They are setting Sam M. all the way up with The Bachelorette edit they are giving him!
Every time he fixes his mouth to speak about Devin and his hopes for the day Devin won’t receive a rose, the more I know he’s going to be eating those words at some point this season.
That time is surely coming, but let’s dive into another week in the Outback while we wait!
It’s a new day in Melbourne, and Jenn starts her next week by inviting Spencer to a one-on-one. I didn’t realize she was liking him like that!
The two go on an adorable helicopter ride, but it’s hard to see the chemistry on those dates when they’re yelling at one another via headset with another man within earshot.
Back at the hotel, the neverending Devin hate parade continues, but instead of Aaron or Thomas N. leading the charge, they’ve given the reigns to Sam M., who spends the two hours talking about Devin and his ankles being bitten more than the girl he’s currently dating.
Related: The Bachelorette Season 21 Premiere Recap: Jenn’s Ready For a Ferocious Love!
Elsewhere, Jenn and Spencer leave the sky for a romantic dinner, where Spencer has to tell Jenn something ominous, judging by how he leads up to the reveal.
Being cheated on sucks, Spencer! I’m with you on that one, but he assures Jenn that he’s not jaded from his ex and is READY to commit.
Compared to her other solo dates, Jenn doesn’t seem as excited as we’ve seen her, but Spencer still gets the rose, and that’s that.
The group date sees a staggering ten men show up to an empty theater, where they quickly learn they’re going to be stripping! And you can see the light dim from so many of their eyes.
THANK GOD they provided us with that warning to start the show because all those body rolls and dolphin dives did need a warning.
While some guys lean into the ridiculousness and have fun, Sam N. is struggling big time. It doesn’t help matters that his attempt at a dolphin dive ends with a thumb injury. What a bruise to the ego that had to be.
I love dates that put the guys firmly out of their comfort zones because it’s great to see how your potential spouse will react when you give them a few hours to strip in front of strangers.
Damn the potential parent you may be; this is the kind of thing that matters.
Standout dances go to Dylan (my favorite), who goes first and sets the tone, and Jonathon, who looks the most at home on that stage.
Sam M. does his little dance and makes sure to whisper a little flirty something into Jenn’s ear, and the two Australian bachelorettes are quick to notice the chemistry between the pair but also tell her to be wary about the guys you have that kind of sexual chemistry with.
Thank you, my Australian sisters! Not only is Sam M. more obsessed with talking about Devin than he is with Jenn, but I’m not 100% sure there’s more to their dynamic right now than flirting and lust.
They may get there, but I’m not convinced they will. Either way, Sam M. will ALWAYS keep the main thing the main thing, so we’ll see.
Related: The Bachelorette Season 21 Episode 2 Recap: It’s Devin/Dylan Time
Devin’s dance is funny and a bit much, but that aligns with his personality. Everyone can hate on Devin all they want, and they do at all times, but Jenn sees someone being unapologetically themselves, and she’s connecting to that.
Sam N. goes last, and he sucks the air out of the room to tell Jenn he is falling in love with her, and he never even takes his robe off.
If I weren’t reviewing this show, I would have had to turn the television off because my secondhand embarrassment would have run wild.
Everyone is shocked by Sam N.’s rather bizarre declaration, if only because it truly isn’t the time or the place for it. If he didn’t want to strip, Jenn surely would have respected that, but stopping the show for that, especially this early when they haven’t spent much alone time together, feels forced.
Jonathon wins the competition but gets nothing in return, which stinks considering the embarrassment he and I had to endure.
The cocktail party sees Jenn kissing and kissing, which is good for her!
Her best chat is probably with Devin, who opens up about being overweight as a child and struggling with his body image. Stepping onto that stage had to be a massive thing for him, but he did it, and he enjoyed himself even, which Jenn appreciates.
I’m telling you, Jenn likes this man, and all the guys hating on him are accomplishing nothing.
Outside of the chats, Sam M. and Devin get into it again, and it’s boring and overdone, and we’re only three episodes in.
They don’t like each other and have their reasons, but no one cares! Sam M. constantly talks about taking things outside, and I wish he would.
Yell, scream, do whatever you must, and then let it go because I know those guys and I are tired.
And if I have to hear Sam M. call Devin a bully one more time…I won’t do a thing, but I will be annoyed!
The group date rose goes to Devin, and it’s unsurprising because, again, SHE LIKES THAT MAN.
I just know Sam M. and Thomas N. punched the air on that Marriot balcony when they returned to the hotel that night.
Now, it’s time for the other four guys to have their date with Jenn, but only after Aaron finds a phone and gets a call from his supervisor in the Air Force telling him he needs to decide whether he’s coming back for flight training.
Aaron decides to go on the date, hoping he’ll make up his mind after spending more time with Jenn, but for that to happen, he’ll need to win a race on the racetrack!
Dates like this are fun, and I can see why there were only four of them because it must have taken them forever to train everyone to do one lap.
Poor Hakeem seems like such a good guy, but of the four of them, he probably needed that time with her the most because I can’t remember them spending much time together to this point.
Jeremy’s little impromptu makeout in the car with Jenn is easily the most interesting thing any of them did on the date, and suddenly, Jeremy has jumped up in my rankings! It’s such an oddly romantic moment.
Austin wins, and he gets some extra time with her. Cool?
All the guys get some time with her at the cocktail party, but nothing really stands out. Jeremy gets the date rose, leaving Aaron a little stunned, and I’m not sure why.
The rose ceremony brings with it Aaron’s decision that no one even knew he had to make, and not getting the rose seems to be the straw that broke the camel’s back.
Leaving is the right thing to do, especially this early in the process when so many connections are forming. There’s a nice moment between Aaron and Jenn where they discuss his choice before he decides to leave the series sad.
What exactly is the point of telling Jenn there are people there for the wrong reasons WITHOUT NAMING NAMES?
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If you want to be big and bad enough to make that claim, then stand on your words and tell her what you know. Otherwise, keep your mouth shut!
You can tell Jenn is annoyed, and she has every right to be, by the abrupt way she bids him adieu. Her speech to the guys after is her nice version of ‘get the hell out right now if you don’t actually like me’ that she can say.
We have more chats with Sam M. (there is still such little substance, I fear) and Devin (they see each other), and then we’re giving out roses.
Ultimately, Hakeem and Tomas A. are without roses, and it’s bye-bye time for them.
We’re off to New Zealand next, where Devina and Jenn appear to get closer, and surely Sam M. will have A LOT to say about it.
Until then, let me know how you feel about Jenn’s choices in the comments and where you see things going. And remember, always keep the main thing the main thing.
See you next week, Bachelor Nation!