ONE-ON-ONE DATE WITH WILLIAM
For her first one-on-one date, Ashley choose William (the one with the bad relationship track record) because she thought he would make “light of any situation” which is what she needed for the first date.
She flew William away to Sin City in a private jet. But I bet William was not prepared for what Ashley had in mind: A series of wedding preparations to make sure William is commitment prone. They went wedding cake taste testing and ring shopping. William looked like a deer stuck in headlights. I felt bad for the guy…Ashley, don’t you think that was jumping the gun a bit for the first date? William regained his exposure long enough to tell the camera, “I am getting nervous because we keep inching closer to the process of finalizing a marriage.”
Ashley didn’t get the memo because she rushed William to a Vegas chapel. William kept telling himself, “this is a joke, a joke, a joke!” And when the minister showed up in a full robe, he made William almost catatonic. This was the weirdest date ever – William even said, “I do!”
WHAT? What was I missing?
Ashley then realized that there are 17 other men she hasn’t had a chance to get to know and if she also said “I do” then she’d be married, so, she put the breaks on things. William did say this was his best first date ever and Ashley agreed (though I do seem to recall her telling Brad Womack that her first date with him was her best date ever, so, I hope things turn out better for Ashley this time around).
Later that night, Ashley and William rowed a boat to a VIP first-ever dinner in the middle of the world famous Bellagio Lake. As eager fans looked on, William opened up to Ashley about his father’s alcoholism and tragic death and he and Ashley bonded over their similar pasts (Ashley too has an alcoholic father). So, of course Ashley gave William a rose. And as the couple kissed, the Fountains of Bellagio water show began and the crowd cheered…
Ashley afterwards told the camera her date with William set the bar so high, she’s not sure any other date will compare. We shall see…
GROUP DATE
The next day, Ashley had a group date with Constantine, Ryan M., Chris D., Ben F., Nick, Bentley, West, Lucas, Stephen, Blake, Matt, and Ames who flew to Vegas in another private jet. Ashley said she wanted to “test their ability to move, if you know what I mean,” and with that, she invited them to the Monte Carlo Resort and Casino where they watched a private performance by the Jabbawockeez hip hop dance troupe. As the men were enjoying the show, Ashley sneaked off and joined the show on stage! The men were thrilled at first to see her but their excitement turned to a total freak out when they realized that they’ll be doing some dancing of their own.
Two teams of six men each created, rehearsed and performed a routine for Ashley and the Jabbawockeez. One winning team would spend the night in Las Vegas, perform on stage and get to spend extra time with Ashley. The losers would go back to LA.
Constantine decided that his group (Stephen, Ames, Ryan M., Matt, and Chris D who called themselves “Best Men”) should do a wedding dance with the groom being stood up at the alter. Ashley was impressed with their creativity. But it was the other team, “No Rhythm Nation” comprised of West, Nick, Lucas, Bently, Ben F. and Blake which won and got to stay in Vegas to perform in front of a live audience.
Later that night, West shared the heartbreaking story of the death of his wife with Ashley and she seemed moved. Meanwhile, Bentley said he is very competitive and the competition makes things exciting for him, and although he thinks Ashley is pretty and has a nice ass, he says she is not his type. One-on-one, he played the “if I didn’t have a daughter, I’d be more secure in this process” card. He had Ashley begging him to “please please please” stick around if he had any feelings for her. And with that, Bentley knew he had her in his pocket. AND YEP, he was right, she gave him the one rose of the group date which made Bentley say to the camera that the game is over. Too bad Ashley can’t hear what we hear…sigh…
COIN TOSS FOR FINAL DATE
Back in Los Angeles, a date card comes that reads that the winner of a flipped coin between J.P. and Mickey will get the final date with Ashley in Vegas. If you ask me, that’s kinda messed up–these guys are dying for a date and Ashley couldn’t make the decision herself? Turns out, Mickey wins the coin toss–And Ashley is happy it’s Mickey because he is “gorgeous”. Poor J.P. He is incredibly frustrated and rightfully so.
ONE-ON-ONE DATE WITH MICKEY
The coin-flipping theme continued as Mickey and Ashley kept flipping a coin to decide the course of their date. The two first visited an aquarium and shared personal stories over some wine. Mickey revealed his mother had died 6 years ago and Ashley was moved that he has turned a bad situation into good in his life.
