NOTE: This post contains spoilers for Season 28, Episode 7 of The Bachelor.
Hello, Bachelor fans! Welcome to the recap for episode 7 of Joey’s journey to find love. In this episode, Joey had to narrow the six remaining women down to the four whose families he wants to meet next week during hometowns. For a quick recap- the remaining ladies going into this week were Daisy, Jenn, Kelsey A., Kelsey T., Maria, and Rachel, and the entire group was heading to Jasper, Alberta. Let’s get into it!
Going Home Either Way
The first one-on-one of the week went to Daisy, which officially made her the first woman to be asked on two one-on-one dates this season. Before the date began, Joey expressed to the camera that he felt like he was falling for Daisy. However, at that point, Daisy was the only woman who had not told Joey that she was falling in love with him. In her confessional before the date, Daisy said that she’s not quite there with Joey yet but she was “feeling hopeful” about the day.
Horseback riding was on the agenda for Joey and Daisy’s date. As they explored the beautiful Canadian terrain they happened upon a portable hot tub (I wonder how that got there?). The two relaxed in the hot tub and chatted, and Daisy told Joey how much Canada reminds her of and makes her miss home. Daisy joked “I guess either way I’m going home, but hopefully it’s with you.” True, Daisy, true.
In another confessional, Daisy admitted that she’s not in love with Joey yet and that she’s “not gonna sit here and be like ‘I’m in love with you’ when I’m not”. I have some major respect for Daisy here. She’s not simply meeting each Bachelor benchmark or using token phrases to play the game. Sometimes, I think we forget that these women have to choose the Bachelor just as much as he needs to choose them.
During the dinner portion of the date, Daisy told Joey that she really, really likes him but she’s just “not there yet”. Joey’s face fell at that but he recovered quickly when Daisy told him, “I can see myself falling in love with you.” Joey appreciated her honesty and wanted to know if she was confident enough for him to meet her family.
Daisy told him that she really wants to see how he interacts with her family and that she thinks they’ll have some tough questions for him. They were the ones who saw her at her lowest lows when she was sick, and they still loved her. Will Joey be the one who loves her “in sickness and in health”? At this point, he thought he could be that person.
Daisy got the one-on-one rose, and they ended the night by playing some hockey. Because did you really get the full Canadian experience if there was no hockey involved?
Lumber Jills
During Daisy and Joey’s date, the group date card arrived. Kelsey T., Maria, Rachel, and Jenn’s names were listed on the card, along with the note “let’s take our love to the great outdoors”. Jenn is crushed because she really wanted the one-on-one (pretty sure she’s not the only one).
The ladies and Joey channeled their inner lumber jills and lumberjack for the group date. Maria “I don’t camp, I glamp” Georgas was not thrilled by the outdoorsy nature of the date, but did use chopping wood as a way to channel her anger.
Kelsey T. won a lumber jill contest that included log rolling and an Elk Milk Chug (no thank you!). Before an axe-throwing competition started, Jenn interrupted Joey’s confessional for a good luck kiss seen by all the other women. “Did she forget I have an axe?” said Maria.
Later on, the ladies and Joey headed to the cocktail portion of the date. During Jenn’s sit down with Joey, she told him about her concerns with a potential future hometown. First, she’s never brought anyone home before. Second, her family is Vietnamese and her mom is not entirely used to American culture (which likely includes competing for a husband on national television).
When Kelsey T. sat down with Joey, she told him that her dad did not know that she was on the show. Yes, that’s the same dad who wouldn’t speak to her for years for religious reasons and didn’t approve of her attending college. I’m going to take a wild guess and say he probably wouldn’t be a fan of The Bachelor either.
Maria, Maria, Maria… Maria was spiraling a bit at this point. She told Joey that taking him home to meet her family when he’s still with other women doesn’t feel right, and she doesn’t know if she can do this anymore. “I want someone to choose me,” Joey said before telling Maria that he logically understands where she’s coming from but his heart just doesn’t get it.
Maria walked off crying but soon returned. She walked back into the room, hugged Joey, and admitted that she might have overreacted a bit. “I want you to be comfortable talking through what you’re feeling”, Joey told her. “Do you still wanna be here?”, Joey asked, and Maria nodded her head yes.
At the end of the night, Joey told the women that he could not give out the group date rose. He felt he needed more time.
Polar Plunge Time!
Joey and Kelsey A. explored Jasper by visiting souvenir shops, grabbing hot cocoa, and even playing some pool at a local pub. Then, Paul “Typical Canadian” Hardy approached them in the pub to tell them about the Polar Bear Plunge that “you have to do” when in Canada.
And that’s how Joey and Kelsey A. ended up at the Jasper Polar Plunge Palooza. Kelsey was very excited to try it, but Joey… not so much. They both completed the plunge into freezing water though, and then retreated to a sauna to warm up.
The two of them then headed off to dinner, which was thankfully held indoors. The two talked about their potential hometown date next week. Joey would definitely meet Kelsey’s dad and her siblings, she told him. Kelsey then opened up about her relationship with her dad, which has become much closer since her mom passed away from cancer.
Kelsey then asked Joey about his own father and his reaction to Joey joining The Bachelorette and becoming The Bachelor. Props to Kelsey for actually asking Joey a question, since we don’t seem to see a lot of that. Kelsey, unsurprisingly, received the second one-on-one rose of the week.
So... who went home?
Okay, so technically everyone will be going home, just like Daisy said. However, the big question is who will Joey be visiting next week? With only two roses left up for grabs, Maria, Jenn, Kelsey T., and Rachel were feeling the pressure going into the cocktail party. Oh, wait! Jesse came into the room to announce that there would be no cocktail party. Our Bachelor had already made up his mind.
At the rose ceremony, Joey asked to speak to Maria privately before handing out any roses. He wanted to know whether she really wanted to be here since their last conversation didn’t go so well. She reassured him that she liked him and wanted to stay and that her insecurities had just gotten the best of her. They both returned to the rose ceremony room, and Joey gave Rachel the first rose. Maria got the second rose, meaning Jenn and Kelsey T. were out of luck.
Now on to hometowns!
What did you think of this episode? How about the final four? I’ll be honest, I was a bit surprised that Rachel got the first rose at the ceremony since it doesn’t seem like Joey has as strong of a connection with her as he does with the other women. Who’s your frontrunner? And who do you think will become the next Bachelorette?
Let me know your thoughts down below, and join me next week for a recap of hometowns!
