‘The Bachelor’: Emotions, L-Bombs & a Tough Dad on Hometown Dates (RECAP)

Paige Strout
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'The Bachelor' - Season 26, Episode 8 - Gabby Windey, Serene Russell, Rachel Recchia, and Susie Evans
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The Bachelor

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Season 26 • Episode 8

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And then there were four! After their international travels, it’s back stateside for Hometown Dates on the February 28 episode of The Bachelor. As his connections with the ladies grow deeper, Clayton Echard is about to face his biggest challenge yet… meeting their families!

Bachelor Nation knows that Hometowns can make or break well-established connections. Will Clayton’s charm win over the women’s families, or will real-world concerns cut some relationships short?

Read on for what happens during Week 8 and find which women are moving on to Fantasy Suites!

Who From Clayton's 'Bachelor' Season Should Be the Next 'Bachelorette'? (POLL)
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Who From Clayton's 'Bachelor' Season Should Be the Next 'Bachelorette'? (POLL)

Clayton Charms Susie’s Father

Susie’s hometown visit is up first in the lovely Virginia Beach, Virginia. Hoping to give Clayton a deeper inside look at who she is, she surprises him with a lesson in jiu-jitsu, which she studied in Japan (who knew Susie was such a badass?). Continuing their day at the beach, Susie emphasizes the importance of her family with him, especially after her dad got sick over the last few years. She sees her dad as the gold standard, something that has caused her to struggle in past relationships. All she wants is for her dad to be there to walk her down the aisle one day, so Clayton has a lot to live up to.

Knowing the importance of meeting her father, he luckily manages to win him over upon meeting her family later on. Her dad could see the sparks between them from the moment they walked in, telling the Bachelor that his daughter is something special (so sweet!). During his conversation with Clayton, he recalls one of his worst health days, telling him that Susie slept next to his bed all night, refusing to move. He trusts his daughter’s judgment, but her mom is a bit more cautious.

Like any parent, she worries about Clayton’s true feelings for Susie, and asks him if he is in love with her. Having not said the “L-word” to anyone so far, Clayton admits that he’s being cautious, but could definitely say those words soon. Susie’s mom warns her to “proceed with caution,” but her feelings for Clayton aren’t affected in any way. Overall, the first Hometown of the season went off without a hitch! Will the trend continue with the others’?

Gabby’s Hometown Gets Emotional

Leaving the beach for the mountains of Denver, Colorado, Gabby’s Hometown is up next. Denver is the city where Gabby became a nurse and performed as a Bronco’s cheerleader, so what better way to kick things off than with a scenic hike (Can we talk about Clayton’s cringy bear-scaring demonstration?). Along their trail, she takes him to a spot called “Proposal Rock” (hint, hint…).

Going into the evening, her father was unable to make it, being cautious with COVID after his girlfriend was diagnosed with cancer. This breaks her heart, but she is happy to have Clayton meet her grandpa, aunt, uncle, and cousin. Turns out Gabby’s family is just as goofy as she is! She turns red with embarrassment when they ask her about her limo entrance, to which Clayton spares no detail describing the pillow of his face that she presented to him in the premiere.

Clayton is pulled aside by her grandpa, who makes sure that the Bachelor truly cares about his granddaughter and will take care of her. “I don’t give a damn about anything else,” he says. He advises them to take things slow and really get to know each other before jumping into the deep end. While he isn’t wrong, this show isn’t designed for slow-burn relationships.

When he talks to Gabby, he jokes that Clayton’s “full of s**t” for falling in love with her, as no one can ever be good enough. All jokes aside, their evening was one well spent, until a mysterious car begins honking outside. Who could it be? None other than Gabby’s father, who surprises her Love Actually-style with heartfelt cue cards (can someone pass the tissues?). Sobbing and grateful for the special surprise, she finally tells Clayton that she loves him, something he has been waiting to hear for a long time!

Serene and Clayton Take a “Leap of Faith”

Next up in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma is Serene, who wastes no time asking Clayton, “Are you afraid of heights?” They put their relationship and courage to the test on an aerial obstacle course. Serene has far more courage than her former football-playing beau on their date, making for some of the funniest moments of the season (especially Clayton hyping himself up for the course’s 80-foot jump)!

