Carolina confronts ‘The Bachelor’ Grant, ‘Golden’ men arrive, 1 woman leaves the show on her own

NEW YORK — This week started with a look at the drama between Grant and Carolina, it’s going to get juicy! But before we could get to that, we returned to the women in the house talking about their dreams. It was kind of hilarious that their dreams seemed very representative of their personalities. Chloie slept like a baby, completely blank, Natalie dreamt of baby penguins, and Parisa dreamt that someone was trying to rip her teeth out. Classic.

Jesse Palmer showed up to lay out the week. He said that he understood the night before was tough but he was happy everyone was being open and vulnerable with each other, including Grant. Then, Jesse revealed that there would be two 1-on-1 dates and one group date. The group date was going to start right away! Natalie, Bailey, Alexe, Alli Jo, Chloie, Sarafiena, Dina, Parisa, Rose, Zoe, Letia, and Juliana, love is the greatest investment. That meant that Beverly and Carolina were getting the one-on-one dates.

Group Date

Grant took his dozen women to a bank where they could attend the Bachelor School of Finance. Grant said he loves finance and it’s going to play a pivotal role in their futures. Daniel Lubetsky the owner of Kind and Hannah Berner, a comedian and podcaster were there to join them. The women changed into power suits before they started. Parisa got the seat next to Grant. I’m not sure why more people didn’t try to sit there! They had to try to win “Grant Bucks” so they could get some extra time with him that night.

Gina: Before we get to the nuts and bolts of the date, I just have to say how much I enjoyed the ladies explaining “girl math.” I also appreciated the pop culture/TikTok “Looking for a man in finance” moment.

They answered a series of questions, and they got “Grant Bucks” for being honest and fun. The most hilarious question asked about risqué purchases and Alexe’s was very honest. You’ll have to watch it to see it. Bailey cracked the code of being funny to get money from Hannah. She got a lot! Then they went into those money tornado boxes to grab “Grant Bucks.” In the end, Bailey got the extra time!

Group Date After Party

A man showed up and gave Bailey a menu for the evening. It had all of these things she could select to do with Grant like share a toast, have a dance, or sleep in one of his shirts. She decided to go with his shirt and dessert with him. He said during their time together, he wanted to see if they could have a serious conversation as well. She kept things light, which might not have been what he was looking for. The other women all had to take a sniff of the t-shirt to see if it smelled like him.

Gina: First, I loved that they were at Clifton’s, which is this iconic 5-story spot in downtown LA that’s been around in some form or another since the 1930s. It was, at one point, a huge cafeteria and now it’s just a nightspot. I need to get back there! Ok, moving on to Bailey, I was just happy to see her not crying, but I agree with you, Jen, in that Grant maybe needed to see some more from their conversation.

Zoe said she was super uncomfortable because she was not in her element and she felt like Grant didn’t look at her at all the entire day. She cried and the other women tried to comfort her. Sarafiena thought after the other group date she found her reaction “hilarious.” Alli Jo also found it to be annoying.

Zoe had another martini, and maybe she didn’t need it. As she was walking back, Sarafiena said it was the shortest dress she’d ever seen. That was kind of rude. But Zoe was slurring her words as she confronted the other women about the situation. She talked to Chloie and others, not Sarafiena. Zoe then decided to use her time to rat out Sarafiena, but she didn’t say her name. Instead, she talked about her own insecurities. Grant didn’t like to hear about the petty arguments.

Gina: Alcohol never, ever helps in these situations and I agree that the dress comment was unnecessary. But, I will say that even before this particular moment, Zoe has kind of played the victim card when she was in a situation she wasn’t controlling. She didn’t seem to have any issues when she upended the basketball group date by taking Grant away.

Grant decided to give the group date rose to Parisa. Wow! She played this group date perfectly. Sat next to him, made him laugh, talked about the future. Then, Grant decided to talk about the rumors in the house and he said that he wants the women to be kind to each other. Juliana was like, duh, it’s Zoe who brought it up. “I’m allowed to chat about whatever I want to chat about,” Zoe said. “You all did exactly what I expected you to do.” She started saying that everyone was mean and not kind.

So Much Crying

The next morning, everyone was crying. Grant’s words made everyone nervous. Even Alexe was hugging a stuffed llama and sobbing.

Carolina’s One-on-One Date

Grant was waiting by a private jet for Carolina. She was shocked! They were going to go to Vegas! They had some drinks on the plane, landed, and Carolina said let’s get married in Vegas. He was like, what?! Ha! Gotta give it to her for trying!

They went to the top of a tower and jumped off a building wearing rappelling gear. Grant went first, and it was crazy! He definitely swore on the way down, but he survived! Carolina bravely went next as Grant cheered her on. In fact, they enjoyed it so much that they went more than once!

