This episode could have alternately been called “Bentley’s Ghost.” (Ugh.)
Okay, romance and reality fans — it’s time to recap another (but decidedly unmemorable) episode of The Bachelorette. And if you thought we were done with Bentley, this episode was a depressing wake-up call of the lingering allure of the monotone bad boy. But first, let’s travel to Phuket, Thailand with the rest of our Bachelorette clan.
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The show started off with an announcement from Chris Harrison that the 12 remaining guys would be getting the chance to woo Ashley in Thailand. The guys yelp with joy and high-five one another, so it’s pretty obvious that Chris didn’t happen to mention that they were going during rainy season and that they could kiss the sun goodbye for awhile. Oh well!
As the guys are getting ready to leave, we head to Phuket with Ashley and watch her boat alone, still mooning over Bentley. While she reports that she just “can’t forget about him,” she does somehow manage to sit down with the lovely Annie, who seems to be her Thai date planner, to brag about having 12 “hot” guys to take on dates (Annie’s reaction is politely restrained judgment and a tepid “Oh my god.” Obviously, we now love Annie). When the guys arrive and learn that Constantine has the first date with Ashley, we get so close to seeing one of Annie’s amazing dates, but the weather rains on the date-parade. So instead of spending the day boating and exploring a private beach, Constantine and Ashley walk around a soggy market. Although, weather aside, I can’t help but feel that the dates so far this season have been significantly lacking in excitement. Why aren’t they constantly rappelling off buildings like usual?
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Anyway, Constantine attempts to charm Ashley despite her still obvious infatuation with Bentley. However, if Constantine came to dazzle, he certainly chose the wrong outfit. He showed up for their date wearing, if I’m not mistaken, an old Volcom t-shirt, Adidas shower sandals and bright orange shorts. Come on, man! This is a date, not a lazy Sunday at the frat. You need to show some effort. Luckily for him, Ashley seems to find him interesting enough and is apparently charmed by their encounter with a random Thai man who they badger for marriage advice (“Forgive and forget” is his tip, once it’s been translated from Thai — wow, no wonder they had to travel to the other side of the world for that kind of wisdom). Then Constantine and Ashley unwind from their grueling adventures with some drinks and dinner, where ‘Tine makes a crack about his orange shorts (oh, so you actually realized they’re orange and you aren’t colorblind?) and Ash offers him the safety rose, sartorial choices be damned.
Then it’s on to another rainy date, this time a group one with Ben F., Ben C., Nick, J.P., Blake, Nick, Ryan, Lucas, West and William assembling together to help Ashley with their date project — Extreme Makeover: Orphanage Edition. Ashley and the guys are going to spruce up the Baan San Fan Orphanage, which is for children who were orphaned after the tsunami. Of course, the guys love the charitable date and are shocked and awed that Ashley would plan such a caring venture. No one mentions they’re also relieved they don’t have to film a ridiculous movie scene or music video with some washed up band like on seasons’ past, but I’m assuming there was some of that mixed in there as well.
But as the guys get to work, painting the dreary orphanage uplifting colors, Ryan starts aggravating all the guys. As he bosses everyone around and instructs the guys how to paint, a few of the guys tell the camera how they’ve just about had it with Ryan. “He just has a different personality,” Blake says, which is frustratingly vague. Ben F. (a.k.a. Constantine’s twin) mentions that he has a “Ryan Meter” and sometimes it maxes out. But once the kids are brought in to see the group’s handy work, all the man claws temporarily retract and everyone basks in their good deed.
Now it’s time for the group to party, and all the guys continue to hate on Ryan (things get way harsh when someone calls him a “goober”) and Blake even confronts him to tell him that he’s the least liked guy in the house, which is slightly unnecessary, but a twist nonetheless. There’s so much Ryan-bashing going on that Ben F. and J.P. manage to sneak in some make-outs with our Bachelorette. Is she into it? Sort of, but she just. can’t. forget. about. Bentley. Though she’s definitely into Ben F. (he gets the date rose) and kissing J.P. is “magical”, she still wonders what could have been if Bentley had stayed around. Sounds annoying, right? Well, it is. Snap out of it, Ashley!
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Then it’s the next one-on-one date with Ames, who thinks they already have amazing chemistry despite never having been on a date alone. Delusions of grandeur? Perhaps, but Ashley is thrilled with their date, which is a sea-kayak trip through caves. Though the sun has yet to make an appearance, they have a great time and then settle on the beach to reconnect. Ames makes an amateur’s mistake here when Ashley asks him what his best first date ever was and he tells her about meeting some other girl in a shoe store. Ames, Ames, Ames— if I have to spell out where you went wrong on this one, then there’s just no hope for you. However, he redeems himself later on during dinner by asking our Bachelorette legitimate questions, such as what she would have changed about her childhood and not offering up any canned speeches. It’s refreshing, even from our jaded perspective, and Ashley is definitely into it, offering him the date rose.
Then it’s time for the Rose Ceremony, and though Ashley brings up how much she wishes Bentley were still around (argh!) she’s feeling good about the group again — so much so, that she tells Chris Harrison she’d like an extra rose tonight because she doesn’t want to send two guys home. At this point Ashley’s dishing out roses like they’re free, but Chris Harrison doesn’t see a problem with it, telling her “there are no rules.” Um, excuse me Chris, but “this is not ‘Nam… There are rules.”
Anyway, Ashley gets her extra rose and (somewhat cruelly?) gives one out to everyone but West the Widower, sending him home without even an explanation. Cold, Ashley, cold. He doesn’t seem too broken up over it though (perhaps because they’ve spoken for a total of maybe 15 minutes all season?) and everyone toasts to the continuing love journey they’re all still on. Except maybe Ryan, who despite being bouncily happy all the time, can’t be feeling great now that he knows no one in the house likes him.
All in all, a tame episode with no crying and some man-on-man meanness. But if you didn’t pick up on the over the top foreshadowing, the preview for next week teased the return of Bentley (oh, help us!). So perhaps it’s best that we had some time off from Ashley’s tears and man-on-woman meanness because something tells me next week will be a whole new ball game. Come back next week for the next recap.
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Megan Gibson is a reporter at TIME. Find her on Twitter at @MeganJGibson. You can also continue the discussion on TIME’s Facebook page and on Twitter at @TIME.