'Bachelor Pad' Week 5 Recap: A Last-Minute Twist Leads to a Shocking Upset

The fallout from last week's dramatic rose ceremony had the whole house on edge -- but especially Chris, who was furious at how many people had lied to him about how they were going to vote. Chris's plan to vote off Blakeley and keep Jamie around backfired, putting a big fat target on his back.

"The Great Fall of China"

Chris directed his rage at both Kalon and Ed, who he thought had betrayed him the worst. There was some yelling and chest thumping, and everyone left feeling pretty certain that Chris would be kicked off this week

That looked even more likely the next day, when Chris's now-archenemy Blakely won the challenge for the girls, gaining immunity. Not that anybody was too surprised -- the challenge was stacking and carrying cups and saucers without breaking them, and Blakeley had an obvious advantage. "So glad I worked at Hooters for 13 years," said Blakely, the only person who has ever uttered that sentence. Her victory was even sweeter because it put her in the prime position of leading a coup against Chris. "That is poetic justice if I've ever seen it," said Kalon, the authority on these kinds of things.

To Chris's further dismay, Blakeley then turned around and helped her new partner, Tony, win the competition for the guys. Her incessant coaching bugged everyone but paid off. It was imperative that Chris win that challenge, but he didn't even come close. "Today is my worstnightmare," he said.

Blakely decided to take fellow challenge winner Tony on her date, so she got to award her rose to another guy in the house she found deserving. She picked Kalon -- an interesting choice, since he doesn't exactly scream "loyal ally." But his sudden status as Chris's number one enemy probably helped seal the deal.

Traffic alert for East L.A.

Kalon picked his partner (and bedfellow) Lindzi to go on his date, and they sped off into the night in a fancy Bentley, Lindzi decked in diamonds from Neil Lane. The show had shut down a bridge in East L.A. so they could have a romantic dinner in the middle of the street, chandelier and candles included.

Kalon seized the opportunity to show us a less devious, more sensitive side of himself. "I had lost all hope and faith in this concept, and finding you is the most pleasant surprise I've ever dreamed of," he told Lindzi. "I cannot get enough of you." Those words would ring a lot sweeter if not for the bazillion times he's prided himself on how much he lies. Lindzi seemed into it, but reservedly so.

Back at the Pad, Chris was busy licking his wounds. "I went from the king of the castle to the servant," he complained. He was resigned to getting eliminated, but wanted to take out as many of his enemies as possible on the way down. He fixated on Lindzi, Kalon's partner, as a target. "Watch out Kalon -- I'm coming after your girl," he threatened.

Honkytonk woman

It was finally time for Blakeley's date with Tony, and Tony seemed to be nursing a little crush on the former cocktail waitress. They were given a map of California and the keys to a cute blue Jeep, and sent on their way.

Blakeley was expecting a yacht, or a jet, or a trip to Vegas for their overnight date, and was sorely disappointed when they pulled up at a tiny Airstream trailer in the desert. No champagne, chandeliers, or diamonds in sight. She made the best of it, and was happy to spend some quality time with Tony. They expressed their mutual feelings of hesitant attraction to each other over some frank n' beans, then slow danced and smooched a little to country music coming from the Jeep's radio.

We were then treated to a wonderful '80s movie-worthy montage -- Blakely shutting the door of the Airstream to spend some alone time with Tony, Chris and Sarah smooching by the hot tub, Rachel covering up a bedroom camera to have some sexy times with Michael, and poor Jaclyn morosely stroking Ed's hair as he slumbered near her lap.

Tony and Blakeley returned triumphantly from their date in the desert to regale the rest of the contestants with tidbits of their time together. It was time for Tony to make the most important choice of the episode/probably his life: Whom would he award his rose to?

Chris did his best to strong-arm Tony into choosing Sarah, but Tony obeyed Blakeley and picked Jaclyn instead, hopefully securing the loyalty of her partner, Ed, as well. Blakeley was pleased that Tony had toed the line. "He is a domesticated man," she said approvingly.

The stroke of genius

Chris Harrison came around to stir the pot before the rose ceremony, and boy, did he "shake things up." Besides prompting Ed to deny that he and Jaclyn have a little something going (she was totally devastated), he dropped this giant, steaming twist into the midst of the Pad:

Everyone had to vote for one girl, and that girl would get to choose one man to leave the pad with her after the rose ceremony.

Mayhem! Chris, of course, was happy -- this essentially got him off the hook. Nobody in the house wanted to vote for Sarah, as planned, because she would probably take Game Master Michael down with her.

Michael stepped in to take control of the rapidly deteriorating situation. He came up with a seemingly ingenious plan: Convince everyone to boot off Erica, but make her think that Chris orchestrated it so that she'd bring Chris along with her. Tricky, even for Michael, one of the only living "Bachelor Pad" experts. "I think I applied a stroke of genius to this rose ceremony," he said. "If we pull this off, it's one hell of a move."

In between all this backstabbing, there was a sad interlude: Jaclyn was distraught that Ed had publically rejected her romantically, so they had a hard conversation. They're totally doing it, but Ed wouldn't acknowledge that to anybody. Ouch. Jaclyn felt used, and rightfully so.

Meanwhile, Erika had heard that Chris was supposedly responsible for all the votes that were piling up against her. At almost the same time, it dawned on Chris that Michael was behind the whole conspiracy. In a brilliant move, he physically took Erica into the voting booth so that she could watch him vote for Lindzi, not her. This was enough to convince Erica that Chris was telling the truth, and that her friend Michael had been lying to her all along.

The rose ceremony

It was down to Erica and Lindzi at the rose ceremony, and with only three roses to hand out, Erica's fate was sealed quickly. Michael's plan had worked -- at least partly. Erica had been voted off. 

Then it was up to Erica to choose whom to bring down with her. Everyone was absolutely shocked when she picked Michael, last season's winner, everyone's favorite contestant, and the undisputed leader of the Pad. "The little puppet-master got caught in his own game," she jeered.

Erica probably should have stopped there, but she went on to taunt him about how his ex-fiancée, Holly, had dumped him for another man, a "real man," on the last season. She just made herself look bad with that one, and also reminded us that she and Michael were the only two contestants this season who had been on the Pad last time around. How sad that these two old friends came to this.

Erica and Michael got into their respective limos, after Michael made Rachel promise she'd keep playing the game without him in a "Titanic"-worthy moment.

"I'm taking away a dictator. By removing Michael, people don't have to be brainwashed," Erica said as her limo pulled away.

Michael was still absolutely stunned that he'd failed at his own game. He was also pretty mad at Erica. "Now everyone sees her true colors," he said.

Everyone at the Pad was reeling at the loss of their fearless leader -- especially Rachel, who looked like she'd just been widowed. Erica was right about one thing -- with Michael gone, it is anybody's game.