The Bachelor Review: Oh, Hallelujah!

Oh, man, this week’s Bachelor was the episode I’d been waiting for. Not the final rose. Not the reunion show.  No, even better. It was the day that Tierra went home. Thank you, Lord, my anxiety can finally begin to ease up!

But let’s start at the beginning.

Fantasy Island? Or the Love Boat?
The first one on one date of the trip to St. Croix was AshLee. Sean had arranged for them to have their own private island to spend the day on. They took a boat out there and it was sweet, if a little boring.  Honestly, the highlight of the date wasn’t the date itself but Sean’s decision to ask about Tierra. He got a very honest answer from AshLee about how rude and distant Tierra is. (Side note, Tierra actually opted to sleep on a cot in the hallway rather than sleep in the same room as the other girls.)

AshLee had other confessions to make. Turns out, she’s been married once before when she was a teenager. She was scared Sean would judge her, but clearly he didn’t. Over all, it was a nice outing.

TIERRAble Time!
After all her whining, Tierra finally got her one-on-one date. Sean was eager to see whether or not Tierra really is as bad as everyone says. The minute her date card came, she was whining because she had expected a date on a boat, not just a hot, sweaty walk around the city.  She didn’t show that whiny side to Sean, though. She laughed and giggled and pretended to be super sweet.

And when Sean asked her about her issues in the house, Tierra immediately put on the “the girls are out to get me!” act. Afterwards, Tierra noticed the distance between them, and boy was she mad. She never showed it to Sean, but she was ready to rip the other girls’ heads off.

Before Sunrise/Before Sunset
Sean decided to bust in on the girls at dawn (with a camera!) to catch them all without makeup on before their date. The girls were a bit panicked by this, but Sean said they looked good without makeup. Then he hauled them all out to the beach. He took them to one side of the island where they waited for the sun to rise. Then they had to get all the way across the island to make it to sunset.

The group date was the only one that had a rose this week, so Desiree, Catherine, and Lindsay were all feeling a bit on edge. Especially Desiree, it seemed. She was trying a little too hard to be the center of Sean’s attention. Lucky for them, Sean seemed eager to be sure he got plenty of time with all three girls. On a beach, he talked with each of them, learning a little more about them all. Desiree talked about her parents, Lindsay and Sean talked about how glad he is he kept her despite her wedding dress, and Catherine spoke honestly about her absent father.

In the end, Lindsay got the rose because Sean said she’s been truly consistent from the start.

She’s Just Not That Into You
The last date went to Leslie, whom Sean said he felt was behind everyone else in the development of their relationship. So they picked avocados and talked and despite Leslie telling the camera she has fallen for Sean, you sure couldn’t see it. Their date was pretty dull and awkward, and Sean totally saw it. To be honest, it felt like she wasn’t all that into him. Maybe she was nervous, but this far in the season, it shouldn’t feel so uncomfortable.

And there’s really not much more to say about that.

Hallelujah! Hallelujah! 
Sean’s sister showed up on St. Croix to give him some loving advice. She actually had GREAT advice, surprisingly, and it was basically not to pick the girl no one likes. (That would be Tierra.) After talking into over, Sean decides to introduce his sister to Tierra to see if they can get to the bottom of things.

What Sean didn’t know was that Tierra was battling it out with AshLee. Tierra confronted AshLee about what she’d said to Sean. AshLee was honest and tried to explain to Tierra why the other girls thought she was rude, to which Tierra had replies like “I can’t control my eyebrows!”  Oh lord. Keep in mind, this is on the heels of Tierra telling the camera that AshLee (who is 32) should be married by now with kids. Ugh.

The battle was over by the Sean got there, but Tierra put on the waterworks, crying and saying how much everyone hates her and how sensitive she is. Ultimately, Sean realized Tierra wasn’t the girl for him (FINALLY) and sent her home by saying he couldn’t put her through this when it was so hard on her. So the tears finally backfired.

And we all celebrated in our living rooms!

And Then There Were Four
Sean knew exactly what he wanted to do, so he opted not to have a cocktail party. This freaked all the girls out, especially AshLee, who worried that Sean would now be upset about what had happened with Tierra. But she had nothing to fear. In the end, Leslie went home, and Lindsay, Desiree, Catherine, and AshLee were confirmed to have hometown visits.

I think he’s making the right decisions so far. I can’t say who I think will be the winner, but I’m just so glad it won’t be Tierra. Especially after her ageist comments about AshLee. But what about you? Who do you think Sean will pick? Do you think there will be a proposal? I know I can’t wait to find out!

Season 17, Episode 7: Week 6 (originally aired  February 11, 2013)

For more of The Bachelor, check out our other reviews.

The Bachelor airs Mondays 8p.m. on ABC.

Images courtesy of Francisco Roman and ABC.