The Bachelorette star Kaitlyn Bristowe eliminated Joe Bailey and Jared Haibon during the eleventh season's ninth episode Monday night on ABC.

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Kaitlyn sent Joe, a 28-year-old insurance agent from Columbia, KY, packing in the middle of her group date in Ireland, while she traditionally sent home Jared, a 26-year-old restaurant manager from Warwick, RI, during the season's seventh Rose Ceremony.

Kaitlyn's decisions left the following three men in the running for her heart: Nick Viall, a 34-year-old software sales executive from Waukesha, WI; Shawn Booth, a 28-year-old personal trainer from Windsor Locks, CT; and Ben Higgins, a 26-year-old software salesman from Denver, CO.

The Bachelorette broadcast began in Killarney, Ireland, with Kaitlyn reflecting on how sad she was about ousting Chris "Cupcake" Strandburg. Kaitlyn knew three overnight fantasy-suite dates were up ahead, so this was the hardest week for her yet. She was looking for someone who could really be her husband, and that stressed her out.

Ben got the first one-on-one date of the week. They went rowing in a canoe and Ben supported her as she experienced real emotions. The couple then spent time together at Innisfallen Island and they had the whole location to themselves. Ben was falling more and more for Kaitlyn although he feared rejection.

Ben told Kaitlyn a woman is marriage-material when there's a strong physical attraction and he can feel pure happiness and joy with her. Kaitlyn confessed she can be hard to deal with sometimes in a relationship and needed a guy who wouldn't give up on her and walk away. Ben assured her that he wouldn't leave her, and Kaitlyn realized she was falling in love -- again.

That night, Kaitlyn and Ben sat by a fireplace and enjoyed some Irish coffee and whiskey. He said they kept doing ordinary things that felt incredible when done with her.

"I am falling in love with Kaitlyn," Ben told the cameras. "But now, in order to move forward, I feel like I need to tell her about my biggest fear. I loved my last girlfriend. I did. That ended and ever since then, I feel I am unlovable."

Ben explained to Kaitlyn how he wasn't sure if there was mutual love between him and his last girlfriend. Kaitlyn noted the idea of him being unlovable "blows her mind." It meant so much to her that he was being so open that day.

"I can and am falling in love with you," Kaitlyn told him.

Ben reciprocated those words and feelings. He was so pleased to receive reassurance. His spirit in the process was reinstated. Kaitlyn said she was excited to just sit and talk all night to Ben in the fantasy suite coming up. Kaitlyn then got the vibe Ben's a virgin, but he confirmed otherwise and took her question as a compliment.

Kaitlyn admitted Ben had set the bar really high that day because she could definitely envision spending the rest of her life with him.

The next day, Joe, Shawn and Nick embarked on an awkward group date with Kaitlyn. Nick's confidence couldn't have been any higher. He thought nothing could come in the way of them ending up together. Meanwhile, Shawn said it was a good opportunity for her to show him exactly how she's feeling.

On the low-key date, Kaitlyn got to talk a lot with her suitors individually. Shawn felt things had become "good again" with Kaitlyn and he told the Bachelorette he missed her. Kaitlyn acknowledged Shawn had trouble with trust, so she felt the need to dive in and tell him about her sexual encounter with Nick. She wanted to just laugh and have fun with Shawn but couldn't.

However, just as Kaitlyn was about to drop the bomb, Nick interrupted them and stole Kaitlyn away for some alone time.

Kaitlyn told Nick things had happened really fast between them but she didn't think making love to him was a mistake. Nick could barely speak in full sentences around her. He confessed to Kaitlyn he was crazy about her and really falling in love.

"And it's so scary to say it. It's more scary than before," Nick told Kaitlyn.

Nick had a lot less time with Kaitlyn than the other guys, so he said getting the rose would mean the world to him.

Kaitlyn then sat down with Joe. She asked if he was ready for an engagement and he responded by simply kissing her.

"You know something? I could totally kiss you and all of you for the next 60 years and be the happiest man in the world because I'm in love with you baby. I don't think there's any denying that, and I wouldn't say it if I didn't mean it," Joe told the Bachelorette.

Kaitlyn said in a confessional Joe's statement was really flattering yet she needed to be brutally honest with him. Kaitlyn realized she didn't feel the same way as Joe -- that they just weren't on the same page. She didn't love him like that. 

"I just don't feel like I'm there right now," Kaitlyn admitted to him.

