The Bachelor star Ben Higgins cut two bachelorettes and had a third one quit on him during Monday night's broadcast of Season 20's third episode on ABC.

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Ben denied roses to Jami Letain, a 23-year-old bartender from Alberta, Canada, and Shushanna Mkrtychyan, a 27-year-old mathematician from Salt Lake City, UT, during last night's Rose Ceremony.

In addition, Lace Morris, a 25-year-old real estate agent from Denver, CO, dumped Ben and decided to leave the show prior to the Rose Ceremony because the process was getting to be too much for her and she thought she needed to work on herself before she could really love someone else.

The Bachelor broadcast began with Amanda Stanton talking to Lauren Bushnell about how Olivia Caridi was bragging about spending $40,000 on clothes just for the show. Amanda called her "a mean girl" but acknowledged she knows how to "keep it together" for the cameras. Lauren B. agreed that Olivia was just not a likeable person.

The week's first one-on-one date went to Lauren B.

Ben was excited to get to know her better because she stood out the very first night he met her. He thought she was beautiful. For their date, the couple rode in a small plane known for stunts, twists and turns. Lauren B. was nervous but that disappeared once she and Ben took off. After all, she's a flight attendant.

The pair flew over the mansion and all the girls knew it was them, sparking so much jealousy. Lauren B. was scared to get hurt and wanted to protect herself, but everything felt good with Ben. After their adventure in the sky, Ben and Lauren B. relaxed in a hot tub set up in the middle of a quiet, open field. The couple couldn't stop smiling when they looked at each other and they kissed a lot.

Meanwhile, Caila Quinn cried at the mansion about the idea of Ben falling in love with someone else when her heart was so open and vulnerable. Caila didn't want to be guarded, but the idea of getting crushed in the end scared her.

Back on Ben's date, Lauren B. described what she wants out of life over dinner. A girl who enjoys "the simple things," Lauren B. explained even something like her father being proud of their green front lawn would make her happy. She said she learned to work hard for what she wants out of life and be the best person she can be.

Back at the LA mansion, the next Date Card arrived. The girls discovered who would be accompanying Ben on a group date: Amanda, Haley Ferguson, Jennifer Saviano, Shushanna, Leah Block, Amber James, Lauren Himle, Olivia, Jami, Rachel Tchen, Lace, and Emily Ferguson.

On Lauren B's date, she told Ben there was no place she'd rather be, and Ben thought she was special. He really wanted her to get to know him, so Ben talked about his father's heart condition and the fact he previously underwent triple Bypass surgery.

Ben enjoyed looking at, laughing with and just being around Lauren B. He asked her to accept his rose, and Lauren told the cameras Ben was open, sensitive and caring -- all things she wanted from a man considering she's so picky.

The couple then danced the night away at a private concert by Lucy Angel. Ben admitted Lauren B. could be the type of girl to change him for the better, and she realized she could easily fall in love with this Bachelor. Ben noted in a confessional it was exactly the first date he'd love to have with his future wife. 

The next day, Ben embarked on the group date at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. The girls learned they'd be playing a soccer game against one another in two teams and the winning team would be allowed to join Ben at the after party.

Emily was an amazing goalie for the Stars team, but Amber ended up scoring the winning goal for the Stripes team. In addition to Amber, Haley, Leah, Olivia, Lace and Jami were also on the winning team. The other girls went home and cried about missing out on time with Ben, and Rachel limped her way back to the mansion after getting hurt during the game.

That night, Olivia pulled Ben away immediately and her aggressiveness upset the other girls. Lace said Olivia's behavior was "a slap in the face." Olivia explained to Ben she intimidated the other girls, and Ben said he wouldn't have given her the First Impression Rose if he didn't think she could handle it and handle it well.

Meanwhile, the girls on the group date were getting a little catty. Clearly jealous of Olivia, they poked fun at her appearance -- including her ugly toes, bad breath and fake boobs. Jami told Olivia about it once she returned from her alone time with Ben, and Olivia was shocked.

Amber then got a big kiss from Ben and they agreed they were hopeful about each other. As a result, Ben opted to give the date's rose to Amber since they got to know each other much better. Amber had never been safe at a Rose Ceremony before in her life, so she was thrilled and got the reassurance she needed.

