On episode 2, season 20 of The Bachelor, Ben took 10 of the ladies back to school where they teamed up and competed for the title of “The Bachelor Homecoming Queen.” Lace, desperate to redeem herself after her tantrum after the first rose ceremony, struggled to get Ben’s attention. Ben chose Caila for his first one-on-date, and the two were given celebrity chaperons Ice Cube and Kevin Hart. The remaining 10 women paid a visit to “The Love Lab” where they participated in a series of experiments designed to determine who was the most compatible match for Ben. Bachelor Ben broke his no kissing rule and locked lips with several lucky bachelorettes. But not all the ladies were lucky, here are 11 lessons learned after watching week two of The Bachelor.
The Bachelor Recap: What Happens When Ben Takes the Women Back to School?>>>
1. Do Learn How to Read a Map
When Ben took 10 of the women on a group date to a local high school, they paired up and competed in a series of challenges. When it came time for a little Geography, JoJo and Becca were unable to identify the state of Indiana, where Ben grew up, and place it on a map. Not good ladies.
2. Do Be a Good Sport
It came down to a foot race between Amanda K. “Mandi” and Amber to determine who would be crowned the “Bachelor High Homecoming Queen.” Mandi prevailed, a hard-fought victory, and was rewarded with a tiara, a sash, and a leisurely ride in a convertible with Ben. This was hardly a steamy rendezvous, but the other women had a hard time mustering even a little bit of enthusiasm. Nobody likes a sore loser, ladies.
3. Do Learn to Wait Your Turn
Being aggressive is one thing, but being a stalker is something else. Lace was particularly obnoxious about honing in on other girls’ alone time with Ben, interrupting two other women, and then having the nerve to get pissy when the same was done to her. Take a lesson from Becca who artfully whisked Ben away and spent just enough time with him to leave him wanting more.
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4. Don’t Keep Insisting You Aren’t Crazy
Lace was determined to let Ben know that she wasn’t crazy. We know this because she kept saying it over and over again. To the producers interviewing her, to the viewers and to Ben. But the harder Lace tried to make herself appear sane, the more she unraveled. Here’s a tip Lace, most sane people don’t constantly refer to themselves in the third person.
5. Don’t Assume Anything
Amanda, Jubilee and Lace were all convinced they had such deep connections with Ben that they all believed they would receive the group date rose. They didn’t. Lace was sure Ben was going to kiss her. He didn’t. Olivia was positive Ben would pick her for the one-on-one date. He didn’t. ABC’s The Bachelor is like dating Thunderdome. There are no rules, and the outcome is unpredictable.
6. Do Have a Good Attitude and Go with the Flow
Most of Ben and Caila’s date was part of a promotional blitz for the movie Ride Along 2. Hey, I get it. The show gets a ratings bump, and the film gets promoted. But it’s not exactly conducive to have Ice Cube and Kevin Hart as chaperons when you’re trying to find your life partner. Neither is appearing on a dating reality show that has resulted in zero marriages. Caila was all smiles, and I’m sure there are worse ways to spend your time than hanging with some celebs. Her patience was rewarded with a quiet dinner, and a romantic private concert by Amos Lee. She even got serenaded by Ben.
7. Don’t Forget to Wear Deodorant
Ten ladies became the subject of science experiments designed to determine who was the best match for Ben. One of these tests included Ben sniffing the women after they spent a few minutes running on a treadmill. Ben described all of the womens’ scents with flattering adjectives except one, Samantha. Ben called her particular odor “sour.” I’m SURE this had nothing to do with her getting eliminated.
8. Don’t Be a Creeper
Olivia was safe as a kitten, having been given a group date rose, but that didn’t stop her from skulking in the shadows as some of the other ladies tried to bank some last-minute face time with Ben. Olivia couldn’t wait to snag him from Leah before anyone else could stake their claim. It is too early in the process for Olivia to be referring to herself as “wife-y.”
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9. Don’t Blend In
Out of 21 women, only a handful stood out: Amanda, Jubilee, Becca, JoJo, Mandi, Amber, Olivia, Caila and Lace. If you put a gun to my head, I couldn’t tell apart the multiple Laurens, and there are three brunettes I interchangeably refer to as Jennifer. I’m not encouraging women to play the crazy card to get noticed, but after displaying a certain level of creativity during the initial introductions, many of the women have just fallen off the radar. Come on Russian chick. Show me something!
10. Do Know When to Bow Out Gracefully
After spending a week doing her best impersonation of a house plant, Lauren “LB” decided to call it quits. We did have to watch her mope around the cocktail party and question whether Ben was worth hanging around for. The kill or be killed mentality of The Bachelor’s paramours isn’t for everyone, and I doubt the lovely LB is used to having to compete for male attention.
11. Don’t Meltdown at the Cocktail Party
When Lace’s cringe-worthy recollections of her dorky childhood failed to capture or keep Ben’s attention, Lace was barely able to to keep the water works in check before going to her room and weeping not so quietly. Amanda was overcome with emotion because Ben wanted to throw together a few hair barrettes for her daughters. It was a sweet gesture but hardly worth wasting a tissue over. Is it the booze? The tight evening attire? Why can’t chicks keep it together? At least Samantha waited to mourn the loss of a man she barely knew until after she exited the house.
What do you think is the biggest Bachelor don’t? Think you know who will go home next? Play The Bachelor Fantasy TV by making your picks here.>>>
The Bachelor season 20 airs Mondays at 8pm on ABC.
(Images Courtesy of ABC)
Contributing Writer, BuddyTV
Jennifer has worked as a freelance writer in the entertainment field since 2012. In addition to currently writing feature articles for Screen Rant, Jennifer has contributed content ranging from recaps to listicles to reviews for BuddyTV, PopMatters, TVRage, TVOvermind, and Tell-Tale TV. Links to some of Jennifer’s reviews can be found on Rotten Tomatoes.
