NOTE: This post contains spoilers for episode 2 of The Bachelor.
Last night was episode 2 of The Bachelor and there was a lot to be fit into this first week, including two crowded group dates and the all-important first one-on-one of the season. There was also some drama before the rose ceremony, including the first self-elimination of the season. Despite all the chaos, it seemed like Joey is really ready to find his forever doubles partner (not Jesse Palmer).
Read on for highlights from this week’s episode of The Bachelor.
Here Come the Brides
The first group date card instructed Taylor, Rachel, Kelsey T., Lexi, Evalin, Erika, Maria, Lauren, and Jess to get dressed for their “special day”. The ladies dressed up in wedding gowns and left to meet Joey. No, you didn’t accidentally switch the channel to Sister Wives– Joey and his nine brides actually had a wedding reception, complete with tables of random guests and a cake with ten tiny bride and groom figurines. Some highlights from the reception include:
- During a game of musical chairs Evalin threw herself over the table to sit next to Joey at the head table, but she ended up on Lauren’s lap instead. Joey appreciated her competitive spirit though, so who really won?
- Jess and Joey shared a kiss in front of everyone, much to Taylor’s chagrin.
- Rachel gave a very confident toast with Joey, which won her the first dance. They swayed on the dance floor to “When a Man Loves a Woman” performed live by Michael Bolton.
Then came the cocktail party where Maria made a quick change into something “more comfortable” that surprised Joey and the women. Jess opened up about her experience in a past relationship, and Lauren opened up about her struggles after losing her dad. In the end, it was Jess who received the group date rose.
Are You Real!?
And the first one-on-one date went to… Daisy! I predicted it correctly last week! Daisy met Joey in front of a helicopter and was initially worried that she wouldn’t be able to hear him (thankfully, she could). The two landed and attended a music festival. Luckily this concert-themed date was nowhere near as chaotic as Peter and Victoria’s in Season 24 (when they went to listen to Victoria’s ex, who happened to be country star Chase Rice). Nope, this went smoothly.
Later that night, Daisy opened up to Joey about her health and hearing loss journey. She became extremely ill at age 11 and began losing her hearing at 17, which she described as “really isolating”. After being diagnosed with Lyme Disease, she went through treatment in Germany which helped her regain her health. However, her hearing loss continued, which is why she got her cochlear implant.
Joey listened intently before telling her that her cochlear implant only made her seem more “interesting and impressive” and he admires that she’s wearing it with so much confidence and wants to make a job out of it to help other people. Daisy replied, “Are you real?!” (which is what we were all thinking). They kissed, and obviously Daisy got the first one-on-one rose of the season.
Bachelor Bootcamp
After Daisy’s one-on-one, Joey went on another group date with 10 other women. Katelyn, Allison, Marlena, Chrissa, Autumn, Madina, Starr, Edwina, Kelsey A., and Jenn went on a bootcamp-themed date hosted by Jubilee Sharpe (from Ben Higgins’ Season of The Bachelor) and Demi Burnett (from Colton Underwood’s season of The Bachelor). The women were split into two teams and played a version of capture the flag to try to win extra time with Joey.
After the blue team won they were told that only one of the team members would actually be getting extra time with Joey- Edwina. She opened up to Joey about her childhood and her struggles with vulnerability, which got her the group date rose.
Age Is Just a Number
For some context before getting into this, here are the ages of all relevant parties:
- Joey, 28
- Madina, 31
- Maria, 29
- Sydney, 28
Back at Bachelor Mansion, Madina expressed how she’s struggling with being the oldest in the house. Maria, who is also older than Joey, tells another woman that she doesn’t think Madina should be insecure about her age. Sydney overheard this and told Madina that Maria was essentially invalidating her feelings. Was she really though?
Goodbye Ladies...
So who went home on this episode? There was one self-elimination before the rose ceremony even started. Remember sisters Lauren and Allison? Lauren, who had a rough time on her group date, decided to set up a little wedding reception re-do for her and Joey during the cocktail party. However, as the night went on she watched woman after woman spend time with Joey, while she didn’t get a chance to see him. Her mood soured quickly and she decided to go home, telling Joey that she might see him during Hometowns.
During the rose ceremony, Rachel got the first rose. In classic Bachelor style, Sydney, who started the age-ism drama with Maria, got the final rose. Erika, Marlena, and Taylor (the one who didn’t like Jess) did not get a rose and were sent home. This means 18 women will be moving on to next week.
What are your thoughts on the second episode of the season?
What did you think of the group dates? How about the age argument? Let me know down below.
