The Bachelorette Season 8 – Week 9 – Recap

We’ve gotten to that point where it’s hard to snark at Emily or any of the three remaining contestants because they all seem like good, likeable people who are – gasp! – in love. My recap of The Bachelorette Season 8, Week 9 is below.

The final destination for Emily’s trip around the world is Curacao, a beautiful island off the coast of Venezuela. Of course she’s excited for a week of sunbathing and canoodling with three attractive guys, but she admits that she’s still nervous; she doesn’t want to send the wrong guy home.

Sean’s One-on-One

Sean is the only guy left to have not told Emily that he loves her, but he’s not shy saying it to the camera. “We’re at the point where I’m in love with this girl and I don’t want to lose her,” he says. “The feelings I’ve developed for Emily are so real and so strong.”

Because no Bachelor(ette) season is fulfilled without a helicopter ride or twelve, Sean and Emily ride a helicopter over Curacao and ooh and ahh at the scenic views. Then they hang out at an island, chat, go swimming, and then go to dinner at night. At dinner, Emily is trying pretty darn hard to get him to say “I love you” to her; it’s almost as if she’s forcing it out of him. “I feel like Sean’s an affectionate guy, but I think there’s something in his mind that won’t let him go there… I finally want him to say ‘I love you,’” she says.

Sean pulls out a letter that he wrote for Ricki; “Your mom makes me so very happy,” he writes in the letter. “The thought of spending the rest of my life with you and your mom overwhelms my heart with joy.” After Emily nudges him even more, his walls finally come down. “Love in my eyes means that you can’t spend the rest of your life with anyone else… I can’t stop thinking about you, and I can’t picture my life without you. Never in a million years did I think I would have these feelings... I have fallen in love with you, and I know it without a shadow of a doubt.”

Emily’s relieved. She offers him the fantasy suite key, aka a chance for them to forego their individual rooms for the night and extend the date past dinner. They swim again, which makes me wonder how many bathing suits she owns. Maybe 20? 25? Not even exaggerating my estimates. Though she would love Sean to stay the night, she knows that she wants to set a good example for her daughter and instead cuts the fantasy suite festivities short.

Jef’s One-on-One

Jef loves Emily but admits that he doesn’t know 100% if it’s going to work out. He wants to meet Ricki to know if their whole family dynamic will succeed. They travel on a boat and dive off various cliffs into the water together. At dinner, Jef is laying down the hammer… by asking her some tough questions, questions that are important to have in any serious relationship. He asks her where she would want to live (Emily wants to start a whole new life and would move wherever he was), why none of her previous relationships had worked out (none of her relationships had that unspoken bond), and if she thinks he’s a good fit for Ricki (YES!). She added that when she was back in Charlotte before hometown dates, she was packing lunch for Ricki and was trying to figure out what it would be like with someone else there. Jef was the person who popped into her head. Of course, he’s ecstatic. Emily offers him a go in the fantasy suite, and he says that he would be fine not going out of respect for her. They go anyways, but just for a bit; “I feel so strongly for you that I don’t feel like a couple hours is going to change anything,” she says.

Arie’s One-on-One

Like any date between Arie and Emily, this date is filled with one thing: MAKING OUT. Honestly, do they do anything else? They ride a boat and go swimming with dolphins, but most of the camera footage seems to be focusing on their physical chemistry. Emily realizes that the main thing they do is kiss and wants to know if they have more than just physical attraction for each other.

At dinner, they actually take the time to talk, and Emily’s impressed by Arie’s words about gaining a child’s trust. They say that they give each other confidence, and Emily tells him, “You’ve really been that light at the end of the tunnel for me.”

Their sexual tension is off the hook, but Emily doesn’t invite Arie to the fantasy suite because she’s TOO into him; “As a role model and mother, I just can’t,” she explained. “At the end of the day, I don’t trust myself.”

Rose Ceremony

It’s the last rose ceremony of the season! This is Emily’s saddest rose ceremony, however, because she doesn’t want to break anyone’s heart. “I see so much good in each of them, I see a happy life with each of them,” she says. “I’m falling in love with each of them in different ways.” She starts to cry as she watches pre-recorded videos of the guys’ messages to her. She’s terrified of making the wrong choice.

Jef receives the first rose, and the second goes to… Arie. Sean’s face turns as red as the rose that he was rejected. As Sean and Emily sit on a bench outside afterwards, he’s trying to keep his cool but confesses that he feels stupid. He knew for certain that he would spend his future with her and didn’t see the break-up coming. He’s completely heartbroken, and Emily cries when saying goodbye to him.

In the rejection limo, Sean is redder than I have ever seen him, and he can’t help but leak a few tears. “Honestly when she walked out tonight, in my head I thought, ‘That’s my wife.’ I knew without a doubt that I was going to marry her.”

Goodbye, blonder, buffer version of Kris Allen. I’m sure you won’t have trouble finding a nice lady now that you’ve displayed your assets for the American female population to see.

Next week is the Men Tell All episode, during which the guys do just that: blab about drama in the house and jockey for more screentime. Who’s excited to see Kalon? And Ryan? Not me! I just want to watch the finale!

Until then, what are your thoughts? Did you expect Sean to get the boot? Sound off in comments.