Joe, clearly deflated and shut down, said it was cool and he had fun. He quickly noted he wasn't upset with her, but at the same time, he was acting very cold. Kaitlyn explained to him that everything she had told him was true, that all of her feelings were real.

Joe just repeated "it's cool" and then Kaitlyn asked him for a hug. 

"What should I do? You tell me," Joe said, trying to find his way out.

"I just wanted to hug you and say goodbye," Kaitlyn pointed out.

"I'm not saying sh-t to you right now," Joe barked, prompting Kaitlyn to walk away.

Joe refused to talk to the cameras afterward and he was clearly mad. Kaitlyn didn't find this process easy at all. Kaitlyn then told Shawn and Nick she didn't want to make Joe sit through another Rose Ceremony. She also didn't feel right about handing out the group date's rose. Instead, she asked Nick to return to his hotel because she needed more time with Shawn.

Nick was surprised and upset, saying that in order to propose to Kaitlyn, he needed more time. Nick later vented to the guys about how worried and confused he was. Shawn on the other hand, admitted he didn't feel bad about spending time alone with Kaitlyn because it was a slap in the face to "the other guy." Shawn would've probably felt sorry for any other suitor in Nick's position.

Kaitlyn said in a confessional she felt it was necessary for her to tell Shawn about sex with Nick because their relationship was moving faster than others and Shawn was all about honesty and trust. Although nervous, Kaitlyn was compelled to be straight-forward with Shawn, no matter how uncomfortable that situation was going to be. She felt "sick."

"I don't know how to say this," Kaitlyn began once she was alone with Shawn at a local pub.

"It's alright. You can say whatever you need to say," Shawn said nervously.

"I just know that I want to be honest with you and I know that your biggest thing is trust. I haven't talked to anybody else about this. I just know I want to talk to you about it because I don't want you to find out later. I just want to be so honest. I keep repeating myself. You know I had that one-on-one date with Nick. At night, we went back to my place and I just feel like it went too far. It's hard for me to admit it, but we had sex," Kaitlyn revealed.

Shawn kept nodding his head in silence and let out a grunt. 

"Do you regret it?" Shawn asked.

"I felt guilt. I didn't expect that to happen, and when I woke up in the morning, I was like, 'Ugh, I don't know,' thinking about what that might do to our relationship," Kaitlyn explained. 

"I don't know what to think, honestly. I'm trying to figure out why you're telling me this right now," Shawn said.

"I just thought it was the right thing to do... You have to talk me through this," she confessed.

Shawn then took a minute to regroup, gather his thoughts in the men's room and return. He was so tense. However, Kaitlyn preferred trying to work through this with Shawn now rather than letting him find out later, when it could potentially ruin their future together. Shawn thanked Kaitlyn for telling him about it. He then reiterated how he was falling in love with her and didn't want their date to become about Nick.

"At the end of the day, I'm here for you and you're all that I want out of this," Shawn explained, adding that he planned to "man up and deal with it and fight through it and get past it and move on to tomorrow."

He continued, "And that's what I want to do. I can't be mad or upset. I obviously am but what am I going to do? Storm out of here? No because I want you."

Shawn told Kaitlyn that she was worth all the struggle or else he wouldn't still be on the show. He tried to stay calm, cool and collected, but he felt a little sick to his stomach. Kaitlyn said the relationship meant so much to her, and Shawn agreed. He wasn't going to let this come between them, and he intended to keep this secret between the two of them.

At this point, both Shawn and Nick were confident they'd receive a rose from Kaitlyn. However, Nick was sort of pretending to be okay.

The next day, prior to the Rose Ceremony, Jared hoped to tell Kaitlyn how he was feeling. Shawn said he was "wanting to want a rose" from Kaitlyn but needed some questions answered. Shawn had a tough time deciding whether to accept Kaitlyn's rose, and he knew there was a possibility he'd be going home that night.

Much to the guys' dismay, Chris Harrison announced the cocktail party had been canceled.

Once the Rose Ceremony commenced, Kaitlyn offered her first rose to Shawn. He said he needed to talk to her, and Kaitlyn's face appeared shocked and terrified.

"Okay," she said quietly.

Shawn explained he had a tough time sleeping because he just didn't understand "why him." told him. Shawn asked her why she would do something that could jeopardize their relationship after telling him that he's "the one." Kaitlyn said she needed to explore all of her relationships on the show, because at the end of the process, she'd never explore another.

