'Bachelor' recap: Matt speaks out after toxic behavior leads to shocking eliminations
Ahead of the rose ceremony, tensions between the original group of ladies and the new arrivals reached a boiling point, and on Monday's episode of "The Bachelor," Matt was determined to get to the bottom of it.
This season's "Bachelor" opened up about the drama on "Good Morning America" Tuesday morning, condemning the toxic environment in the house and the bullying among the women.
"Any type of name-calling, I think that people try to pass it off as just playing around -- but it's not playing around to the people on the receiving end of it," he told "GMA." "So when that was made aware to me, I had to act on it."
Matt said he "can't imagine what it's like to be on that side of the rose" and chalked up the bad behavior to a "combination of high emotions and being in a stressful environment." He also noted that "going forward, I think that we're going to have a little smooth sailing" now that he's handled the situation.
During last night's episode, Matt's first order of business was addressing the false rumor Anna circulated about Brittany, which claimed she moonlighted as an escort. Katie brought the rumor to Matt's attention at last week's pre-rose ceremony cocktail party -- a lie that Brittany insisted could "destroy" her life.
Anna, realizing she crossed a line, tried her best to make things right by owning up to the transgression and apologizing to Brittany and Matt. Unfortunately, Matt, while acknowledging that Anna was "not a horrible person," sent her home out of a "responsibility" to Brittany, to the other women and to himself to "follow his heart."
Because of that, he no longer saw Anna as "being a part of that journey anymore."
Anna's departure sent a clear message that Matt would no longer tolerate any form of harassment or bullying between the original group -- or "the OGs," as they called themselves -- and the newcomers, leading to each of "the OGs" apologizing one by one, including Victoria.
However, the self-proclaimed queen's apology rang hollow -- especially for Ryan, who, during a private conversation with Matt, teared up as she recalled an accusation that Victoria made against her.
Victoria flatly denied the claim and had a panic attack prior to the rose ceremony.
Her worst fear was realized when she was sent packing, along with three other women. She held nothing back while saying her goodbye to Matt.
"I honestly feel so sorry for you that you would listen to hearsay and not all of the facts of the situation," she snapped at the speechless "Bachelor." Glancing toward the other women, she added, "So, goodbye," and walked out.
"Matt is not my king, but I'm still his queen," she declared directly to the camera. She then referred to Matt as a "jester" for picking Katie -- whom she blamed for her departure -- over her.
Feeling confident that he had successfully handled the situation, Matt turned his attention back to finding his true love and embarked on a pair of one-on-one dates and a group date.
The first one-on-one went to Rachael, who was treated to a shopping spree, courtesy of Matt. After revealing over dinner that she was falling in love with him, he offered the date rose and confessed he felt the same way.
Following a group date to find out which of the women was comfortable getting down and dirty on a farm, Abigail -- who, along with her sister, was born deaf -- revealed the "strong possibility" of her passing that trait onto her children. The stress of raising two deaf children, she continued, ultimately led to her father walking out on his family. She confessed to fearing that the same thing could happen to her.
Matt consoled her by insisting that what she sees as "a barrier and a roadblock" are what he loves about her. Abigail, who snagged the first impression rose on night one, also received the group date rose.
Later, Kit shared a home-cooked dinner at Matt's place and confessed that she, too, was falling in love with the "Bachelor." He responded by giving her the date rose.
Meanwhile, Matt found himself settling another dispute, this time between MJ and Jessenia, the latter of whom had earlier accused the former of making her and some of the other girls "feel like outsiders."
With another rose ceremony looming, Matt needed "to know the truth," which he attempted to ascertain via a two-on-one date with both ladies.
"The Bachelor" returns Monday at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.
