The Highs and (Many) Lows of the Bachelorette Hometown Dates

Rachel’s first date was with Zach in his hometown of Anaheim, Calif. After riding bikes through a residential neighborhood, Zach brought her to a rooftop where they had a perfect view of airplanes as they took off—a callback to a shared memory from earlier in the season.

Once at his family’s house, Zach introduced Rachel to his mom, dad, sister, aunt and…uncle Patrick Warburton! Zach’s uncle is David Puddy from Seinfeld?!

Despite an awkward conversation where Zach’s dad told Rachel of The Bachelorette experience, “You’ll go to the most romantic places on Earth and you’ll fall in love with a monkey,” the night ended with Zach telling Rachel he was in love with her.

Next up, Gabby met with Johnny in Palm Beach, Fla. where she was introduced to Johnny’s mom, dad, best friend, brother and brother’s girlfriend. Once Johnny got some alone time with his mom, he expressed engagement concerns of his own.

“My whole thing is not being fully there yet,” Johnny confessed. “To just drop and get married, that’s a huge step for me. I don’t know if I’m ready for that.”

Gabby and Johnny ended the date with a boat ride at dusk—but they appear to be in very choppy waters.

After her very successful hometown visit with Zach, Rachel took a trip to Wildwood, N.J. to see Tyler. The duo ate corn dogs, played games and rode bumper cars—and Rachel even met some of Tyler’s friends and extended family members who work on the boardwalk.

That was about it for the fun and games, however.

“I just feel so bad because he’s such a good guy,” Rachel said behind closed doors with her microphone still on. “I can’t even look at him. I’m going to break down.”

Eventually, Rachel sat him down on a park bench and tried breaking up with him—but Tyler wasn’t getting it. “I’m not falling in love with you,” he said while smiling. “I am so in love with you.”

Rachel eventually had to cut him off to break the news. “I don’t know if I’m ready to meet your family when I still have this bit of reservation and I don’t know where it’s coming from,” she told him. “There just is something missing.”

Rachel cried, Tyler cried, we all cried.