‘The Bachelorette’ Recap: Jason Gets Real With Gabby, and Zach Faces Some Limitations With Rachel
SPOILER ALERT: Do not read if you have not watched the Sept. 6 episode of “The Bachelorette.”
The first episode of “The Bachelorette”’s two-night fantasy suite event left Gabby Windey in rough shape. Johnny DePhillipo left Mexico after not being ready to get down on one knee, Jason Alabaster confessed similar hesitations to host Jesse Palmer, and Erich Schwer told Gabby that he would feel “cheated on” if she slept with other men.
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But Gabby and Erich worked through his insecurities. They rehashed their fears on camera, after previously discussing them in private during their fantasy suite. While he admitted he brought it up out of a place of insecurity, Gabby was frustrated and felt pressured by the almost-ultimatum.
Post-Erich, she headed to her date with Jason. She expressed excitement about their time together, which was juxtaposed with Jason’s private conflicts about his readiness for marriage. But the two had a playful day of playing tennis, before settling in the pool.
Both of them agreed on how much fun their relationship was, and were appreciative of the sense of effortlessness and comfort. But during dinner, Jason finally shared his hesitations directly with Gabby. He said the environment made him question what was real, and that he doubted the legitimacy of the relationship. In a rare moment of Bachelor realism, he said that neither of them really knew each other and it was hard to assess their longevity outside of the franchise.
“I’m more of a realist,” he said. “I don’t think this is not real. But it’s hard for me to feel at ease with the cameras and microphones.”
When Gabby left the table upset, he eventually followed to comfort her. They agreed there was a solid foundation to build on, and they decided to try to continue their relationship in privacy with an overnight fantasy suite.
But behind closed doors, things soured. They ended up not spending the night together after their disagreements on how to move forward. Gabby lost her patience, and they called it quits when he didn’t see a future.
The next morning, Gabby returned for an on-camera breakup and confronted Jason for wasting her time for so many weeks while he had doubts. She voiced her disappointment that she was led on by him, before the two said goodbye for good.
While she was stoic about the breakup, the tears came shortly after, when she bawled over the theme of her not being wanted.
Meanwhile, Rachel Recchia was coming off a high of successful back-to-back fantasy suite dates with Aven Jones and Tino Franco. Her third and final date went to Zach Shallcross, and the two of them explored Mexico and recapped their idyllic hometown date. They briefly stopped at a psychic, who told Rachel to stop worrying about the past and to focus on the future.
The psychic’s message resonated with Rachel, since she was still fixated on her own fantasy suite week with Clayton Echard on “The Bachelor” where things went wrong.
But Zach reassured her over dinner, and the two of them agreed to spend the night together in a fantasy suite. But the next morning, Zach said it wasn’t the night he expected and that he was confused about where they stood.
He voiced his concerns to Jesse during a one-on-one conversation and tearfully said things took a 180 turn during their overnight. He said that when the cameras went away, their connection faded, and Rachel seemed inauthentic. She fixated on his age and questioned his readiness to commit, despite being only a few months older than he is. He claimed their body language and the way they interacted felt like they were strangers.
Zach told Jesse that going into the overnight, he saw his future with her, but felt gut-punched and “not feeling it at all” after their private time.
When it came time for the rose ceremony, Rachel prepared to hand out her two roses. But before she got a chance, Zach pulled her aside to address their off-putting evening.
While one of Rachel’s relationships was being derailed, Gabby tried to mend her remaining connection. She processed her double elimination, and contemplated whether Erich was “her person” or if she should leave Mexico alone. But when she arrived to talk to him about it, she appreciated the secure way he loved her, and told him so with an “I love you.” She shared that he was the only man left.
Gabby and Erich felt resolved, but the episode ended with Jesse Palmer on the deconstructed “After the Final Rose” stage alluding that not all was well for either Bachelorette. He promised things would become clear during next week’s two-part finale, which would resume with Rachel and Zach’s conversation.
The two-part finale of “The Bachelorette” airs Tuesday, September 13 and September 20 at 8 p.m. on ABC.
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