ABC
Matt James and the contestants on ‘The Bachelor’ toast after rose ceremony.
The Bachelor has some housekeeping to do after a frantic episode four that included three group dates, a one-on-one date, and a rose ceremony. The bullying among contestants which has unfortunately come to define the season thus far reached a crescendo with unsubstantiated rumors that one of five new women added to the mix works as an escort in Chicago.
That set the stage for an episode five that promises to be a satisfying one with Matt James condemning that behavior and doing his best to weed out the bullies.
That leaves an opportunity for the episode to be a high point if James does a good job getting to the bottom of the toxic culture among contestants. It also leaves the real possibility that it’ll be a disappointment if select women are allowed to stay longer.
WARNING: IF YOU DO NOT WANT TO KNOW ANY SPOILERS FROM ‘THE BACHELOR,’ EPISODE 4 DO NOT KEEP READING.
Will ‘Queen’ Victoria Larson Get Eliminated?
ABC/Craig Sjodin‘Queen’ Victoria Larson on a ‘Bachelor’ group date.
In just four episodes, Victoria Larson has established herself as a villain for the Bachelor Nation history books. Her take-no-prisoners attitude has — at least to some degree — played a factor in the departure of two contestants, Marylynn Sienna and Sarah Trott, and Larson hasn’t showed any signs of slowing her roll.
Previews for episode five have strongly hinted that episode five will be the end of the road for Larson, though. While there’s not yet confirmation that Larson will leave, there’s a few pieces of evidence that storms clouds are on the horizon.
There’s a clip from episode five that shows James confronting Larson for referring to other contestants as “hoes,” which she says was taken out of context. James doesn’t appear to be buying that excuse, though.
There’s also the fact that ABC executive Rob Mills said Larson will have an end on the show that is “satisfying for everyone,” so a normal rose ceremony exit doesn’t seem likely. Lastly, previews have shown Larson breaking down crying and telling a producer, “I feel physically, physically sick.” That same preview seemed to show James sending somebody home in a car.
Along with Larson, previews and clips from the remainder of the season haven’t provided evidence that Anna Redman will be on the show much longer either. It appears likely that Redman and Larson will both be sent home in episode five. Catalina Morales also appears set to go home in episode five.
Rachael Kirkconnell & Kit Keenan Get 1-on-1 Dates
ABCRachael Kirkconnell and Matt James on the season premiere of The Bachelor.
Kit Keenan has had moments on The Bachelor where she appeared to be a part of the bullying crowd — particularly when she promised Sarah Trott, “the rest of your living situation here is going to be horrible.” Keenan has since apologized for her actions directed at Trott.
But Keenan will not be eliminated during the bullying reckoning that happens at the beginning of episode five. She’ll actually be given one of two one-on-one dates that will be shown. James and Keenan will work together and enjoy a home-cooked meal.
The other one-on-one will be given to Rachael Kirkconnell, who hasn’t been a bully at all on the show, but has received a fair share of backlash from fans anyway. Many have accused Kirkconnell of racist behavior in her past, and those accusations will likely surface again when she gets a shopping-themed date with James.
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