Chris Harrison Blogs ‘The Bachelorette’ Episode 6
Welcome back, Bachelor Nation! Last week we left you with one of the most explosive cliffhangers in ages, but thankfully, this Bachelorette two night event let us get to the end of the Kenny and Lee debacle — so now we can get back to the main event: Rachel hopefully falling in love.
Hilton Head and Bluffton, South Carolina were wonderful homes for all of us and I think we made the most of our time there. After the Lee and Kenny of it all moved to the back burner, our second favorite Dallas attorney, Jack Stone, joined Rachel on a tremendously fun date. The people of Bluffton were out en masse for a full day of oyster shucking and shagging. Rachel and Jack Stone had a great time trying some steamers and dancing with the locals, and I can tell you that our crew also probably worked through a few hundred oysters over the course of the day. It was such a warm and welcoming crowd. Even the mayor came out and took pictures with Rachel and some of our producers. As the sun was setting, all seemed well.
But something just wasn’t sparking between Rachel and Jack Stone, and for the first time in a while, a one-on-one ended in a rose not being given out. I commend Rachel for going with her gut. It’s much easier to just let someone stick it out for a week and then let them go home at a rose ceremony. Telling someone that you don’t feel it with them is hard, but it’s also good practice. Rachel is going to have to have a lot of hard breakups if she is going to find her person at the end of this, and unfortunately that’s the bad stuff that comes with all the good. But this is not an indictment of Jack Stone. Two great people just aren’t always great for each other.
Our time in Hilton Head came to an end and unfortunately, before making our way across the pond, we had to say goodbye to Iggy and Jonathon, our beloved Tickle Monster. We will miss his sense of humor and we know that you all will too.
It’s getting harder and harder to find new and exciting international destinations, but when we had the chance to go to Oslo, Norway, we were all thrilled. I had never been to Norway but I can tell you now I will be back. The food, the people, the views — all of it was incredible. We stayed at the Scandic Holmenkollen Park Hotel, which was right next to the Olympic Ski Jump. The whole crew enjoyed running and jogging around the steps of the jump, but Rachel decided to take it a step further and rappel down from it on her first date with Bryan.
We haven’t gotten to see a lot of Bryan since the first night when he got the first impression rose, other than the physical chemistry that he and Rachel obviously share, but this one-on-one date was exactly what both of them needed to take things to the next level. I really admire the way Rachel opened up to Bryan about her fears and her flaws. One of the harder parts of dating is admitting when you’re not confident, and both of these people are being open and vulnerable. Those, along with dangling hundreds of feet above the ground from a ski jump together, are good first steps towards falling in love.
And then we have the dreaded two-on-one date. Lee versus Kenny. This has been brewing for a while, and Rachel has been dealing with a fair amount of he said/he said. Sometimes the best way to get to the bottom of a problem is to confront it head-on, and in the middle of the woods in Oslo, Rachel did exactly that. Rachel realized that Lee was trying to manipulate her and she spun it around and did the right thing by letting him go. We all really appreciate Kenny, who we know to be a loving and dedicated single dad. I think we all feel like he shouldn’t have had his love story derailed by his conflict with Lee, but we think he handled it always with class and with maturity, which came as no surprise.
Kenny got the rose and that was a pretty big turning point in Rachel’s journey. The petty conflict that was being raised with Kenny is over and now the love story can continue.
Denmark is a beautiful country, and spending our time in Copenhagen was some of the most fun we’ve had in a while. Eric finally got a one and one and they got to spend it at Tivoli Gardens, one of the oldest amusement parks in the world. It was Eric’s first time on a rollercoaster and he had an amazing time, but more importantly, he got to really open up to Rachel. They have a lot of chemistry, and watching the depth of their relationship grow really made things feel like they were back on track.
The group date was a blast, and it was unbelievably cold and windy that day. The guys and Rachel were all such great sports though and really got into the Viking spirit. Unfortunately, Adam and Kenny took a shield to the eyes, but thankfully the cuts were only skin deep and both Kenny and Adam smiled right through it all.
That night wasn’t all smiles for Kenny though, as he and Rachel came to a bit of an impasse. The truth, though, is that this was one of most respectful, sweet, wonderful breakups I’ve ever seen. These two people really, truly care for each other, but this just wasn’t the right time for them. I have a feeling that even though that’s not what they came here for, they are both leaving with a new and important person in their lives.
But her relationship with all the other men seemed to be really progressing. Peter and Bryan and Adam made big strides, and no one was more excited for a one-on-one date than Will. They took a boat to Sweden, which was only about 45 minutes away from our home base in Northeast Denmark. Passports in hand, they set sail for a fun day of exploration, but somehow, much like on her date last night with Jack, the chemistry just wasn’t there. Again, I commend Rachel for really going with her gut.
It’s been an insane few weeks and almost half of the men left when we left our country have gone home. Now, with only 6 men remaining, things are getting much more serious and in many ways, Rachel’s love story is just beginning.
The Bachelorette airs Mondays at 8 p.m. on ABC.
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