‘The Bachelor’ review: Jubilee Sharpe, Amber James, roses, and Ben Higgins confrontations
Monday night’s new episode of “The Bachelor” certainly had some romance, but it also had a massive dollop of cheese all over it … and also a complete lack of originality.
For example, didn’t we just have a soccer group date a couple of years ago during Juan Pablo Galavis’ season? We know you had some U.S. Women’s World Cup team members on the show, but couldn’t there be something that is a little less on-the-nose? The only thing that was surprising about this date that Amber James, who was barely on the show the season so far, actually got the rose at the end of the date. Maybe this means that we should actually pay attention to her from now on? Maybe.
At least this group date was the first time all episode we were really entertained, since the first one-on-one date featuring Lauren Bushnell and Ben Higgins was a little dull, and it came right out of a “Bachelor” paint-by-numbers kit. There was kissing, a hot tub, and a plane ride for a flight attendant. Ugh. Lauren’s an instant favorite of his, and will probably be on the show for a long time as a result. That doesn’t mean we want to watch many of the dates longer than a few minutes.
By contrast, the date between Jubilee Sharpe and Ben started off super-awkward (there are some things you gotta be careful kidding about!), but ended on a surprisingly vulnerable note as she admitted why she was so afraid of going back to Haiti and a place that holds so much pain in her heart. We felt for her in that moment, though we also knew throughout this date that there was drama coming thanks to some of the previews. Therefore, it was hard to get as immersed in this as we really wanted to.
As for whether or not Jubilee was in the wrong later for trying to massage Ben after he had a rough night (two family friends passed away) … we understand the jealousy, and we also understand that this is probably a tricky thing to do with other women nearby. However, we think her heart was in the right place and the other women blew this WAY out of proportion. Amber throwing her under the bus and lecturing her in front of Ben was so bad; this is enough to make the rose she has almost nullified in the future.
The only other notable highlight? Lace is gone. We’re not shocked about the fact she was sent home, but just that it was more of a whimper than a bang. Episode Grade: B- for mild entertainment.
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