Did anyone miss me? I took last week off, but I’m back to recap the Women Tell All, the week in between the hometowns and finale, where we catch up with all the women who’ve been eliminated from The Golden Bachelor. Plus, it’s also that time in the season when I get to share my predictions for who will win Mel’s final rose.
But first, I’ve got to say: Justice for Debbie, whose rawness about never settling down was such a breath of fresh air. I honestly thought she was going to win this whole thing, so seeing her get eliminated after hometowns was upsetting, to say the least.
As the special starts, Jesse says, “You might be wondering, where’s Diane?” He assures us that she’s in Hawaii for her son’s wedding. But I’m thinking, Who’s Diane? And then five minutes later, I remember: Diane is this absolute icon:
About 50 percent of the episode consists of clips we’ve already seen, so I’ll focus on fresh information. We start with Nicolle…
Nicolle answers for her controversial comments
She says she didn’t come into The Golden Bachelor with any strategy; she and Mel just “had really palpable chemistry.”
Everyone:
She also says she was a “trailblazer” on the show, because she was the first one to kiss Mel, and then everyone followed. She was also a trailblazer in breaking the fourth wall, which isn’t mentioned.
Jesse wastes no time in bringing up the lemon bar situation, which you’ll recall Nicolle took complete credit for to look good in front of Mel. Robin explains that the baking was a collective effort, but Nicolle said she spearheaded it. The ladies actually seem to agree with this assessment, despite the shady editing we saw, which seemed to depict Nicolle lounging around and doing everything but baking while the other women were at work in the kitchen. Just goes to show you, you can’t trust everything you see on reality TV.
Nicolle says she was 100 percent on the show to find love, which earns some more side-eye from the other ladies. She then gives a speech about empowering women in their 60s and 70s. I feel like Nicolle hired a publicity consultant before the Women Tell All to try to win the public back and get picked as the next Golden Bachelorette, because this doesn’t sound like the same woman who basically called the whole season 1 cast unattractive.
Debbie jumps in and says this is hard for her to listen to. “You did not empower us. You dismissed us,” she says. Debbie also calls her out for insulting the first season contestants. “If you want to be an influencer, you’re not going to be if nobody likes you.” I mean…she’s not wrong!
Jesse asks Robin if she thinks things would’ve gone differently if she hadn’t narc’d on Nicolle to Mel. She says she has no regrets, but she wishes she had spoken up earlier. Nicolle ends her brief time in the hot seat by saying, “I love you all, and I’ll do better.”
Cheryl shares her regrets
Cheryl is the first person to sit down one-on-one with Jesse. Jesse says, “You were so close to bringing Mel home to your family.” I’m sure she’s very much aware — no need to rub it in, Jesse. Cheryl says she may have let the other women swoop in and that she should have been a bit more assertive.
Debbie’s turn in the hot seat
For the record, it’s not really a hot seat; it’s just barely lukewarm at best, since the women aren’t being grilled by any means.
Debbie says she thinks Mel saw pieces of her, but there are so many more layers to her, and she wishes she’d had more time with him.
They talk about the PEOPLE magazine shoot — apparently, the other women were the ones who encouraged her to wear the beach bride outfit. And again I say, DEBBIE FOR GOLDEN BACHELORETTE!
Debbie says she’s proud of herself for putting herself out there before returning to her seat among the rest of the ladies. I thought Mel was going to have to come out here and face her — but apparently not? Respectfully, ABC, what are we even doing here? I deserve answers — I mean, Debbie deserves answers!
Mel gets grilled — and praised
After a commercial break, Mel finally comes out and sits down with Jesse. Jesse ribs Mel for wearing his orthopedic shoes to the Women Tell All, even though he gets to sit the whole time. This turns into the “Compliment Mel” segment: Terri (remember, the Southern woman with the puppet?) says he treated them all with respect and kindness.
Cheryl says, “Mel, you are an amazing man, and you taught me that there could be a fairytale for anyone out there.” She says she wishes she had been braver, and he cuts her off, telling her she is brave: “I’ll never forget how strong you were raising your family.”
Nicolle just says to Mel, “I missed you,” and starts crying. She says, “I know I made some missteps, but my feelings for you were really genuine.”
The audience:
Debbie asks Mel whether not being married or having children influenced his decision to send her home. He says he wasn’t thinking it, ever. Debbie is grateful to hear that and says, “I’m just appreciative that you kick-started my heart again.”
Alexandra says, “I’m going to ask you in front of America…Will you, Mel, introduce me to one of your friends?” It’s what we’re all wondering, to be honest.
Then we get to see some unseen footage from the roast, and the fact that these moments got cut is another huge injustice. Carol had some real zingers. She said, “Mel, I’ve got some skills…I can change a diaper, and I can lift you out of the tub.”
That’s it for the Women Tell All, and strap in for next week (and make sure you’ve got caffeine) because it’s a two-hour live finale, starting with Fantasy Suites and hopefully ending with a proposal. I’ll be hopping back on IG Live Thursday at 11 a.m. with Emma Gray of the We Love to See It podcast to break down this season so far, the Women Tell All, and most importantly, our predictions for who will get the final rose. Speaking of…
So, who will win The Golden Bachelor this season?
That’s the question on everyone’s minds. Cindy and Peg are Mel’s final two, and he’ll be jetting off to Antigua for Fantasy Suite dates with each of them. Plus, if we follow the traditional Bachelor pattern, Cindy and Peg will also get the chance to meet Mel’s family.
I, of course, have some thoughts.
On the one hand, Peg and Mel surprised me with their chemistry, which is definitely palpable and I feel came on suddenly a few weeks ago. On the other hand, Mel and Cindy had a strong connection right out of the gate, and there’s clearly passion in their relationship, too.
Part of the reason I was so surprised to see Debbie get eliminated after the hometown dates was that their trip to Denver seemed to go off without a hitch, whereas Mel clashed with Cindy’s family. I thought for sure that, after that tension, Cindy would get eliminated. Part of me thinks the fact that Mel didn’t shy away from a bit of conflict is a big deal, and could be a big indicator that Mel really sees their relationship going the distance.
And yet — something in my gut is pulling me to Peg. She’s fun, she’s energetic, she’s outdoorsy — I think when you put it all together, she seems like more of the full package Mel’s looking for. I’m just going off vibes here, but that’s my prediction. Tune in next week to see if I’m right.
