SPOILER ALERT! This post contains details from Thursday’s episode of ABC‘s Bachelor in Paradise.
Things are heating up in Paradise.
The women are preparing to hand out roses, and the men are clamoring for their attention to make sure they stick around for another week…but several of them will still go home despite their best efforts. You may remember that the last episode ended on several cliffhangers. What will happen with Sam’s poo baby? Will Mercedes choose Tyler or Will? Are Kat and Brayden still feuding?
First on the agenda is Sam, who has been anxiously awaiting the sunrise — her cut off for a natural bowel movement before more medical intervention will require her to leave the beach. By the time the sun is peaking over the horizon, Sam’s situation hasn’t gotten any better. Stuck in a sh*tty situation (no pun intended), Sam departs from Paradise and leaves Aaron S. without a lifeline.
Other than that, things appear to be quite chill in Paradise. Kat and Tanner are hitting it off. Brayden is moving on. Peter and Olivia are getting to know one another after Peter gave Olivia his rose as a gesture of good will. But wait…there’s another man entering the picture.
It’s John Henry! He went home pretty early on Charity’s season, but he admits to being very shy. He’s hoping Paradise might be a better environment for him to find a connection. After conversations with Kat, Kylie and Olivia, he asks Olivia to join him on a date. Before she accepts, she pulls Peter aside for a chat.
It’s admirable, considering Olivia felt very blindsided when Will went on a date with Kylie without so much as a “goodbye” to Olivia. Peter expresses his concerns, and Olivia feels unsure, but she decides to go anyway.
Olivia and John Henry really hit it off on their date. They spend the day indulging in a spa experience, which is new for John Henry. Olivia teaches him about skin care and shows him how to give a proper massage. Throughout the day, Olivia seems genuinely surprised at how good they are getting along, but it’s easy to see why. Olivia’s carefree demeanor is rubbing off on John Henry, who quickly loosens up as the day progresses. It feels inevitable when their date ends with a dip in the pool and a make out session.
Back on the beach, everyone is relaxing. The men are playing football on the sand, and the women are enjoying the view. Kylie and Mercedes are ranking the men based on appearance. Before they know it, there’s another shakeup as John B., also from Charity’s season, descends on the shore.
He pulls Mercedes and Eliza for conversations before inviting Eliza on a date. This comes as a shock to everyone in Paradise, because she and Aaron B. seemed pretty solid. But, Eliza hasn’t had eyes for anyone else since she came to Paradise, and she’s been very clear about how she doesn’t want to end up in a sticky situation like last season. She talks with Aaron B. before she leaves, and despite his protestations, she tells him she wants to explore her options. Good for her! As she should!
In a confessional, Aaron B. tries to explain his connection to Eliza using an analogy about fig spread on a charcuterie board. If that sounds confusing, that’s because it was. Meanwhile, everyone else thinks they need to weigh in on Eliza’s choice, too. Tyler says dating “isn’t tennis,” and people can’t continue to volley back and forth. Eventually, they need to settle down. Well, it seems a little early in everyone’s journey to make that assessment, but to each their own.
Thankfully, Eliza’s decision is not for nothing. She and John B. have a really lovely candlelit dinner and dance under the moonlight. We don’t see much of their date, but it appears that they’re having a great time.
Back on the beach, Olivia returns from her date with John Henry. She tells Peter that she and John Henry hit it off, but she isn’t quite sure yet what she wants to do. She’d like to keep talking to both men for the time being, which they seem okay with — although Peter appears pretty anxious about it. After talking with John Henry about her catch up with Peter, Olivia changes for dinner and is immediately confronted by Peter again. He’s decided to shoot his shot and tells her that he has been meaning to kiss her all this time. She challenges him to do it, so he leans in for the smooch. Cue the shocked faces from the onlookers!
Though Kylie didn’t end up on any dates today, she was considered for one of them. So, she wants to make sure she and Avan are on the same page, in case this happens again. She tells Avan that she’s not interested in any more dates, and she doesn’t think anyone who comes down those stairs could make her change her mind (famous last words). Avan agrees and, for now, they’re the first and only exclusive couple in Paradise.
As if there isn’t enough going on, Wells decides to add his own chaos to the mix. He introduces a “truth box” to the group, where they can anonymously submit messages about each other that will be read out loud. That is sure to cause some drama.
In a rather odd turn of events, Sean says he’d like to pursue Jess, who has been happily getting to know Blake pretty much this entire time. He tells the men he’s been nervous to explore that connection, because Rachel is already so into him. Well, that opens the door for Brayden to slide in on Rachel, but, in classic Brayden form, he cannot stay out of other people’s business. So, he tells Rachel what Sean said about her, which sets her off. She confronts Sean, who admits he did want to explore that connection, but after a conversation with Jess he’s ready to move on (failing to mention that Jess was not interested).
After that conversation, Sean speaks with Brayden and tries to invoke “bro code,” saying that he doesn’t think it was Brayden’s place to say anything. Brayden doesn’t seem to care. In a pretty curious departure from Charity’s season, where Brayden was the villain, this marks the second time that most of the contestants seem to align that Brayden isn’t in the wrong.
Eliza and John B. return from their date, and Aaron B. is waiting on pins and needles to see how she’s feeling. She doesn’t waste time pulling him for a chat, where she tells him that she had a great day with John B., but she was also thinking about Aaron B. during the date. It doesn’t seem like she’s fully made a decision, but Aaron takes it as a good sign.
The rose ceremony is still looming over everyone’s head, but they can’t move forward until Wells unleashes the truth box. He starts off pretty tame, reading off notes that accuse him of serving weak shots of tequila and posit that Rachel and Brayden should make out (I wonder who wrote that one!). But, Aaron S. isn’t here to mess around. He’s ready for some real drama. He smashes open the box and begins reading the juicier notes, most of which have to do with Kat.
Kat played Brayden. Tanner should watch out for Kat. Kat isn’t actually looking out for Jess. Brayden and Rachel should make out…again.
Brayden takes this as his opportunity to steal Rachel away, which is perfect timing, because Kat is ready to pop off. Especially after Tanner admits that the sentiment is getting to him, and he isn’t sure if he can trust her intentions. Tanner tries to explain how he can see things from Brayden’s point of view, but Kat does not want to hear it. She insists she did not blindside Brayden, and she has no idea why Tanner would be unsure. In a confessional, Kat is really going off about this whole situation…which is illustrated in several shots that show the entire beach could hear her tirade as she filmed it. It seems Kat doesn’t care who’s listening, including Tanner.
And Brayden isn’t even listening, because he’s far too focused on Rachel.
Sean and Aaron S. are among the men who are desperately hoping for a lifeline at the 11th hour, so they can remain in Paradise for another week. It looks like those prayers will be answered, because the episode ends with a tease that another lady is making her way onto the beach.
Still no rose ceremony, y’all! Guess we will have to wait another week.
Bachelor in Paradise airs Thursdays at 9 p.m. ET/PT after The Golden Bachelor.