The Bachelor: Week IX

We're getting so close to the end, boys and girls!
Next to the hometown dates, final three is probably my favorite episode of the season for one reason: Fantasy Suites. Everyone tries to be coy and pretend like they're not going to go, but in the end everyone accepts. Then ABC makes some fantastically cheesy innuendo of a volcano exploding or waves crashing or an animal crying out in the night. And this episode didn't disappoint! In this crazy world to change it's nice to have something steady you can rely on.

So here we are in South Africa. Once again I am ridiculously jealous. It's like the real life Lion King! Except instead of starting with The Circle of Life it started with Brad ruminating on his relationships with these women while he watches monkeys picking at each other.

Chantal's Fantasy Date
I can NOT believe they're going on safari. That would be so amazing! Brad was so funny and excited, like a little kid on Christmas. The best line of the date was when he mentioned how amazing it was "Exploring the South African bush." ...Insert obligatory joke about Chantal's bush. Insert obligatory joke about inserting things. All in all, Chantal and Brad's date was nice but I guess I don't really see the connection there. I see a friendship, like two good buddies hanging out and joking around, but I don't see any romance there. And I see Chantal trying so hard to make there be a romance that it's almost uncomfortable. While their treehouse is INCREDIBLE, the whole thing felt forced to me.

Emily's Fantasy Date
She looked SO cute! The girl's got great style. More than that, Brad looked so genuinely excited to see her. His surprise for her...I CAN'T EVEN! RIDING AN ELEPHANT! Emily's reaction was so adorable with all her little Southern Belle sayings: "Oh my goodness, oh my dear lord, oh my gracious, Oh mercy." One of the things I like about Emily is that she doesn't let Brad get away with any BS. I was very glad to see her put him on the spot by asking if he is actually ready not only for her, but an instant family. Even more impressive was Brad's answer and the look on his face when he said it. Later, when she really put herself out there and told him that she loves him, he looked so humbled and gracious. He told her he is falling for her as well, but I wonder if he just said that in the moment or if he really meant it. Only time will tell!

Ashley's Fantasy Date
Ashley's description of South Africa: "It's a very large land filled with very exotic animals." No shit. Brad said something I felt was very telling. He said he wants a relationship with Ashley, which means he doesn't feel like he really has one now. If Chantal and Brad's date felt forced, this one was just downright painful. It was obvious that she didn't like Brad asking her all those questions because she is not ready to answer them. It was exhausting hearing her dance in circles around the subjects at hand! The second Brad pointed out that in her vision of her life she never once mentioned Austin, or him, I think they both knew it was over.

I commend Brad for letting Ashley go the way he did. He tried to talk to her about the situation and how he was feeling, but she seemed to really be on the defensive and didn't want to hear it. She claimed to be shocked when he said he was sending her home, but if she was actually listening to what he said she would have understood. They did have a great connection at one point, but they just cannot communicate with each other and I was glad to see her go.

So now we're down to the final two! I won't be writing next week since it's the Women Tell All episode and I don't feel the need to rehash the same things I've already written about. I'll end this by pointing out something I feel is very telling. Chantal keeps telling us how hard she's fallen for Brad, how giddy she feels around him, how he makes her want to be a better person. All these things she says she's feeling for Brad, Brad has openly admitted he feels for Emily. Most telling of all was the fact that he said, "I want Emily for my wife." Never once has ever mentioned feeling like that about Chantal. I'll leave you to think about that and I'll see you in two weeks!