This was it. The “Superbowl” of The Bachelor. Fantasy Suite week. After the freezing weather of the Bahamas, the Bachelor cast was due some clear skies and smoother sailing. Luckily, Jamaica was able to deliver on the first–but the love lives of the three remaining women definitely got caught up by some cruel rogue waves. More on that to come. Ben started off the episode by demonstrating strong observation skills. “The water is blue.” That’s right up there with his long ago statement of, “I like hot dogs,” which blew our minds. What was even more simple though was a run down on the strong points of each remaining lady. Despite building a home together last week, Caila’s dream of a real love shack went under possible demolition as Ben described her as “so smiles.” Meanwhile, he claimed that with Lauren it was “love at first sight.” While this is definitely something we’ve all sensed since the beginning, it’s a bit of a turnabout after last week. Remember when you said your relationship with Caila was the “deepest,” Ben? Nevertheless, we’re all still glued to our screens. If we were looking for consistency we wouldn’t be watching The Bachelor, notorious home of game changing dates and out of the blue eliminations. Speaking of out of the blue, Jojo made an unexpected comeback. Despite having brothers who loved nothing more than grilling our guy and a lovelorn ex, Ben said he feels a definite “connection” with Jojo. Hmm.
Things were not looking good for close-lipped Caila from the beginning, and as the two cruised downstream on a raft date, things only got worse. She delivered her usual emotionally unavailable vibes, which made us want to scream. You told us just last episode that you’re in love with him! Fortunately, Caila got back on her game that night when Ben brought up the awkwardness. After confessing to feeling insecure about the other contestants, she finally said those three words Ben needed to hear. While the Bachelor breathed a sigh of relief–we can guess because Caila kept bringing up their in-sync “breaths”–it’s worth noting that he didn’t say it back. While the camera stopped rolling by Fantasy Suite time, the next morning Caila was running on a serious “I love you” loop. Ben remained “I love you”-less, but Caila swore she could “feel” he felt the same. Have you never watched the show, Caila?
Okay, the next date with Lauren was romantic, but first we have to talk about the elephant on the beach: Ben’s horrible shorts. While that was distracting, we still couldn’t miss the adorable saving-baby-sea-turtles-date. This was a serious upgrade from the wild ocean pigs that terrified everyone back in the Bahamas. Lauren could not hide her excitement when she found out about the mission, and the pair spent the day releasing the new hatchlings safely into the ocean. Lauren made sure to cash in on a great comparison between turtles’ 100-year life span and her hopes for growing old with Ben. As cute as this heroic date was, the turtles really stole the spotlight as Lauren gushed all day about them. We can’t even blame you, Lauren. Once the flippers hit the water though, Ben brought the conversation around to how amazing he finds his date. He even confessed to the big cry last week in front of her sister, following with, “You’re too good for me.” The contestant reassured him by saying she felt the exact same. Later that night, Lauren came clean about her love for Ben. This time, the Bachelor was eager to return the words, and we knew by the couple’s breakfast in bed the next morning that this relationship was on unshakable solid ground. Or so we thought.
Jojo’s date lurked darkly under the sunny cloud of us shipping “Bauren.” Still, the two delivered some romance when they arrived at a waterfall and took a symbolic “plunge” into the water together. Later, Jojo teared up when Ben came back with “I love you” to her own confession. (Wait, that’s two women…is he allowed to do that?) Ben told us he was in a “state of shock” over this as well, but we couldn’t help but cringe as a clueless Jojo said she felt “safe” with him. On top of that, Ben was still worried about her hostile brothers. Luckily, Jojo was refreshingly upfront about the horrible hometown visit, and they talked it out. By the time we witnessed the episode’s second breakfast in bed, we could feel bad for everyone “suite-talked” by this conflicted heartbreaker in-the-making.
Just as Ben came to the realization that Caila wasn’t the one for him, she made her way over to visit the man she loves. Ben was doing his signature brooding–for once conventionally, on an actual chair–when a bubbly Caila caught him by surprise. It was hard to watch as Ben confessed that she was not one of the two women he’s in love with. After that, everything said sounded “like a line” to the crushed contestant. She cried into his arms before reaffirming her love and dashing into the waiting limo. Just when we thought it was goodbye for good, Caila leapt back out to ask Ben if he knew how he felt before the Fantasy Suite. Ben chalked it up to spontaneous reactions, but we can’t be sure if Caila bought it. As certain as Ben sounded during the chat, he backpedaled moments later in front of cameras: “I hope I didn’t make a mistake.” Meanwhile, Caila sobbed, “I was ready,” over and over as she left the show.
Next week is the Women Tell All, Bachelor Nation! We’re down to the final two, and there are plenty of contestants ready to dish after feeling the painful stab of past rose ceremonies. Ready to see more of the jawful Olivia, eyeful Lace, and catch up with all your castoff favorites? Tune in on Monday!
