Bachelorette Katie bestowed upon the sad-eyed, floppy-haired Greg the first impression rose, and with the help of producers, she picked him for the first one-on-one date and — this is rare — another one-on-one date after that. Greg is the Good Guy, unlike season villains such as Thomas, the real estate broker who admitted he wanted to become the Bachelor. Until last night, I assumed he was going to “win” the show and propose to Katie, and that all the other story lines — like former contestant Blake showing up halfway through the season — were just for fun.
I was wrong. The three remaining contestants decided to set up “hometown” dates at a New Mexico resort where they had been trapped for the whole time. The first two were passed without much fanfare. Blake, who is a Canadian cartoon version Jax Taylor from Vanderpump Rules introduced Katie to Canadian concepts such as “maple syrup” and Justin, a Baltimore native, introduced Katie two of his friends to Canadian concepts. His parents were not impressed that Justin was going to be presenting Katie to his buddies at the heights of the pandemic. But thanks anyway. Next, Greg introduced Katie to…his emotions.
After a long visit with his brother and mother, Greg told Katie that he had fallen in love with Katie and that it was his only hope of making his father happy again. Katie, who previously said she didn’t plan to tell anyone of the contestants that she loved them, held firm to her promise. She responded to a teary Greg by saying, “I love looking back at you.”
Greg confronted Katie the next day about Katie’s indifferent response to his declaration of love. Things got worse. Katie, the paid show’s lead, held on to the conventions. She assured Greg that she was a “frontrunner” and would get a rose. But she didn’t break her rule and tell Greg she loved him. Greg, in anguish, begged Katie to abandon the conventions and just be real. After much miscommunication and more tears, Greg informed Katie that Greg was leaving the show and would be taking her with him. Katie went into the bathroom, crying to Kaitlyn, her co-host. The producers showed a kind of In Memoriam segment about Katie and Greg’s short relationship. This highlighted the fact that it was over. Tonally, this was quite strange — the scene after credits is often a joke or blooper.
A couple hours after the episode aired, Katie posted an Instagram Story that hinted at her thoughts about Greg’s melodrama. It was one those explainer Instagram cards that highlighted the definitions of “gaslighting.” Yikes. Fans have pointed out unflattering rumors regarding Greg that were shared earlier in the season via the Instagram gossip site @deuxmoi. Greg, who producers considered a hero at the beginning of the season, might have signed up for the show for the “wrong” reasons.
One anonymous tipster made the following (unverified) claims to Deuxmoi: Greg, they alleged, “scrubbed” his LinkedIn to remove evidence that he attended acting school and is interested in a Hollywood career. They also claimed he has “major anger issues.” Another tipster accused Greg of breaking up with her friend in a rude way. Another tipter saw Greg out on the streets with troves upon troves of women. This removed any doubt about his commitment to Katie.
What happens next? It is hard to believe that viewers would be excited for Katie to marry one of the other contestants. Justin, a 26 year-old investment consultant, appears nice. However, his family is not supportive of him participating in the show. Katie clearly didn’t appreciate their absence from the show. Blake is the Canadian’s most distinctive trait, and he has made it his goal to appear on television. (He was a couple with Tayshia and Clare on the final season of The Bachelorette. It is difficult to recall a season of The Bachelorette/The Bachelor without so little romance in the final.
If we don’t get a happy proposal at the end, I guess I’m going to root for Greg to appear next week on the “After the Final Rose”, so that Katie can talk to him about gaslighting.
