I’m not even sure what week of Paradise we are in, but what you need to know, is that this is the second to the last episode. And there is a lot of Bachelor in Paradise to unpack here (it was a three (!!!!) hour episode after all). So, we better just get right down to the nitty gritty. You can read previous recaps here.
The Fight
The subhead is dramatic, I get it. So was the drama that unfolded on my TV screen. The episode starts out with Ivan and Aaron fighting over Chelsea. I really never expected it to be Ivan in the fight, but here we are. These two played the game of “he said, she said.” And, I’m thinking that Ivan got caught in a lie here. Here’s the thing. Ya’ll are on camera. And Ivan claims Chelsea pulled him aside to chat, and we all just saw that wasn’t the case.
Chelsea isn’t buying it either. Bless this mess. Now that that’s behind us, that brings us to ……
The Storm
A hurricane is headed to the coast of Sayulita, which means that the cast and crew need to evacuate Paradise. It seems like they evacuate them all to a hotel in the most dramatic fashion possible. I mention this because it brings us to:
Hotel Gate
The cast returns to the beach after the storm passes, and everyone is prepping for the rose ceremony. Before they begin to give out the roses, Wells pull Ivan aside for a little chat. And friends, this is never a good thing. During their little waterside talk, it’s revealed that while Ivan was in the hotel sheltering from the hurricane, he had himself a little rendezvous with Alexa (I’m not quite sure I remember her, but she was apparently on Peter’s season of The Bachelor). Now, Alexa was at the hotel because she was going to be a late arrival on the beach, and Ivan discovered she was staying at the hotel because a producer oh so conveniently left a phone open near Ivan with the apparent room number where Alexa was staying.
I’m no detective here, but I’m thinking you were set up, my man. This little rendezvous cost Ivan the rest of his time in paradise, and he exits the beach after a tearful apology to the rest of the BIP contestants.
The Rose Ceremony
The rose ceremony commences, and here is the rundown:
- Abigail and Noah
- Serena P. and Joe
- Mari and Kenny
- Natasha and Ed
- Becca and Thomas
- Chelsea and Aaron
- Maurissa and Riley
- Tia and James
Dr. Joe, Demar and Tatty Daddy (aka Blake) are sent packing. This makes me really sad – Dr. Joe is a catch. How do we make him the next Bachelor?
The Mess
Here’s where things get messy. They start sending the late arrivals down to the beach. Now, here’s the thing about Paradise. It’s really hard to tell how long they have been there – and how much longer they have left. But, most people on the beach are seriously coupled up with the exception of Tia/James, Natasha/Ed and Chelsea/Aaron.
Anna (from Peter’s) season arrives on the beach – along with her pheromones. And the poor girl keeps pulling men, who admit they are already taken. She finally finds a taker in James. They head off to their date, which is actually one of my worst nightmares. They roll around in some cinnamon and sugar as if they were human churros and pour some chocolate over each other. And, after that, they are lucky enough to be massaged by A SNAKE. No ma’am. I’d be out of there in a hot second.
Meanwhile, they send McKenna (also from Peter’s season) down to the beach. She chats with a few of the men who fill her in on the fact that not many of the men are available. She kind of connects with Aaron, asks him on the date, and he turns her down. I feel bad for her – it would suck to come in at the very end when everyone is already coupled up. Homegirl is crying – alone on the beach – and Ed (yay, Ed) decides that she shouldn’t waste her time on Paradise being sad. So, he says he will take her on the date. (Nice guys will always win in my book). They go on a rollerblading date, and they are actually really cute together.
Here’s the thing. Since James went on the date with Anna, and Ed went on the date with McKenna, that leaves Tia and Natasha without men. So, of course, that leads us to…..
Prom
I didn’t hate this idea. I think that a Paradise Prom was a fab idea. Natasha is sick, so she can’t attend. But Tia no longer has a man, and I feel sad for her. All the other ladies are getting asked by their men to go to prom, and she’s the odd woman out. I’ve always rooted for her, and I want to see a smiling Tia back on my screen. I will die on this hill, but I would love to see Tia as Bachelorette.
Ya’ll. Prom is messy. Everyone is nicely coupled up – what could go wrong? Until Aaron decides to take Tia aside and confesses that he is interested in her. Let me rewind for you….. Aaron was just at prom with Chelsea as his date. And then, the heartbreak of them all.
Noah and Abigail head outside to chat. The night before, Noah told Abigail that he felt like her was falling in love with her. But today, something to Noah feels off. And he’s thinking that she might not be his person. Noah is crying, Abigail feels lied to – and I’m kind of team Abigail on this one. I’m perplexed as well about how Noah could have gone from falling in love with Abigail to questioning everything about their relationship.
And that’s where they leave us hanging for another week. Next week is the final, three-hour finale!!!!
