Why Rachel's Dad Missed 'The Bachelorette' Hometowns Too

It's hard to believe that The Bachelorette has already come down to Rachel Lindsay's hometown dates with her men, but here we are... and if you were hoping to meet a certain someone who's important in her life, prepare to be let down. Sadly, Rachel's dad isn't on The Bachelorette, even though the rest of her family was present to meet her guys. So why isn't Mr. Lindsay on the show this time around? Obviously, Rachel's pretty close to her family, so her potential husband meeting her dad, Sam, would be totally necessary for her to make this decision, right?

If you caught Rachel's hometown date with Nick Viall on The Bachelor earlier this year, you know he was missing from that episode, too — and at the time, she said it was because of "work obligations." Although Rachel didn't explain where he was this time around, there's a good chance that could be the case now, too. Since Sam is a federal judge, it makes sense that he's a busy man, and he might not be able to alter his schedule in order to fit with the show's filming dates. Plus, there's a good chance he would choose not to appear, although there's no way of knowing if that's what happened behind the scenes.

Later on, Nick confirmed that he met Rachel's dad off camera, so there's always a chance he just didn't want to be filmed and this will happen again for Rachel's men. It's good to know that there's a chance he'll still be able to be involved in helping Rachel decide who she wants to spend the rest of her life with. It might be a reality show, but who she chooses will affect everything that happens in her life going forward — Dad's gotta at least meet the guy.

Maybe one of these days we'll finally get to meet Mr. Lindsay, but, if not, he should know he helped raise one awesome daughter. Knowing Rachel, there's a good chance Bachelorette fans would love him, too.