The Bachelor Recap: Ghosts, Gators, and (Not So) Great Decisions (Season 21 Episode 5)

The Bachelor Season 21’s biggest feud is about to boil over. This week’s episode picks up exactly where last week’s left off, as Corinne and Taylor continue their bickering match.

While the pair delves deeper into their argument, it becomes clear that the real problem Corinne has with Taylor has nothing to do with Nick — she’s just bummed that Taylor doesn’t want to be her BFF.

After their chat, Corinne decides this is an issue Nick needs to be made aware of.

She sits him down and lets him know that she doesn’t think Taylor is here for “the right reasons” because she isn’t very friendly to the girls in the house.

Sorry, Corinne, but did you forget the two consecutive seasons of The Bachelorette wherein Nick was hated by everyone around him? He’s in no position to judge the “I’m not here to make friends” approach.

Unfortunately for Taylor, however, this new piece of gossip is being dished to Nick right before the Rose Ceremony. But could it really be enough to send her packing?

In the end, both Corinne and Taylor receive roses and remain safe for another week. Instead, it’s Astrid and Sarah who are going home. That’s right — the self-proclaimed “child” with a Nanny who cuts her cucumbers is staying longer than Sarah, the adorable school teacher who’s done nothing but act with integrity and charm.

(Lucky for Sarah, there’s undoubtedly a spot in Paradise with her name on it, and the men there surely won’t be so quick to let her slip by.)

Nick’s Beignet Into Rachel Since Night One

With another dreaded Rose Ceremony behind them, Nick and the ladies are off to their next destination: New Orleans! Rachel is awarded the one and only One-On-One this week, and she and Nick can hardly wait to finally spend some alone time together.

After gifting her the coveted First Impression Rose on Night One, Rachel is someone who — Nick tells us — has remained on his mind since the very beginning.

Their first real date is anything but disappointing. The pair can’t seem to keep their hands off of each other. Nick even goes so far as to call his chemistry with Rachel the “most explosive” he has with any of the women so far.

Is this a good sign, or should we expect another “explosion” of the Nick/Kaitlyn variety this season? We all remember where the chemistry between that couple led…

After Nick and Rachel dance together through the streets and are treated to a live musical performance at an intimate club, Rachel declares this the “best date of my life, for sure”. And from the look on Nick’s face, he may feel the same. Is love in the Louisiana air?

Ghosts of One-On-On Dates Past

When this week’s group date card arrives, all the women get a bit spooked. Not only are Josephine, Kristina, Alexis, Raven, Jaimi, Vanessa, Danielle M., Whitney, Jasmine, and Danielle L. headed to a haunted house, but Taylor and Corinne deduce that they will be going on the season’s dreaded Two-On-One. Who could have predicted that one?

When the group date ladies arrive at New Orleans’ very own haunted mansion, Nick is there to greet them. He warns them that “it’s kind of a weird vibe here”, and Danielle L. gets nervous. She’s afraid of ghosts (and weird vibes), so she’s not sure how this date will go.

To Danielle L.’s relief, the scariest part of this haunted date ends up being Boo, the house’s caretaker and tour guide. He shows them a creepy porcelain doll that once belonged to May, a little girl who lived in the mansion and now haunts it.

Just when Nick and his dates decide they would like to reach out to May, Kristina pulls an ouija board right out from under his behind. How convenient! And when they use the board to contact May, the lights in the house begin to flicker!!! Is that you, May? Or did one of the crew members rub up against a light switch?

When this terribly boring horror movie finally comes to an end, it’s time for some mingling and one-on-one time.  At this point, Nick can’t believe there are eleven whole women there that he “needs to manage”.  This misogynistic observation is unquestionably the scariest part of today’s date.

Over the course of the night, Danielle L. expresses her fear that Nick has forgotten about their first date, and Raven confesses that she’s already fallen in love with him.  Neither of these conversations are enough to land the date rose, however.

Instead, it’s Danielle M. who wins Nick over. Their brief but sweet time together has reminded him of how much he enjoyed their One-On-One way back when, and he’s excited to have connected with her again tonight.

Breakup in the Bayou

Meanwhile, back at the hotel room, Rachel attempts to prepare Corinne and Taylor for their impending date.

Their Two-On-One date card reads: “Meet me in the bayou,” so she advises them not to feed each other to the gators. If only someone had advised Rachel not to put ideas in their heads!

The dreaded day finally arrives and Corrine, for one, is ready to win. “Make America Corinne Again” is apparently her motto. Not sure associating yourself with that leader of a “multi-gagillion dollar business” is the best way to sway the nation’s opinion of you, Corinne…

Though their date is set in the middle of the marshy wood, a tarot card reader is on hand — seemingly to distract Taylor while Corinne takes Nick aside for a chat. She tells him that Taylor “attacked” her last week and “basically” called her stupid.

When Nick later confronts Taylor about these accusations, she stands her ground.

But though she tries her best to explain the argument to Nick — recounting the unforgettable “emotional intelligence” debacle — it doesn’t seem to be enough. While Corinne’s conversation with Nick ended in their usual make out sesh, Taylor only receives a quick peck. Guess we know who’s headed home.

Our suspicions are confirmed when Nick makes “the hardest decision he’s had to make” and gives Corinne the rose. Clearly, Taylor was wrong all along. Corinne’s emotional intelligence is exactly on par with Nick’s! Read: neither of them are at all ready for a mature relationship.

Nick takes Corinne’s hand and they leave Taylor behind, but Taylor refuses to go home without saying her piece. But just as she storms in on their private, post-Two-On-One dinner together, the episode comes to a close. How will this crazy feud end? We’ll have to wait another week to find out!

Will Nick give Taylor a second chance? Or will he send her and Corinne home for good? Share your predictions in the comments and tune in when The Bachelor returns, next Monday at 8/7c on ABC.

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