The TV Chick

On the episode’s first hometown date, Brad travels to Chantal’s grandiose mcmansion in Seattle. He is introduced to the O’Brien parents – a baby boomer version of Barbie and Ken – who don perfectly coordinated outfits and eyeshadow. Brad and Chantal’s father share a bonding moment over masonry, as they chat in front of a massive, obnoxious sculpture that Mr. O’Brien calls the “self-made man statue.” He gives Brad his blessing to propose to Chantal.

Next up, Brad heads to the small town of Madawaska, Maine with Ashley H. She takes him to a quaint restaurant where she used to work in high school, and they indulge in a dish called “poutine,” which is more commonly referred to as “heart attack on a plate.” Brad then follows Ashley (who is beginning to resemble a tiny jumping monkey) to her parents house, where she jumps up and down and bounces off the walls into Brad’s lap. The two then sit down for an authentic Maine lobster dinner with the family, and Brad leaves, gearing up for his next destination: the morgue.

The Bachelor then heads cross-country to Chico, California, where he is greeted by Shawntel, a funeral home, and a lot of dead people. Shawntel decides to test his patience by having him lay on a “prep table” as if he were a corpse. She then goes into painstaking detail about the embalming process – something involving a scalpel, an artery, drainage, and fluid. How romantic. She is impressed with how Brad handles it, because most of the guys she’s dated get creeped out by the experience (imagine that!). He then meets Shawntel’s family who guilt trips her at the prospect of moving to Austin with Brad, explaining that the whole family business will be ruined. She’s already let grieving people down by going on the show. As it turns out, the funeral business will go on unscathed, since Shawntel gets the boot.

On the final hometown date of the episode, Brad finds himself in Charlotte, North Carolina, where he meets up with Emily and her daughter Little Ricki. Brad and Emily seem to enjoy each other’s company, but little Ricki does not take too kindly to Mr. Brad. Mr. Brad gives her a butterfly kite as a peace offering, which she accepts and plays with…but continues to ignore him. They go back to Emily’s house, make macaroni and cheese, and put Ricki to bed. Emily and Brad sit on the couch and engage in an awkward exchange about kissing. Brad is hesitant to kiss Emily as he fears that Little Ricki will bust in on them and ruin the mood, further proving that he’s definitely not ready to be a father.

The rose ceremony commences and all the girls look positively tragic, save for Emily. Brad sends home the turtle-neck-dress sporting Shawntel, which probably didn’t come as a shock to many. We’re now getting closer and closer to the final stretch…who do you think Brad will make his lawfully wedded wife?

Here’s an interesting excerpt from this week’s US Weekly:

Brad Womack
25 Things You Don’t Know About Me

1. Bradley is my middle name; Stephen is my first name.
2. My favorite music is classic country: Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson…No comparison. Except maybe for Justin Bieber.
3. My two brothers happen to be my very best friends.
4. I bought my first bar at 28.
5. I believe in brutal honesty.
6. I watch a different movie almost every night.
7. I realize how many times I say amazing, connection and journey. No one finds me more cheesy than I do.
8. My pet peeve is when anyone takes themselves too seriously.
9. I’m loyal to a fault.
10. I like to dance, but I’m a terrible dancer.
11. I’m punctual.
12. I only listen to news and talk radio in my car.
13. I enjoy blue-collar work over what I’ve chosen as my career.
14. I eat very bland food. No salt, sugar, etc
15. I can’t stand my accent. I refer to myself as Simple Jack.
16. I have one drug of choice: caffeine.
17. I’d like to say I have no regrets, but I can’t.
18. I’m very into fashion.
19. Most nights I only sleep four hours.
20. The feature I look for in a woman is her smile.
21. I have the most fun when I’m laughing.
22. My favorite actor is Daniel Day-Lewis.
23. The most terrifying moment of my life occurred filming this season of The Bachelor.
24. My favorite TV show is The Soup.
25. I have a crush on Snooki.

The Bachelor airs Monday nights at 8 pm on ABC.