The opening shot of this season’s « The Bachelor » with Joey Graziadei shows him waiting on a beach, crying, as an SUV drives away.
1 woman eliminates herself, new drama begins for Joey on ‘The Bachelor’
This week’s episode of « The Bachelor » started with a look at Lauren and her time with Joey. America’s Sweetheart was apparently waiting for a red velvet cake to arrive, cursing up a storm, and bringing general displeasure to those around her. Joey says, « I’m sorry that a lot of this has been tough on you. » He eventually leaves her with her cake, she takes a bite and chucks it at the ground saying, « It’s not red velvet. » Yikes.
Gina: Talk about a « sweet » tease! I can’t wait to see what leads up to that moment.
Earlier in the week, we see Joey giving Jesse a tennis lesson. Just two dudes, batting the ball around. « This is why you are ‘The Bachelor,’ you’re a great communicator, » Jesse said. They seem to have a sweet friendship. So, we know Joey will at least leave with a friend out of this whole situation.
Gina: can we take a moment to talk about Jesse Palmer? I feel like he’s really settled into his role as host, but also a friend and confidante of our leads. It all comes very naturally and organically, our leads appreciate his input and I’m really enjoying him on the show.
It’s time for the first group date of the season! A card arrived at Bachelor Mansion and it read, « Rachel, Taylor, Kelsey T., Lexie, Evalin, Erica, Maria, Lauren, Jess, here come the brides. You can’t wear just anything on your special day. Head to the other room and select the perfect gown for our wedding. »
There was a mad dash to the other room and a lot of screaming and grabbing. The dress rack even fell over on Rachel. Daisy was bummed she didn’t get on the date, but thought maybe it was a blessing in disguise because it’s bad luck for the groom to see you in a wedding dress before your big day! Maybe! The ladies all looked beautiful though!
They loaded into two waiting limos with tin cans tied to the bumpers wearing their gowns. They all gushed about what they wanted at their future weddings, and Lauren got sad because she and Allison’s dad recently passed away. It sunk into her that he wouldn’t be there when she gets married someday.
Joey was there waiting in a tux! He looked very handsome! They had a fun reception where Jesse was the best man, but only one woman would get to be the bride for the first dance. They had to play musical chairs to see who could sit next to Joey. Evalin dove onto the table! Joey took some time to meet their « guests » with the brides, cut the cake, have some drinks, and even share some sweet kisses. Lauren, however, hung back. She was in a funk. She was really missing her dad.
Gina: First, we need to talk about Evalin. That jump over the table was fantastic! And props to the producers for showing it over and over and in slow-motion. 10/10 – no notes! As for Lauren, this is one of those moments where I felt empathy for her. I lost my dad three years ago so I understand those feelings. It makes the loss that much more clear and painful.
In the end, Joey picked Rachel to have the first dance! Grammy winner Michael Bolton was there to perform « When a Man Loves a Woman. » Wow! That’s a once-in-a-lifetime experience for sure! He had recently announced his brain tumor diagnosis and had surgery – so prayers to him for a speedy recovery.
That’s not the end though – the second part of the group date is the cocktail party for him to talk to each woman, one-on-one. Maria pulled him first to chat and then slipped into a lingerie-style dress. Wow. She was definitely trying to seduce him and it was working. He was blushing like crazy. He really seems to connect with Maria. She went back out to the group of ladies wearing her seductive outfit. They were all like…why did you change? Um, isn’t it obvious?
He kissed Kelsey T. and called her his rock, but Jess was getting in her head. Not getting immediate validation from Joey was hard for her. She used her time to talk to Joey about her past relationship and how her ex was unfaithful to her. It’s hard for Jess to see him with other women. Joey was very receptive and very reassuring. He hugged her, and then they shared some kisses. Joey said he liked seeing her be so open with him.
Joey finally had some time to talk with Lauren. She explained about her father and how much she’s going to miss him at her future wedding. Joey said that he wished he could have made her feel more comfortable and he was sorry she had to deal with it alone. He said he loved that they could actually have a conversation about everything. In the end though, he gave the group date rose to Jess.
Gina: I am glad that Lauren told him how she was feeling about the loss of her dad. Speaking from experience, you just never know when you’re going to be hit with a wave of grief or how you’re going to handle it.