Gina: Yeah, Carolina was excited about this part of the date. I did not share her enthusiasm. Grant seemed to be more nervous and I’m with him on this. Why, Bachelor production team… WHY? My nerves aren’t already shot and now I have to watch people jump from the Stratosphere? I would barely look down when my friends and I went there years ago!! I’m getting shaky just writing about it!

Grant’s Dinner with Carolina

They arrived at The Cromwell to go to Dre’s Beachclub and Nightclub. They sat by the pool with their shoes off. It was a very cool atmosphere. Grant asked her if she was ready for marriage…and Carolina said that she was definitely ready. She cried as she told him that she had a disability that people couldn’t see. When she was 13 she started getting tremors. Eventually, she had a seizure. She said she was mortified by it. So, her epilepsy is something that she can control with medication but it is something she actually has to take care of.

Grant said she deserves someone that will be there for her. She just wants him to think about if it’s something he wants to deal with. It will never go away, so anyone who wants to be a part of her life will have to accept that part of her. “I’m starting to feel feelings for you,” Grant said. “If we do get married, I’m always going to put you first.” Wow. He said she’s so wonderful and he just wants to care for her. Then, he offered her the date rose, which she accepted! Then, they did a lot of kissing! “I feel like he’s potentially the love of my life,” Carolina said.

Gina: Seizures and epilepsy are no joke and I am glad Carolina and her doctors have it under control. I do feel like this is where Grant kinda shows who he is. He heard this about Carolina and his immediate reaction is to want to be there for her. At his core, he is a protector and an empath.

Beverly’s One-on-One Gets Canceled

Beverly was supposed to have her one-on-one date, but she got very sick. Parisa said she would not be coming back to the house. They were all concerned about Beverly, but then wondered who would get the replacement date.

Gina: Beverly, are you OK? Hopefully, she will be at Women Tell All and we can hear more about what happened. Her departure was so sudden!

The date card read, “Sarafiena, Dina, Litia, could this be puppy love?” So it’s like a mini-group date!

Mini Group Date

The women met up with Grant at Vanderpump Dogs! It’s a dog rescue organization in Los Angeles. Lisa Vanderpump herself was there to welcome the group. Dina washed the first pup and talked about how she wants a dog badly but lives in a condo. Dina said she would love to move into Grant’s house and get a dog together someday. Dina revealed she even grew up with 12 dogs! That’s a lot of dogs!

Gina: OK, now THIS is more of my kinda date! Lisa Vanderpump is a legend, of course. And we know how much of an animal lover she is, so win-win.

Litia sat with Grant and a dog outside and they talked about how they were surprised at how fast their feelings were growing for each other. Connection made! He decided he’d like to have dinner with Litia that evening.

Back at the Mansion

Carolina talked about how hard it was watching Grant go out with the other girls on their mini-group date. Jealousy was rearing its ugly head. She said she almost wished she didn’t have that date with him. The other women were rolling their eyes at her, they had no clue what to say because they really had wanted to go on the date. Sarafiena and Dina were a little bummed that they didn’t get chosen for the extra time.

Gina: WHAT did Carolina just say? She wished she didn’t have the date with him? What did she think was going to happen, that he was going to come back from the one-on-one with her and just not continue on with the show? Carolina, I have news for you. This is not only you dating a guy, it’s a show about him dating multiple women to find the right one for him. Whether you are his final choice or not, the show must go on.

Litia’s Dinner with Grant

Grant said he picked Litia because she was so genuine on their date. He wants to know more about her. Litia said she wanted to know all about his family. He talked about growing up in Hackettstown, NJ, and his dad’s addiction problems. He would say things to make him think that his mother was the problem when in actuality it was his mom who was holding the fort down. He said that his mom wasn’t as affectionate towards him as he would like, but she did it through action. Litia kissed him as he talked about wanting to feel love and affection from his future family. So touching!

Litia said that her parents met in college in Hawaii. Her mother is white and her father is from Fiji. When she was three months old, her dad died in a car crash. She says her whole family and extended family made her feel very special and she misses them a lot while doing this show. Grant said he appreciated her honesty and Grant even got emotional hearing about her life. Then, Grant and Litia got to FaceTime her mother! Her mom is beautiful! She was so happy that she got to hear from them and Litia was truly touched. Then, Grant offered Litia the date rose which she accepted. A string trio played as they danced and Grant said, “After tonight, Litia could be my wife.”

Gina: Awww!! I’m glad that we’re seeing more of their families throughout the process. I think it’s a nice way to get to know them – for us as viewers and for Grant. They have a really lovely connection and it’ll be interesting to see how this relationship moves forward.

