Bennett throws Tayshia a curveball after his elimination on 'The Bachelorette'
NEW YORK -- Tayshia's two-on-one date with Bennett and Noah continued at the beginning of this week's "The Bachelorette." She asked him what was in the box and Bennett just said that it was a gift for Noah. Tayshia took Bennett to talk separately and she asked him if he ever questioned her integrity. He said no, and tried to dig himself out of the many verbal holes he had dug himself into. He explained the four pillars of the book on emotional intelligence he gave to Bennett and Tayshia seemed kind of put off by all of it.
Next, Noah got his chance to talk with Tayshia. She told him that she's feeling confused by the drama because he seems to be the common denominator. Noah said that he doesn't like how Bennett talks to people. He described what was in that awful gift box, and then even had some tears. Can't she see that he's being bullied?
After roaming the grounds for a bit by herself, Tayshia returned to the two men and told them what she liked about each of them, but then turned to Bennett and told him that she couldn't give him the rose and that he had to leave. She walked him out as he said, "Is this really goodbye?" And she said, "Unfortunately, yes." He tried again to explain himself to her and apologized. She said, "I'm sorry, Bennett." Tayshia then said the goodbye didn't feel right to her because he's a good person.
Back inside, Noah was smiling as Tayshia walked in. She told him it wasn't a victory for him by any means. Then she said that she wasn't going to give him the rose right then either, but that he could stay for the rose ceremony. Noah was upset that the situation got to her. "It feels like I'm starting over, or worse," he said.
Cocktail Party
Tayshia told the rest of the men that the drama was over and she wanted to just have a nice night. Riley celebrated their "anniversary" with a little cake and just a nice little chat. She seemed to have fun with it. Zac brought her a framed picture from their wedding photoshoot, and he told her he's ready to do whatever it takes to be with her. He already has a rose from the other week, so it was just a happy meeting.
Ben and Tayshia spent some time kissing by a fountain. Ivan told her he's ready to be a great husband. Meantime, she told Brendan that she was really looking forward to seeing him. They also spent a lot of time kissing after she faked him out by saying she didn't want to.
Rose Ceremony
JoJo, still filling in for Chris Harrison, told her it was time for the rose ceremony. Tayshia gave roses to:
1) Zac (last week's one-on-one)
2) Ben (last week's date)
3) Brendan
4) Riley
5) Blake
6) Ivan
7) Noah
That meant Demar, Spencer, and Ed were all eliminated.
An Important Week
The next day, JoJo showed up with a date card and reminded the men that this week was super important because the final four would be selected for hometowns. The date card read, "Ben, Falling in love is full of surprises." Then Zac started to cry about how his parents are his heroes and he clearly had some feelings about introducing Tayshia to his family.
Ben's One-On-One
On the one-on-one date, JoJo sent them on a date full of clues while riding scooters around the resort to find a mystery location. They scooted around, jumped in a fountain, busted piñatas, and eventually rested on a bench by the spa to chat. She told him he needs to open up more.
That evening, Ben told Tayshia that he's having feelings for her. Tayshia said that she always feels like he's a little too perfect. He told her he's a real human. She said she knows he's holding back. He talked about how he was expected to be perfect and so did the military. Then he revealed that his sister saved his life not only with the eating disorder but that he broke his back at the age of 26. He said that he didn't know how to say that he needed things, and he did eventually confide in his sister. He had two failed suicide attempts in 2018 and 2019. He said his sister got him through and she has no idea. He never told her. He doesn't want to worry her or anyone in his family. He said that he's been very aggressive in therapy and he's changed. Tayshia said she was relieved that he opened up to her and with that she offered him the rose. Then they danced to Adam Hambrick, who has an album called, "Give her a Rose." She said she could see him being by her side for the rest of her life, and said, "I truly love Ben." Wow!
Group Date
The group date card arrived and it read, "Zac, Brendan, Ivan, Noah, Riley, The truth is that I'm falling in love." Blake was super excited that he would be getting the last one-on-one date before hometowns. JoJo met them all in a secret room where a lie detector machine was set up. The guys, and Tayshia, were getting polygraphed! Tayshia's revealed that she was in love with more than one person and she feels her husband is still there. Noah's test revealed he misses his mustache. Brendan's test showed that he's not sure if he's ready to meet her family or for them to meet his. Zac told the truth about cheating on someone in the past, but his truthful answer disappointed her. Riley got his name wrong somehow. It was interesting for sure!
In the evening, Tayshia said after the lie detector tests she had some important questions for the guys. Most importantly, Tayshia wanted to know the story behind Zac's cheating. He cheated on his first girlfriend in sixth grade by French kissing another girl at a Bowlorama. Tayshia was so relieved that he was a child! Zac then told her that he hated that he said that he was falling for her in front of everyone earlier and she told him that she is falling for him too. Ivan made her feel very secure when it comes to his feelings for her. Brendan told her that he's excited for her to meet his family but he's hesitant after his divorce. He added that the next time he proposes it has to be the last time because he doesn't want to put his family through all that again.
So what was the deal with Riley lying about his name? He told Tayshia that his name was Dwayne Henderson Jr., he was named after his father. He got older, they had a falling out, and he said that he regrets that his father got custody of him and he resented his mother based on what his father had said about her. So, he decided to start over with a legal name change. His mom was there with him. He says that his father died, he still loves him. Tayshia raised his spirits by saying that he's still there and she's honored he told her everything. Riley said he just wants a family more than anything. I hope he gets that one day soon. In the end, Tayshia told the guys she needs more time to think before giving out a rose.
Bennett Returns
OMG Bennett is back. He shocked Tayshia by showing up as she was leaving the group date. She invited him into her room so they could talk. Bennett said she spent all day going over their parting and how sorry that he made her think that he questioned her integrity. He said he didn't realize it until after he was gone that he loves her. Tayshia gasped and said that she was speechless. "You have every ounce of my heart right here, I don't use that word lightly," he said. "I would love nothing more than to stay for you." She said that she was not planning on saying goodbye to him the other night and then she got very confused. He went in for a kiss and she said, "No, nice try." She asked him for the night to think things over.
Next Week
Next Monday and Tuesday, we'll see the conclusion of Bennett's big arrival, the hometown dates, and "The Men Tell All!"
