The Bachelorette spoilers: Eric Bigger, Dean Unglert, and hometown dates

On next week’s new episode of The Bachelorette, hometown dates will be upon us! Whether or not people like Dean Unglert and Eric Bigger make it is something you’ll learn at the end of tonight’s episode, but for now the final for feel almost assured for this season — you’re going to have these two plus Bryan Abasolo and Peter Kraus. Despite whatever drama you imagine, in what universe is Rachel going to take Adam or Matt without any lengthy amount of time with either one of them?

The hometown dates are obviously super-important for any Bachelor or Bachelorette because it’s about picturing yourself in a situation and with a family. While sometimes you can look past some issues there, at other points you really can’t. We’ve seen some seasons where crazy hometown dates either doomed someone’s chances, or severely limited them. While we don’t think Desiree Hartsock was winning Sean Lowe’s season by any means, maybe she makes it further if her brother doesn’t start insulting Sean and calling him a player midway through the date.

Of these four, things are a little bit murkier when it comes to who has the best chance of actually making it to the final part of the season. For example, Peter and Bryan have the best relationships at the moment, but they could easily be derailed here. Eric’s a little bit of the underdog who could come from behind, given that he was the victim of some Lee drama already on that derailed him a little bit. He’s had to fight harder for his position in the competition. Meanwhile, Bryan’s been the favorite from the start, so he has the challenge of trying to maintain that.

Format-wise, expect the remainder of the season to play out in the way that it often does in that you’ll have hometown dates next week, after that most likely the overnight dates, and then the Men Tell All special prior to the finale and the After the Final Rose. Then, on the other side of all of that, the new, shortened season of Bachelor in Paradise will premiere. Hopefully, Rachel finds someone at the end of the madness she can call a husband: We know that it’s easy to be cynical and poke fun of the show for ridiculous things here and there, but when the dust settles we do root for the people to be happy so long as they aren’t jerks to each other.

Want some further news when it comes to The Bachelorette? 

If you are interested, we suggest mostly that you head over to the link here right now! We will be back later with even more of an in-depth preview for what is coming up next. (Photo: ABC.)