NEW YORK -- This week we rejoin "The Bachelorette" in Ireland. She is fresh off sending Chris the "Cupcake" dentist home. At the men's hotel, there was a knock at the door and the first date card arrived.
It read, "Ben, Let's make today unforgettable."
Kaitlyn met Ben outside and they got in a little rowboat and went out into the water. After rowing around for a little while, they docked at a private island with what looked like a castle on it. They chased each other around, playing hide and seek, and kissed. Then, they sat outside and drank some wine while discussing their time out there. She told him he seemed like, "husband material", and she wanted to know if he found her to be "wife material". He said that he did! Then they talked about what that meant and what their expectations are in a relationship. Kaitlyn said, in a side interview, that she is falling in love!
Later, Ben and Kaitlyn sat by a fire inside. Ben's last girlfriend apparently left him and he was in love with her. He said that now he feels unlovable! That's awful! How could anyone not love him! Kaitlyn told him that she is "falling in love with him" and she couldn't believe that anyone would find him unlovable! They did some serious kissing after that! You could see the joy in his eyes and he smiled so much as he kissed her. They also talked about the overnight fantasy dates coming up. He told her that while the stigma behind it is that it's time to get physical and he doesn't think that's what it's for. He said he just wants to use the time to get to know her better. Kaitlyn was like, what? So she asks him flat out if he's a virgin!
Another date card arrived at the guys' hotel room and it read, "Joe, Shawn, and Nick, let's let our love run a-muck." It was funny hearing them try to figure out what a-muck actually meant! They will find out soon!
Back on Ben and Kaitlyn's date, the virginity question is hanging in the air. Ben says, "No!" he is not a virgin and laughed about it! He said that he's glad that he comes off "innocent and pure hearted" though because he says that he is. Aw! Kaitlyn says that she thinks Ben is someone that she could spend her life with.
Then, it was group date time! Let it end! Things have gone too far with too many guys to keep letting these guys go on dates all together with Kaitlyn. It's just awkward. I'm so glad this is the last one. They all sat outside of a castle to start and one by one they got some time to chat with Kaitlyn. She spoke with Shawn first and they both said that they missed each other! She also told him that she didn't like that they didn't kiss after their talk before the last rose ceremony. So they made up for lost time and did some kissing. Just when it seemed like Kaitlyn was going to tell him about what happened with Nick, Nick walked up!
So Kaitlyn asked Nick what he thought about what happened after their date the other night. He said that he felt good about it (duh, Kaitlyn!) and she said she doesn't regret it but it all just happened so fast. He said that he's more invested in things now than ever and it's a little scary. He really wants the date rose bad!
Joe was waiting around for his time with Kaitlyn when he got upset that he noticed Kaitlyn's lip gloss all over Shawn. Finally, she came over to get him and they went off for a talk. He said that he's happy to be there and he feels really good about how things are going with them. Joe said that he's totally ready for the next step of being engaged. Kaitlyn kind of asked him the same question again and then they started kissing. "You know that I could kiss you, and only you for the next 60 years, and that would make me the happiest man in the world," Joe said to Kaitlyn. Is that not the sweetest thing ever? Kaitlyn started looking like she was going to cry! He told her he loves her and she doesn't know if she feels the same.
She ended up breaking up with Joe. He asked her why she let him say that he loved her if she didn't feel the same. She tried to explain that she needed to hear it in order to figure it all out. He started to get very defensive and told her that he doesn't know why she feels sad at all, and she wanted to explain that their time together did mean something to her, but he didn't want to hear it. Joe was extremely hurt. He thought they were falling in love, but it was one sided. Nick and Shawn then realized that it was just the two of them left on the date and it was man vs. man for the date rose. She told the guys that she didn't want to put Joe through the rose ceremony if she knew already that he wasn't the right guy for her and both Nick and Shawn respected that. Kaitlyn told Nick that she appreciated how open he was during their time together. With Shawn, she told him that she just needs more time with him. She did not give out the date rose! That meant that Shawn gets to stay out with her!
At the guys' hotel, Nick told Ben and Jared about what happened on the group date. Nick is completely freaked out and doesn't know why Shawn is getting this extra time. It's not exactly a good thing. She was acting really strangely, and Shawn was like, "Are you nervous or something?" She took that as her cue to lower the boom. Poor Shawn was all smiles, and then she told him that she had something on her mind. She had a hard time even starting the conversation, but Shawn was like, "It's ok, just say what you need to say." Kaitlyn told him that she didn't want him to find out later, but she wanted to be honest with him. She told him that it was hard for her to admit it, but after her date with Nick, things went too far, and they had sex.
Shawn was speechless for a minute and was reeling. He asked her if she regretted it. She said that she felt guilt and she didn't expect that to happen. She said she couldn't stop thinking about what it would do to their relationship. He said he didn't even know what to think. He said he couldn't figure out why she was telling him about it. She said that she thought it was the right thing to do. He asked for a moment to step away, regroup, and then come back to the conversation.
