Tayshia makes shocking elimination; JoJo steps in for Chris Harrison as guest host on 'Bachelorette'
NEW YORK -- Tayshia started this week with a platter of pastries for her and former "Bachelorette" JoJo Fletcher. Wasn't it fun to see her again? She was shocked that Tayshia got thrown into the situation and gave her the advice to stay out of her own head. Tayshia told JoJo that she's afraid of having it not work out, just like her first marriage that ended in divorce. Meantime, Chris Harrison told the guys he had to drop his son off at college so that's why JoJo was there! She was going to be stepping in as a guest host. Wow! JoJo gave them the date card that read, "Zac, I'm looking for a man I can picture a future with." You realize these guys now have a replacement "Bachelorette" and a replacement host.
Zac and Tayshia One-on-One Date
Zac and Tayshia met up with a professional photographer who would be taking wedding pictures of them. They're not married...yet. However, Francisco the photographer says the camera doesn't lie. Tayshia was a bit anxious about wearing a wedding dress again and taking wedding photos since she has done that before in real life. Zac looked dapper in his tux and Tayshia was stunning in the white wedding gown she chose. He told her that he's taking the experience seriously, but he wanted her to be able to have a fun time. Tayshia freaked out a tiny bit, but Zac said, "Don't worry, I got you." And he really did. They seemed to really go well together and Tayshia said that envisioning him as being at the end of the altar didn't scare her at all. They went through a series of different photos in a variety of outfits.
Afterward, they sat on a blanket to talk about their afternoon. Zac told her that he couldn't stop smiling after the photos and Tayshia said it was a surreal experience. She was relieved when Zac revealed that he was married for about a year in his past. He told her that she's so breathtaking to him, sometimes he has to take a double take.
During dinner, Tayshia told Zac she wanted to know more about him. He said he had a great family life, went away to college, but then found out he had a brain tumor at the age of 23. He did a lot of painkillers and stuff and decided it would be a good idea to get married. He got married, did drugs, got arrested for a DUI, and his wife left him. Yikes. He said he hit rock bottom when a bank teller called his dad to come get him. He went to rehab and how several years later he's on the board of the rehab center that saved his life. Tayshia was stunned that he went through all that and seemed to come through it to become an amazing person on the other side of it. She thanked him for opening up to her, gave him the date rose, and then they went on their very own Ferris wheel right at the resort! It's really amazing the dates the show was able to set up all in one place.
Group Date
A date card arrived for the men and it read Spencer, Ivan, Ed, Blake, Brendan, Riley, Demar, Bennett, Ben, Noah, Express your love. That meant Eazy would get the other one-on-one date. The guys on the group date walked into room where a man and woman were posing nude. Tayshia told them they would be learning about art and expression with an art teacher. Bennett stole Noah's seat next to Tayshia, but he graciously stepped aside. They all sketched for a while, then they played with some clay. Blake make a part of the male anatomy, and that was funny. Bennett made a map of his and Tayshia's three future homes. Then the guys had to make a self-portrait that would expose their vulnerable side. Ivan was amazing, he made a puzzle that included her and describing it doesn't even do it justice. Ivan is a gem. The guys were all very open with her about their pasts, their hopes, and dreams. Then, Ben took off all his clothes so that he could prove that he was putting his guard down and giving everything he is to her. "What an art day," Tayshia said as she ran off to the side of the room and then had a little cry. The whole experience was overwhelming to her. She loved how truly vulnerable and honest they were with her. She said that they all did so great, she wanted to not pick an art winner and just spend the evening with all of them.
They had the standard cocktail party where she shared some special moments with each of the men, but Ben stood out to her. Not just because he got naked, but because he revealed his eating disorder to her. He had bulimia for more than 10 years, until his sister helped him recover. In the end, she gave her group date rose to him. But that wasn't all, she told Noah and Bennett that she knows that something is going on between them and she's going to get to the bottom of it one way or the other.
Eazy and Tayshia's One-on-One Date
Eazy's date card read, "I hope you aren't scared of falling in love." Tayshia took him to go ghost hunting. She started their date by sneaking up on him in the dark and scaring him. It was pretty hilarious. They went looking for the ghost of William Morgan, his wife, and baby. His dead body was found at a location on the resort a long time ago and so they went looking for their ghosts with thermal readers. Eazy and Tayshia had a lot of fun and definitely got creeped out during the experience. They seemed to have a great time together.
During dinner, Eazy told Tayshia that he was falling for her. He's one of the first to reveal that to her. Tayshia told Eazy that she feels that he is always his authentic self with her and that he's a solid, good man. Shockingly, Tayshia said that she doesn't have strong feelings for him and she's not on the same level as him. She couldn't let him continue to pour his heart out when she wasn't feeling the same. "Tayshia, this is real? Are you sure?" he asked her. "I am," she said. With that, a baffled Eazy got in the limo to leave. The guys back at the hotel room were shocked when the producer wheeled his bag away. "It went from great to goodbye in no time," Eazy said as tears welled in his eyes.
Bennett and Noah Two-on-One Date
The next day, JoJo walked in and told the guys that before there could be a cocktail party, Tayshia wanted to figure out the drama between Bennett and Noah. To do that, she was going to have an impromptu two-on-one date. Bennett wrapped a gift and then went and got it for Noah, it wasn't for Tayshia. Noah was really confused. He gave him a red bandana to talk about their first conversation about the ranch, then he gave mustached socks because he says that's the only place you should wear a mustached, then a book on emotional intelligence. I now hope that Bennett goes home. He said, "I'm not trying to belittle you, I'm trying to love you up."
Tayshia told the two of them that she's frustrated and she wants to get to the bottom of the situation. Bennett said he feels no ill will for Noah, and Noah brought up an example of a time when Bennett talked down to him. Tayshia told Bennett that he was essentially insulting her integrity by questioning her keeping Noah around. Then she asked what was in the box. HA! There's no way that can play out well for Bennett, right?
Preview of Next Week
Next week, the drama continues and it looks like Riley may consider going home. Zac also makes another big revelation, but is it too much for her?