Kaitlyn reiterated how telling Shawn he was "the one" halfway through the show was a huge mistake. She should've waited until the end when she'd actually be 150% confident in her feelings. Kaitlyn said she went too far with Nick but wasn't ashamed of herself. She just felt guilty.

Kaitlyn loved how much Shawn cared for her, but she told him that he had to let her figure things out for herself. Kaitlyn asked Shawn if he could trust her after the show -- because he needed to -- and then the cameras shot back to the Rose Ceremony. 

Kaitlyn then asked Shawn, once again, if he'd accept her rose. He replied, "Absolutely." Kaitlyn subsequently handed out roses to Ben and then Nick, sending Jared home.

When Kaitlyn walked Jared out, he offered her his jacket since it was cold outside. Kaitlyn couldn't get over how wonderful a person Jared seemed to be. Jared took his exit graciously and said he's always have a special place in his heart for Kaitlyn. He wished her nothing but happiness and said she deserved to find the man of her dreams.

Kaitlyn called Jared "amazing" and bawled in his arms before he left. He comforted her but later cried in the limo. In his final words, Jared said what he had with Kaitlyn was "real" and they made each other really happy, so it was tough.

Kaitlyn couldn't help but question her decision because she knew Jared was such a "sweetheart and gentleman." She didn't have one bad thing to say about him. Her concern was that their relationship wasn't going as fast as the others -- it didn't mean her feelings for him were any less. Kaitlyn needed a man she could believe in, someone who would also believe in her. She began to fear walking out of the process alone, and that idea devastated her.

Shawn's plan going forward was to never give up on Kaitlyn and attempt to block things out of his mind that frustrated him about the other guys.

Nick then embarked on his fantasy-suite date with Kaitlyn. He had a tough time thinking she had a connection with another man similar to what they shared. Kaitlyn, on the other hand, needed to discover if she had a future with Nick rather than just raw, physical passion. They wandered the streets together and Nick shared stories of his childhood and faith. Kaitlyn felt their physical relationship also grew into a spiritual one that day.

"I trust that Kaitlyn is falling in love with me as fast as I'm falling in love with her," Nick told the cameras.

Nick wanted to connect with Kaitlyn on every level possible that night in the fantasy suite, which was strangely set in an old jail. Nick then wanted to throw Shawn under the bus. He confessed he had no respect for people who "project insecurities and don't give people a chance and brag about being Eskimo brothers with famous country singers because they f-cked the same girl in the same night but they were first." 

"Ew," Kaitlyn replied to Nick's rant. 

Nick insisted he was just worried about Kaitlyn, but Kaitlyn fired back by saying all the other guys complained about him. Kaitlyn was a little frustrated because the guys constantly said bad things about each other to her. She thought they were jealous, catty spats.

Nick then changed the subject and apologized for coming into the process late. However, he told the Bachelorette he wasn't sorry for falling in love with her and taking a chance. Kaitlyn thought he was so sweet, and Nick appreciated how Kaitlyn allowed him to vent.

Nick obviously accepted the key to their fantasy-suite because he apparently couldn't get enough of her. Kaitlyn felt she was falling in love with Nick and she could definitely see him as her husband. He thought there was something very special about Kaitlyn and certainly didn't take any intimacy with Kaitlyn lightly.

The next morning, Kaitlyn and Nick enjoyed breakfast. She said they ate chocolate all night and talked on the couch and she got to know him so well. Nick claimed it was the best date he's ever been on, and he was finally ready to take down all his walls around Kaitlyn. He could see having a family with her. 

Once Nick returned to his hotel room, Shawn called the front desk and asked for Nick's room number. Shawn confronted Nick, saying he had to get some stuff off his chest. Shawn didn't want to talk behind Nick's back like the rest of the guys. Instead, he chose to say things to his face.

Shawn confronted Nick by saying he didn't understand his reasons for being there for Kaitlyn, and if Kaitlyn saw what the other guys saw, there would probably be a better guy sitting in his chair -- since a lot of better guys went home. 

Nick argued that Shawn didn't know him, didn't know why he was there and never attempted to get to know him. Shawn said he had no desire to get to know Nick because he was an arrogant, cocky guy.

"I could say the same thing about you," Nick fired back.

Shawn said that if Kaitlyn ended up with Nick, he'd sleep fine at night knowing they are two totally different people. Nick agreed. Shawn told Nick he was "a d-ck" and simply oblivious to it. The episode concluded with the two men agreeing upon the fact they weren't going to see eye-to-eye. However, their battle wasn't over.
About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski

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