The Bachelorette featured Blake Moynes joining Katie Thurston's season, Katie scolding and kicking Thomas Jacobs to the curb after he admitted to thinking about becoming The Bachelor star, and the elimination of several more bachelors during the Season 17 episode that aired Monday night on ABC.
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However, Katie gave one of her roses to Blake, a 30-year-old wildlife manager from Hamilton, Ontario, Canada so that he could stay on the show and compete for her heart.
The Bachelorette broadcast began with Katie's cast of men expressing frustration and anger over Thomas' revelation he had thought about possibly becoming the next Bachelor.
Tre Cooper, a 26-year-old a software engineer from Covington, GA, said a person doesn't go from wanting to be the next Bachelor to genuinely falling in love with Katie in just three short weeks.
The guys agreed Thomas was "a good talker" and manipulating Katie with his feelings and words, and Hunter Montgomery, a 34-year-old software strategist from Houston, TX, added that Thomas had set out to become "famous" and "Katie was his ticket" to a brighter future.
Despite the tension in the house, the following guys looked forward to the next group date: Tre; Christian; Conor C.; Greg Grippo, a 27-year-old marketing sales rep from Edison, NJ; Mike Planeta, a 31-year-old gym owner from San Diego, CA; and Josh Tylerbest, a 25-year-old IT consultant from Miami, FL.
The rest of the guys on the date were Andrew Milcovich, a 31-year-old deputy district attorney from Newport Beach, CA, and Andrew Spencer, a 26-year-old pro football player who splits his time between Vienna, Austria and Chicago, IL and is the reported cousin of The Bachelorette alum Clay Harbor.
Katie planned to push her group of bachelors to their limits mentally, physically and emotionally.
She asked the men to play a game of "Truth or Dare," which included carb-eating challenges -- including downing a giant tray of Twinkies or pasta with Alfredo sauce -- waxing hair off their bodies, whispering sweet words into a giant ear created to represent Katie's ear, and eating two habanero peppers before pretending to propose marriage to Katie.
The tasks brought the guys out of their comfort zone and showed off their sense of humor. Katie wanted to see how far the guys would be willing to go for her and whether they'd put everything they had into the challenges and have fun with the game.
Andrew S. turned Katie on by talking about showering with her in his fake British accent, but Greg failed when it came to whispering sweet nothings into Katie's because he really didn't say anything.
Greg, assuming Katie couldn't even hear what he was saying since she was sitting so far away, talked about different states in the United States in a deep voice.
RELATED LINK: 'THE BACHELORETTE' COUPLES NOWBut Tre impressed with his effort in every challenge, including having his butt waxed.
Tre also nailed his proposal when he said, "I'm ready for the good times, I'm ready for the bad times, I'm ready for the laughter, I'm ready for the tears, and I want to spend the rest of my days laughing through them with you. I'm asking you, 'Will you be my wife and will you marry me?'"
Greg told Katie, "I love you so much," in his proposal, and Katie joked that she was going to take him seriously and liked hearing that from him.
The date was fun and drama free, and Katie said she had a blast watching the date with The Bachelorette co-hosts Tayshia Adams and Kaitlyn Bristowe. The girls giggled constantly and thought the game was hilarious.
At the afterparty, Andrew S. surprised Katie with tacos and sweets. He told the Bachelorette that he made many friends in the house and valued every moment he had with her.
Andrew S. said Katie had made a huge impact on him, adding, "I've never had a woman understand me," and Katie gushed about how her connection with the suitor was so "easy and comfortable."
Andrew M. promised to make Katie a better person and allow her to make him a better man if they ended up together, and Mike P. revealed he'd be willing to sacrifice things for love.
And Greg told Katie that he felt like he was in high school again because he constantly thought about Katie and loved their connection. Greg said it was a strange feeling to have his mind race all the time, and Katie believed that what Greg was saying was real.
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"You're not putting on an act; you're just authentic. You shared a lot with me, and I think even that made us a lot closer," Katie shared with Greg.
"I think obviously I have to seek this out to the very end, and if it's something you and I can get through together, it says a lot. It says that I'm starting to fall for you."
Greg said he was feeling the same way, even though the process was so early on.
"I feel amazing around her, and I haven't felt this way in a really long time. I'm crazy about the girl," Greg subsequently gushed in a confessional.