Is Rose Lying

I’m not sure why, but Rose told Carolina that Grant told her that when Carolina was kissing him on the dance floor, he was thinking about her (Rose). That is very odd. Carolina couldn’t stop crying about it. She has a rose, so she knows she is safe, but she doesn’t want to waste her time.

Gina: I find it very interesting that this conversation happened off-camera, so we’ll never get the full truth about it no matter what. Rose never struck me as a vindictive type so it all seems very strange to me.

Mystery Box

A mystery box arrived at the door. The card read, “Will you go to prom with me?” The women were excited for a themed party and the box was filled with corsages. Is it just me or are they fitting in a ton of dates or special events in this episode? The women got all dressed up, and put on their corsages, and Grant didn’t go to his high school prom while he prioritized basketball.

Gina: It’s not just you!

Prom Cocktail Party

Grant brought Gary, Jonathan, Jack, and Keith from “The Golden Bachelorette” were there to attend the prom! It was so great to see all of them again. I loved this surprise! They all gave their advice to the ladies on how to have the best experience and left it to Jack to say, it’s time to party! You know he wasn’t going to complain about dancing with 13 beautiful ladies!

It was fun that they got to keep things light and have genuine fun with each other. Jack manned the grill and taught the women how to grill a proper burger.

Gina: The boys are back in town… yes! I loved seeing our Golden guys again and of course, watching Jack man the grill once again. Although I’ve never seen a prom where there was a grill? But that’s beside the point.

Dina used the opportunity to ask him to prom where she had PROM balloons on a bench for some special time chatting together. Alexe and Grant played superlatives. They talked about who had the best smiles, and who could have a secret crush, and then Grant stopped her and asked her if there was an “us” category. She thought that was adorable and then they kissed. Zoe meantime, tried to keep things light and told Grant she was having fun at the prom. They spent some time dancing together and connected some more.

Natalie and Grant kissed and it seemed like they also were doing ok so far.

Carolina Can’t Stop

Carolina couldn’t stop thinking about what Rose told her. She didn’t want to be played. She was considering leaving. Carolina told him what was said, and Grant wanted to know who said that. He said he would never be that disrespectful. “That’s a lie,” Grant said. Grant started naming names and Carolina said she didn’t want it to be a thing, but it was too late, it’s a thing. “I didn’t say that,” Grant said. He deduced that it had to be Rose.

Gina: I love how Carolina said she didn’t want to make it a thing when all she’s been doing all day is… making it a thing.

He asked her if she had said that to Carolina. “I thought that was something that I heard you say,” Rose said. That was not a bad spin. Grant said, “I’m not a player.” He was worried that the women would think he was not serious. “That wasn’t a good moment for me,” Rose said. No kidding. Grant said, “OK, thanks. Talk to you later.”

There’s no way Rose could have thought that Carolina wouldn’t address what was said with Grant. Grant told Carolina that Rose swears she thought she heard him say that, but he said that he wanted to assure her that he did not. Then inevitably, the women were upset that Carolina was getting all of this time to talk to Grant when women without a rose didn’t. Many of them ran out of time.

Gina: Two things can be true here. One, Rose should not have said anything about who Grant’s been thinking about if she wasn’t fully sure. She knows Carolina’s game, they’ve all be watching her!. And Carolina should not have spiraled out and made it into a thing because, guess what? With this many women still on the show, he’s gonna be thinking about other women. It should be an unspoken understanding, given that they all signed up for this and she needs to just get used to it. This is why I wish this chat had taken place on camera so that we can see how it really played out. Also, I love how Chloie called Carolina’s behavior a “tornado of anxiety” and that all of this could have been avoided if there was more critical thinking.

“The Golden Bachelorette” men made Grant the prom king, but then sweetly gave every woman a prom queen crown. It was very nice and the kind vibe is so very missed. Do they really have to leave? Let’s keep them around!

Rose Ceremony

1) Parisa (group date rose)
2) Carolina (one-on-one date)
3) Litia (mini group date)
4) Zoe
5) Juliana
6) Alexe
7) Dina
8) Natalie
9) Sarafiena
10) Rose

Gah! That meant easy, breezy, lovely Chloie, Bailey, and Alli Jo were eliminated. Darn, those are some nice ladies! Grant felt Rose deserved another chance. I guess we’ll see.

Next Week

The Final 10 head to Madrid! Carolina continues to cry and Juliana calls her out for being unsure of her feelings for Grant. The other women want her gone. Yikes.

Gina: Chloie, Bailey and Alli Jo would be amazing on “Bachelor In Paradise.” We’ll see you on the beach, ladies! As for Carolina, I am not the least bit surprised that she is in the midst of more drama. My eyes, they are rolling. Let’s see what sort of trouble there is this time. See y’all next week!

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