Bachelor Nation is three episodes into Colton Underwood’s season of The Bachelor and his virginity has been at the center of most conversations — until this week. In Monday’s episode, the 26-year-old former football player showed his depth and maturity. He handled drama responsibly and facilitated one of the best one-on-ones in recent history. Here’s how Colton showed depth in Monday’s episode:
There was drama, but he tackled it head on.
When you have two pageant queens who competed against each other outside of dating the same man, things can get pretty heated. But the drama between Hannah B. and Caelynn seemed to be very one-sided.
Hannah B. spent most of the episode — at least by editing standards — complaining about Caelynn and how she was not a very good friend. Of course, that’s not something you want to hear from the first woman you take on a one-on-one conversation.
“I didn’t come here to compete in another pageant,” Hannah B. said, which raises some questions as to why she thought applying for The Bachelor was a good idea.
Instead of blindly trusting that Hannah B. was being truthful, he approached Caelynn and talked to her. She instantly broke down and said she wants to talk about it with him but it’s not the time. Colton understands and even gives her the group date rose.
Later in the episode, Colton hosts a pool party for all the women, and evidently it was a ripe time to start up the drama again. Caelynn said Hannah B. is manipulative and deceitful, and Hannah B. said the same things about Caelynn.
None of it seemed to matter when both of the women ended up with a rose — probably with a little nudge from the producers.
Elyse wins the one-on-one
The redhead who stole his heart last week received the one-on-one date this week, and man did she really win the lottery with this one.
The pair takes a quick helicopter ride — no big deal — to San Diego, where they run up to an amusement park. The whole place is to themselves — or so Elyse thinks. Colton tells her it’s actually a group date with a bunch of children from a California hospital.
Colton’s charity aims to get children out of hospitals and give them a day they can remember, but Elyse is never going to forget it either.
“After today, I don’t care what darn age he is, I know Colton is going to be a good dad,” the 31-year-old said.
At the post-date dinner, Elyse said her sister died bringing a child to term with cancer. The child survived and she created a charity in her sister’s name. When she said this, Colton seemed to get very emotional.
It’s in this moment Colton shows his inner being. He has so much depth and seems to be a very genuine person. If there was any doubt about him being The Bachelor, those have ebbed away.
He isn’t afraid to send people home
Though Hannah B. survived the rose ceremony, Colton sent Caitlin home before the second group date ended. He was really looking forward to talking to her and getting to know her better, but she just wouldn’t talk. She didn’t know what to open up about because she has had a “good life.”
The whole segment was really painful to watch, but Colton handled it with ease. He knew exactly what to do, and he went with his gut. It was commendable.
Honestly, the whole episode was a breath of fresh air.
It’s hard to imagine being in Colton’s shoes. When he revealed he was a virgin in Becca’s season of The Bachelorette, no one really believed it. How could a hot, 26-year-old former football player still be a virgin?
Well, he can — and that is totally OK. Just because he is a beautiful human being doesn’t mean he should have had sex by now. Some people wait until they find the right person, and maybe that person will be someone on this season.
The show has overused the virgin angle already, and after this week’s episode, let’s hope The Bachelor continues to show his personality. It’s time to put the virgin conversations to bed — at least until Fantasy Suites when it actually makes sense.
The Bachelor airs Mondays at 8 p.m. on ABC.