Tre and Andrew S. then had a heated discussion in front of the other guys about Thomas.
Tre announced how he felt the need to tell Katie about Thomas' actions and intentions so she wouldn't get hurt several weeks down the line, but Andrew S. said he was focused on his own relationship with Katie and didn't need to bring another guy into it.
Tre said Andrew S. was showing a lack of care for Katie and wasn't protecting her, but Andrew S. argued that Katie had enough wisdom and common sense to be able to sniff out Thomas' lies and manipulation on her own.
Andrew S. said the guys were "trying to control too much" and "being dramatic." He didn't want guys to lose time with Katie or for Katie to get upset again over talking about Thomas, whom Andrew S. noted was just "a bad guy."
But Tre concluded, "We agree to disagree," and told the cameras, "I'm willing to sacrifice my time to tell [Katie], 'This is the guy who didn't come out here for you.'"
And Greg and several other bachelors seemed to agree the Thomas situation should be brought to Katie's attention.
While Katie was feeling great and "empowered," her conversation with Tre shifted her mood and confidence. Tre told Katie that she deserved to know all of the information that was available.
Tre said it appeared Thomas was not on the show for Katie and there had been "a pattern of manipulative behavior." Katie said, "I need to know these things," and then Tre added how Thomas had been asked several times whether his intention was to become the next Bachelor.
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"To me, that's just not something you do. I care about you and I want to protect you, and I don't want to see you get hurt."
Katie confessed how she felt "blindsided" and "devastated," and she figured that a man focused on being the next Bachelor meant his heart wasn't sincerely open to finding love with her. Katie was very disappointed because she really liked Thomas from the start.
Katie wondered if everything she had with Thomas was just a lie, and then she decided to give the group-date rose to Tre for being so open and honest with her and sharing his truth.
The next day, Katie said she couldn't handle any more bad news, but then Tayshia approached her and said someone from her past had reached out about wanting to date Katie.
"He really felt passionately you guys would be an amazing match," Tayshia told Katie.
"I think he's an amazing guy and I truly feel like he is someone that has good intentions... I know you're not here for somebody that's not going to get down on a knee at the end of this, and I really feel like he can be that person for you."
Tayshia said this man didn't join Katie's season at the beginning because he wasn't sure whether he wanted to go through with the whole Bachelorette process again, but Tayshia insisted this bachelor was genuine and would accept Katie for who she is.
Katie broke down into tears because she was afraid to disrupt the relationships she had already been forming with her original bachelors.
Katie said this man would "need to be worth the risk" of her other bachelors getting angry or feeling hurt, but at the same time, she noted how she owed it to herself to meet this mystery man and explore every possible connection.
When Katie saw Blake standing outside, she recognized him immediately and had a big smile on her face. The pair then sat down alone for a little chat.
Blake first apologized for throwing "a wrench" into Katie's plans, but he said she "intrigued" him during her stint on Matt James' edition of The Bachelor with her openness, boldness, confidence and playfulness.
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Katie thought Blake is "a very handsome guy," and she appeared a little giddy and frazzled.
"It is concerning you have at this point dated two Bachelorettes," Katie confessed.
"If you stay, I will now be your third Bachelorette. And I'll be honest, in the house, there's been a lot of drama regarding who's here for the right reasons and who's not, and so that's still fresh on my heart."
Blake said he completely understood that and wished he could have met Katie under different circumstances.
"This is the last place I want to do this. The risk of me looking like a complete idiot is high, but the reward is so much greater than that risk. You are beautiful, but everything else you bring to the table, you check boxes that no one else has," Blake explained.
"It just comes down to the fact that I would 'what if?' and regret forever if I didn't do this."
Katie admitted there could "maybe" be something between them, suggesting she already felt chemistry with Blake, but she feared letting her other bachelors down.
"I promise you that if it came down to the end and we connected in a way that I think that we might, we would be engaged at the end of this," Blake said. "I didn't come here to disappoint, and I wouldn't do that to you. That's just not me."
Katie smiled big and called Blake "a troublemaker," but he said that could be a good thing.
Katie told Blake that she needed to think things over and figure things out, and she had a feeling Blake's presence on the show was sincere.
"My gut tells me there's something there with Blake," Katie admitted.
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"The feeling that we had, the connection, like, I was picturing hometowns with this guy," Katie confessed, adding that she felt sad and letdown. "I truly from the bottom of my heart thought he was going to go far. He made me feel so good."
