Okay, this week’s episode got off to a very, very slow start. The first ten minutes of the episode were so dragged, and it was a bit frustrating to watch. Corinne went on about how “unpredictable” Nick was, Raven said *for the millionth time* that Nick might not find love, again, and Nick discloses his concerns to Chris Harrison. *Nick isn’t unpredictable, he either gives a woman a rose or he doesn’t. It’s not complicated. Right about now, Taylor would be popping up talking about how it requires a great deal of emotional intelligence to understand Nick’s actions. It doesn’t require any intelligence, actually. It requires that viewers understand that everything is about views. The validity of this show is very minimal.* The girls sit around with red-rimmed eyes as they hope he returns. He does come back, and discusses his feelings to the remaining women. Nick confesses he sent Daniele L. home because of the strength in everyone else’s relationships. He states he feels strongly about the rest of the girls and wants to find something with one of them. The room sighs with relief. The cocktail party and rose ceremony are cancelled – not that they would have occurred, since Nick already sent three women home. After rounds of cheering, the group embarks on their trip to Bimini.

The girls arrive in their villa and immediately start fawning over its beauty. When the date card arrives, it is revealed that Vanessa got a second one-on-one. The joyful mood is drained because the other girls are extremely jealous, specifically Corrine who complains about being the only one that hasn’t received one-on-one. Their date begins on a boat and it is such picturesque scene. The discussion is incredibly deep from the start. Nick comments that their relationship is “strong.” They enjoy their date as we see Corrine narrowing in on a new target: Vanessa. She says she is boring and doesn’t have much depth. *Literally seething because Vanessa is the best.* We flash back to their date and the two are going strong. They swim in the ocean, go snorkeling, and share a cliché kiss underwater water. This is the moment, Vanessa realizes she is in love with him. *Ahhh!* They sit down to a nice dinner where Vanessa opens up more about her feelings. Then, she finally says that she is falling in love with him. Nick immediately kisses her. The happiness is so clear on his face; however, he doesn’t say it back because he only wants to tell one girl the three magic words. *He is totally throwing shade at Ben.* He does really like her though, and explains his reasons fully. Vanessa is a hurt and confused, which is understandable. She is afraid that she could end the show heartbroken like Nick.

The next date card is another group date with Kristina, Corrine, and Raven.

Corrine is irate and exclaims *again* that she doesn’t want to be on this date when she is “trying to literally win over my [her] fiance.” *Okay, this statement was way out of line. She thinks she is confident, but it makes her look arrogant and stupid.* Corinne spent the duration of the date talking in third person, complaining about how she didn’t have enough time with Nick and how upset she was. Props to her for describing some new emotions. Nick had assured her she didn’t need a one-on-one because of how he was always spending time with her. Suddenly, all is well for Corinne and she can go back to enjoying all the cheese she always wants. During the day, Nick had invested most of his time towards Kristina, who wasn’t complaining. At one point, he was further discussing sending Danielle L. home the following week, and Kristina tells him, “listen, you can’t keep us all. Which is completely right. Nick should know that by now. *Dude…if you’re that upset you clearly made a mistake. I’m sorry, but get over it. You sent her home, focus on the girls you have now. Honestly, the further the show gets, the more messy Nick is, and the more I think he’s messing up, and realizing just a little too late that he did so.* Raven spent some quality time with Nick, discussing her family and how her father battled lung cancer, which was why she dropped out of law school. According to her, he’s fine now, and she’s excited for Nick to meet him. Raven earns the rose for the group date, which means she is the only person to secure a hometown date.

The second one-on-one date was with Danielle, the girl who lost her fiance to an overdose. The date was very simple. They rode bikes through the town and just had fun. However, Nick feels that they are struggling to find things to talk about. This is seen through a few awkward conversations. Nick is putting more pressure on each relationship, so the fact that he is doubting this one is not a good sign for Danielle. This foreshadows what inevitably happens as they are eating; he sends her home. The worst part was that he sent her home right after she told him she was falling for him. *That hurts your heart. I feel bad for her, but people have to go.* She walks back into the villa crying and the girls hug her before she departs.

After Danielle’s heartfelt departure, Corinne puts her plan of “being Corinne,” into action. She shows up to Nick’s room in the middle of the night, originally claiming she wants to check on him emotionally. Until we get the [dis]pleasure of hearing them make out in the next room. *Seriously, we could have lived extremely long without hearing that.* Anyways, Nick realizes during their “steamy” session that things shouldn’t proceed, and escorts her out. Clearly not used to being rejected, Corinne storms out to head back to her own suite, walking right past the automatic door towards the one she had to push open herself. Yikes.

The next day was a bit rough. Rachel had gone on her second date with Nick, which was a fun time. Rachel revealed that Nick was the first white guy she was bringing home, and her father was, well, her father. Rachel claims she isn’t worried about what her family will think because they know she’s smart. Their date was cut short in favor of the rose ceremony, which Nick tells Chris Harrison he wants to cancel out of respect for who he wants to send home. Corinne spent the entire day being on the verge of a “nervous breakdown” after her rejection, believing she was the one who was getting the boot. Much to our dismay, it was Kristina Nick pulled aside. Kristina is told the same story Nick has been saying the entire season – there are stronger and better relationships. *Debatable. There’s one relationship that just wasn’t comparable to Kristina’s with Nick. That was evident during their intense conversations on their previous one-on-one and during the group date in Bimini. But, whatever. Everything is about views, nothing is rigged! [If that were the case, Danielle L. would still be on the show and Kristina probably wouldn’t have been sent home. One of them would be going to hometowns.]* Alas, Nick – again – looks reluctant to send someone home, and that’s the end of another predictable episode. Hometowns are next week, though!

In other news, the next Bachelorette was revealed on Jimmy Kimmel. This totally spoils the ending of the Bachelor. *Personally, I (Rebecca) am confused with their choice; however, I am open to her being the next Bachelorette because she is a wonderful woman and I hope the best for her. I am sad it is not Raven but I agree with Alecia that it is a nice change.* *I’m (Alecia) actually not confused at all. I love this decision! Rachel is completely different than past bachelorettes. First off, she’s the first African American one, which is awesome!! She’s level headed, truly seems to know what she likes and dislikes, and she’s a successful lawyer. I can’t wait!! Personally, Raven was like any other bachelorette and I think it’s better to have someone that will break the mold. Rachel is truly amazing, I’m rooting for her!*

* photo via Google Images under the Creative Commons license