This week on the Bachelorette was the long anticipated beginning of Tayshia’s journey of stepping in as the Bachelorette for Clare Crawley. It’s not unknown for avid watchers like myself the Clare ran off engaged to Dale Moss, completely in love with him after just two weeks of knowing him! There was a lot to unpack in this episode, and it did not disappoint.
Tayshia walked into the room full of men, and it was apparent that all their jaws dropped straight to the floor when they saw her. They didn’t waste any time getting the night started with one-on-one conversations! There was no way to ignore Jason’s obvious difficulty keeping himself together on night one with Tayshia. He clearly was still heartbroken over Clare even though he wanted to try and move forward. Even as the night seemed to be going beautifully, with none of the men stepping on each others’ toes and everyone having a great chat with Tayshia, in true Chris Harrison fashion there came a huge curveball. I think I can speak for everyone when I say there was universal shock to a limo filled with 4 new men showing up to join the show! The first man to step out, Spencer, made an impact on Tayshia but not such a good impression on the other men. The tension in the room once he met all the men could be cut with a knife, and it only worsened when he was given the first impression rose. However, the men got a chance to breathe when Tayshia announced she was cancelling the rose ceremony in an effort to get to know the men better.
The episode cut to a tell-all between Chris Harrison and Clare and Dale. He starts with just Clare, who was undoubtedly swooning over Dale the entire time. She expressed her disappointment with the rumors that her and Dale had connected before the show, and that was brought up again when Dale came out. She swore on her father’s grave that she and Dale had never spoken and that she had followed most of the men on Instagram before the show started. There wasn’t much to take away from this tell-all except that they were very happy to be together and are excited for a bright future. I do wish that they would have waited until the end of the season for the tell-all so Clare could have faced all the men as the bachelor/bachelorettes have to regularly do.
The episode returned to Tayshia’s journey, kicking off the day with a group date of swim basketball! It was blue team versus green team, with the prize of course being time with Tayshia. After an intense competition and even some blood from Spencer’s nose, the blue team won. The evening was reserved for everyone on the group date. Noticeably, Jason was hoping to not be on the one-on-one which eventually was given to Brendan. In the after-party for the group date, tensions arose when Kenny told Spencer how he really felt about him. Despite that road bump, it didn’t get in the way of Eazy and Tayshia’s obvious connection, which shone through when Eazy was given the group date rose! The episode cut to the house where Jason was increasingly struggling with his feelings for Clare and deciding that Tayshia deserves better. It was refreshing to see the men be so supportive of each other emotionally. Jason paid a visit to Tayshia in her suite and confessed his true feelings and struggles to her, and Tayshia handled it like a champ. She was kind, considerate and completely understanding, even though it was one of her fears to be considered a second choice. After assuring her the other men don’t have the same lingering feelings he does, Jason made his exit from the show.
The final portion of this episode was Tayshia’s one-on-one with Brendan, which hilariously kept getting interrupted by Chris Harrison. They rode on horses throughout the resort and had a wonderful day in the sun and in the pool (where they finally shared a kiss)! Tayshia was having such an incredible time with Brendan she even said she is “ready to go home with this man.” In an unexpected twist, we discovered Brendan is a divorcee, just like Tayshia (although he was unaware of her situation). At dinner, he came clean about his past, and Tayshia comforted him by letting him know she went through the same, which was a great bonding moment to witness.
The episode closed with Brendan getting the rose, and fireworks exploded in the air as Brendan and Tayshia share a sweet, romantic kiss to end the night. In my opinion, I can see Brendan and Tayshia having a real connection in the future. The preview for the rest of the season left viewers at the edge of their seats, with teasers of Tayshia’s father warning her about one of the men, obvious drama, and lots more to unpack for the rest of the season. I guess we’ll have to wait and see what happens!