Shawn came back and said that he doesn't like Nick and she already knows how he feels about him. He said that he's willing to move on through this because he's there for her. He said obviously he's very upset, but what is he going to do. He's not going to storm out of there because he wants her. She asked him if he thinks it will be worth it in the end. He said, "Yes, I do. I think you're worth it." He's amazing. He said in an interview segment that he feels "sick to his stomach" but he's going to try to not let it affect their future together.
Shawn returned to the hotel. He told the guys that there wasn't a rose, but he feels confident that he's going to get a rose tomorrow night. Nick said that he feels oddly OK about the next night as well. Hm...
It was time for the cocktail party and rose ceremony. Jared said that he hasn't seen Kaitlyn in four days so he's excited to spend some time talking to her that night. Shawn says that he's "wanting to want to accept a rose". Yikes. He said he's got more questions before he can accept the rose. Chris Harrison walked in and told the guys that Kaitlyn's mind is made up and she wants to go straight to the rose ceremony.
Kaitlyn stood in front of the guys and thanked them for putting themselves out there. She said how hard it was to let one of them go and then started handing out roses. Shawn got called first, but before he accepted, he told her that he needed to talk to her first. The rest of the guys are like, what?! They must wonder what is going on with all of these secret conversations!
Shawn asked her, "Why him?" He wanted to know how she could jeopardize their relationship. She said that she thinks that she is there to explore relationships because at the end of this process, she will never explore another one again, "It will not happen," Kaitlyn said. She added that she should have never told him that he was the one; she should have waited until the end when she is 110% sure. She told him that she's not ashamed of herself, but she felt guilty and just wanted to be honest. Kaitlyn said that she loves his honesty and that he cares so much. She asked him if at the end he could still trust her, because she's not sure if he can. They went back into the room with the other guys and Kaitlyn asked him again if he would accept the rose, he said "Absolutely."
Moving on, Kaitlyn also handed out roses to Ben and Nick. Poor unwavering Jared got the ax. He loved her so much! What heartbreak for him! Kaitlyn walked him out. She told him that she didn't have a concrete reason for saying goodbye to him. He was so gracious. He told her that she would always have a special place in his heart for her and that he wanted her to be happy. He said, "Just make sure you find the man of your dreams, because you deserve it." There were so many tears, mostly Kaitlyn's! He told her it was "ok" and then he got in the SUV to drive away. Inside, Jared choked back tears that eventually flowed and he just said that he it was so hard to say goodbye to her because he's going to miss her a lot. Kaitlyn said that letting Jared go makes her question herself because he's wonderful.
Up next, overnight fantasy dates! Going into these dates, Shawn is completely disgusted with Nick and cannot bear the thought of Kaitlyn and him alone for an entire night together again. I love how he calls Nick, "The Other Guy".
Nick was first for his overnight fantasy date first. They started off touring a cathedral. They had an amazing time together and after that they went to a pub where they talked about a lot of their firsts, including their first kisses! The stories were hilarious! Some guy said to Kaitlyn, "I heard you're in the big leagues now!" after her first kiss! Ha! They also had some fun talking to the locals and trying to interpret what they were saying through their thick Irish accents.
Nick and Kaitlyn went to have a serious talk before they get that card we all know is coming from Chris Harrison that asks them if they want to spend the night together in a shared room. He told Kaitlyn that there's one guy he doesn't respect because he's insecure and brags about banging the same girl on the same night as some country star. Kaitlyn said that she feels like she has a good judge of character and no one has raised any flags about any of the remaining guys except for him, so she's shocked to hear this about Shawn. She said she's basically going to ignore what Shawn says about Nick and what Nick says about Shawn. Kaitlyn thinks it's just two guys who both want to be with her and they are going to try to do whatever it takes. Despite the conversation seemingly annoying her, Kaitlyn decided to kiss him anyway and accept the shared room with him. They were in an old jail and Kaitlyn pranked him by trying to make him think that they were going to stay there. No, no, they are headed to a nice hotel room at a resort.
Kaitlyn told Nick it was nice to have an amazing day like a real couple. Nick said he hoped they could come back there for an anniversary some year. He told her that he loves falling in love with her. They did some kissing, moved it into the bedroom, shut the door and that's all we got to see!
In the morning, Kaitlyn and Nick had a room service breakfast together. Kaitlyn said that in the fantasy suite they did a lot of talking and chocolate eating. She says they got to know each other better and that she can see a future with him. Nick says he's going to let go of his insecurities after this date. He said it was the best date he's ever been on...ever.
Shawn meantime, is pacing around in his room and just getting super upset. Shawn called up the lobby and asked for Nick's room number. He walked over to Nick's room to talk to him. Once inside, he said that he wants to say what everyone is saying behind Nick's back to his face. He doesn't know why Nick is there and wants to know his reasons for being there. Nick said that Shawn doesn't know him and hasn't made any effort to get to know him. Shawn said that he's arrogant and Nick said that he could say the same thing about Shawn. They just went back and forth about what they don't like about each other. The fighting continues next week.
During the credits we got a quick Britt update! She and Brady spent some time together but his time visiting her in California came to an end and they decided to continue long distance. He was heading back to Nashville. Britt said that the next stage of their relationship would be a real test, but she's hopeful it will all work out! They still seem very happy together!