Bachelor in Paradise featured the departures of several bachelors or bachelorettes and saw Kevin Wendt break up with Astrid Loch and Kendall Long dump Joe Amabile during Monday night's penultimate episode of Season 5 on ABC.
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RELATED LINK: 'BACHELOR IN PARADISE' SPOILERS: WHO GOT ENGAGED ON SEASON 5?! WHICH COUPLES ARE STILL TOGETHER AND DATING?
In addition, Robby Hayes and Shushanna Mkrtychyan decided to leave the show before the romantic overnight dates, as did John Graham and Olivia Goethals, who dumped Kenneth "Diggy" Moreland during the final Rose Ceremony. Cassandra Ferguson and Jordan Mauger also decided to end their fling and quit the show.
The Bachelor in Paradise broadcast began with Kamil Nicalek finding out about how Shushanna had burned a photo of him in a fire on the beach. That freaked him out, but he was in a good place with Annaliese Puccini.
Meanwhile, Astrid loved Kevin a lot and said their romance happened naturally and they didn't need to force it.
And Joe noted he had met the girl he had been waiting years for in Kendall. He liked her a lot and could imagine a life with her.
As for Jordan Kimball, he was falling for Jenna Cooper more and more every day, and much to his surprise, he received a Date Card. Jordan was told to get "camera ready," and the male model was excited to see how photogenic they could be as a couple.
Jordan was also looking forward to showing his girlfriend how he works all the angles of his face.
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Jenna and Jordan ended up participating in an engagement photo shoot. Jenna was a little overwhelmed and said she wasn't sure if she was ready to get engaged. She was nervous about being with Jordan and potentially committing to him, but Jordan said he was one week away from possibly popping the question.
Jenna was then asked to put on a wedding dress, and the significance of such a moment really freaked her out. Jordan was waiting for her in a tuxedo on the beach, and the sight of her made Jordan melt.
"I never thought I'd find my Jenna, but here she was, just a couple of states away this entire time," Jordan said in a confessional.
RELATED LINK: 'THE BACHELOR' FRANCHISE COUPLES NOWJenna said Jordan was more than what she ever wanted in a partner, and she hoped he was there to stay.
"You walking away from me, I don't know how I would handle that or bounce back from that. If you walked away, there would be no romance," Jordan told Jenna, who began feeling very confident in her relationship.
"I can picture a pretty healthy and fun future and relationship with him," Jenna told the cameras.
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Robby from JoJo Fletcher's season of The Bachelorette then arrived in Paradise. He knew he had a bit of a stigma attached to his name given there were rumors he had cheated on Amanda Stanton after Bachelor in Paradise last summer, but he was still happy to be in Mexico.
The ladies, however, didn't seem too thrilled about his entrance, as they were aware of his reputation of being an alleged partier and playboy.
Jordan called Robby "The Crypt Keeper" and told his boys that Robby had cheated on Amanda. When Robby pulled Jenna aside to talk, she said Jordan would "pull [his] skin off and cook it" if they actually went on a date. Jenna wanted Jordan to feel secure in their romance, so she turned him down.
"Robby is coming in here a little late to pull a Mr. Steal Your Girl," Jordan noted.
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"Robby is a handsomer version of [David Ravitz]. I get chicken vibes," Jordan said in a confessional.
Robby soon discovered he had to play the hand he was dealt and Shushanna was the only option for him in Paradise. Shushanna was excited about the date, but her friends were wary.
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"I feel bad for her," Astrid said of Shushanna. "I just hope he doesn't do to another girl what he's already done to some of my friends. You know how guys love to say, 'You can't turn a ho into a housewife?' Well you can't turn a [f-ckboy] into a husband either."
Jordan also called Robby "a tool."
For their date, Robby and Shushanna enjoyed a romantic dinner. She called him "very attractive" and felt bad about how people -- who don't really know him -- call him "a douchebag." Shushanna said she trusted Robby, and he appreciated the fact she chose not to judge him at first glance.
The pair then danced the night away, and Shushanna liked it when the former competitive swimmer held her close.
Meanwhile, Cassandra said her relationship with Jordan M. had a lot of potential and was progressing, but she was waiting for him to make a move. Jordan got the hint and finally kissed Cassandra while they were relaxing on a daybed. She could see them being best friends and slowly becoming romantic partners.
