The Bachelorette Recap Season 17, Episode 7: Katie Eliminates Fan-Favorite Front-Runner

We were stunned and shocked by one of Katie’s eliminations tonight, Twitter was outraged by it, and even Katie collapsed in a heap of tears — and ultimately, she chased the guy down on his way out.

It was a wild episode of “The Bachelorette” this week as the pressure reached a fever pitch ahead of next week’s Hometowns. Katie was definitely feeling the pressure of getting this just right, and for the first time all season, we’re not sure she did.

She also made the surprising decision to not award the week’s two One-on-Ones to the two guys still in the house who’d never had one. That lead to an awkward encounter of its own.

While there were three guys cut by the end of the night, we can’t say we were altogether too surprised by two of them. It’s the third one that left us stunned, and left Twitter spinning all night long as the show climbed up the Trending Topics chart.

The first One-on-One went to Greg, which left the house in a tizzy as neither Mike P or Brendan had had one at all yet, while Greg enjoyed the first one of the season. But it turns out Katie had two reasons for picking him again.

She and Greg had a great connection that first week, but as the group dates have dragged on, she’s seen uncertainty in his eyes. The show has been a real struggle for him and Katie was clearly hyper-aware of that.

It’s a testament to her feelings for him that she prioritized his feelings even in those moments, or during Rose Ceremonies. Now, we picked Greg as our winner (before Blake’s arrival), and we still see a pretty special connection between the two of them.

As per her resume, Katie did not mince her words, telling Greg that one of her fears is that he would simply quit the show, as so many before him have in prior seasons. It’s a testament to Katie that no one has this season, and Greg is among them.

Even as he struggled week by week, his feelings for her, and the power of their few shared moments propelled him forward bit by bit until this date when they could again reconnect in a very genuine and heartfelt way.

After he expressed his love for her in their Seattle-themed date, it was a no-brainer for Katie to give him a rose.

The second One-on-One landed with Mike P, who’d managed to impress Katie enough on group dates to keep him around, even as she admitted she had preconceived perceptions of people who are saving themselves for marriage, as he is.

At the same time, it was clear she was trying to push him hard out of his comfort zone. The only way she could have pushed him further, other than the Fantasy Suite, was perhaps with tantric yoga.

As it was, they went for a guided cuddle session in the woods. To his credit, Mike P went for it. Now, he’s not a prude in his life choices, so he wasn’t particularly bothered with the intimacy. He’s just chosen not to have sex.

At the same time, Katie is a very intimate, sex positive person. She’s been very happily kissing all of the guys here, but Mike P greeted her with a warm hug. He might just be too innocent where he’s at in his life for where she’s at in hers.

We got a little weirded out when he kept comparing Katie to his mom, but it was clear he was meaning it in a positive way, compliment her nurturing and empathic nature. Again, there was a wholesomeness there that felt completely out of place.

Katie felt it, too, having to concede that she just wasn’t at the same place with Mike P as some of the other guys. Blake called it back at the house, for those very reasons, and even though that may not be all of it, it was likely a factor as Mike P never returned to the house.

Once the names for the Group Date were revealed, it quickly became clear that Brendan was not only not going to get a One-on-One this week, he was never going to get one this season as this was the last of them.

He’s been denied any time with Katie at Group Dates and even Cocktail Parties, so at this point he’s left with a very realistic question. If they’ve barely had time to connect, then how is he still here over other guys?

And so, he decided he needed to go to her room ahead of the Group Date to find out why. He also pleaded his case as to why he believed there was so much more to him than she even knew.

Honestly, we kept having to look up just which of the pretty guys this was because he has gotten no time with Katie and almost zero time in the edit on this show. For a guy in the Final 7, Brendan had left almost no mark on the show.

He also didn’t leave enough of a mark on Katie to survive that evening visit. He was right, there just wasn’t much of a connection there. And since he gave her that opportunity to address it head on, she decided it would be cruel to drag him all the way to a Rose Ceremony when they both could see the writing on the wall.

Eliminations at any stage on these shows is difficult, but it gets harder and harder as the weeks progress. By the time the Rose Ceremony arrived, Katie only had five guys left. Greg had scored his One-on-One rose, while Michael A nabbed the one from the Group Date — she really wants to meet his son — meaning there were two roses for three guys.

That made the cut even crueler, as the eliminated guy had to walk that walk of shame all by himself. Would it be Blake, who admitted this week that he wasn’t in love with her but was confident he would get there, or was it Andrew S, who recreated their One-on-One to tell her he was falling for her, or was it Justin, who made her a butterfly painting.

Based on the edit alone, we were feeling pretty confident at this point that it was the end of the road for poor Justin. He’s earnest and sincere and seems like a sweet enough guy, but he just hasn’t resonated as strongly as Andrew S or Blake.

Even in telling her he didn’t love her, Blake did it with such honesty and expressed that he is feeling more and more for her each day, the “Bachelorette” alum actually came off very well in that moment.

After being a bit of a goober in the Claire/Tayshia season, Blake has really stepped up in a way where he seems to still have that goofy charisma, but it’s now coming with a bit of perspective and maturity — well, not too much maturity as this was his second season creating art so graphic (read: sexual) that it couldn’t be shown on TV!