Olivia thought Ben gave his rose to Amber only because he couldn't give her every single one. Olivia was so confident in what they had.

When it became time for the next one-on-one date, Jubilee -- who feared she wasn't Ben's type or getting his attention -- got ready. She worried about being socially awkward because that's what tends to happen when she's very excited or nervous. A helicopter then landed outside of the mansion and Jubilee, scared of heights, yelled out the possibility of someone else taking her date.

The girls agreed Jubilee was ungrateful for the date and her comment was "offensive" because so many bachelorettes would've killed for that opportunity.

On their date, Jubilee and Ben landed at a beautiful spa that looked like a miniature castle. They both tried caviar, and while Ben loved, Jubilee was disgusted by it. She revealed she's a girl who loves hot dogs. Jubilee's goal was to show Ben her goofy, funny side, and she nailed it.

Ben was taken aback by Jubilee's confidence and how unafraid she was to be herself and express her feelings. There was simply something he was attracted to. Ben later explained that Jubilee "stretches" him and makes him laugh and blush. She intrigued the Bachelor, and Jubilee was ecstatic about the fact Ben just "gets" her.

Jubilee felt herself with Ben. That night, Ben confessed Jubilee was more herself with him than anybody else. He appreciated her strong stance on life and found it refreshing. Jubilee made it known she doesn't make friends easily because she's "mysterious" and difficult to understand, which Ben understood.

Jubilee then shared her personal feelings with Ben about visiting Haiti, where she was born. The adopted war veteran revealed her whole family died and she has a love/hate relationship with her difficult past. Jubilee noted she just didn't want to go home alone; She needs support when that time comes. Ben loved her depth, her many layers, and he gave her a rose.

Ben told the cameras he could easily find himself falling in love with Jubilee since she was so incredible.

However, all the girls were shocked to witness Jubilee's return. Everyone assumed Ben was going to dump her on the date because she just didn't get along with people well.

Once the cocktail party commenced, Ben shared with the group that two people close to his family had passed away in a plane crash. Ben was very upset, as these two individuals were apparently "pillars" in his community.

Ben needed a girl who was going to talk to him and make him feel better. Olivia grabbed him first, but instead of consoling Ben, she ranted and started crying about her "ugly legs" and "cankles." Ben seemed completely turned off by the discussion topic, and he later got the comfort he needed from Amanda, Lauren B. and Jubilee.

In fact, Jubilee gave Ben a massage to relieve some stress. The other bachelorettes were jealous and grew to dislike her even more since she already had a rose and was still seeking more time from Ben. Jubilee had "major anxiety" about drama in the house and didn't want any of the girls to confront her or talk to her about anything.

Jami pursued Jubilee for a conversation, but it didn't end up happening. And then Amber actually approached Jubilee when she was bawling her eyes out and Ben was trying to calm her down.

Amber explained the issues the girls had with her -- like Jubilee's comment about someone else taking her helicopter date -- and it just seemed like bad timing. Ben was more concerned about Jubilee's well-being than Amber's accusations, and if anything, it hurt Amber.

Meanwhile, Lace was upset about going into another Rose Ceremony without getting to talk to Ben or have any time with him. When Ben finally got a moment to sit down and take a deep breath, Lace asked to speak with him outside. She explained that despite the fact he's amazing, she was mad at herself for the way she acted and she wanted to go home to improve herself as a person.

Lace said she needed to truly love herself before she could love a man. She also admitted to the cameras her connection with Ben just wasn't there.

"This was a really hard decision," Lace said in her final words. "Unfortunately, this wasn't the right timing for Ben and I. I haven't had good relationships in the past and yet I have someone amazing in front of me and it still didn't happen."

Lace hopes that when she's ready for love, she can find another guy like Ben.

The Rose Ceremony followed and Amber, Jubilee and Lauren B. already had roses.

Ben handed out additional roses to Lauren H., Amanda, Becca Tilley, Haley, Emily, Rachel, Caila, Joelle "JoJo" Fletcher, Jennifer, Leah and finally Olivia.

Olivia convinced herself that Ben "saved the best for last" and he gave her a "signal" to show how much he liked her. Meanwhile, Shushanna and Jami were eliminated, and they both felt shocked, hurt and blindsided.


About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski

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