The Bachelor featured Joey Graziadei dumping Sydney Gordon on a two-on-one date with Maria Georgas, Lea Cayanan rehashing drama and Maria threatening to quit, and Lexi Young revealing to Joey she may not be able to have children during the Season 28 episode that aired Monday night on ABC.
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The Bachelor broadcast began with the "situation in the house" between Sydney and Maria getting "out of control," according to Jenn Tran, a 25-year-old physician assistant student from Miami, FL.
Kelsey Toussant, a 31-year-old actor from Los Angeles, CA, thought Maria's intentions were good but Sydney was very headstrong and she "couldn't get over it without being right."
Maria didn't feel like she could win or do anything right in the house, but she was willing to look past the drama and hopefully have a good day.
The Bachelor host Jesse Palmer then arrived to the mansion and let the women know that Joey believed his future wife was among them. Jesse then shared how they'd be traveling, internationally, to the country of Malta for the next round of dates.
Once the cast arrived -- and got settled -- in Malta, a Date Card arrived for Lexi, a 30-year-old digital strategist from Atlanta, GA.
For their The Bachelor date, Lexi and Joey explored Malta, from its history and culture to the local cuisine on foot.
Joey said it felt like he was walking around Malta with his girlfriend, which just felt right. The pair played Bocce, joined in a dance group and observed the beautiful yachts in the water outside of the beige walls.
"Lexi is someone I can see a future with, and it's just getting better and better," Joey noted to The Bachelor cameras.
Meanwhile, Sydney vented to the cameras about how she was exhausted, lethargic, and even breaking out due to stress. She said she was "disappointed" in Joey for giving Maria a rose and she was going to make it her goal to expose her rival bachelorette and prove that Maria was "the problem."
Sydney felt she was constantly being attacked and disrespected, but Maria believed her character had been slashed and called into question for no reason. Maria had been hoping to drop the dispute, and she blamed Sydney for not letting things go.
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A Date Card also arrived for Jenn and Kelsey T. as well as Allison Hollinger, a 26-year-old realtor from Philadelphia, PA; Autumn Waggoner, a 26-year-old account executive from St. Louis, MO; Daisy Kent, a 25-year-old account executive from Becker, MN; Edwina Dorbor, a 25-year-old entrepreneur from Atlanta, GA; and Katelyn DeBacker, a 25-year-old radiochemist from Santa Fe, NM.
The following women were also on the Date Card: Kelsey Anderson, a 25-year-old junior project manager from New Orleans, LA; Lea, a 23-year-old from Los Angeles, CA; Madina Alam, a 31-year-old mental health therapist from Charlotte, NC; and Rachel Nance, a 26-year-old ICU nurse from Honolulu, HI.
Back on Lexi and Joey's date, they reflected and prayed in a beautiful church that reminded Lexi of her beloved grandfather, who used to paint and take her to church all the time.
Once inside the church, a priest shared with Lexi and The Bachelor star how the key to a happy marriage is love and having children. Lexi, however, may not be able to have children in the future due to a health crisis, and she planned to share that vulnerable news with Joey later that day.
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That night, Lexi opened up to Joey about how she's suffered from endometriosis for years, which is a painful and incurable condition in which the lining in her reproductive system grows on other organs.
Lexi had been diagnosed with Stage V Endometriosis, underwent surgery to remove excess tissue, and was warned she may never be able to have kids.
"I want a family so badly, so for something like that to happen to me was hard to take. I opened up to only one person about it, my ex, and he came to the decision that he can't be with someone who might not be able to have his children, which is hard," Lexi explained to Joey through tears.
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Joey seemed impressed by Lexi's strength and ability to overcome adversity, and Joey's kindness and positive response to Lexi's news brought her to tears. Lexi felt accepted and validated.
"I feel a happiness in my heart that I've never felt," Lexi said in a The Bachelor confessional.
"If Joey was my person and Joey and I fell in love, my heart is fluttering even thinking about that. When I'm with him, I feel something I've never felt before, and I'm very excited."
Joey then gave Lexi the date's rose, and he shared how he wanted to know more about her condition going forward so he could learn how to be a good partner to her in the future.
Lexi gushed to The Bachelor cameras that Joey is "lovable and kind," and she added, "I feel I could go into a marriage with him and he's going to be so supportive of what happens with the family. I am falling for Joey."
The next day, Joey embarked on his group date with the women, and they were tasked with dressing as knights and completing fun tasks such as sword fighting, wrestling and trying to catch a moving wheel of swinging sausages and cheese into their mouths.
At the end of the day, Autumn was crowned the First Knight because she had gone "above and beyond" in the tasks. She won some alone time with Joey, and the pair shared a passionate kiss.
At the afterparty, Joey shared with Daisy how he'd love to have two girls, and the couple discussed potential baby names such as Coco, Ocean, Teddi and Emily.
Joey thanked Kelsey A. for always focusing on him and smiling in his presence, and Kelsey T. finally got some time with The Bachelor star to talk about their potential future together and share a kiss.
"My heart is fluttering when I speak to Kelsey T. There is just something there. There is something where I get so excited... It feels so natural and seamless, and I get lost on it," Joey said of the bachelorette.
Jess also felt a deep connection with Joey, and she shared with The Bachelor star how she could feel herself falling for him and her heart was beating out of her chest whenever she saw him.
Joey ultimately gave the group date rose to Kelsey T., and she was thrilled. Joey believed that Kelsey T. was doing her best to make an uncomfortable situation comfortable, and he acknowledged how Kelsey T. was on the forefront of his mind during every group date.
