Ben started off the season with 26 lovely, sometimes crazy, ladies and "unexpectedly" 2 more join the group... enter Becca and Amber, both from previous seasons. Becca, best known for being a 26yr old virgin, and Amber, who did not succeed in finding love on either The Bachelor or Bachelor in Paradise. Might be time to hang up her hopes... just sayin'.

The first night proved interesting, as usual, complete with a rose hat, twins, Spanish-speaking beautys, a pony and a dental check up. Never a dull moment. 

I'm going to take this moment to mention, if you're not staying tuned long enough for the credits, you're really missing out on some fantastic moments. The credits are, sometimes, my favourite part of the episode. The clips shown are even better than the blooper reel they always show at the finale.

Ok, back to the recap (because let's face it, I have a lot to cover).

Lace went right for it, giving Ben the very first kiss of the season. Olivia scored the first impression rose and Lauren R. confessed to being a Bachelor-stalker... always attractive to a man.

During the rose ceremony Lace was quite upset Ben wasn't making eye contact with her. She DID get a rose however, along with 21 other hopefuls.

During week 2 the girls went Back To School. How much did you love Chris Harrison in spectacles?

Lace now angered the women by trying to work in as much time with Ben as possible, always using her time wisely (please note my sarcasm, because this is "lace-d with it). I predicted her departure, I was pretty shocked that she chose to leave, not how I saw this going.

Kevin Hart and Ice Cube create a hilarious date between Caila and Ben, turning their one-on-one into a foursome.

We go to a science lab and find out Samantha stinks and Olivia and Ben have the best chemistry. Not for long, as we'll find out later on in one of the most memorable departures (or lack thereof).

In the next episode we can easily see the infatuation building between Lauren B and Ben. The group date is a soccer game with the women really showing their "ah-em" skills.

Jubilee gets a one-on-one and we finally get a glimpse into what makes her tick. Turns out she's just like most of us and doesn't do well trying to fight with multiple other women for time with her man. I doubt many women could do well under these circumstances. I mean, really, think about it. How much time do you figure each woman really gets with Ben? 20 minutes? 30? A week... yikes.

I feel like Amber really sealed her fate in this episode but Ben had already gifted her with the group date rose so she made it through another week.

Week 4 we head to Vegas baby where Ben says goodbye to one of the twins, Haley. Emily is staying on with her sister's blessing and with one twin gone I really hope we finally get to see more of Emily's personality. I feel she's a real spitfire with loads of great commentary to come.

On the group date the women need to showcase their special talents for a Las Vegas show, JoJo gets a one-on-one and a rose and Becca and Ben share a cute date marrying other couples. Becca also receives a rose.

Olivia's "talent"

In week 5 the girls head to Mexico City and a cooking class where Jubilee really starts to self destruct. Her departure becomes inevitable at this point and I'm sad for it because I feel like she could have really been a frontrunner. If only she could get out of her own head.

Ben takes Amanda off (at 4:30 in the morning) in a hot air balloon, she gets a rose. Lauren H and Ben model, she gets a rose and showcases her unbelievable horrible taste in fashion. That is, if she actually meant it when she claimed to think Ben looked "really hot" in that shirt.

It's during this episode that Emily tells Ben about Olivia's bad behaviour... usually sealing one's own fate, but Ben gives both another chance... and a rose. The seed is planted in his head now though that all might not be as it appears with his first impression winner.



Week 6... and it's off to the Bahamas! Yay for some fun in the sun.

... or not.



The girls open up about their hate-on for Olivia and her confident "Ben is MY husband" attitude and on the two-on-one date with Emily and Olivia, Olivia is shockingly sent home. But first she is left alone on a seemingly deserted island... left to watch Ben and Emily enjoying their time only feet away. It was awesome.

My pick for the obvious front runners at this point are:
1) Lauren B (even the other women are commenting about her and Ben's connection)
2) JoJo - I worry they may venture into the friends only circle and stay there though
3) Amanda - while she's super sweet and Ben seems to like her, I doubt he wants a ready-made family
4) Becca - they have a great connection, but I think her virginity might prove to be too much for Ben to handle

Only 6 women remain as we head into week 7... it's getting good!

Ok, now that we are all caught up I will dive into each remaining episode in more detail. 

I will miss Olivia and these magical moments...

I'm just going to take a moment and say my goodbyes...

Until next week ~xo KP