And Joe felt there was something special between Kendall and himself, but he noted she was "petrified of commitment." Joe therefore decided to open up to Kendall, telling her, "I like your soul... Maybe we'll get engaged."
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Kendall called Joe out for joking around, but it wasn't clear whether that was actually the case on Joe's part. He laughed things off and giggled, but it was obvious Joe was crazy about Kendall and took their relationship seriously.
However, whenever Joe spoke seriously about their romance, he said Kendall "backpedaled."
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It then became time for the cocktail preceding the Final Rose Ceremony. There were eight women and nine men left in the game, and so one guy would be going home. It seemed like a coin toss between John and Diggy, with Olivia's rose being up for grabs.
Diggy didn't think Olivia had a romantic connection with John; however, the fashionable bachelor surprised her with a trumpet player, who played music while they danced. Diggy was trying to recreate their first date that ended with a passionate kiss.
But John was quick to interrupt, saying, "That's my girl!" John then escorted Olivia over to a little sunflower field he had created, explaining that sunflowers turn toward the sun and she was the brightest person in his life at the moment.
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Meanwhile, Shushanna wanted Robby to be her boyfriend, but Olivia didn't want to see her friend get hurt. Olivia therefore warned Shushanna that Robby's intentions were not pure and she didn't want Shu to get manipulated by him. Cassandra apparently agreed Robby was being "dishonest."
Shushanna was determined to find out whether Robby had secrets and what he might be hiding from her. When Shushanna asked Robby flat out whether he's ever cheated on a woman, he said, "Yes." However, Robby denied ever cheating on Amanda when they were together.
Robby insisted he was on the show to make a connection, not receive a rose. Robby reminded Shushanna that he had been completely honest with her from the start, and she believed him.
Meanwhile, the guys agreed Kendall had done a poor job of expressing herself to Joe and was treating him poorly. They thought Kendall owed Joe an explanation as well as an apology considering the grocer had been so patient with her and understanding of her behavior throughout the season.
Joe was, in fact, hurt because he never felt this way about a woman before.
"I did care about her and I still do. But how much does she really care for me?... I don't want to be with somebody who's not sure if they want to be with me," Joe told the cameras.
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Joe said he feared all along Kendall didn't reciprocate his feelings, and then Kendall pointed out he had never told her how he felt.
"I've been falling in love with you since Day 2," Joe said in shock. "I haven't been able to express it because all you've said is, 'All my boyfriends try to suffocate me and I want to keep things open.' So of course I say I want to keep things open, because that's what you wanted to hear. I haven't kissed or went on a date with anybody else."
Joe then accused Kendall of making excuses, saying the truth was that she simply didn't know how she felt about him. Kendall admitted she was freaked out and wasn't sure whether breaking up was the right choice for them.
But Joe asked Kendall to stop speaking for him because he felt strongly for her and didn't want to end things.
Joe ultimately decided to go home because Kendall's uncertainty crushed him, and then Kendall broke down into tears.
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"I don't think I said enough," Kendall confessed.
Joe thought he had something with Kendall that was way stronger than a friendship, and Kendall couldn't believe she was the only one with doubts and wished Joe had expressed himself earlier.
Kendall suggested to Astrid that Joe had said too little too late. She was afraid she'd never see him again but decided to leave Paradise right after him.
"My heart breaks imagining not being with him," Kendall told the cameras. "He's such an amazing person... and I love taking care of him. It's so hard. I'm going to leave feeling regret. It sucks to know it could have been more. It was at the last minute I hear all this stuff and didn't know how to process it or feel about it."
Annaliese was shown saying what Kendall did to Joe was "f-cked up."
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Cassandra gave her rose to Jordan M., Shushanna gave her rose to Robby, Annaliese gave her rose to Kamil and called him her "boyfriend," Astrid offered her rose to Kevin, Krystal gave a rose to Chris, Jenna gave her rose to Jordan K., and then Olivia gave her rose to John because she said they had something special.
Diggy was eliminated as a result.
RELATED LINK: 'BACHELOR IN PARADISE' SPOILERS: WHO GOT ENGAGED ON SEASON 5?! WHICH COUPLES ARE STILL TOGETHER AND DATING?
