Desiree Hartsock moved one step closer to love in episode four of “The Bachelorette.” So, what happened? Desiree and the guys took a trip to Atlantic City.

Unfortunately one of Desiree’s suitors didn’t make it that long in A.C. – Brad. After he won the one-on-one date with Desiree, the pair walked around the A.C. boardwalk and had a great time … until the dinner portion of the evening. Sitting in silence and then awkwardly giggling when he finally spoke, Desiree failed to see a connection with Brad.

“I think that something was missing,” she tells him, sending him home without a rose. It’s after being sent packing that Brad finally starts talking – a lot. “I just got hit with a ton of bricks,” he tells the camera, crying. “I came here for myself, I came here for Maddox. I shared who I am. … It’s hard to say goodbye, but I miss my son very much.”

Definitely a downer to start off, the episode turned around when the guys went on their group date … to compete for the first ever “The Bachelorette’s Mr. America Pageant.” Needles to say, it was completely ridiculous. (“As a kid I’d always dreamed of becoming Mr. America” – Michael G.)

Competing in a talent, interview and swimsuit portion of the pageant, Brooks ended up walking away in third place, Zak W. came in second, and Kasey took first place. But it’s Mike T. who really impressed viewers.

“We cry inside, we like long walks on the beach,” Mike T. said in the interview portion, explaining that he’s tired of being looked at like a piece of meat. A pretty moving interview, Mike did a complete 180 when he followed up in the talent portion with some “meathead-ish behavior.”

Later on in the episode, Desiree goes on her second one-on-one date, this time with James. Taking him to Seaside to see the devastation from Hurricane Sandy, the pair bond over the heartache of the town and end up giving away their romantic date in A.C. to a couple who lost their home. As they end up spending their evening in a pizza joint, James opens up about cheating on an ex-girlfriend --- and still manages to get a rose from Desiree.

Moving onto the rose ceremony, Bryden is struggling with his feelings for Desiree and confronts her about it. But while the guys think that Desiree will send Bryden home before the rose ceremony, she surprises everyone when she tells him that he hopes he stays because she wants to see where their relationship could go.

With the guys waiting for their roses, Bryden ended up accepting a rose, and Zack K. was sent home.

Are you shocked by who Desiree sent home in episode four? Let us know in the comments section!

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