Sunday night we celebrated all the love that’s been found on this show with our special Bachelor Love Stories. I enjoyed looking back at some of these older seasons and reliving some great memories of people who have become very dear friends of mine. Jason really said it best when he said he doesn’t think of The Bachelor as a show, he thinks of it as a family. I couldn’t agree more, my friend. I look forward to seeing all of these friends and more next Sunday night as another beautiful couple, Sean and Catherine, get married live on ABC. It’s going to be an incredible event. We’ve done several of these weddings but we’ve never done one live. I’ve been hoping that we’d do this ever since Trista and Ryan were married. And now, ten years and four weddings later we’re finally holding a wedding live on the air. You’ll see it and hear it just as we do, as it happens. It’s going to be a beautiful night and I can’t wait to celebrate with them.
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Now let’s get back to the adventure that is Juan Pablo attempting to find love. Cassandra got the first date this week. It was a very simple date night for a couple of single parents. After cruising around in a water-car, the two headed back to his house for a nice dinner. (We used a different house for Juan Pablo this season because we needed more room for his little girl and his parents when they are all in town.) The meal Juan Pablo cooked was a Venezuelan dish his mom actually helped him make. Not sure if that’s considered cheating or just smart. Cassandra and Juan Pablo seemed to connect on a deep level, understand each other as single parents, and she easily got a rose.
You knew somewhere in this season there was going to be soccer, right? The group date this week was all about Juan Pablo’s love of the beautiful game. The entire crew drove down to the LA Galaxy stadium in Carson for an awesome day. Juan Pablo got to scrimmage with a few of the players for a while before the girls arrived. Not sure if this says something about him, but that’s honestly what he talked about the most when he told me about the date later that week. The ladies did arrive and the soccer hilarity ensued. Juan Pablo put them through the paces before setting up a one-sided game. The real scoring seemed to happen after the game though when Andi went in for the kiss in the concession stand. These two seem to really be into each other and she looked like a sure bet to get the rose. But then Juan Pablo took Sharleen to midfield for a little one-on-one time. Is it just me, or is there just something peculiar about the chemistry between the two of them? I can’t quite put my finger on it, but it’s different. Sharleen and Juan Pablo shared a kiss that they seemed to enjoy, but the other girls definitely didn’t enjoy watching it from the stands. After all that, he threw everyone a curve ball and gave the rose to Nikki.
Just like you knew there would be a soccer date, there also has to be an adrenaline date, and Juan Pablo gave that date to Chelsie. The entire date was in the city of Pasadena. If you drive down the 210 freeway you can see the famous bridge they were on as you pass the Rose Bowl (kind of ironic that the Rose Bowl is right there). I thought Chelsie was going to just step right up and take the leap of faith off that bridge, but her nerves quickly set in and she just wasn’t having it. After quite some time the two of them took the plunge, and then the inevitable analogies to love came falling right after them. In my opinion the best part of this date was after the leap at the beautiful City Hall building. Country star Billy Currington serenaded the couple and Chelsie absolutely loved it, as she knew every song by heart. Not sure Juan Pablo knows any country music, but it was awesome. Chelsie also got a rose on her date, making it a clean sweep for all the ladies with one-on-ones this week.
The next day instead of a cocktail party and regular rose ceremony Juan Pablo decided to surprise the women and show up at the house and cook them arepas for breakfast. I think this brings up an interesting conversation. Was it okay for him to just show up unannounced? Does a woman have the right to decide when a guy gets to see her without makeup when she first wakes up? I found it very interesting to see the reaction from the women. Kelly gave him a quick fly-by before running back upstairs, while single mom Renee couldn’t have cared less and just rolled on into the kitchen. The breakfast then turned into an all-day pool party that some girls enjoyed. Sharleen got very emotional, and she and Juan Pablo had another awkward moment that somehow ended up in a kiss. Clare also got emotional during the day. As you can see, as feelings grow, so does the drama. At the rose ceremony we said goodbye to Lucy and Christie. I think I speak for everybody when I say we’ll miss Lucy and her free spirit.
Next week we leave the friendly confines of the Bachelor Mansion and begin our travels around the world. Next Monday night our first stop is Seoul, South Korea. The ladies and Juan Pablo are extremely excited to hit the road. The Far East will bring exotic dates and locations, but the drama is just about to start! But before all of this travel, I’ll see you all next Sunday night as Sean and Catherine walk down the aisle and become husband and wife!
