Before we got treated to the trainwreck that is Jake & Vienna in The Bachelorette Season 6 Episode 7, Ali sent Ty packing to bring us down to the final four guys who will be going on hometown dates.
Ali first meets Roberto in Tampa, where she goes to the university at which he played baseball. He apparently played some minor league ball before deciding to be an insurance salesman. They go to dinner with his father (also Roberto), mother, sister (both of them are named Olga I guess), brother, and sister-in-law. His father’s concerned that maybe she wants to do too many things. I noticed that with the coming on this show and then quitting to go back to work and then quitting that to go back to this show. Regardless of any reservations he may have, he gives Roberto his blessing. They finish off the night with a dance around the living room.
Next we head to Dennis, MA on Cape Cod for a hometown visit with Chris. They meet on the beach… in the rain. That doesn’t distract them from playing with his dog and walking on the sand/mud. Ali feels comfortable in Massachusetts since she is also from there. While waiting for his family to arrive back at the house, they take a walk down memory lane and then talk about the future. His sisters-in-law are both wearing Dennis bracelets just like Ali. They really don’t present much in the way of tough questions, just wanting what’s best for him.
Kirk takes Ali to Green Bay, WI, the cheese state. His parents are divorced and don’t speak to each other, to the extent that they have to go to two different households in order to meet both of them. First up it’s the dad, stepmom, and stepsister. His father has a question: “Would you like to go see my basement?” Run away. Run away. When they get down there, there are a lot of stuffed animals. Ali makes the mistake of opening the freezer, where they keep frozen snacks like popsicles… along with dead animal parts. This is all quite creepy, not in a good way. Once they’re done trapsing through the pet cemetery, they discuss whether Kirk’s ready for this relationship, and his father thinks he is. Bringing the girl home for a change is a positive sign.
Date number two is Kirk’s mother’s house, where they meet the women in his life: his mom, grandma, and sister. There are no dead animals this time, just one of their home-cooked meals. The family gets together for every occasion, well, at least this part of the family anyway. His mom sees this journey as a new beginning for a guy who went through so much with his illness. She can tell he’s happy.
Frank gets the final date in Chicago. He’s less upbeat than the other guys, worrying that he could get sent home tomorrow. Perhaps a visit home will stop his moping. While the dinner is a lot more cheerful than their boat ride over had been, he’s still in doubting Thomas mode. Nonetheless, he still says he’s falling in love with her.
With the hometown dates over, it’s time to head back to the mansion for the rose ceremony. Before that, Ali has a lengthy chat with Chris Harrison in which she pretends any one of the guys could be going home.
Roses
Roberto
Chris
Frank
As much as I thought Frank would be sent home seeing as how uptight and unfun he seemed to make their date, the person actually being cut is Kirk. He felt good about where they were at and was looking to propose, but Ali doesn’t think they fit together.
Stay tuned to dingoRUE for another live recap of The Bachelorette Season 6 Episode 9, which airs Monday at 8/7c on ABC.