The following day, host Chris Harrison announced to the group they had to decide whether to accept a Fantasy Suite date or leave Paradise. Fantasy Suites were reserved for only the most serious couples looking to pursue their romances in the real world and maybe even get engaged.
Astrid was on Cloud 9, thinking everything was wonderful. She said she had been "living in a bubble" with Kevin and was "waiting for the bubble to pop."
John then decided to talk to Olivia about their relationship status. He told Olivia that although he liked her a lot, he wasn't prepared to enter a Fantasy Suite with her.
Olivia agreed she wanted to "see where things go" in the real world, and they were on the same page. John and Olivia therefore decided to leave Paradise together -- and they were both very happy about the decision.
Cassandra said her relationship with Jordan was "absolutely unexpected" and she found him to be an "amazing guy and an amazing catch," but Jordan didn't think their relationship had much potential. Jordan even thought more time wouldn't have progressed their romance. The pair therefore decided to split.
As for Robby and Shushanna, he thought their connection wasn't strong enough to go to the Fantasy Suite. But Robby mentioned that whenever he was in Utah, he'd take her out on a date. As a result, Robby and Shushanna departed Mexico on good terms.
Meanwhile, Annaliese could picture "marriage and babies" with Kamil and said she'd be "devastated" if they broke up, but Kamil admitted to cameras, "I just don't know. I can't think straight."
Kamil knew the Fantasy Suite was a serious decision and Annaliese was ready, but he questioned whether he was ready to commit to her. However, Annaliese told Kamil they should just go and have some fun and live in the moment, and so Kamil chose to take advantage of the opportunity.
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But things came crashing down for Astrid and Kevin, which came as a shock to everyone at the resort.
"When I came out of the Fantasy Suite the first time [on The Bachelorette], I had more doubt coming out than I did going into it. And then the last time in Vermont, I went in with [Ashley Iaconetti] to the Fantasy Suite and I shouldn't have gone at all. It was a regretful decision. I just don't know what to do," Kevin explained.
Astrid didn't know where Kevin was going with this, but he was clearly breaking up with her.
"There are things about me and you together that are the best I've ever had... I don't know if this is forever... Personality-wise we are perfect, but lifestyle-wise, I don't know. I think you are the brightest star I've ever met in so many ways, but there is something missing," Kevin admitted. "It's like I'm at 80 percent."
Kevin said something wasn't sitting right with him but there was really nothing wrong with Astrid or their relationship.
"What the actual f-ck?! I don't even know what to say. I am mind-boggled," Astrid replied. "I wish you would have said more back then."
After Kevin noted, "My heart isn't fully in it," Astrid decided to leave Paradise. She felt totally "blindsided," which is the one thing she begged Kevin not to do to her.
The former couple left the resort in tears, and Kevin felt extremely guilty about crushing Astrid.
"I don't get how you can say one thing and do another," Astrid vented to the cameras. "I'm so sick and tired of guys telling me I am everything they want and everything they are looking for and I'm so perfect -- but I'm not perfect enough... He shouldn't have come here if he wasn't ready to get into a relationship."
The three remaining couples then went off and enjoyed their Fantasy Suite dates.
Chris told Krystal he thought she'd be an amazing wife and mother someday given she has overcome so much adversity in her life. While the idea of an engagement scared Krystal a little bit, she wasn't ready to risk losing Chris because of her fears. Chris had changed Krystal's perspective on trusting a man.
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"You're not the type of girl, you are the girl I see myself with," Kamil said. "You have everything I was always looking for in a girl, and that love is a feeling I have in my heart right now. It's racing... I do truly feel I am falling in love with you."
And the episode ended with Jordan and Jenna gushing about how much they cared for each other. Jordan didn't expect to fall for Jenna so hard, but their relationship got better every single day.
Jordan told Jenna that she is so much more than "just a bombshell" and he could say in that moment, "I am in love with you." Jordan added that he had a big decision to make the next day given he only wants to get engaged once.
"If that happens, I'm always going to be by your side and I will be the most loyal guy there's ever been," Jordan told his girlfriend.
Jenna had been hurt so many times by guys in her past, but she fully trusted Jordan with her heart. She said she had been praying for someone like Jordan and God had sent him to her.
"I love you too," Jenna concluded, before Jordan told the cameras that Jenna had changed him as a man.
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About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski
