Baltimore, MD with Eric

Eric shows Rachel the Inner Harbor and then is like LoLz I didn’t grow up in this area and instead points out drug deals on the way to the court for some ballin. Question: if you’re caught on camera dealing drugs and it makes the cut for a network television show, is that enough evidence for an arrest? Just wondering. Mad respect to Rachel for shooting hoops in her heels. They were chunky heels so it wasn’t preposterous but like don’t try to be a hero, Rach. Suddenly out of nowhere, Eric’s BFF shows up to read a script about how proud of Eric he is and describe him as a positive ray of light and role model to all. At the end of his speech he disappears because his work here is done. Eric is a star amongst jailbirds, we get it.

Rachel is also the first girl he’s brought home so the pressure is on. Eric’s fam is at a hotel because hometown visit really means rent out a conference room staged as a living room. Eric’s family is dressed to the nines in ball gowns and sparkles. Within the first five minutes the whole crew does a coordinated dance in excitement. I cringe the MOST but Rachel is living for it. It’s the weirdest thing I’ve ever seen. Eric’s aunt immediately loves Rachel and conducts a 20/20 interview about what it’s like being the first black bachelorette and how everything is going. She seems cool AF. On the other hand, Eric’s mom basically tells him that she raised him to be strong and independent and bury his feelings and he couldn’t have gotten this opportunity without that. UM?? Eric tells Rachel at the end of the night, “Like damn I really love this girl, what I mean is I really care for you.” Because love apparently doesn’t mean caring, so we needed that clarification. Rachel loves it so much and re-quotes it to the camera. It’s the stupidest thing I’ve heard but obviously girl is swept off her feet for Eric, so whatevs.

Miami, FL with Brian

I’d rather watch Rachel do the Carlton with Eric’s family 1 trillion times than see Bryan suction his mouth onto hers ONE MORE TIME. Brian sits down with his mom and she outs him for being a real manwhore. She’s like you’ve dated every girl on this planet, like you’ve traveled the world to bang some strange and you fall in love on a TV show? I call bullshit. YA, we all do. Momma tells Rachel that Brian is her life, in a very threatening way. Can’t see why his ex girlfriend didn’t like her. At the end of the night, Bryan, wearing an ombre red golf polo (hard no) tells Rachel that he’s falling in love with her. Or at least that’s what she says. I’m 100% confident I did not hear those words come out of his mouth. Regardless, we’ve gone yet another week with Bryan’s smooth talking and deep tonguing and we still don’t know why he’s middle aged and single and his only relationship story is about his girlfriend not liking his mom. MAKE IT HAPPEN, ABC.

Madison, WI with Peter

Peter introduces Rachel to some of his friends, specifically to show America that he kicks it with black folks. Not just A black friend, EIGHT black friends. #DiversityDay. Not only is he completely blatant with this group hang but also apparently he’s bragged to Rachel that 80% of his friends are black. So that’s how you win the girl. His bros tell him not to F it up even if he’s terrified of getting engaged, which he is.

At his family’s house, Peter goes where do we start? And Rachel proves that she has a script for every home visit when she goes FROM THE BEGINNING! (for the third time this episode) Pete snuggles up with his niece and Rachel is all PUT A BABY IN ME! Same, girl, same. Peter’s mom says he’s ready for a commitment but maybe not a proposal and Rachel is not liking that even for a minute. WHY DON’T YOU WANT A NORMAL GUY WHO CAN’T PROPOSE TO A GIRL AFTER A FEW WEEKS?! Chill on it. He says he’s very happy but you can tell that’s not enough for Rachel. She wants that L word. (I assumed Peter would be going home but really was just too focused on getting to the main event to really be sad…Dean’s father.)

In the Woods (Colorado?) with Dean

After one too many teasers, I waited in anticipation all episode for the big reveal that was Dean’s family. It starts out with Rachel calling Dean her “beautiful surprise” which is a pretty weird nickname, tbh. Then we get to the good stuff. Dean announces that his father was traditional growing up but now is a “Sikh of some sort” and has given himself the name, “PARAMROOP S. KHAHSA” (My friend googled it for me, so that’s the real deal.) You know when you introduce yourself to someone and they say their name once and you have literally no clue what collision of letters that could be so you ask them to repeat it and when they do there’s still no hope so you just smile and say nice to meet you? Yeah that’s pretty much Rachel’s reaction to Dean giving her this information. She’s like ok cool haha so what should I call him? And Dean is like Paramroop. And I suspect that’s the exact moment she decided to not open her mouth unless spoken to at this family event. BTW, dad’s name used to be Chip. So that’s quite a transformation.

Upon arrival, Paramroop with one stink eye and eyebrows brushed up to the sky, makes everyone lay down while he plays the gong. Dean pretty much wants to leave this earth from embarrassment. Not even just from his dad gonging out hard, but probably also from the fact that his whole family is sitting in a circle and acting like they’re all besties and haven’t gone years without talking. There’s a gift of feathers in honor of Dean’s mother who passed and then they are fed a dinner of mung beans.

Dean doesn’t eat the bowl of dirt and lies that he’s stuffed from all the air he ate before the visit. Then I can no longer make fun of this date and all of its weirdness because Dean confronts his dad one on one and it’s mostly just sad. Dean expresses his feelings of abandonment and not feeling supported after his mom’s death when he was only 15 and his dad is like yeah I was a real dick but whatevz. Apparently he was a workhorse, which BEGS the question of what P-Dawgz did in his former life. Did he have a career in finance that somehow led him to Eat, Pray, Love find himself a life of sitting on the floor in shades of Lavender and discussing his chakra? The world may never know. Just kidding. The Internet exists. I WILL find out. The convo does not end well. Rachel tries to talk to P-Money and he basically asks her to leave because it’s so uncomfortable and his son clearly hates him. Dean says he’s falling in love with Rachel as they roll around on Dean’s dad’s collection of sitting pillows. BE MORE RESPECTFUL, GUYS.

Rachel talks the dates through with C Harrison because he hasn’t felt useful in a few episodes since the rose ceremonies have been deleted from our regular programming. Chris Harrison’s job is to literally name each man and ask what Rachel thinks about them. Then he asks what she’s gonna do. That’s why he gets paid the big bucks.

Rose Ceremony

Bryan, Eric, Peter.

Dean just isn’t ready for the next step like Rachel is. Also his family is a bunch of selfish assholes. Fortunately, ABC announced his spot on Paradise weeks ago so we know he’ll be fine.