Leaving 'The Bachelor' Before Hometowns Is Hard

Over the course of Nick Viall's season of The Bachelor, Bachelor in Paradise couple Carly Waddell and Evan Bass will contribute weekly articles to Bustle about their friend's journey to find love. Read their take on all the tears and drama below.

For Bachelor Nation, Feb. 13 was an epic night. Sure, the actual episode was fun to watch, but more importantly, the next Bachelorette was announced before the season even ended. (My guess is they let the cat out of the bag early because the pool of Bachelor hopefuls looks a little shallow and they really need top-notch guys.) Rachel Lindsay is going to elevate The Bachelorette to another level. She’s a powerhouse attorney, her dad is a high-powered judge, and even though we've only had a few glimpses of her this season, she brings a powerful legitimacy to the show. But that will all come into play on her season of The Bachelorette. For now, we know that Rachel has likely made it to hometown dates on Nick's Bachelor season.

The episode before hometowns is very important (as Carly will explain) because not only is it as a chance for the women to tell Nick what meeting their families would be like, but viewers also learn more about their values. Nick was forced to ask the tough questions like, “Do you call your dad 'Daddy'?” He was also forced to make some more tough decisions, and two of our favorites were shockingly sent packing.

Danielle was amazing and sweet as always, but it wasn’t enough for a rose. The tempo of the date seemed a little off and it led to Nick admitting that his heart wasn’t going to catch up to hers. Still, Kristina's elimination was the biggest shocker. She has it all: The amazing story of a fighter, the accent, the personality, the ability to pull Nick out of the water during a group date. But again, it wasn’t enough. Carly and I are heartbroken. I really hope both of these women show up on Bachelor in Paradise so we can see more. But for now, farewell.

Before all of this happened, Nick had a brief existential moment with Chris Harrison. On an upside-down canoe, he had a vision of the millions of ways this could end up not working out before admitting to the women that he was scared. I think Nick’s taken some flack this season, but he's really trying to be as honest as he can. Frankly, I’m glad he has these downward-spiral moments because without them, we wouldn’t have our beloved Chris Harrison giving sage wisdom and reminding America that every little thing is gonna be alright.

This was also yet another episode in which Corinne curiously became less villainous and more endearing. If there’s one thing I’ve learned about #BachelorNation, it’s that they are forgiving and always willing to change their collective mind no matter how bad you’ve looked before (*insert my entire time on The Bachelorette here*). And it appears that the drama in the house has calmed — Corinne seems to be at peace, if not friendly, with her fellow contestants despite a late-night ploy to tell Nick a bedtime story. (Or at least that's what I'm telling myself instead of thinking about what “two hands on, don’t jiggle, lightly massage” could mean.) Like Rachel, she’s on to the next round and I'll let Carly take it from there.

There are three events each season that bring the most dreaded days to get sent home:

1. Night 1: You walk away with no friends, no rose, and no Bachelor perks. I’m sure you also leave feeling really rejected and that can't be easy.

2. The final rose ceremony: You are the last person to go home after spending all season developing feelings.

3. The night before hometowns, aka my official Bachelor placement. I was so excited for the man I liked, Chris Soules, to finally meet my family. I even thought about how he might ask my father for permission to propose (which, by the way, Evan still hasn’t done*). I worried about my brothers giving him a hard time and if he was going to fit in. Would my family even like him? And how important is that? But Chris didn't end up meeting my family and to be honest, I wasn't blindsided.

It's not that I really knew I was going home, but looking around the room with Whitney, Becca, Kaitlyn, and Jade standing there... I knew I was the odd woman out. Chris and I definitely shared a friendship and enjoyed each other's company, but I knew these ladies had a stronger connection with him. Still, I was sad to go. I was going to miss being around him, my friends, and the experience in general.

But looking back now, I’m kind of glad Chris sent me home, because my family is badass. He probably would have loved my brothers and it could have seriously changed where my path lead next — and I needed it to lead right to Evan.

Yes, being sent home right before hometowns sucks. There's a ton of anticipation that builds up in the days leading to those big dates. But if that's the case, as it was with me, Danielle, and Kristina, it just means it wasn’t your fate — and someone else is out there waiting for you. Hopefully, Danielle and Kristina can smile at that idea.

*A Note from Evan: Ok, I was going to let Carly finish this up, but I have to respond to her "Evan hasn’t asked my dad for my hand in marriage" remark. First of all, there was no time in Paradise to do it. Second, I haven’t had the right opportunity since. Lastly, is it still really something I need to do? I’m wrestling with those last two and will let y'all know when/if it happens.