Robby was let go after his individual date, and then Jake and Tanner were eliminated at the rose ceremony in The Bachelorette 5 Episode 6.
That leaves 5 guys to go on hometown dates.
The first stop is Reid’s hometown of Philadelphia, PA. They will be meeting his mom, dad, and brothers. If one of them disapproves, he’s going to have to follow that advice. Reid is a realtor, which could easily fit in with Jillian’s business as a designer. Jillian’s concerned that Reid is afraid to open up about his feelings. His mom thinks that because he’s been hurt once before, he will be slow to open up, though his older brother thinks he has commitment issues. His father tells him that he should jump into it head over heels if he feels strongly enough, whether there is a chance he could get hurt or not. Later on, the rest of the family joins them to celebrate Reid’s 30th birthday. They are surprised to see him being so affectionate. Jillian fell hard for Reid and his family today.
Michael’s hometown of Valencia, CA is up next. Jillian will meet his identical twin brother, mom, and dad. He got all those roses because one thing on her non-negotiable list is someone who can make her laugh. While Jillian’s downstairs, the brothers decide to switch places. That lasts about two seconds before she busts them. Michael’s mother is impressed with how much he adores her, but his father is worried that he’s falling pretty hard. Regardless, he has no plans to hold back. His brother answers Jillian’s concern that he’s too young. They always planned since they were little to get married young so that they could enjoy their wives before having to worry about having kids or anything like that. During dinner, Michael’s sister surprises him and returns home from Australia, and then they all gather around and dance.
Kiptyn’s hometown of San Diego, CA is the next stop. Before going to visit his family, he warns Jillian they might bring some heat. She meets his mom, stepdad (who’s like a second real dad), sister, brother, and brother’s girlfriend. They saw the last few episodes of The Bachelor, so they’ve put up the caution tape around the hot tub. Then they put Jillian through a taste test, where she has to choose the lasagne and wine she likes best. She is correct in identifying the ones they wanted her to pick, so her reward is to listen to them speak in French. Will they end up just thinking she’s a total hillbilly? Jillian discusses unconditional love, which Kiptyn’s mom is not so sure she believes in. She’d like someone to be honest with her, not perfect, and his mom tells her that won’t be a problem. After dinner, they cut down the caution tape.
Jesse’s family vineyard in Carmel, CA is the next destination. He hasn’t brought a girl home in about 4 years. Jillian’s concern with Jesse is that they got off to a slow start. It usually takes him a long time to figure things out. They don’t have a long time, though. They meet his dad, mom, and brother. Jesse doesn’t seem overly sure, but he doesn’t think it could have gone any better than it’s gone. His brother says he’s like an emotional ice cube sometimes, and he hasn’t seen anybody yet who’s been able to crack him, though Jillian’s doing a lot better than anyone else has. After they eat, they make an effort to be a band. Jesse doesn’t know how many more steps he’ll need to take forward, but he wants to keep getting chances to try.
Wes’ hometown of Austin, TX is the final stop. Will Jillian be introduced to his girlfriend? Maybe a wife or some kids? No, she meets his band. Are you kidding me? Is she still dumb enough to think he’s actually here just for her? He acknowledges his ultimate goal is to get people to buy his CD, and Jillian will have a copy of that CD to remember him by before she leaves town. Jillian doesn’t find anything wrong with this at all. She’s having the time of her life.
That’s not all. Jake is back. He wants to tell Jillian the truth about Wes. So let me get this straight. This guy hasn’t spent very much time at all with Jillian since their first date back at the beginning of the season, and when he asked her why she was dumping him, she couldn’t give him a reason. Yet, despite that, he’s here to be her knight in shining armor. Three words: scripted for television. He wants to tell her before she goes in and meets Wes’ family.
Jillian can’t stop thinking about how excited she is to meet Wes’ family. Oh, I think she can stop thinking about it for a few minutes. There’s a knock at the door. It’s Jake. She thinks he must be there to ask why he got let go again. The first words out of her mouth are an apology. Out of everybody, he’s the one she wished she could see again to make sure he’s okay. He’s not there to get her back, and he doesn’t really want to talk about why he was let go. Rather, he’s there to warn her about Wes. It’s not about his career, which in itself is a big problem. In addition to that hurdle that he’s there just to sell records, Wes has a girlfriend named Laurel, who they have discussed on multiple occasions. Jake will be leaving now, but if Jillian needs him, she can call him.
Now Jillian needs to hear it from Wes. When he comes to pick her up, she wants to ask one more time if there’s anything he needs to tell her, a question he’s getting real tired of hearing because it means he has to keep lying, which is apparently a tough position for a con artist to be in. Putting the band aside, Jake told her that he’s got a girlfriend. No, that’s crazy. Laurel is an ex. Jillian has a lot of tolerance for people, but she can’t tolerate liars. Jump ship now, then, as it’s been getting pretty deep in here. Wes says he would stick around if he were the last man standing.
Time to call Jake and ask him to come out to discuss this. He’s staying down the hall. He’ll be right over. Can Wes look him in the eye and tell him he doesn’t have a girlfriend? Of course he can. He’s been acting since day one. Not time to give it up now. Wes doesn’t like that Jake is trying to ruin his integrity. I think it’s a little too late for that. A rat fight ensues. This isn’t going anywhere, so Jillian asks Jake to leave. So what’s her next move?
With all that drama said and done, it’s time to go meet the family. Wow. Just. Wow. Perhaps meeting his family will help lay some of her fears to rest. Yeah, hold on to your wallet. They meet his stepmom, mom, and three sisters, pretending they’re a happy couple. The family’s in on the act, too. How much is their cut from this record deal? Either that, or they just don’t know any better. Based on what she’s heard from the family, Jillian has decided that Wes is there for all the right reasons. Oh geez. If Jillian gets hurt after this night, it’s really going to be hard to feel sorry for her. She’s made her own bed. Short of showing her clips of Wes saying why he’s really there, there’s nothing left that anybody can do to convince her.
Perhaps there is something else that can sway her to at least not consider Wes, however. As emotional as Austin’s been, Jillian doesn’t think she can handle any more surprises. How about a visit from Ed? So why is he there? He realizes he made a huge mistake. He should have given up his job for her, recession be damned. When he got home, he couldn’t stop thinking about her. He’d like another shot. She agrees to let him come to the rose ceremony. He’s way behind now, including having missed the hometown dates, meaning that if he were to propose, he’d have to do so without her meeting his family.
Although Ed has returned, there are still just four roses, so two of them will be sent home.
Roses
Reid
Kiptyn
Ed
Wes
The guy who bailed and the guy who will bail if chosen remain in the game, while both Michael and Jesse have been dismissed. Jesse’s not a surprise because of how slowly they were moving, and I guess Michael isn’t a surprise either since Jillian isn’t looking for someone that young, which she really should have told him sooner. Like every guy before him, Jesse says that Wes is there for all the wrong reasons. Michael was close to telling Jillian that he loved her, and he could see himself getting down on one knee.
Stay tuned to dingoRUE for another live recap of The Bachelorette 5 episode 8, which airs Monday at 8/7c on ABC.