Meanwhile, Thomas told Andrew S. that he could really picture himself with Katie and liked her, but it seemed like Katie had already made up her mind that Thomas wasn't there for her.
Once the cocktail party preceding the Rose Ceremony commenced, the guys hadn't seen Thomas or Katie for several hours.
There were 18 men remaining and the bachelors anticipated Katie was going to send three or four of them home, so they worried Thomas was monopolizing Katie's time once again.
And they were right.
Thomas knocked on Katie's door and explained how he was not getting along with the guys in the house and they were damaging his reputation and stomping on his character.
Thomas insisted he was being authentic with Katie and went on The Bachelorette "open for anything," including the possibility of becoming the Bachelor in 2022.
"I don't think it's equally as crazy that you could go into something like this and fall in love and meet someone who changes everything, and that's what I believe is happening," Thomas shared.
Katie didn't like Thomas' mindset of wanting to be the Bachelor, but Thomas said every single guy in the house probably had the same thought at one point.
"I can confidently say that there are men in this house who have zero intentions of ever being a Bachelor here," Katie said.
Thomas said he just wanted the opportunity to be with Katie and would sign a document verifying that he only cared about being with her, but she didn't know what to say. Katie seemed distraught because on the surface, Thomas came across like a "perfect, Prince Charming."
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Katie couldn't help but wonder if her connection with Thomas was intimidating to the other guys in the house and that's why they were so concerned about him.
Thomas eventually arrived to the cocktail party late and told the men, "The last thing I wanted was to take up any more time away from your guys' conversations."
"It's rather ironic because that's exactly what's been done," Justin Glaze, a 26-year-old investment sales consultant from Baltimore, MD, said, given it was already midnight.
The night had been "derailed," according to Hunter, who feared Thomas had "filled Katie's head with lies."
Andrew S. was angry about the drama and how it had once again taken away from Katie's time with the guys, but Christian and Aaron Clancy, a 26-year-old insurance agent from San Diego, CA, argued the topic needed to be discussed -- and Aaron yelled at Andrew S. to be more respectful.
When Katie finally approached the group, she noted how Thomas felt "ostracized" from the cast, which frustrated Katie's bachelors even more. Tre noted how Thomas must have victimized himself and pulled the wool over Katie's eyes.
When Katie spoke to different guys at the cocktail party, the consensus was that everyone was concerned about Thomas and he shouldn't be the guy whom she spends the rest of her life with.
Michael, however, brightened up Katie's night by saying he missed her like crazy after their one-on-one date, and Katie gushed about how she was thinking about their date all the time and wondering if he'd want her to move to Ohio after the show.
Michael was overjoyed to hear that Katie was already planning their future together, and the pair shared a sweet kiss. Katie found Michael uplifting, and she finally figured out what she wanted and deserved.
Katie believed she had made up her mind and that she needed to send Thomas home because of all the negativity that surrounded him.
At the Rose Ceremony, Tre; Connor Brennan, a 29-year-old math teacher and musician from Nashville, TN; and Michael Allio, a 36-year-old business owner from Akron, OH, already had roses from their dates with Katie earlier in the week.
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Katie then handed out roses to Hunter; Greg; Justin; Brendan Scanzano, a 26-year-old firefighter trainee from Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Andrew S.; Aaron; Mike P.; James Bonsall, a 30-year-old from New York, NY; Josh; Quartney Mixon, a 26-year-old nutrition entrepreneur from Dallas, TX; and Andrew M.
Katie then called out Thomas' name -- which shocked all the guys -- but instead of giving him a rose, she chewed him out!
"Thomas, you told me things I wanted to hear and what I learned about you tonight is that you're selfish, unkind and a liar! Your Bachelor audition ends tonight, so get out," Katie said.
Katie said Thomas had betrayed her trust and manipulated her emotions and she wouldn't allow him to use her as a stepping stone towards his goals.
Katie therefore eliminated David, Christian and Conor C., and she decided to give her last available rose to Blake, who was thrilled to hear the news when he was half asleep and in his boxers at his hotel room.
"I'm following my gut... and given how I'm feeling, if you want to stay, I'd like you to join and see if this becomes something, if that interests you," Katie told Blake, who then got locked out of his hotel room.
Katie insisted she was looking for her husband and looking forward to better days.
About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski
