Sayonara, Sydney: Bachelor Ep4 & 5
Week 5 & 6, we’re already off on an international romance journey® of a lifetime in Maulta and Spain, even if the women have no idea where Maulta is. Fun facts include Maltese dogs and friendly people.
LEXI gets the first 1-on-1 date of the week, with exploring the city, complete with gorgeous churches, food, and potential fertility struggles. There are so many amazing women this season, all with complicated backstories and emotions, and Joey is handling it all beautifully. I cannot imagine dating 10+ women and balancing their backstories and trauma at the same time.
Back at the house, drama about the drama about the drama is still happening (if you can follow that). SYDNEY is disappointed MARIA is still in the house, hatching a plan with LEA to get Joey to kick her out. How nice.
MARIA brings up frustration with the consistent attacks on her character after conversations attempting to apologize and drop the drama, but SYDNEY insists being near her is torture. How do you argue with that?
At the group date, the women take the knight to another level, practicing their sword skills before a medieval-style duel and no-armed sausage catch. Not sure it was entirely historically accurate.
The pressure is on in the night portion, with KELSEY T. stressing about other connections blossoming in front of her eyes. And yet, she wins the date rose by reaching out and asking Joey what support he needs. As the suitcases are packed from MARIA and SYDNEY’s impending 2-on-1, he surely needs the support.
Seemingly castaways at sea, MARIA and SYDNEY chill out alone on a yacht in the most awkward way possible, the way only a 2-on-1 can stir. All three of them share a bench on a single row boat in the famous blue lagoon and it’s almost too funny the lengths producers have gone to for peak hatred. When Joey initiates a private conversation with SYDNEY, she practically jumps out of her seat. But ultimately, it wasn’t enough to stir a connection. LEA admits that she predicted SYDNEY to go home because her connection with Joey is solely based in drama around someone else. Not exactly a marriage made. But that doesn’t make it any less hurtful when life carries on per usual without SYDNEY, only LEA throwing her a pitty party in her absence. She confronts MEDINA about “not being loyal,” even after all the drama was started over MEDINA. This just shows, it never really was about MEDINA, and I can’t imagine how painful that was for her to realize her friends only stuck up for her for the sake of drama. She’s allowed to be nice to MARIA. MARIA never meant to attack anyone, only lift them up.
“Your narrative changes a bit,” LEA accuses, with MEDINA interrupting “MARIA knows that SYDNEY and I are close. I don’t need to be mean to MARIA because SYDNEY was my friend.”
I think this best summarizes how the drama became so blown out. Similar to the cats and rats from Pete’s season, the girl gangs have circled their wagons and are out for blood. But news for LEA, not everyone is ready to “go to war” for someone they met a month ago. Getting mad that someone is being nice to MARIA is not okay.
“MARIA goes off and honestly I’m glad that that’s the case,” LEA admits in interviews. That’s just sick. Once again, my warning from the premiere rings true. The Bachelor used to be such an amazing place to showcase friendships among women and it’s heartbreaking to be torn apart by something so toxic.
ROSES: Lexi, Kelsey T., Maria, Kelsey A., Katelyn, Daisey, Rachel, Jenn, Autumn, Jess, Medina, and Lea.
In Spain, MARIA decides to ignore LEA’s negativity because focusing on her and Joey has been working toward sustaining their relationship. Joey whisks KELSEY A. off on a Vespa for a daytime getaway in front of all the women, shaking their nerves.
It’s been apparent to me from the beginning how much Joey likes KELSEY A. It’s not focused on as much on camera, but in the little comments he makes, on how much their connection is growing despite us not seeing it much I can tell there’s so much more going on in private. Possibly giving Katherine Lowe?
On the group date, MARIA opens up about her relationship with her mom and a horrific car accident as a baby that influenced her outlook on life through her mother’s injury and following depression. She gets the date rose and I feel hopeful for their relationship. Bachelor Data found that those who survivors of the infamous 2-on-1 dates never last long, but there’s always a first.
RACHEL snags the second 1-on-1 of the week, and while they have fun together, I don’t see their connection as long-term. I think he finds comfort and friendship in her, but he continues to yearn for more connection. While time could help, he already feels it with other women, so I don’t see her going back to the US on this journey® for hometowns.
ROSES: Kelsey A., Maria, Rachel, Jenn, Kelsey T., Daisey, Lea, Lexi, Katelyn, and Jess.
For once, I appreciated a two-part Bachelor week. There was so much drama to unpack and it all connected throughout the two episodes. One cannot exist without the other. Queen LEA does not rise from the beneath the ground without SYDNEY being buried.
