Bachelor 2018 Week 4: Age Ain't Nothing but a Number

And that number is 14....as in Bekah is 14 years younger than Arie. This is a huge problem, apparently. You know what isn't a big deal? Maquel's age. She's 13 years younger than Arie, but nobody seems to care about that.

Harrison shows up and sends the girls into conniptions because they're heading to South Lake Tahoe! Ten years ago I probably would've been annoyed with the unnecessary distinction of "South" Lake Tahoe, but then I moved to North Albany, and now I totally get it.

Seinne gets the first solo date of the Tahoe portion of our journey. Arie goes parasailing with Seinne, and Seinne tells us that parasailing is "almost like flying" and "about letting go." Actually, it's exactly like flying, and it's not about letting go because you are literally attached to a rope. Parachuting....that's about letting go. Didn't this girl go to Yale?

Arie then tells Seinne that he likes doing things outdoors, and that's what he loves about Scottsdale. The average high temperature in Scottsdale is over 100 degrees all summer and that sounds miserable to be outside. I guess the temps being in the sixties and seventies all winter would be nice though.

So far this episode sucks. Seinne is too chill to be interesting, and Arie just can't carry a conversation. The boring episode is salvaged a little bit, but unfortunately it's because Maquel's grandfather died. She's heading out, and the other girls just sit on the couch and watch her cry and pack in silence. I can't tell if this is bullshit editing by ABC to make the girls look like heartless monsters or if they're actually all that psychotic. Either way, I feel terrible for Maquel.

The group date names are announced, and it's only significant because Bekah isn't named, meaning she gets the one on one. Krystal is pissed and doesn't understand why he'd take someone so young on the date. The translation is that she is pissed he didn't take her on another one on one date. I'll never get why every season there's always one girl that thinks she's the only one on the show and doesn't understand that for there to even be a show, he has to at least pretend to like a few other girls. Actually, he doesn't even have to pretend...he just has to go on dates with other girls so ABC can pretend he likes them. Krystal sucks

Back on the solo date, Seinne tells Arie she wants him to teach her how to wink. Can you learn how to wink, or is it like rolling your tongue? I have no idea, so I googled "learn to wink." There are some great suggestions like "focus on your eye and think 'move, move, move'" and "hold one eye open with your fingers while you close the other one." Tell me you wouldn't love to see Arie trying to train Seinne's eyes to wink. Instead, Arie laughs his weird semi creepy laugh and then we move on. Seinne is now reminding us that there were no fairy tale love stories involving black women pre-Princess and the Frog. She says something about how she feels like her being on this show is something young black girls can look up to. I can't tell if she actually thinks that, or if she's using that Yale education to put Arie on the spot and feel like he's letting all the girls from minority races down if he lets her go. It's a pretty strong play though either way.....and it works. She gets the rose.

 Time for the group date. Arie takes the ladies out into the woods to have a survival date with the straight up creepiest couple in Reality TV history. This serial killer looking dude and his British wife are super excited to get these girls to pee in canteens in case they need to drink it....as if they're going to be out in the Tahoe wilderness for a month instead of two hours. Arie then drinks his "pee" which is actually apple juice. Marikh says that Gandhi drank his own pee because he thought it was nutritious, which is the kind of fake news bullshit that is ruining America. Donald Trump would be super proud of that one.

Up next is some bug eating and then a nature hike to a secluded hot tub. Krystal tries to canoodle up to Arie, which leads to one of the best moments in Bachelor history in my opinion. Caroline and Tia then cuddle exactly like she's cuddling with Arie and say "we have strategy too!" which kills the cuddle vibe for Arie and also tips Krystal a little closer to crazy town. Now all of a sudden she's too mature to be in the hot tub and starts talking about how she feels like she's in high school and everyone's in love with the camp counselor. If that's what happens at high school girls camps, I need to advise every adult male to not be a camp counselor unless they want to end up on Nancy Grace.

At the post party, Arie tells Lauren that "he should take her on a date" and he tells Kendall "She is so brave" because she ate a bug. The way Arie talks to them kind of reminds me of that nervous interview guy that Chris Farley used to play on SNL....."remember that time you ate a bug and then we kissed? That was awesome."

Krystal then dominates the remainder of the night, whining to Arie about how ostracized she feels and blah blah blah. She then whispers to Arie that he should tell Tia, who is tryign to interrupt, that he needs one more minute, which is diabolical...and totally works because Arie is a total wuss. She then calls Tia and Caroline over to tell her that they hurt her feelings by poking fun at the fact that she was cuddling with the only man in the hot tub. Krystal then tells Tia that she is here for Arie, otherwise she wouldn't be putting up with her bullshit. Amazing.

Tia then cries on Arie's shoulder....not because Krystal is frustrating her, but because she's scared of how much she likes him.

Thankfully this date comes to an end, and Tia gets it. Krystal is flummoxed. Arie wastes no time in leaving the girls to kill each other, as he all but sprints out of the room and says "welp see ya later!" What a douche. I don't get what these girls see in him really.....maybe he's better off camera, but all I see is a sorta good looking guy with really dumb jokes and no ability to engage in a serious or deep conversation. If you were the Bachelorette and signed up all the realtors in Scottsdale, would he even make it out of the first night?

Arie and Bekah like to talk about how deep and enriching their conversations are, but all we hear is talk about the weather and how they've never been to Tahoe and how good they are at kissing each other and how pretty the water is and holy shit it's all just filler between kisses. I don't care if you guys are just horny for each other, but don't patronize America by telling us how deep you are.

I thought about typing everything that these two said to each other to illustrate how insanely inane the conversations these two have are...but it really just ended up being both of them saying "like" and "you know" to each other sixty billion times

Arie wraps up the date by threatening to send her home because "she's the most amazing person he's ever met in his life, but he NEEDS a wife." He doesn't, he just sends gives her a rose and tells her he's lucky she's there. He'll send her home next week.

Arie then kills the cocktail party and makes all the girls start sweating by heading straight to the rose ceremony. I like how it's seen as a kind gesture to the girls going home to make them get all dressed up and then send them home before the free food and booze at the fancy party. Krystal then pulls a Krystal and steals Arie away during the rose ceremony to get her final word in. I'm looking forward to all the girls accepting roses and then immediately giving them back if Krystal doesn't go home. It'll be like that scene in Rudy where all the players lay their jerseys down until Rudy gets to play.

Also, why don't all the other girls then demand the same amount of one on one time he just gave Krystal? That only seems fair and if Arie is willing to hear one girl out and not you, then you don't want to be with him anyways. It's a bold move and one I think would win the hearts of America.

Lauren, Ashley, Becca, Chelsea, Jenna, Kendall, Jacqueline, Marikh, and Kendall join Tia, Seinne and Bekah with roses. Gone are Caroline and Brittney. I had Caroline going far because she seemed like one of those under the radar girls that is just nice and easy to get along with but doesn't do anything that merits TV time. Will Maquel make a re-entry next week? Will Krystal be murdered in her sleep?

TUNE IN NEXT WEEK!