ABC/Craig Sjodin
On last week’s episode of The Bachelor, Colton Underwood and the 13 remaining women vying for his heart traveled from Singapore to a new, beach-front destination. Episode 5 of the reality dating competition’s 23rd season took place in Thailand; there were 2 one-on-one dates and one group date. Ahead of tonight’s new episode, here’s a recap of what happened in episode 5:
Beware of episode 5 spoilers below if you are not caught up with the show.
The episode started with the women traveling from Singapore to Thailand; they were excited to be staying in a resort that had the beach on one side and the jungle on the other.
The first date card of the trip (and episode) was a one-on-one for Heather Martin. Heather is the contestant who has never been kissed, so of course, there was a lot of attention given to that as she prepared for the date. She went into the date hoping that Colton would kiss her and that through line persisted during the date. They traveled to their date spot a boat used as a primary mode of transportation for locals and arrived at a floating city. They toured the market, eating and drinking, intercut with extreme close-up shots of Underwood’s lips and Martin’s eyes watching them. They talked about her dating history and why she never kissed anyone later in the date and he gave her the date rose; at the date’s conclusion when they were surprised by fireworks on the beach, Underwood grabbed Martin and kissed her.
Literally….. 🙅♀️ #TheBachelor
Back at the hotel, Elyse was clearly having a hard time with the show’s structure, having a great day with Colton a few episodes ago, and then having to sit and wait while he builds connections with other women. When she was included on the group date card, she made the decision to go talk to Colton. She got all dressed up and went to Colton’s hotel room and told him that she wouldn’t be ready for a proposal at the end of the journey because the show doesn’t give her enough time with him to build the relationship she wants. Ultimately, she removed herself from the competition, out of respect for herself and for what Colton is looking to gain from the experience.
With Elyse eliminated, the episode carried on with a group date for Demi, Caelynn, Hannah B., Hannah G., Onyeka, Sydney, Tayshia, Kirpa, and Nicole. The date had a “survivalist” theme, and the girls were broken off into groups tasked with finding food in the jungle – the bulk of the date activity involved the women eating bugs. Hannah B. told Colton she was falling in love with him, and he gave her the group date rose. During this date, Onyeka told Colton that she believes Nicole isn’t there for the right reasons.
The second one-on-one date card is given to Cassie. Her date with Colton is on a private island where their physical connection is put on display and the end up snuggling in bed together after a conversation about Cassie’s lack-of-virginity and how it will be frowned upon in her community that she has had sex before marriage. She got a date rose from Colton.
During the cocktail party, the show’s attention returned to the conflict between Onyeka and Nicole, and they take turns talking about the other girl to Colton. While the girls argue, Colton joins them in an effort to settle the drama, but as their fighting continues, he storms off.
Hold @colton’s earrings 💅 #TheBachelor
The episode ended with “To be continued…” This means that this week’s episode will likely start with the rose ceremony elimination from that night. The only elimination from this week was when Elyse eliminated herself.