo addresses these fears she has instead of working them all through in her head. Communication is key to all relationships and Jordan and JoJo have a head start on honesty and openness.
Just when you think you’re done hearing the word “Chad,” another Chad comes into the picture. JoJo’s ex-boyfriend Chad decided to “tell all” to a magazine. Normally, we wouldn’t pay this any mind, but in this case, the claims were so extreme that they called the entire nature of JoJo’s journey into question. One of the guys read the magazine and news sure spread fast. Of course, the men were incredibly supportive and just assumed that this was a jealous ex trying to get his 15 minutes of fame, but we thought it was important for JoJo to know the rumors that were spreading. Just like she addressed the rumors with Jordan, she decided to address the rumors about herself with the rest of the men. I think it was easy to see that JoJo was hurt that someone from her past would do this to her. I don’t want to speak for JoJo, but we are confident that she’s is in this for the right reasons and we won’t let rumors stop her from continuing her quest to find the love of her life.
The next date was incredible. Sand surfing on an unbelievable dune in the middle of the desert — what could be better than that? The guys got a few runs in and were having such a great time, but the rain started pouring down. The rain wasn’t just a drizzle either, it was a torrential downpour that lasted for hours. Thankfully, the guys got a chance that night to spend some quality time with JoJo at home.
The last one-on-one date of the week went to Robby. Robby is the first guy to tell JoJo that he is in love with her. It may seem fast, but their connection was instantaneous and Robby, as evidenced by his story about his best friend, lives life to the fullest and goes after every moment. Their relationship is easy and it’s clear that Robby is a frontrunner that nobody saw coming. JoJo always says she needs words of affirmation and Robby definitely has no problem providing them.
After an exhausting week, JoJo decided to rip off the Band-Aid and go right to the rose ceremony. Grant, Vinny, and Evan are three great guys, but their relationships with JoJo were just moving a little too slow. JoJo really teared up when they left though, and I think she finally started to understand just how intense and difficult all the future goodbyes will be.
Next week we are off to Buenos Aires, Argentina, where the dates are wilder than ever and the drama is only just beginning. Chad may be gone, but the craziness is just getting started! See you next week!
The Bachelorette airs Mondays at 8 p.m. on ABC
