Mom’s the word.
While much of “The Bachelor” thus far has been centered on whether Lace has consumed too much Pinot Grigio, Monday night’s episode takes a turn for the serious where young mom Amanda’s standing with Ben is concerned.
The California beauty, who leaves behind two little ones to compete for Ben’s heart, nabs the first one-on-one date during the group’s tour of Mexico City. And while most of the women are happy for Amanda, one opinionated blonde isn’t too pleased about her future husband’s choice of company.
“I’m surprised that Amanda’s name is on that card because she has children,” Olivia sneers. “I don’t think she’s the right person for him.”
Ben, however, begs to differ as he gifts her a rose after she opens up about her heartbreaking past.
“I have been though a lot in my past relationships. We got married when my oldest was 6 months old. There were always like red flags, he wasn’t the nicest person to me,” Amanda explains. “He wanted to be doing something else with his life. I found an old cellphone of his and there was a bunch of text messages from ex-girlfriends. I was just so unhappy and I gave him so many chances to turn things around.”
Though Ben seems ready to tackle fatherhood — should his relationship with Amanda progress to that level — dealing with Jubilee’s sour attitude sets a negative tone for the group date the next day.
As the girls practice their Spanglish, Jubilee lets her anger get the better of her just as Ben drops those three important words in a foreign language.
“You said that to the last four girls, so no,” the war vet hisses after Ben utters “Te amo” (“I love you”).
And because Ben doesn’t miss a beat, he confronts Jubilee at the cocktail party later in the evening. But before he can get a word in, Jubilee makes it clear that it’s her turn to talk.
“Group dates for me, I always feel like I’m overshadowed. It’s been difficult for awhile and sometimes I just want to be like, ‘Do you remember [our date],’” she admits.
Though Ben digests Jubilee’s words, doubt about their future has already crept into his mind.
“Jubilee is someone that I have had a connection with. It worries me that she’s pulling back. I think it’s best that tonight, maybe we say goodbye,” he tells her as they part ways for the final time.
While Jubilee’s exit definitely left some of the ladies speechless, no one could have predicted that the remaining twin, Emily, would spew her heart out to Ben about Olivia’s true colors.
“I was so confident in the connection that Olivia and I had from the day she stepped out of the limo,” Ben says. “But if someone is causing Emily pain, that’s not the woman for me. I have to trust my gut.”
As for what Ben’s gut is telling him this week, we’ll have to wait until next week to find out for sure.