The Bachelor: Week VIII

Hometown Dates!

Mercer Island, WA - Chantal
I hate to be that girl, the one that points something like this out, but it must be said. Chantal has gained approximately 20lbs over the course of this show. I mean really. What is going on here. I digress. Let's move on to more important things like her dog. HER DOG. I die. And her parents palatial property. And her dad's purple shirt and jet black hair. All incredible. Also worth mentioning: that ridiculous sculpture, her cougar mom and stoner brother. Finally, that wine cellar. Christ! Oh, what's that? I didn't mention about Brad and Chantal's relationship? That's because I don't think there's anything to tell. She's in love with him and he wants to bang her.

Madawaska, ME - Ashley
"Isn't that cute?" If heard that phrase one more time tonight I was going to lose it. Ashley is like a yippy little Chihuahua. Even so, their date got off to a cute start. She's seems a lot more relaxed and normal away from the house and the other girls. But my god, was that not the HAPPIEST family on the face of the earth? I want whatever drugs they're on. Overall the date went well, but there was one very telling moment. Her brother asked her if she would marry Brad and instead of clapping her hands and screaming, "Yes!", she danced around the subject. She never said no, but she definitely never said yes or even hinted that it was in the realm of possibility. Innnnteresting.

Chico, CA - Shawntel
What. The. Hell. Was that commercial?! Oh my god, so uncomfortable. And that 45 seconds of torture set the mood for the entire hometown date. I could not believe she made him lay on that table! I felt she was going to make him the first link in her very own human centipede. Poor Brad was beyond uncomfortable but he stuck it out. As bad as the tour of the funeral home was, dinner with Shawntel's parents was even worse. There's a very real chance her dad is a flaming homo. And then when Shawntel seemingly sprung a possible relocation to Austin on her family I thought he was going to lose it. If I could feel the tension sitting on my couch, I can't imagine what it must have been like actually being there, and I'm sure none of that was lost on Brad.

Charlotte, NC - Emily
It was very sweet seeing Emily and her daughter together. And I think that the way she explained Brad to her daughter as being a new friend like the ones she made at school was perfect. She is a wonderful mother and that was obvious. And look at "Mr. Brad!" I thought he did a great job of making a very shy 5 year old feel comfortable. What I thought was really great about Emily's home town date was that it really represented a day in her life. Playing Candyland, making dinner, putting her daughter to bed. And as simple as it was, Brad seemed to be in awe of Emily in a way that he isn't with the other women. I thought it was sweet that Brad was unsure about kissing Emily with her daughter being upstairs, but it was even better how Emily wouldn't let him leave without kissing her. Get it girrrrl!

In the end, it was no surprise that Shawntel was sent home. How can you ever feel sexual attracted to someone who made you lay on a table in a morgue?