When it came time to whether or not Mickey should get a rose, Ashely told Mickey she wasn’t sure how she was feeling and wanted to flip a coin to decide if he should stay or go. Mickey thought she was crazy but went along with it because quite frankly, he had no choice. Mickey won the coin toss and Ashley confessed she was going to give him the rose anyway. The couple then enjoyed a romantic dinner with lots of kissing during a special private concert by Colbie Caillat.
COCKTAIL PARTY
Ashley felt a lot of pressure at the cocktail party, especially because four men had not received a date at all that week. One of the dateless men was J.P. who lost at the chance for a date because of a coin flip. As soon as he could, he whisked Ashley away and told her he was gonna flip a coin to see if he would get a kiss or not. He flipped, she caught, and he got the kiss….and better yet, she hinted to him that he will get a rose that night.
Nick taught Ashley a line dance and while the two were talking, William interrupted the duo even though he already had a rose. Nick was not happy and called him a “ding dong” behind his back which may be a nickname to stick. Meanwhile, Nick reiterated that this was his best first date and stole some more kisses.
Another dateless man was
Jeff, the masked man, who vowed to finally reveal himself that night.
OOOH! Now, we’re talkin! He took Ashley aside and told her that he suffered a brain hemorrhage at 29 (he’s now 35). He also told her about his divorce and said because of his experiences, he doesn’t take life for granted. Jeff was about to take his mask off when
Matt interrupted them.
Damn it, the mask remained on.
Ben C. was assertive because he also had no date with Ashley this week. He took her away and then compared her to a table at a good restaurant which needs weeks of advanced reservations. He scored big points by saying that he loves to dance and likes that she likes to dance.
William kept bragging about his date and how they had the first-ever date on the Bellagio Fountain. When
Bentley heard that William kissed Ashley, his competitive nature kicked in and wanted a kiss as well. He wanted the kiss despite the fact that he told the camera he would rather swim in pee than plan a wedding with Ashley. Again, he said she is not his type. The jerk literally swept her off her feet and kissed her in front of the fireplace. Bentley said the kiss was “kinda boring.” He continued, “It started out good but sucked towards the end.” Poor Ashley is falling hook, line and sinker and saw the whole thing as a story-book romance move. She said she has a good radar for the insincere but her heart says he could be the one for her….
WHO GOT A ROSE
At the end of the night, 15 men remain to battle for Ashley’s heart. Roses went to:
- William, 30, a cellular phone salesman from Fostoria, Ohio with a bad relationship track (date rose)
- Bentley, 28, a businessman from Salt Lake City, Utah who is clearly playing Ashley(rose from group date)
- Mickey, 31, a chef from Cleveland, Ohio who won a date after a coin toss (date rose)
- West, 30, a lawyer from Chapin, S.C. whose wife had died
- Constantine, 30, a restaurant owner from Atlanta, Ga.
- Ryan P., 31, a solar energy executive from Corona Del Mar, Calif. (the one who got the first impression rose)
- Ben C., 28, a lawyer from New Orleans, La.
- Nick, 26, a personal trainer from Tampa, Fla.
- Ames, 31, a portfolio manager from New York, N.Y.
- Lucas, 30, an oilfield equipment distributor from Odessa, Texas
- Jeff, 35, the masked entrepreneur from St. Louis, Mo.
- J.P., 34, a construction manager from New York, N.Y. who lost a date but won a kiss based on coin flips
- Chris D., 25, a sports marketing coordinator from Chicago, Ill.
- Ben F., 28, a winemaker from Sonoma, Calif.
- Blake, 27, a dentist from Greenville, S.C.
WHO WENT HOME
Ashley sent home three men without a rose (All three went on the group date):
- Stephen, 27, a hairstylist from Manhattan Beach, Calif.
- Matt, 28, an office supply salesman from Bridgewater, Mass. who was a self proclaimed mama’s boy who had Ashley speak to his mom Gail. He left his mom a voice mail that he needed love and French toast and ride from the airport
- Ryan M., 27, a construction estimator from Royal Oak, Mich.
NEXT WEEK’S DRAMA
Ashley said on her Facebook page Monday: “Next week is an INCREDIBLY emotional and intense episode. I suggest a full bottle of wine standing by!” The Previews for next week’s episode show that both Bentley and William will make Ashley cry. Emily Maynard was the reason for both! Sadly, Bently went in with the specific purpose of making Ashley cry. William, on the other hand, was joking during a roast to Ashley that he was hoping the chose Bachelorette this season was Emily Maynard…ouch!