'Bachelorette' Jenn Tran finds her dirty dozen after having most of her remaining guys show off their thunder down under in an Aussie male stripper show -- meanwhile, tension reaches a fever pitch as the mid-season villain fully emerges and peacocks all over the place.
Well, it's inevitable. As we reach the third week of Jenn Tran's Bachelorette journey, she starts to develop stronger connections with the guys and get closer to them ... by having them take their clothes off!
In the largest group date to date, Jenn had 10 of her remaining 15 guys participate in a surprise male stripper revue to see what they're made of ... physically and emotionally. Who was confident? Who was perhaps a little too confident? And who refused to strip and instead declared their love for her.
A little premature? Uh, yeah.
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It was a show so wild that Disney-owned ABC felt the need to drop a disclaimer in the opening moments of the episode. "Tonight's episode of The Bachelorette contains images of a graphic nature, including scantily clad men thrusting and gyrating," read a message on the screen. "If you have a weak heart, or a raging libido, viewer discretion is advised."
They then made sure to catch the moment the guys were told to be sure and remember their mandatory cups underneath their stripper briefs so that the audience wouldn't be quite so scandalized. But it wasn't packages on display that were scandalous, anyway. It was all that thrusting! At the stage, Jenn, the air.
It was almost a breath of fresh air when Sam N came out and just patently refused to disrobe at all. By then we'd had about as much as we could stand with Sam M getting right in Jenn's face with his Chef Fluster outfit, while Devin went all out with a cheeky thong.
But it was a different pair of cheeks that won Jenn's heart that night, or at least her Group Date Rose. While Sam M was feeling all kinds of confident, it was Jonathan's Johnny Fire Cheeks that won her over. He was playful and flirty where Sam M was promising "not PG" at night.
The event was judged by Australian's own Bachelorette sisters, Elly and Becky, who warned Jenn about picking the one she enjoys early sexual tension with. "You gotta be careful," she was told after Sam M got her all hot and bothered. "I did that. I picked him and it ended up not being a smart choice."
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Stripping down and having that moment of body confidence was huge for Devin, who used to be heavier and definitely doesn't have the chiseled physique of most of his fellow contestants. While that doesn't necessarily mean they're a bunch of meatheads... it also doesn't mean they're not.
For every musclebound guy who shows depth of character and personality, there's guys like Sam M, who seemingly admits there's not much more to him than good looks and his beefcake strength and physique.
He has an ally in Thomas, with the two of them giggling and gossiping like the stereotype of middle school girls. When Spencer got pulled first this week to enjoy a helicopter ride and a One-on-One Date with Jenn, Sam M couldn't even pretend to be happy for him.
"As long as we keep the main focus on her and not the little ankle-biter nipping at my heels, we're gonna be just fine, man," he told his "boy," Thomas of Spencer. "He's smooth with his words and, like, I'm smooth with these." At this, he held up his fists to another guffaw.
The two of the snickered throughout the whole episode. After that stripper date where Sam N put his heart out there, embarrassing himself in the process, Sam M and Thomas were just tearing into him with one another -- which Devin heard.
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View StorySo when Sam N, feeling some kind of way about it all, apologized to the guys for what he'd said and done, they could barely contain their giggles and smirks. It was Devin who told him he didn't need to apologize for anything. A self-proclaimed "love virgin," Sam N was clearly the perfect fodder for Sam M and Thomas' bullying tendencies.
"They all want to say they're here for Jenn but they have made their entire journey here not about Jenn, it's about themselves," Devin said of the duo. To this point it's been true, though by the end of the night, Sam M made it clear that it's also about Devin.
While Devin is sharing strong connections with Jenn and looking out for the other guys in the house, it's his confidence and willingness to just stand right up and call out Sam M's bullying behavior that's rubbing him wrong.
"In the real world, I would snap you in half," Sam M says of Devin's confidence and leadership qualities among the guys and with Jenn. Again, he may not have much upstairs to compete with, but he's got these. Bachelor Nation knows how well that usually works.
And yet, for now Jenn can't deny his overly masculine, overly aggressive sexuality. He practically mounted her during the Cocktail Party and asked her to be his girlfriend, to which she said, "Not like this."
Sometimes, a guy making his move and showing a little aggression is hot. But when Sam M grabbed the back of Jenn's neck, it felt more possessive and controlling than hot. She's admitted to being drawn to the bad boys in the past ... and that appeal is clearly still there. How long will it last, though?
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One shocking moment came in a more vulnerable moment ahead of the night's second Group Date. Aaron got the call he'd been waiting his whole life for. His application to flight school was accepted ... but he had virtually zero time to decide as he had to be there in a week if he was doing it.
Aaron tabled it briefly to enjoy the racing group date that saw just four guys taking a circle around the track to win some quality time with Jenn. Despite being the only guy who could drive a stick and had experience driving on the right side, Aaron lost by three seconds to Austin.
After losing that time, he made the most of the evening, which saw all of the guys really opening up about their pasts and their relationships. These moments proved valuable for them and for Jenn, who started unpacking some of her own relationship traumas.
If she gets healthier in her own approach to men and dating ... well, that could spell bad news for guys like Sam M. He's barely focused on opening up to her emotionally, instead leaning fully into their physical chemistry.
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View StoryAlas for Aaron, despite opening up and feeling a connection, it was Jeremy who got that second Group Date Rose of the night. Lacking the validation from Jenn that he was really someone she felt strongly about right now -- and with no time left to decide -- he told her that he was going to have to bow out to chase a lifelong dream.
Jenn was supportive and understanding ... at least until he dropped the bombshell that not every guy is there for the right reasons or ready to be in an engagement by the end of their journey.
When she pushed him to name names, Aaron clammed up before walking out the door. Instead, he told her, "It's on you to figure it out," which is about the s--ttiest thing he could have said. Has he never seen this show? The leads are always paranoid about this, and now he tells her to watch out for "some" of her remaining guys, but she's on her own to figure out who?
Actually, the producers were probably loving every bit of that exchange -- if they weren't feeding Aaron lines, anyway. He was leaving, why not use him for one last poke to add some tension and drama to the season.
Bachelor Nation can watch as it all plays out on The Bachelorette, Mondays at 8 p.m. ET on ABC. Alas, Hakeem and Tomas A won't be along for the ride, as they got eliminated this week.