Paradise can be brutal, even on birthdays. Thursday night’s episode of Bachelor in Paradise picked up right where last week left off with several men — namely Sean, Aaron S., John B., Will and Peter — questioning where their rose could possibly come from.
Sean’s prayer to the Paradise gods was answered when a woman made her way down the steps. Though he was delighted to see a new lady, neither he nor anyone else on the beach recognized the woman in question.
Turns out the new arrival is Sam Picco, a Canadian reality star who’s had stints on Canada’s versions of Big Brother and Bachelor in Paradise. She came in “on top of the world,” telling the cameras, “These people are not ready for the energy I’m going to bring to this beach. Buckle up.”
The guys quickly descended onto Sam, and she wasn’t shy about keeping it real, especially to Sean whose maturity she questioned, given that he was nearly a decade her junior.
In the end, Sam awarded her rose to Peter, sending Sean, Aaron S. John B. and Will packing.
The next day, Rachel nabbed the date card and was quick to invite Brayden along for the fun. The two ended up stripping down to nude underthings, before turning each other into human piñatas with paint, confetti and loads of PDA.
“I think Brayden’s probably the only person that would be able to bring this side out of me,” Rachel told the cameras. “I feel probably too comfortable with Brayden now that he’s put paint in my crevices, but this is the most romantic date I’ve been on in my Bachelor career. I don’t need fireworks and a yacht.”
“It’s so much fun to be able to go and do something with someone who’s not worried about getting messy or getting dirty, but is just in the moment. And she looked amazing!” Brayden said in a confessional of his own. “That’s the thing that’s so beautiful. When you don’t care, you’re not so fixated on it, your beauty comes out. Her beauty really came out today. Honestly, there’s no one else that I feel like would’ve taken this date on like Rachel did.”
Rachel ended the date by telling Brayden, “This could be the beginning of something amazing.”
Back on the beach, Kat was hoping to spend her 27th birthday making out with Tanner. Her plans were spoiled, though, when Davia stepped onto the beach with her eyes firmly set on Tanner. After a quick conversation, Davia asked Tanner on her date and he quickly accepted, much to Kat’s dismay.
“I can’t believe this is happening on my birthday. It’s frustrating… I’m pissed. This is my literal worst nightmare,” Kat cried to the cameras. “You say ‘yes’ on my birthday without having a conversation with me.”
As Tanner and Davia danced the night away on their date, Kat stewed with anger, which she channeled into hitting a birthday piñata.
“I hope that she’s everything you want and more because you’re never going to see me again,” Kat said in a confessional. “Tanner is a self-serving individual. You literally said yes before talking to me. That shows me that you don’t even look at this as a really f**king thing. I look at this as my life. It’s not about the show, it’s not about Paradise, it’s about my relationship and my life… I am not living with the bugs for no reason!”
Sam decided to shake things up next by leading a game of truth or dare and things quickly got spicy. Aaron ate a hot pepper, Brayden gave Jess a lap dance, Peter kissed Kylee, Mercedes made out with John Henry, Kat took a body shot off of John Henry and Olivia sucked on John Henry’s finger.
Things got awkward when Jess was asked if Blake was her number one, and she took quite a pause before answering. Blake took the hint and decided to talk to Jess about her feelings for him, or lack thereof.
Blake told Jess that he “feels the unsureness” in her and admitted that he’s “not fully into it because you’re not fully into it.” Jess broke down in tears, insisting, “That’s not true. I haven’t even put myself out there because I’ve cared so much about you and my friends and I haven’t done anything for myself.”
Blake decided to give Jess space, as she told the cameras, “I’m just so overwhelmed because I don’t know what I want… I’m watching everyone else be able to explore and it feels like I’m the only one that can’t… I just feel like the worse person.”
The next day, Davia told Kat that her date with Tanner went well, and the episode ended before Kat could confront Tanner about where his heart lies.
In the preview for next week’s episode, Kat goes off on Tanner, telling him, “You think that you get to come back on this beach and tell me about myself? Please. I am literally so much better than you. You’ll regret it.”
Kat seems to move on quickly, though, changing her focus to the “really hot” John Henry. Olivia was less than pleased by the latest development, calling Kat a “disrespectful ho” with a “garbage” personality.”
Jess is likewise exploring new connections, specifically with Tyler.
And just as Aaron is ready to take the next step with Eliza, his ex, Charity Lawson, shows up to give Eliza and others “some insight” on her exes.
“Now I’m questioning everything,” Eliza admits after her chat with Charity, just as Aaron questions the cameras, “Charity, how can you destroy my life?”
Bachelor in Paradise airs Thursdays on ABC. Keep up with all the drama on the beach with ET’s coverage of the show.
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