‘The Bachelorette’ review: Did Brooks Forester, Zak Waddell make Desiree Hartsock overnights?

Monday night’s new episode of “The Bachelorette” was all about hometown dates … and a “surprise” visitor that challenges Desiree Hartsock like no other. We definitely know by now about the sort of chaos that her brother Nate is capable of inflicting, but we will have a little bit more on that later on.

For now, let’s kick things off by focusing on the craziness that unfolded during these four hometown dates, which are often really just “rinse and repeat.” You meet the family, you are forced into awkward situations, and eventually, you have some sort of evidence that everything is going to be okay in the end (most of the time). Desiree really is one of the few exceptions to that.

The dates

Zak Waddell – First of all, Desiree tried to pawn off on us the notion that being in the back of a snow-cone truck in Dallas, Texas is “fun” … when in reality it’s about a billion degrees and uncomfortable. Also, did Zak kiss his mother on the mouth? Some people do this, but we’re not a fan. We do, however, think that his siblings should audition for “The Voice” together and form a family band.

Drew Kenney – By far, this date was the most emotional in that Drew has one of the most complicated backgrounds out of everyone on his show. His father has a tough past, his sister has a severe mental disorder, and this could be a tense situation at times; but he rises above it. While this was the most complicated family, it also seemed to be a great situation to be a part of and do some good for the world.

Chris Siegfried – We don’t want this to read like a grade-A burn of Chris, but outside of his dad giving a rather awkward adjustment, this was the dullest date of the group. Chris is actually a pretty ordinary American guy: He loves baseball, loves his family, and has a loving group around him. He’s certainly the most traditional of the four dates, which was probably nice for Desiree. It just wasn’t that nice for us as a TV viewer.

Brooks Forester – Basically, we could describe this entire date as such: We watch Brooks freak out. About what, specifically? That he has fears and concerns about whether or not he is ready for this, and he needs to feel a sign that things are real. What we’re slightly concerned about as a viewer is that this is all code for “I don’t know if I want to marry her, but I’m on TV and don’t want to look bad, she loves me, and I feel pressure.” We’re not saying this is how he feels, but it is how it comes across.

Desiree’s brother – Well, this was a letdown, wasn’t it? There was no real reason we needed this much-hyped bit, since it was mostly Nate agreeing to possibly giving her guys a chance, and them him leaving. Nothing else. Yawn.

The decision – We basically saw this move coming a mile away. We expected to see Desiree send Zak home, given that he has been at the bottom for our rankings for some time, and his relationship was a little too goofy and not enough serious subject matter.

Do you think that Desiree made the wrong move tonight? If you want to read more news related to “The Bachelorette,” just be sure to head on over to the link here.

Photo: ABC