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Joey said he felt a connection with both women but there was animosity between the ladies. Joey wanted to get to the bottom of things.
"I just don't know who is telling the truth. Is Maria actually a bully or is Sydney making something bigger than she needed to? I don't know which one is the case, and I need answers," Joey explained to The Bachelor cameras.
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Joey joined the women on a different boat to explore The Blue Grotto, but the environment was awkward. Maria cracked jokes and tried to flirt with Joey, but Sydney was just quiet around The Bachelor star.
Maria called Sydney "a bloodsucker" and "a vampire," claiming that Sydney was able to suck the energy out of the room every time she entered one.
Maria said she felt very uncomfortable around Sydney's negative vibes, and Sydney said her anxiety had worsened to the point where she was having "stomach issues." Sydney didn't think Maria was the person for Joey, and she planned to share her truth with Joey.
Joey then spoke with each woman individually, starting with Sydney.
Sydney told Joey that Maria had attacked her after the pool party and told Lea to "shut the f-ck up." Sydney claimed Maria had been disrespectful and she's not the type of woman whom Joey would want as his wife.
Joey felt a lot of chemistry with Maria, but the idea she could possibly be a bully really scared The Bachelor star.
When Joey talked to Maria, he admitted the drama had derailed them, and Maria shared how she needed Joey to believe her and trust in her. Maria said she had left the drama in Los Angeles and Sydney was essentially harping on the negativity.
Maria asked Joey if he could move past this situation, and he confessed that he wasn't sure he could -- but he was trying to.
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Sydney told Maria that she had not taken accountability for any of her actions, but Maria owned up to having called Sydney a troublemaker and pot stirrer.
Joey continued the two-on-one date into the evening because The Bachelor star still felt confused.
Joey asked both Maria and Sydney if they could truly see a future with him, and they both insisted they really cared about him and wanted to be with him. Sydney added how she'd always fight for Joey.
Joey ultimately decided to trust his gut, follow his heart, and give the two-on-one date rose to his stronger connection of the two: Maria.
"With this rose, it has to do with how I'm feeling. And Sydney, I'm sorry, but I cannot give you this rose," Joey announced.
Joey walked Sydney out, and The Bachelor star apologized for how hard the process had been on her. Joey told Sydney that she's an "amazing" girl, and she admitted that her brain was "all over the place" and she was feeling "shocked" by his choice.
"I don't think he knows the real [Maria]. She sucks. She sucks. It was hard for me to open up because I fear rejection, and that's exactly what happened. I'm going to go home, and I'm going to see my cats," Sydney said in her final words.
Joey promised Maria that he was going to try to work past all the drama, and he thanked Maria for being real with him. With that being said, he offered her the date's rose, and she accepted it wholeheartedly.
An opera singer then serenaded the couple "Ave Maria," and Maria said the rose meant everything to her. It was a beautiful moment, and Joey gushed about how he felt really good about Maria and she made him very happy.
"Tonight, I feel something real with Maria. We've only scratched the surface of what we could be as a couple, but I see a future with Maria," Joey shared with The Bachelor cameras.
Meanwhile, when Sydney's suitcase was taken out of the women's hotel suite, Lea cried and said she absolutely wasn't expecting that to happen. The bachelorettes also appeared shocked.
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Joey's relationships with Edwina, Katelyn and Madina were also climbing.
Madina shared with Joey how something happened with her parents in high school that shattered her trust in them and made her question the concept of love. Madina said she had a hard time opening up as a result, but Joey was "sweet and comforting about it all," according to the bachelorette.
Lea then pulled Madina aside for a conversation. Lea was annoyed how Madina was "Team Syd" one minute and then congratulated Maria and called her pretty the next. Lea seemed to think that Madina's behavior was a betrayal.
After Kelsey A. gave Joey a sweet Malta postcard she had made for him, Lea confronted Madina about her frustration and confusion.
"Last night, you called Syd one of your best friends and was hoping she was going to come home, but then Maria walks in the door and you kind of switch up. You were like, 'Maria, I'm so happy for you and you look so good,'" Lea vented.
"Your narrative changes a little bit," Lea added.
Madina said she didn't need to be mean to Maria in order to prove that she's good friends with Sydney, and Madina didn't appreciate Lea "critiquing" how she was navigating her own The Bachelor journey.
"I'm already hard enough on myself... and you saying that is extremely hurtful. I'm literally just trying to get through this," Madina told the bachelorette.
Lea claimed that she was just trying to give Madina some "perspective," but the conversation made Madina cry. Lea claimed that she held her friendships to a very high standard and would "go to war" for her pals, and she thought her chat with Madina was unproductive.
When Rachel explained to Maria what was going on, Maria couldn't believe that her name had come up again and that Lea was making Madina feel bad about being nice to her.
Maria started crying because she felt extremely helpless in the house. She felt she was damned if she did and damned if she didn't.
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The episode ended with a cliffhanger, with Lea telling Joey that the women in the house were shocked by his decision because of how Maria had been treating people.
Maria felt overwhelmed and really hurt, and so she began venting about how she wanted to leave the show and go home.
RELATED LINK: 'THE BACHELOR' FRANCHISE COUPLES NOW: WHO IS STILL TOGETHER?? (PHOTOS)
Click here to learn more about Joey's The Bachelor bachelorettes or click here to read spoilers that reveal how Joey's season ends and who he picked as his winner.
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About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski
