By Rachel Lu
We’re back for the fourth week and the cast takes it to Aukland, New Zealand! New place, new culture, but the same unbelievably chaotic group of men. This week’s episode gives me the feeling that so much happened, yet so little was accomplished.
Let’s unpack the highlights starting from the top. Jenn goes on a one-on-one date with Sam M. at the Aukland Sky Tower, where in the middle of their meal, the waiter and Sam M. decide the couple must go to the top and bungee jump down. Casual.
Jenn did not seem amused by the suggestion but they went anyway. Strapped in at the top of the tower, Sam M. leans out to the side and asks Jenn to come give him a kiss. The audacity! At this point Jenn looks like she’s shivering just looking down from this height.
Even though Jenn eventually came around to it and leaped off the building, points off for Sam M. and his disregard for Jenn’s feelings. As Jenn said repeatedly, sexual tension could be the only thing between her and Sam M., and this might just be the proof.
Next came a rugby group date that was honestly uneventful except for one big catch from none other than…. Thomas N.! The men play rugby for the first time, but for a sport that resembles much of football, these men really can’t catch for their lives. After a compilation of men getting hit in the stomach, missing the ball completely, or getting tripped up by the turf, here comes Thomas in a tank top, catching the ball like a pro.
Probably not enough to make up for the lack of Thomas highlight in last week’s strip tease, but a fantastic catch from Thomas nonetheless.
In the group cocktail hours, Thomas finally, finally finds a moment to sit down and talk to Jenn, yet once again, before the man could get two full sentences out, Sam N. comes to interrupt. What happens next will likely go down as one of the most embarrassing moments of this season.
Sam N. again confesses his love for Jenn and asks for a kiss. Instead of kissing him, Jenn very thoughtfully explains that the two may not be on the same page about this relationship and proceeds to walk him out. That’s right, Sam N. asked for a kiss and then got sent home. Maybe next time don’t interrupt Thomas’ conversation?
Next day, Jenn goes on a date with Devin to learn more about the indigenous Maori culture. Jenn said that her spirituality and values as a Buddhist means a lot to her and she hopes to find a man who can respect and learn with her. Surrounded by the local community, the two share their cultural upbringings in a really wholesome moment.
Our bachelorette talks about going to the temple with her family over Lunar New Year, and really growing into loving and appreciating her Vietnamese identity, which she hopes to bring to her future family. Devin resonates with Jenn and talks about his Mexican heritage and the prospect of bringing his own children into the culture. Ending their date in an opera house, the two embrace in a long, passionate kiss, to the backdrop of a man singing opera. How romantic and extremely awkward for the singer.
There is honestly not much more to say about this date, except it is so heartwarming and refreshing to see the two of them talk intimately about themselves, their families, and cultures. In fact, this moment earned Devin a lot of brownie points from the peanut gallery on X, with fans dubbing themselves as “Devin-pilled” as they are now rooting for the villain of previous episodes.
Last but definitely not least, Jenn’s ex from the past shows up all the way to New Zealand to confess his love, leaving us on the ultimate cliffhanger at the end of the episode.
Will Jenn’s ex make his way into the line up? Will Sam M. and Devin get to the bottom of, to quote Sam M, “why is he such a little b*tch to me”? Will Thomas have a full conversation with Jenn?
We shall find out.
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