The Bachelor

They say you can’t go home again, but Kacie Boguskie should probably stop by Clarksville, TN to give her parents a thank-you hug for saving her from a lifetime of skinny dipping sloppy seconds. The Bachelor Season 16, Episode 8 hometown dates gave Ben Flajnik — and viewers — a lot to think about and here are three of the most memorable moments:

So many parents get steamrolled by The Bachelor “process” and end up giving their blessings after one day with the guy. Kacie’s parents were not about to be charmed so easily, even if Kacie herself seemed irritated by their reservations. Dad told Kacie if Ben asked for permission to propose, Dad would turn him down. Dad told Ben marriage is serious and if Kacie was not The One he should set her free now. Mom told Ben she would be disappointed to see Kacie do the usual post-Bachelor thing and move in with Ben before they got married. All the real-world stuff was laid on a slab right away, without sugar-coating it — and, for once, Ben didn’t like how the truth tasted without it.

On The Bachelor, you’re not just picking a girl, you’re picking her family, her background, her lifestyle, her baggage. Lindzi Cox’s family gets the Please Adopt Us award of the week. They live in a beautiful country setting, go carriage racing as a family hobby, encourage trash-talking, and have an adorable dog. Lindzi’s parents seem cool and low-key and — bonus! — they were married in San Francisco’s City Hall, the site of Ben and Lindzi’s first date. It’s weird that Lindzi didn’t already know that, and also weird that Ben just heard that Lindzi lived with her last boyfriend, but those are both strong signs for Lindzi being a good, practical and maybe even karmic match for Ben. If Ben were to write down the pros and cons of each family, on paper Lindzi is his perfect match. But, unfortunately, love can’t be written into fruition.

Whether you think it was real regret or real damage control that’s coming too late to do any good, Courtney Robertson said some nice things this week. She shared her regret in lashing out at the other bachelorettes (no word from the other girls on regretting anything they said about her or each other) and, outside of The Bachelor setting, she seems to be a good girl. No wonder Ben likes this Courtney. And Ben does like this Courtney. Clearly. When Courtney launched her fake wedding, she seemed to borrow her vows from Sex and the City but topped them off with a raw, vulnerable and seemingly real expression of love. Meanwhile, Ben surprised Courtney — and probably himself — with his own raw, heartfelt, beautiful and very Courtney specific vows. After a scene like this, a B + C = ♥ future seems like it could work. 

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