Andrew S is just joy, with a beautifully infectious smile. He and Katie have an incredible chemistry and have since the beginning, when we picked him as one of our picks for the Final Four.

So how did he not make it?!

Katie admitted to Tayshia and Kaitlyn that she was fairly confident in what she was going to do, but how could this be the right move? Was it because Andrew was too positive, upbeat and playful? Did she struggle to take him seriously as a candidate?

We were heartbroken, Andrew S was heartbroken and Katie was, too, collapsing to a crouch (dress, you know) as his car drove away. But that wasn’t the last of it.

As if proving again what an incredible guy he was, Andrew returned to her room the next day with that signature smile, simply to tell her that there was no way he could let their time together not end in a smile.

This is an incredible human being. His love and respect and affection for her never wavered even in that second goodbye, and even then he wasn’t done.

As he left, he handed her an envelope to open after he was gone. The message inside, which broke her completely, read, “If you change your mind… I’ll be waiting.”

What followed was a mad dash through the resort as she tried to find him, jumping into his arms in a huge hug. It got so real for a moment, with him telling her that he still knows there’s something between them, so he’s willing to wait for her “whenever, wherever.”

And if we didn’t love him enough, when she sheepishly asked him if he’d consider returning to the show if that was possible, he declined, later explaining, “I want my future wife to choose me and, you know, I wasn’t chosen.”

We have so much respect for him, holding to his character and integrity in the face of what had to be incredible temptation. The message is clear. He’ll wait for her to want him.

But if that doesn’t work out, we’d be hard pressed to find someone sweeter and more likable to be our next “Bachelor.” Twitter lit up, agreeing that Andrew is really something special and deserves all the happiness this world has to offer (that he so willingly gives).

• “Greg has been consistent, consistent with my girl! And getting another chance to talk to her — dangerous.” –Andrew (after Greg scores second one-on-one)
• “I couldn’t wait to see you today. My heart just races and I get so excited and, like, I get awkward and I start word vomiting. I don’t know, I’ve never felt so, like, giddy before. I’m usually very — or at least I tell myself that I’m like, calm, cool collected.” –Katie (to Greg on One-on-One)
• “Are you kidding me? You make me a nervous wreck. Yes, I’m serious. I feel like I’m in high school.” –Greg
• “I loved today.” –Greg (to Katie on One-on-One)
• “Today’s not even over.” –Katie
• “Still, I still loved it.” –Greg
• “The same way you get scared, I get scared. And if I’m being honest, I feel like– like you’re going to leave.” –Katie (to Greg)
• “If we move into next week, I am really excited to show my family the girl I’m falling in love with.” –Greg
• “I don’t want Hometowns without a One-on-One.” –Brendan (hasn’t had one)
• “I cannot get to an engagement without a One-on-One. I can’t.” –Mike P
• “The biggest question is, why am I still here?” –Brendan (after missing out on last One-on-One)
• “I see flowers that aren’t just flowers.” –Justin
• “All the art pieces look flowery with a twist.” –Blake
• “Tell me what you see?” –Katie
• “I see, uh– Anyone else care to chime in?” –Andrew S
• “I don’t think Michael has seen Katie’s ass, but I hope that’s not an accurate sculpture.” –Justin (seeing Michael A’s art)
• “I’m so in for you right now, it’s crazy. Like, I’m not in love right now, but the way we’re going, it’s f—— inevitable. I know it’s coming, but I won’t lie to you, either. I haven’t lied to you, I”m not gonna lie to you. You’ve just gotta trust me.” –Blake
• “I don’t want to put so much into this and it all be for naught.” –Andrew S
• “Cuddle in the woods? Ten being the most uncomfortable, probably a ten.” –Mike P (on One-on-One)
• “You look cute. I look like a drug lord.” -Mike P (in his Cuddle garb)
• “Katie is a nurturer and man do I love nurturers. She reminds me of my mom. My mom brings a nurturing touch to every situation that she comes in contact with. Katie does the same thing.” –Mike P
• “The reason why I wait is for a reason. Believe me, if it was up to me, I’d be humping everything. But that’s not what’s in the cards for me.” –Mike P (to Katie)
• “It’s literally my worst nightmare. I’d rather have my heart broke a hundred times over than break somebody’s heart.” –Mike P (to Katie about the show)
• “I think it would be terrible if I were to leave this place and honestly not have a smile on our face.” –Andrew S (going to Katie’s room the day after his elimination)
• “It was the first time I’d made a decision that I didn’t feel confident about. I think I, like, dropped to the ground when the car drove away.” –Katie
• “If you change your mind… I’ll be waiting.” –Andrew S (note he leaves with Katie)
• “That’s real. I just believe there’s something there. Whenever, wherever. You have me.” –Andrew SI
• “If there’s a way to stay a little longer, would you want to? You can say ‘yes,’ you can say ‘no.'” –Katie
• She f—— sprinted down the stairs, dude, and I said no. But I want my future wife to choose me and, you know, I wasn’t chosen.” –Andrew S

“The Bachelorette” heads for Hometowns — plus the “Men Tell All” next Monday at 8 p.m. et on ABC.