Rachel Lindsay is opening up about Dean Unglert's hometown date in Aspen, CO, that tore at The Bachelorette viewers' heartstrings.

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"Dean and I had talked about his family before so I wasn't shocked," Rachel told ABC News of the date that aired as part of Monday night's The Bachelorette broadcast.

Dean had warned Rachel before the family visit that it would be the first time his immediate family would be under one roof in eight years. It had also been two years since Dean last saw his father, who is now a Sikh Kundalini yogi.

Rachel was well aware that Dean's family had fallen apart after his wonderful mother, Debbie, died of breast cancer when the bachelor was only 15-years-old. From that point on, Dean felt abandoned and alone, allegedly receiving little to no support from his "eccentric" father.

But Rachel admitted that when she walked into Dean's father's home, she was "more excited" than shocked about what she saw.

"I walked into the house, everybody was sitting on the floor, barefoot, and I was like, 'Where do I take my shoes off? Where do I sit down?'" Rachel recalled.

"I really care about Dean so my concern was Dean, and that was my focus. I knew he had some unresolved issues and he wanted to have some conversations [with his dad], but I felt like it was my job as his girlfriend to let him know that I was there for him."

Dean attempted to have difficult conversations with his father about neglect, but they ended badly with his dad walking out of the house and refusing to talk to Rachel on-camera.

Dean felt his father was being stubborn and dismissive, while the father thought his son had "one foot stuck in the past" and was being harsh by suggesting there was no love in the household after Debbie passed away.

Towards the end of the emotional date, a seemingly exhausted Dean confessed to Rachel, "I am falling in love with you," to which she replied, "I am falling in love with you too."

It was therefore a surprise when Rachel sent Dean packing at the next Rose Ceremony held in her hometown of Dallas, TX. Dean also appeared angry following his elimination, venting to the cameras how he meant his profession of love and wished Rachel had meant it as well.

But on Tuesday, the morning after the episode aired, Dean posted a photo of Rachel and himself enjoying each other's company on Night 1 of The Bachelorette process.

"From then til now, what an incredible journey," Dean captioned the image of the pair building a sandcastle outside of the Los Angeles mansion. "I have nothing but the utmost love and respect for [Rachel] and I'm excited to watch the rest of her love story unfold. #letloveleadtheway."

Rachel told ABC News that she really couldn't prepare for the men's hometown dates, even though the lawyer-side of herself tried to prepare questions and statements. She acknowledged "there were surprises in every hometown."

Rachel also revealed that she was actually most nervous about Eric Bigger's hometown date in Baltimore, MD, going into the week because the suitor had never brought home a woman before and so she felt a lot of pressure to deliver.

In addition to Dean and Eric, Rachel also visited Peter Kraus and Bryan Abasolo's hometowns.


About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski

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