Chris Harrison Blogs ‘The Bachelorette’ Hometown Dates

This week we finally made our way back to America, as Rachel zig-zagged across the country to meet the families of her final four men: Eric, Bryan, Peter, and Dean.

Hometown dates are always some of my favorite on the show, because getting to see where someone grew up and meeting the people that know them the best never fails to be eye-opening. Even if you don’t necessarily see eye-to-eye with your family, and even if you’re not particularly close with them as an adult, they tend to have a strong sense of you as a person and are usually able to provide context for what exactly they’re going to be like in a relationship — and more importantly, why they’ll be like that.

Before getting into it, more than anything I want to extend my thanks on behalf of the entire Bachelorette team to each of these families for opening their homes to us. Of course we try to make it as fun and exciting as possible, but obviously it’s also a pressure-filled situation, so we really appreciate the kindness the families extend to our crew. In fact, usually the families are so nice that they offer to cook meals for the crew or find them a place to stay. While we know there’s nothing like Mom’s lasagna, we have to humbly decline because we want the families to spend what little time they have focusing on the relationship that needs their attention. But anyway, I just want to say thanks to all the moms and dads and sisters and brothers and grandmas who make hometowns such a fun experience for the entire Bachelor family.

Rather than going through each man’s hometown, I think it’s interesting this week to look at each man’s individual story that they bring to the table. Eric has never really brought a woman home to his family and has never felt the kind of love he believes is out there. Bryan has let love lead him before and been brought to his knees by it. Peter is afraid to let love lead him and is being careful not to fall too quickly. And Dean has other people in his life, like his family, who he has issues with that he needs to address.

These men each represent a great example of the baggage that all of us bring to any relationship. We all have our own stories, and those stories don’t necessarily dictate your future. As we’ve seen, Rachel feels strongly for all four of these men despite — or maybe because of — their pasts.

After a wonderful week, I sat down with Rachel, and she was incredibly distraught. There was no easy choice and she really wanted to continue all her relationships, but when put to the task of handing out roses, Dean went home. Dean was so open with his family and so open with Rachel, it was very hard to see him go, but I know there is a world of good out there for him and he will keep growing from this, as he already has.

Next week the three remaining men are going to meet Rachel’s family, and then we are off to Spain, to the beautiful wine region of Rioja. The dates in Spain are some of the most romantic you’ve ever seen. You definitely do not want to miss it. See you next week!

The Bachelorette airs Mondays at 8 p.m. on ABC.

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