Hometown visits loomed large on this week’s The Golden Bachelor.
Leslie and Ellen were relishing in their strong connections with Gerry while Faith continued to wonder where she stood after receiving the first impression rose on night one.
“My feelings are surprisingly strong for Gerry but at the same time, it makes me feel pretty insecure that I haven’t gotten any more time with Gerry because we’re just a week out for hometowns and it feels tumultuous in my stomach right now,” she explained.
Host Jesse Palmer then revealed only three ladies would be bringing Gerry home and the women realized that meant the group would be cut in half by week’s end.
“Knowing that there are not four hometowns but three, I’m very scared. I want him to meet my family, my kids [and] my friends,” Ellen shared. “It’s been a really long time but I desperately want that.”
The One-on-One
Faith admitted she was “so excited” to be invited on a “once-in-a-lifetime” date while Gerry, 72, called her “the big question mark” as he wondered if their connection could continue to grow.
“I’m very hopeful that today reveals that the sky’s the limit with the connection with her,” he said.
Despite her fear of heights, the pair then took a helicopter ride over Los Angeles — and the Bachelor mansion — which made the other women jealous. Leslie shared, “It was a little upsetting. I think Gerry’s been attached to Faith since the beginning and he saved the once-in-a-lifetime date for her, then they must have a great connection.”
“I think it’s hard because I’m falling for him. For women our age to meet someone like that is really hard. I don’t want to get my heart broken again,” the 60-year-old high school teacher added before she later broke down in tears.
The date continued with Faith and Gerry’s helicopter landing on a luxury yacht which he called “priceless.” The pair then shares a toast and kiss before discussing more serious matters.
The Washington native revealed to Gerry that music soothed her when she was living as a “homeless teen,” adding, “I didn’t have a mother and father.”
“So, I’m just saying that kind of childhood that I grew up with — a lot of trauma — made think maybe there’s something in me that’s not whole,” she explained. “I feel like I’m happy [about] who I’ve become. I feel like I’ve made this successful life for myself and I’ve created wonderful children and I’ve loved every minute of it but it hasn’t been the norm.”
She admitted that after sharing this information in the past with other men, it had been thrown back in her face. He reassured that would “never happen” with him.
“With Faith, I kinda felt guilty at the beginning because I felt like I was only attracted to her because of the physicality but after the time with her today, it’s like that’s unimportant,” Gerry told the cameras. “I’m really intrigued with her as a person.”
After their deep conversation, the date concluded with Gerry giving Faith a rose before joining her in the hot tub onboard.
The Group Date
Leslie, Susan, Ellen, Sandra and Theresa were invited to let their “inner child” out with a date at the Santa Monica pier.
“This is the most serious week because there’s only two roses left for the hometown visits and it’s great to just not be so serious,” Susan shared of spending time playing games and going on rides with Gerry.
After the ladies competed at whack-a-mole, drove the bumper cars and, of course, rode a rollercoaster, Theresa, 69, reflected on the “incredible” journey she had with Gerry and revealed she was ready to share her feelings with him.
“We’ve been through a rollercoaster ride of emotions. I’m beginning to fall in love with Gerry and I want to tell him tonight,” she said. “The last time I told a man I was falling in love with him was my husband. I haven’t felt this in forever.”
The financial services professional began her conversation with Gerry by telling him their relationship feels “so right” to her and sharing why she wanted a hometown visit, explaining, “It would mean the world to me for you to meet my family so you know who I am. I want them to know you and what I see in you and how excited I am.”
The New Jersey native finally confessed, “I’m really falling in love with you, Gerry, and think we could work.” Gerry responded by saying he was touched by their conversation before the pair shared a kiss.
While he didn’t say those three little words, Theresa still felt assured of their connection, “He didn’t say it but it felt like he felt the same way. It will be worth the wait when he can finally tell me that he’s falling in love with me.”
Gerry told Leslie, 64, she was on his mind after their adventurous date that left him with bruises in “odd” places. She responded by telling him that she “appreciated” him before clarifying where he stood after she had “a couple hard days.”
She admitted that seeing him going on a date with Faith was “hard” because “it brings up a lot of past feelings from other relationships.” She added that she has been “cheated on many, many times.”
The fitness instructor then broke down in tears as shared that she felt like she wasn’t “chosen” despite him doing nothing wrong. He reassured her with a hug and told her, “I got you.”
After sharing a kiss, Leslie whispered to Gerry, “I’m falling in love with you” and he responded, “You’re my girl.”
After confessing her feelings on last week’s episode, Ellen also reiterated that she was “falling head over heels in love” with Gerry and shared that wanted him to meet her family and friends during his potential hometown visit.
The 71-year-old retired teacher left their conversation feeling “secure but afraid” and admitted she would be “devastated” if she didn’t get a rose.
As their night at the pier came to an end, Gerry decided he wasn’t ready to hand out roses, saying, “I know the decisions I have to make tonight and tomorrow at the rose ceremony affects so many lives, it just sits on my chest. It’s like a heavy weight. I can’t do this. I can’t. It’s not something I can do. If I go one more day and I can have a little more clarity, then I’ll take the day.”
The Rose Ceremony
Gerry began the rose ceremony by addressing his decision to delay who would be moving onto hometown dates on the group date, saying, “I simply was not ready to give out another rose. These roses mean I’m asking to come into your homes, I’m asking to meet your families so I spend pretty much a sleepless night wondering what I was going to do. Believe I know I have the responsibility right now of holding your hearts in my hands.”
In the end, Leslie and Theresa were given roses while Ellen, Sandra and Susan’s journeys came to end one week shy of hometown visits.
Ellen immediately said she was “gonna faint” after finding she was eliminated before he offered to walk her out.
“It’s a very sad and awful feeling that I have right now,” he told the cameras. “The last memory of the night obviously is Ellen.”
When talking with Ellen outside the mansion, he said it was “the most difficult” decision, adding, “You put yourself out there like I asked, you made yourself vulnerable and believe me I did everything I can to make the right decision.”
“I hope you stay positive because that’s you,” he added as she broke down in tears.
“It was really a shock, truthfully. I wasn’t expecting it. I was falling in love with him. I just thought he was the one, so it’s a little upsetting but this experience has been one of the best experiences of my life. I have a lot more optimism about love [and] the possibility of finding love at this stage in my life,” she concluded.
The Golden Bachelor airs Thursdays at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.
