This week was Ashley’s calm after the Bentley storm. While she can’t stop thinking about him, she recognizes that she needs to move on. She had Bentley goggles on and now that they’re off, she can see the potential for happiness with one of the other guys. This week was about healing for Ashley, who can’t seem to get Bentley off her mind. Recall, she thinks he only left the show because he misses his daughter while viewers know he “just not that into her,” making it hard for her to let go. Alas, previews show that this calm after the storm is short-lived as it also happens to be the calm before the storm, as Bentley will weasel his way back on the show next week.
But for this one Bentley-free week, the cast’s time in the mansion came to a close. Since the Bachelor/Bachelorette has recently become a show appropriate for The Travel Channel, the boys grabbed their passports and jetted off to a luxury villa on the beaches of Phuket, Thailand.
Constantine (a.k.a. Josh Groban) was awarded the first one-on-one date with Ashley. While Ashley had intended to take Constantine out to a private island, her plan was thwarted by a storm. Instead, they found themselves roaming the streets and markets of Phuket. There, they ran into an old local man, who told them the key to a long and happy marriage is forgiving and forgetting. He also said, “Don’t try to win.” Ashley sparked to this comment, as it is 100% relevant to “The Bachelorette” game. She slapped Constantine’s shoulder, surprised by the comment. He didn’t get it. She repeated the comment…twice. He still didn’t get it. While Constantine did receive a rose at the end of this date for lifting Ashley’s post-Bentley spirits, I’m pretty certain he won’t make it to the final rose.
The group date was community service day. This has become a recent Bachelor / Bachelorette trend. But Ashley is the first Bachelorette to actually know what community service is. She and her crew spent the day beautifying an orphanage and were handsomely rewarded by the grins and happy chatter of the many children living there. Looking back to past seasons, my favorite “service” event was when Ali decided she would do some good in the world by hosting a photo shoot and creating a Bachelorette calendar. Proceeds from calendar sales would then be used to support some eco-friendly agencies. But come on, Ali. Spending a day on the beach with a bunch of hard-bodied half-naked men…who was that really benefitting? I think I am going to set up a kissing booth where cute boys hang out (once I figure out where that is) and accept donations for charity. Oh how I suffer in the name of generosity!
That evening, the group date continued with some drinks (in the rain), where Ashley stole my kissing booth idea. She made the rounds and especially enjoying playing tonsil hockey will cutie J.P. while the rest of the men looked on with envy. Good! This girl needs to be fought over a little to lift her spirits! But it was Ben F, our second Josh Groban look-alike and Sonoma winemaker, who took home the rose of the evening.
Next Ames (our Yale, Harvard, Columbia grad and ultra marathoner) was awarded his first one-on-one date, a magical kayak trip in Phuket. Until this point we haven’t learned much about Ames other than his resume. Turns out Ames has been to Phuket a couple times before, once to climb mountains and again to go to cooking school. All of a sudden, I developed a crush on Ames…despite his far-set eyes. I thought he was just a super intense investment banker / marathoner, but as it turns out...he’s a totally interesting guy and far more spontaneous than I had assumed. Ashley was surprised, too, and admits that she may not have noticed Ames had Bad Boy Bentley not excused himself from the show. Unfortunately, Ashley and Ames didn’t seal the evening with a kiss, which doesn’t bode well for their future, as she hasn’t hesitated to kiss any of the other fella’s. I’m afraid Ames may end up in the “friend” camp…in which case, I’d be happy to go on a date with him. He did say he’s looking for a strong, independent woman after all!
At the cocktail hour, Ashley pulled West aside to see if he’s truly ready for a relationship. Recall, West lost the love of his life to a seizure a few years ago. Ashley asked West if he was ready to move on, date again. But she also mentioned that she feels somewhat insecure about “filling her shoes.” West framed his responses beautifully and I completely trust that he is in as healthy a place as posssible given his story. But, it wasn’t enough to make Ashley comfortable and West was the only bachelor this week who failed to take home a rose. Ashley needs to work on her insecurities, as she just let a great guy go. But, I don’t fear for West, who has now made a huge step forward in finding love again.
Until next week!
Beth
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