Meet the Parents: Bachelorette Hometowns
The Dynamic Duo is coming to an end for Hometowns and I’m not sure how the women will fare. The previews show some upcoming drama and for so long their friendship has been the thread holding their collective sanity intact.
First up is JASON in New Orleans. Honestly, I didn’t know he was cool enough to be from New Orleans. “It’s not Paris, but it’s close,” he says, referencing their first 1-on-1. She looks absolutely in love when she sees him, the pair dancing in the street and laughing. I don’t want to say that I’m surprised. Chatty Broads has had him on their leaderboard since Day 1. But I am surprised. I didn’t see Gabby actually falling for someone so reserved. He admits that he thought about leaving at the beginning and Gabby looks taken aback. She was excited about their 1-on-1 in Paris while he was thinking of leaving her. She plays it off well and I think she can get past it.
His dad comes up with a bouquet of flowers in the park, near tears, and I’m almost sobbing. He is so sweet and emotional. Someone needs to hug him. JASON’s family feels like they’re meeting their new daughter-in-law, which is sweet but a little presumptuous. The mother is almost in tears at the thought of losing her—and they just met. It’s giving Mama Webber energy. But JASON has other plans, dropping a bomb that he doesn’t see himself getting engaged by the end of their journey®. He would be “really sad” without her, but doesn’t seem overly emotional about it. Don’t worry, his mother makes ups for it, literally sobbing at the thought of not proposing to Gabby. Gabby says she is “falling head over heels for Jason.” Their relationship is something she’s “never felt like before.” And that doesn’t exactly match.
ZACK takes Rachel to watch airplanes take off, with picnic snacks, and Rachel literally can’t take her hands off of him, happy and kissing and smiling. They walk in the door to his house and I realize that Rachel is quite literally only tall enough to reach his shoulder. How have I not noticed that until now? Uncle Kronk (Patrick Warburton) is there and I can’t believe the family resemblance. Is it kind of weird that I’m into the fact that his uncle is a cartoon from my childhood? Yeah. That voice is incredibly nostalgic. The family seems to like Rachel a lot. They watch movies on the lawn and joke around. ZACK says that he’s IN LOVE with Rachel and that’s a huge step considering it’s only hometowns, but I do feel confident about these two.
Gabby meets JOHNNY’s family next and he can’t wait to see them, making it a day date. They joke around and Gabby appears way more comfortable with JOHNNY and his family, but I’m not sure if it’s in a platonic way. JOHNNY tells his mom he’s not ready to propose. I’m starting to worry that Gabby might not get engaged at the end at all. If ERICH feels the same, that’s 3 for 3. They seem happy but he feels overly nervous about a potential future together, both of them sending out vibes that they’re not a lot of substance to their relationship, which is something they both want.
TYLER and Rachel go to a carnival and there is family almost everywhere. She automatically feels apprehensive and nervous, feeling pushed by the rush of excited crowds. I absolutely saw this coming.
“It kind of hit me today that things are getting extremely close to the end and I just have other connections that are stronger,” Rachel admits in interviews, but he is gushing before she can get a word in to break up with him and it’s painful to watch. She is dead in the eyes as he confesses his love for her, feeling like everything is falling into place. It took him way too long to realize where the conversation was going, to the point where she had to stop him. I have never liked TYLER. He reminds me of a guy I used to date and it gives me the ick. And yet, it was physically painful to watch. It was brutal, even Rachel crying, knowing that she is breaking his heart. He handles it like a champ, thanking her for not bringing his parents into a doomed relationship, wishing her luck with the other men, barely breaking his smile. And yet his mother back at home was absolutely crushed, glowing as she talked about meeting her potential daughter-in-law.
Gabby meets ERICH’s family next, his dad with terminal cancer, connecting with Gabby as an ICU nurse. His mother takes care of him full time, noting that “she’s gotten sweeter” and it’s adorable. His mother cries that “we marry for life,” urging him to take their relationship seriously. It’s hitting all the benchmarks of a Bachelor Franchise relationship success, but I’m lacking some emotion from ERICH throughout this episode. They ride off into the moonlight on his motorcycle and Erich admits in a dark and moody restaurant that he’s falling for Gabby. They kiss like no one is watching and you can tell the care between them, which is really all that matters.
“I think I’ve always wanted to be with someone like you,” Gabby says, someone who is caring and thoughtful and kind, “but never knew that it was possible. His eyes light up. You can definitely see the connection between them. I want to hope for the best. “Saying goodbye was so hard,” Gabby says. “After today, I think Erich’s hometown, it could have changed the rest of my life.”
Next, TINO meets Rachel in the California mountains. She’s very nervous—or more so serious and determined—about meeting the parents. And looks like she had a right to be because they were very critical of the couple’s future. How many guys are there? How much time have you had together? Two months for an engagement? When TINO said he felt confident about Rachel, his father literally said “why?”
Rachel is caught off-guard, TINO’s parents very much looking for something wrong, which is understandable. I’m getting Cassie’s Dad vibes. “I feel like I could be the most perfect person and they still wouldn’t like me,” Rachel sobs. True. And TINO lied right to her face, saying “They loved you.” As if! But he makes her feel reassured and appreciated and they admit they are falling in love with each other.
And we have to wait until next week for Aven… I’m pissed.
The sneak preview gives us a lot about a big announcement in Bachelor Nation. Maybe a Bachelor by chance? Is it too late to put my votes in for a Mike Johnson Tyler Cameron double season? Probably. But a girl can dream.
