By Krissy Dolor
The vacation destination theme continued on week six of ABC’s The Bachelor as Brad Womack and the remaining eight bachelorettes took another trip – this time, to Costa Rica. With the lush green landscape, a waterfall and a volcano view from The Springs Resort and Spa, what’s not to like about week six?
Simple: Michelle, who, despite all her complaining and minor physical assault on Brad, is still in the running to be his wife. But we’ll get to her later.
Chantal O. got the first one-on-one date with Brad, and after last week’s Las Vegas meltdown, this date is crucial to her future. Michelle is less than thrilled, telling the camera, “All I can do is be myself, be patient and hope that Chantal gets attacked by monkeys. Or apes.” That’s funny, Michelle – we say the same exact thing about you!
Anyway, Brad is all about his “electric connection” with the Seattle native, and wanted to see the strong, confident woman he first met – you know, the one that gave him a slap across the face in the season premiere. What’s a better adrenaline rush than zip-lining through the Costa Rica trees? Despite the rain, Chantal didn’t hesitate to get herself ready for the half-mile zip-line track, which she completed with ease. “This is a girl that I could definitely hang out with every single day for the rest of my life,” said Brad.
The rain made another appearance at dinner, forcing the two indoors. Brad was happy that the weather didn’t faze Chantal – but since she’s from Seattle, I’m pretty sure rain is the least of her problems. In fact, Chantal took the opportunity to change into one of Brad’s button downs, since you obviously can’t hang out in wet clothes all night. Smart move. As the two shared dessert, Chantal said, “I would take being rained in with you any day.” Romance ensues, Chantal gets a rose, and she boldly asserts to the camera, ““I did fall in love with Brad tonight.” Bold!
But nothing’s as bold as Michelle, who is still behooved over Brad’s attraction to Chantal. Some of the words Michelle used to describe her were aggressive, overly confident and egotistical. Is she talking about herself? After the group date, which included Jackie, Emily, Shawntel, Britt and Ashley H., those are the words anyone would use to describe her, as she threw a fit over the fact that Brad was taking everyone rappelling down a waterfall. If you recall, Michelle and Brad did this in episode four, where they promised that they wouldn’t go rappelling without each other.
Technically, Brad kept up his end of the deal. After all the women went down (even Jackie, who is deathly afraid of heights), Brad told Michelle, after much pouting and a few punches from her, that he was saving her for last so they could rappel together. Duh! When the two made their trek (wearing matching jackets, no less), the other women wondered if they called each other beforehand to plan their outfits.
However, the rest of the group date didn’t go as smoothly. Some women (like Jackie) were clearly jealous that Brad had given Michelle extra attention, and Brad felt guilty. Emily told Brad that she has a tendency to sabotage her relationships, and that’s no good, as Brad really likes Emily. And Michelle flat out tells Brad that she doesn’t see him with any of the women (besides herself). Brad, overwhelmed and flabbergasted by everything, tells the women he can’t give anyone a rose tonight. Smart decision.
But of course, there is one last one-on-one date with Brad, and Alli is the lucky lady left. This is her first one-on-one, and with a card that reads, “Meet me at the altar,” she is more than confused. The date starts off with horseback riding and ends in a bat cave – yes, a bat cave. How unromantic. Brad leads her through the 40 million year old cave to an “altar,” a set of natural stairs made of stone that lead up to a flat surface, where Brad has set a candlelit picnic. OK, that’s much better.
But at dinner, Brad comes to the realization that he can’t see himself with Alli in the long run, as they are straining to make small talk despite the intimate setting. Where are the tears? The depressing stories? The conversation is going nowhere. To make it even more awkward is that Alli brought up her last serious relationship, where she couldn’t see herself marrying the guy. “I couldn’t see him at the end of the aisle,” she said. The light bulb goes off in Brad’s head and he broke the news to her: “I can’t give you this rose. I think you’re an amazing woman but we both know we have a strong friendship, and I think that’s where it ends.”
Ouch. But not all is lost. In the depressing ride away from the resort, Alli said that Brad has given her a much higher standard for the next time she starts dating. Good for you!
Back at the house, the women see Alli’s luggage taken being away and rush outside to gape and gawk. Michelle simply sat there, plotting her next move. Guess where she ends up? Brad’s bedroom – would you expect anything less? So instead of a weekly therapy session we see more of Michelle (who will be in a movie later this year), who pounces on Brad and gives him more grief about Chantal and the rest of the bachelorettes.
But it doesn’t make a difference. Brad keeps the crazy. He even keeps Britt, who still hasn’t had a one-on-one date. In fact, Brad says goodbye to Jackie (who got that awesome serenade from Train in episode two). Will Brad ever say goodbye to Michelle? Check back next week for our recap of episode 7 of The Bachelor, where the vacation continues – in Anguilla!
