This week on The Bachelorette, Ashley has narrowed the pool to four men for the hometown dates. Coming up are visits with the families of Constantine, Ames, Ben and J.P. Let’s see what it was like to meet the in-laws:
First up was food-lover, Constantine and a visit to his family in Cumming, GA. After a cozy chat by a lake, Ashley and her man ventured off to his Italian restaurant. Yes, Greek heritage with an Italian restaurant-interesting combo. Anyway, the heat was certainly on in the kitchen as the lovebirds cooked up some treats. Following their delicious quality time the pair went to meet Constantine’s extremely close-knit family. All season, we’ve known Constantine was a family man, and after his hometown date we can now see why. Ashley not only met his immediate family but the couple was surprised when the doorbell rang and in walked about 20 more extended family members to greet Constantine for a Welcome Back Greek-style dance party. Despite the good times and cool dance moves, Constantine’s parents emphasized over and over that love takes time. This seemed to be the theme of the night from most of the families.
Next Ashley flew up to Chadds Ford, PA to spend some time with Ames’ family. Our bachelorette has been intrigued by Ames’ “uniqueness” all season, and her day with his loved ones did not disappoint. In fact, Ames’ older sister compared her brother to an onion with various layers. Speaking of layers, we learned that Ames attended boarding school and was an unpopular student. All afternoon, we heard Ashley (and Ames’ family) questioning the spark and passion in their relationship, and despite sharing his motto that “life isn’t all fireworks,’ Ames promised to “step up the romance” with Ashley after the couple shared a picnic, conversation, and carriage ride together.
After two dates on the East Coast, our bachelorette flew west for her hometown date with Ben in Sonoma, CA where they sipped on wine from his vineyard. After an “effortless” afternoon with her “sexy” long-haired man, Ashley settled in for a relaxed evening with Ben’s mother and sister. Ben’s father passed away several years ago and Ben expressed to Ashley that this process of being on the show has really helped him open up emotionally. He admitted that he had only brought home one girl to meet his family before, which could be a red flag for her. The hometown date was much more intimate than the others and a little more emotional. Ben’s over-protective sister definitely was watching out for her brother’s best interest but overall they seemed to accept Ashley into the family.
Last was J.P.’s hometown date in Roslyn, NY. J.P. treated Ashley to an afternoon of roller-skating, which she loved, remarking that she felt like she was in “seventh grade again. With the disco ball flashing, the chemistry between these two looked pretty heated on the rink. However, they did share some serious talk about why J.P. has been single for so long (Ashley has obviously never lived in NYC where the singles almost outweigh the married couples).
They finally joined J.P.’s family, where the defenses came up initially to protect him. Apparently, his last girlfriend broke his heart. When confiding in his family, J.P. shared that he was afraid to fully admit how he feels for Ashley.
The episode ended with roses going to Ben, Constantine, and J.P. Ames was sent home, eliminated and devastated — while it seemed obvious that Ashley was not able to find any spark with him, he had developed genuine feelings for her.
Join us next week for the exotic overnight dates in Fiji as we journey with Ashley towards the final rose! In the meantime, share your predictions with us — who do you think will be the final two men standing this season? And, if you can’t get enough Bachelorette, be sure to check back later today to read Bachelorette expert Jesse Csincsak’s take on the episode.
