'The Bachelorette' 2014 Spoilers: How Did Eric Leave? The Emotional Episode 4 Departure [RECAP]
Adios, Santa Barbara! The second half of ABC’s special two-night “Bachelorette” event aired Monday, bringing Andi Dorfman and the remaining 13 contestants to Connecticut in the search for love.
First One-On-One Date
Dylan, an accountant from Longmeadow, Massachusetts, landed the first one-on-one date with Andi in Connecticut. And while the 26-year-old was happy about getting some alone time with the brunette beauty, some of the other guys in the house didn’t think that he’d be coming back at the end of the night. As Andrew explained to the cameras, Dylan would have to really open up in order to stay in the game.
And Dylan did just that … eventually! While on the Essex Steam Train up the Connecticut River, the couple talked about their previous long-term relationships and why they ended. Andi was grateful that Dylan was getting more comfortable with him, but she knew that something was weighing him down and preventing him from truly opening up.
Pushing him to speak sooner rather than later, Dylan told Andi about his tragic family history – the death of both his sister and brother. Needless to say, Andi was moved by his story. But Dylan wanted to make it clear that he didn’t want her pity. And when the bachelorette handed over the date rose she promised that it was “beyond the opposite” of a pity rose.
Group Date
JJ, Chris, Andrew, Eric, Nick, Marquel, Cody, Tasos, Brian, Josh and Patrick landed the group date in episode 4 of “The Bachelorette.” The guys were all pumped to discover that their date would be on a basketball court … and surprised when they were joined by five WNBA players, who according to Josh, are the “best of the best”!
The guys were a little intimated, and it definitely showed on the court. While they tried to play hard, the women totally dominated them to the point where it wasn’t even a game anymore. So, to make things a little more interesting they decided to split the guys up into two teams. The twist? Winners get to party with Andi while the losers have to go back to the hotel.
Nick, Cody, Andrew, Eric, Marquel and Brian made up Team 1, “Rosebuds,” while Tasos, JJ, Chris and Patrick made up Team 2, “The Five of Hearts.”
In a close game that was tied six-to-six at half time, the Rosebuds ended up destroying the Five of Hearts. And while the six guys were celebrating over the chance to spend extra time with Andi, the losing team was pretty upset.
But the after-party for the winning team wasn’t all fun and games. Andi whisked Eric away for some one-on-one time to talk about their stalled relationship. The 31-year-old explorer tried to explain that formal settings aren’t in his comfort zone, but Andi made the point that the formal thing is “just how it is.”
Expressing that she was worried about their relationship, Eric decided to open up his family and experience leaving the Mormon Church. And that was exactly what Andi needed to feel better.
“The thing I saw the very first date with him is back,” Andi told the cameras. “The spark is reignited. We’re back on track.”
After talking with Eric, Andi spent some time on the court with Brian. And while the chemistry between them was visible, Brian froze up about kissing her – and immediately regretted it.
Meanwhile, Nick immediately swooped in for the kill, locking lips with the bachelorette and running his hand over her leg. But his confidence faltered when Andi decided to give the group date rose to the “MVP on the court and off the court” – Brian!
Second One-On-One Date
For the final date of episode 4, Andi and Marcus set out to conquer their fear of heights by rappelling down the 30 stories of the Mohegan Sun hotel. To make the date a little more interesting, the pair had to pass by the window to the room that the remaining 12 guys were hanging in – and they made sure to let them know that they were watching!
Banging on the window, they were having a good time joking about Andi’s terrified stance. But Marcus wanted to put on a show for them.
“Want to kiss in front of them?” he asked Andi. Unfortunately for him, the bachelorette was quick to reply, “NO.”
After their exciting date, the duo shared a romantic dinner. But Marcus couldn’t relax until the “elephant in the room” was covered up. Taking a napkin, he placed it over the rose at their table – a move that Andi loved.
Handing him over the rose, the pair spent the rest of their evening dancing and kissing while listening to a country performance. And things took a turn for the serious when Marcus confessed that he was falling in love with her.
The Cocktail Party
With the three dates in episode 4 a success, Andi was ready for the cocktail party. But one guy had something special planned for her. The bachelorette received a love letter from one of the contestants, but unfortunately she couldn't respond to the lovestruck guy – because he signed it as a secret admirer.
Pumped to solve the mystery of her secret admirer, Andi started to get in some one-on-one time with the guys. Brian brought her back to the basketball court where he finally kissed her, taking their relationship to the next level. But unfortunately Andi took a step back in her journey to find love when Eric pulled her aside for some one-on-one time.
After their last conversation, Eric confessed that he was a little confused.
“I’ve been really open with you,” he explained to the bachelorette. “I think it was a total miscommunication and misunderstanding…. I feel like it’s the opposite. I feel like your not being the real Andi with me.”
The contestant continued that he’s seen “glimpses” of the real Andi when the cameras weren’t focusing on her. But unfortunately he didn't choose the right words to tell her.
“I came on this to meet a person, not a TV actress,” Eric confessed, saying that she has been wearing a “poker face” for a majority of the show.
Andi respected his openness, but admitted that she was very taken aback by it. Starting to cry, she told him that she’s exhausted trying to get to know everyone, drained from having to send people home, and completely offended by his words.
“There is a part of me that doesn’t want to waste another minute of yours,” she told him. “You’re calling me fake … What am I supposed to do with that?”
Explaining that she’s not going to pretend that their conversation was okay, Andi broke things off with him.
“In this moment I cannot fight for somebody who does not believe in me,” she said. “And I don’t think you do.”
“I did believe in what we had in our first date,” Eric told her, but it’s too late.
The pair part ways with a hug, and Andi thanked him for his time.
After leaving the hotel, Eric told the camera’s that he’s sad because he saw potential in their relationship. However he acknowledged that this could be the exact thing he needs to find what he’s looking for. “I feel more ready than I ever felt before,” he said to the cameras.
The Rose Ceremony
Instead of a rose ceremony, “The Bachelorette” decided to dedicate the remainder of the episode to remembering Eric. Chris Harrison sat down with Andi Dorfman to talk about the deceased contestant, who passed away after a paragliding accident in Utah in late April.
“From walking out of the limo this was a guy who was well traveled, who kind of had everything I was looking for,” Andi explained of her first encounter with Eric. According to the bachelorette, she loved his “big way of living,” and wanted to experience that with him during their one-on-one date.
As for where their relationship went wrong? Andi admitted that they needed more openness on both ends, and that she had relied on the excitement of their very first date. The 26-year-old admitted that it’s not the last conversation that she’d like to have had with somebody, and that she thought their conversation would have been water under the bridge when they met again during the “Men Tell All” episode.
Chris Harrison explained that they didn’t feel it would be right to air the rose ceremony after Eric’s exit. Instead he revealed that episode 4 concluded with Andi saying goodbye to Tasos during the rose ceremony.
“Tonight we felt like it was important to make it about Eric,” Harrison said in conclusion. “Our deepest condolences go to his family and friends. He will be greatly missed.”
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