With Juan Pablo being such a wildcard, I had a feeling hometown dates were going to be pretty excellent. I was not disappointed, y’all.
Surprisingly, I don’t have much to say about Nikki’s date. It felt fairly normal, and it seemed to flow pretty naturally. I have to say, I wasn’t expecting to like her family… And I sort of loved them. They definitely embraced JP more than any of the other families (which isn’t always a good thing, hello, shouldn’t we have reservations about this??), and Nikki’s family gave their full support. I thought it was a boring, happy, hometown date. Nikki nailed it.
Andi’s hometown, not surprisingly, was far more interesting. She’s a lawyer—this woman is smart. She has a million things going for her. I had no doubts that her family would question her falling in love with a club promoter from Miami on a reality TV show. #sorrynotsorry
As such, Andi’s father not welcoming Juan Pablo with open arms was no shock to me. In fact, I really liked this dude. That is the answer that I would hope my father would give if I brought someone home who was dating 3 other women. And I would hope that my siblings would voice their concerns as well—these people, after all, have known Andi her whole life where she’s known JP for less than 2 months.
I did enjoy the juxtaposition between how Andi and JP viewed the night, as an AMAZING time where everything went wonderful and they fell deeper and love; and how her family viewed the night—as super awkward and weird. Also, Andi, don’t be surprised that Juan Pablo came to Atlanta—this trip was entirely forced and planned by the producers.
Renee, Renee, Renee. Honestly, I think it’s a little rude that JP is letting this carry on. He couldn’t be less into her, he’s not going to pick her. And he’s going to meet her child? Come on, dude. But despite this feeling a little cruel to me, her son is freaking adorable. Little league game and a picnic on the beach?? This is the woman JP should be with!
This also made me think a little bit more about what it takes for a single mom to go on this show. She hadn’t seen her son in two months. You guys, I freak out when I go 2 weeks away from my dog. And she’s a dog. And also, what does she tell this kid? He’s old enough to understand, right? Weird. So weird.
Anyways, her family was great. I am kind of loving Renee. I doubt they’ll go with another single parent for the next Bachelorette, but I’m hopeful she’ll find someone excellent after this. And maybs her brother can be the next Bach… Am I right?
We all know I totally don’t like Clare. But I have had two revelations this evening. The first is that her an JP definitely seem to have the most chemistry, which is clearly very important to him because when describing each girl he always says first “Most importantly she’s beautiful.” Second, her father sounds like the most amazing man. That story about her and her dad dancing her daddy-daughter dance before he died… I mean come on.
Clare’s family is super old and very confusing. She also looks different from everyone. Literally, she doesn’t look like she came from this flock at all. The very weird very aggressive rather large sister in the green made me feel very uncomfortable. There are some SUPER weird family dynamics going on here that I want no part of ever again. I wanted these people off my screen so badly! Ok maybe just Laura but that behavior was just so bizarre it has to be a reflection on some of the other sisters, right? You guys. So strange.
Once again, couldn’t have been less surprised that he sent Renee home. Hence my anger on him going to meet her son. I suppose I should have felt some feelings as Juan Pablo was crying when he sent her home, but poor dude has no idea how to express emotions. Because he couldn’t shut her up with kisses, he stayed practically completely silent, and just touched her face. Obviously his go to move, and I guarantee you it won’t be the last time we see it. I am sad that Renee is gone, but, she deserves way better. I hope this opens doors for her, I really do!
Luckily, we don’t have to wait more than 24 hours to finally see what all the hubbub is about the Fantasy Dates tomorrow. But I have to offer a guess: JP has sex with Clare and Nikki, and ether explicitly tells or implies this to Andi. I don’t think it’s anything extreme, I think JP just says something dumb and Andi calls him out on it.
Either way, I can’t wait!
[Lead image via]
We’re Here For The Right Reasons: “The Bachelor” Recap, Hometown Visits
