This week on The BachelorArie Luyendyk Jr. goes on two group dates and just one one-on-one date.

THE BACHELOR RECAP

With 18 ladies left in the house, Arie needs to start getting to know the women vying for his love, and the producers of the show decided the best way to do this is for Arie to go on two large group dates. The first consists of Maquel, Jacqueline, Lauren B., Tia, Marikh, Bekah M., Bibiana, and Krystal.

The eight plus Arie go on a wrestling date, where the women meet female wrestlers from the 1980s show Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling. Instead of laughing at the absurdity of these “wrestling fights” as Arie calls them, the women take the opportunity to try to literally crush their opponents. Their instructors encourage the violence as well and the ladies really get into it. They all dress up to match their wrestling alter egos, including Arie, though he still dons a suit.

First in the ring is Arie, challenged by last Bachelorette season’s Kenny King, who destroys Arie and then leaves, without even catching viewers up on what he’s been doing since Rachel didn’t choose him. Then the women enter the ring and what happens is probably only entertaining to Arie.

That night, our bachelor takes the eight women out to an Airstream park, where the women fight for Arie’s attention. Krystal speaks with Arie first and asks if he’d prefer women to be aggressive, but awkward Arie just tells her to “be you!” Tia spends time with him next and Arie tells her it was “interesting” to see her get upset when the wrestling instructor yelled at her. But he was almost glad because her being upset gave him the chance to comfort her and feel like a man. When Bekah gets some one-on-one time, she goes for the kiss and ends up straddling him, which seemed shallow at the time, but Arie ends up giving his date rose to her. “You were outstanding today and tonight you were amazing,” he says.

The next day brings the one-on-one date, which sees Arie and Lauren S. jet off to Napa to enjoy wine country. The date proves to be extremely awkward, even for Arie. They drink wine all day and when they sit down to dinner, Lauren talks so much that Arie has time to eat, on-air. At the end of the evening, Lauren apologizes and says she hasn’t been herself on the date, and Arie tells her he can’t give her the rose because, “I don’t even know.” Lauren then proceeds to say the “most difficult” goodbye, which of course comes across as particularly easy.

And finally the second group date is here, and on it are Ashley, Becca K., Brittany, Jenna, Caroline, Chelsea, Annaliese. Arie’s dog is also a special guest for the day. The daters head to a park where they prepare to run in a dog show. That evening they perform for kids, which doesn’t go well considering the women can’t successfully control their dogs after one day of training.

Later that night, Arie and the ladies head out for their evening date at an old bank. He pulls Chelsea aside first, and after telling him that she’s never really had anyone respect her for who she is, Arie kisses her. Caroline is the next to get some one-on-one time, during which she tells Arie that the women call him “pillow lips,” and he is appropriately disturbed. Annaliese tries to get time alone with our bachelor, but when she does, she realizes she has absolutely nothing to say to him. Meanwhile, Becca greets Arie and calls him a dork, and then they start making out. At the end of the night, Arie gives Chelsea the date rose.

The next night is a cocktail party with all the women, and Bibiana sets up a special date with a mattress in the driveway and a telescope to stargaze. But before Bibiana can find Arie to take him to it, he stumbles upon it himself with Lauren B., and the pair start making out. Arie then proceeds to take woman and woman out to the driveway bed, and when Bibiana tries to reclaim it for herself, Arie tells her, “we just need five minutes.”

Later, Arie has some awkward moments with Bekah M., who tells him she’s guarded because “I think you know that I don’t need you,” and Annaliese, who asks for a kiss and Arie turns her down. When she asks if he sees a future with her, he tells her he does not, and walks her out.

At the rose ceremony, the women with roses are Caroline, Kendall, Ashley, Lauren, Brittany, Becca, Sienne, Krystal, Tia, Maquel, Jenna, Jacqueline, and Marikh.

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