Like Gabby (initially), Serene’s father is unable to make the meeting with her family, but her mother, brother, and best friend certainly make up for his absence with their kindness and generosity. Her parents have been divorced for the majority of her life, so she never really understood what a marriage is supposed to look like, something that has prevented her from introducing previous partners to her family. She warns that her brother, Roland, could be very protective, so things could get interesting.

Sitting down to give Clayton the “big brother talk,” he confesses he was shocked to see how much she has opened up to him in such a short amount of time, especially about her recent losses. “Please be really careful. It’s really fragile,” he warns Clayton. During his talk with Serene, he gets emotional, stating that he doesn’t want to see her get hurt like she has been before, especially since she isn’t scared of where things are going. A round of applause for Roland, please! Such a good big brother!

While not as smooth as the previous two dates, Clayton seemed to earn her family’s trust (for now). No longer “falling in love,” she tells the Bachelor that she is, in fact, truly in love with him. While we love to see their romance blossom, we can’t help but remember that only one will end the season with a ring on their finger. Could it be Serene? We’ll have to wait and see!

Rachel’s Dad vs. Clayton

Last up is Rachel in Clermont, Florida, and despite losing her voice, she couldn’t be happier to take the Bachelor on an adventurous kayaking trip. While they don’t come across any alligators, they do encounter a terrifying, gigantic spider! Nothing like a bit of fear to help bond two people together!

They *just so happen* to stumble across the “Kissing Tree,” so they follow the sign’s orders and share a romantic moment before continuing it in the water. Maybe their PDA distracts them from the dangerous creatures surrounding them? However, Rachel’s dad could be scarier than anything they’ve faced so far — Rachel warns her father can be a tough cookie and, in fact, he’s never liked anyone she’s brought home. Good luck, Clayton…

Rachel wants nothing more than her family to accept the person she’s with, and her mother and friends seem to do just that right off the bat. However, her father is hesitant from the start. Both of her friends are happy for Rachel’s happiness, but express their concern about seeing her get heartbroken. Their conversations are a warm-up for the main event: Clayton vs. Tony.

Clayton takes a cautious approach, letting him know he is open to answering any questions. Tony holds nothing back, grilling him with questions about how much he knows Rachel, how he would be a committed partner, and how she might get hurt at the end of this. Clayton keeps putting his best foot forward, but not enough the earn his blessing, which he will only give if Rachel is sure he’s “the one.” He tells Clayton that if things go well during his talk with Rachel, he will shake his hand and pat him on the back.

Rachel expresses how much she cares about Clayton to her dad, who turns out to be a big softie after all. Their connection is so strong, and his toughness comes from a place of fatherly protection. If Rachel is happy with Clayton, then he will be happy. As he told Clayton he would earlier, he shakes the Bachelor’s hand and pats him on the back on his way out, giving his non-verbal blessing to the couple. Not even a grueling chat with her dad could put a dent in their relationship.

Who are Clayton’s Final 3?

Back where it all began, the group returns to the Bachelor Mansion in Los Angeles for what promises to be a painful rose ceremony. Who will be sent home and who will be one step closer to becoming Clayton’s wife?

Host Jesse Palmer is surprised by Clayton admitting that he’s falling in love with each of them, making his decision even harder than before. He tells the group he went into Hometowns looking for clarity but has to follow his heart, no matter how tough it will be to say goodbye. Susie and Gabby secure the first two roses, putting Serene and Rachel’s fates in jeopardy.

Ultimately, it is Rachel who will move on to Fantasy Suites, meaning we have to say goodbye to Serene. He apologizes to her outside, to which she asks what changed from the time they last saw each other. Everything came down to his stronger connections with the others, much to her (and our) disappointment. Though she is clearly upset, she puts on a tough face and respectfully bids farewell to Clayton. “It sucks, it really does, and I wish it were different,” she says in the car driving away. “I have nothing else to say to him.”

Next week’s two-night Fantasy Suites event is teased to be “the most shocking and emotional ending ever.” We know from previous promos that Clayton will be intimate with more than one of his final three, so we can’t wait to watch the drama that’s about to ensue!

The Bachelor, Mondays, 8/7c, ABC

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