The Bachelor Recap

Hometown dates, here we go! I am going to start by saying that this was the last week of "obvious" rejection for Bachelor Jason. I have found that this season has been low on the surprise factor when it comes to letting the girls go. We went into this week with Melissa, Molly, Jillian and Naomi. Jason set out to each respective hometown, hoping to gain a little insight into their private life.

I have to admit, I was taking personal phone calls through the first hour of last night's episode so I was not 100% committed to Jillian's date. However, it was in the background so I have a pretty good idea of what went down. I have said this before, but last night really drove home the point that I like Jillian. I truly believe that she kind of walked into this situation with the attitude of, "this should be fun" with no real intention of finding the man of her dreams. However, due to her constant light-hearted approach Jason has felt some sort of distance between them. I think that Jillian's hometown date was an effort for her to steer away from the surface. Jillian revealed that her Mother has depression and has dealt with it heavily for the past 15 years. Not only was this a big move on Jillian's part but it finally showed her emotional side, something that Jason highly appreciates. They went on to her house where her family was a nice blend of humorous and normal - something that Jason would come to appreciate by the end of this episode. More than anything, the comfort level between these two shot up and we saw Jillian really rise to the occasion.

Next up, we had Molly's date in Michigan. Michigan, right? I always get those Northern states mixed up. Anyway, the way I saw it, this was the slow decline into the abyss for Jason. Molly's loony Mother brought out the "hat box" in an effort to break the ice with Jason. He was actually a good sport and put on the indian headdress while Molly put on the crown, her Dad put on the beer topper and her Mom put on the over sized foam hat. I would like to think that meeting the parents is stressful enough that props are just aren't necessary. I'm sure there was that awkward transition of "when to take off the hat" as they were sitting in a circle in their living room...ahh, love it. Their family dinner was harmless enough, but Molly's Mom was at it again when she took Jason aside and asked him to draw a picture of Molly in his favorite moment. Like, really? I get that she was just trying to throw him some punches to see if he could take it, but the whole thing was just kind of overkill. He handled it all with a sense of humor and was probably glad when the night came to a close. All in all, the date could have been worse and his next hometown date would prove me right.

Jason moved on to California for his date with Naomi. Last week's preview gave me a little bit of hope for her kooky group, but it didn't even scratch the surface as to how wacky it really was. Let's just say that I would die if my Mom tried the "dove" stunt. Parts of this date were hard to watch because Naomi walked into the day thinking that she really had a chance. Not only was she the underdog going into the date, but she was oblivious to just how uncomfortable the private moments were with Jason. Naomi's Dad very seriously cornered Jason in what looked like a scripted televangelist move to try and talk about his beliefs. While we applaud his effort to actually address one of the most critical parts of a relationship, we think that he went about it all wrong. Jason's uncomfort was so blatant that I thought he was going to have a heart attack right there. Sidenote: Noted, these people do not talk about beliefs or anything even remotely personal. As for Jason, he looked positively giddy when the Mom walked downstairs to interrupt - but little did he know, that's when things would get really spooky. She jumps right in and bounces the ideas of afterlife, reincarnation and Indigo (?) off of Jason and he looked stunned. Unfortunately for Naomi, she blindly walks up with no clue as to what has just occurred. She proceeds to walk him out and make out with him as if he's the love of her life while we all watch thinking, "now that was a disaster."

Fake love is so blind.

The last stop for Jason was God's Country to meet Melissa and her family. Which in "reality" meant Melissa's best friends. She explains to Jason that her family is really private and does not want to be a part of the "publicness" of the show. He is clearly disappointed and does exactly what you'd do if you were letdown with someone...he makes out with her. Which, by the way, is Jason's M.O. - "when in doubt, make out." While it was disappointing that Jason did not get to get to meet her family, he did get to meet her fun friends, making this the most normal of all of the dates. They gave insight into the life that Melissa leads, which is probably more accurate than what her family could have portrayed. You could tell that she is a good friend to these people and that they are truly rooting for her happiness. All in all, we felt good about this date and think that Jason appreciated their Southern hospitality.

The breakdown:

Molly - This week was relatively uneventful for Molly. I get the feeling that she's slowly realizing that this is an actual commitment with a child involved. What was once her desire to win has tailed off into her realization that he's actually taking this seriously. If she were to shake a Magic 8 ball this week I think she'd get, "outlook not good" for the upcoming ceremony. Status: rose.

Melissa - Does Melissa love her shorts or what? Has anyone else made that observation? She is constantly prancing around in those itty things...typical cheerleader. Melissa is sweet, she's clearly over the bar scene in Dallas and looking for love...I think I feel a little bit of sympathy because I know the type. I do think that Melissa and Jason have obvious feelings for each other, but in recent weeks she's exposed a serious weakness in the form of self-confidence which only leads to other issues. Only time will tell with this one... Status: rose.

Jillian - Statistically, Jillian is the best match for Jason. Not only is Jillian "of age" but I truly think that she knows what she's entering in to. Not to mention that they're a good match, geographically speaking, which matters. My cards are on a Jillian v. Melissa final. Status: rose.

Naomi - While sweet, Naomi just didn't get it. Her family was all sorts of confused and we think that Naomi was too. Poor thing cried in the limo and wanted to give up on love which happens to be the exact opposite of what she should do. First things first, lose those tragic gladiator sandals and get back on the horse...love is out there! Status: no rose.

Next week the girls are whisked off to New Zealand! This is always the confusing episode because of the overnight date. What do they do in there? As for me, my eternal naivety will press on...surely they're just sleepy:) Deanna flies half-way around the world for...well, we're not sure what, but stay tuned for the tear-filled reunion!

Spoiler: Word on the street is that Deanna is dating Ace from the Real World! Two reality worlds colliding right there...love it.