'The Bachelor' Recap: Surprise Twist on Two-On-One Date
— -- Two of the more polarizing contestants on "The Bachelor" -- Kelsey and Ashley I. -- faced off Monday night during a two-on-one date that ended with a shocking twist.
The episode picked up where last week's left off, with Kelsey on the floor, suffering from what she described as a panic attack. She requested to speak with the "Bachelor" Chris Soules, explaining to him that she'd felt overwhelmed because he'd mentioned to the others their earlier conversation, in which she revealed to him that she's a widow.
Kelsey had a laugh over the incident later on with her fellow bachelorettes. Carly thought Kelsey's panic attack was nothing more than a "tactical move," while Ashley I. referred to Kelsey as a "phony" to the cameras.
At the delayed rose ceremony, Kelsey received the final rose. Mackenzie and Samantha were eliminated.
Chris and the nine remaining women left behind New Mexico and headed north to Deadwood, South Dakota. Kelsey and Ashley I. were invited to the two-on-one date, which usually finds one woman advancing and the other going home. They were transported by helicopter to Mount Rushmore and then on to the Badlands.
There, Ashley I. told Chris exactly what she thought of Kelsey, which wasn't much. He confided in her that most of the bachelorettes considered Kelsey to be "fake." Chris later brought that up to Kelsey, and she was offended.
Kelsey confronted Ashley I. when the two were alone. Ashley I. said that while Kelsey presents herself as a smart woman, Ashley I. was intelligent enough to see through her act.
Eventually, Ashley I. walked away to Chris and asked him why he told Kelsey about the "fake" comment. At that point Chris decided to cut the very-emotional Ashley I. loose, telling her he can't give her the lifestyle she wants. An incredulous Ashley I. sobbed. When Kelsey realized what had happened, she smirked.
But in a surprise, Chris chose to dismiss Kelsey, too. He told her she deserves someone who can be 110-percent devoted to her, and "right now I can't be that for you." Kelsey appeared to take the news in stride, saying, "It's OK if it's not me."
If Kelsey was truly upset by her elimination, she didn't show it to the cameras. She declared, "I have no regrets because I did exactly what I came here to do and that's challenge myself to the adventure of love. I'm going to be OK because I've lost before and I survived."
The other women were elated when they discovered Kelsey was out of the competition, since she'd continued to rub many of them the wrong way in South Dakota. At one point she suggested to the cameras that she understood why they might feel that way: "I get it. I am blessed with eloquence and I'm articulate and I use big words because I'm smart."
The group date provided some drama, too, with Britt at the center of it. It began with Big & Rich helping the ladies write love songs to perform in front of an audience. Afterward, Chris and Britt sneaked away from the rest of the group and took in a concert from the country band. Onstage, Chris gave Britt a rose. After more than an hour, they returned to the other women, who were not pleased. Kaitlyn told Britt that they couldn't help but feel humiliated.
On his only solo date in South Dakota, Chris took Becca out for a horseback ride and a campfire dinner. She was given a rose, too.
Next week, Chris takes his bachelorettes to his native Iowa as part of a two-night event airing Sunday and Monday on ABC.
