‘The Bachelor’ Recap: Zach narrows down his final 3 wives to hometown dates

SPOILERS WARNING! This post contains details from ABC’s Monday episode The old bachelor.

It’s home week The old bachelor, and Zach is set to meet the families of his four remaining suitors — all of whom he says he has very strong ties to. He just hopes the families understand that he is doing his best to find the love of his life.

First, Zach heads to Vermont where he will spend time with Gabi’s family. But before that, Gabi puts Zach to the (taste) test. After blindly trying four different syrups, Gabi is quite horrified when Zach says his favorite is the pancake syrup…pure high fructose corn syrup and none of the authentic stuff.

Well, hopefully he can make up with the rest of the family. After exchanging a few pleasantries, Gabi’s older brother Evan is the first to take Zach, saying it’s “awesome” for Gabi to put herself out there and he doesn’t want her to be broken by the experience . Zach assures Evan that he can see a future with Gabi and that he only has the best intentions. Meanwhile, Gabi tells her sister Chloe that she also sees a future with Zach, but they haven’t had enough time together to decide.

Zach then sits in the hot seat with Gabi’s parents. Her mother says they trust Zach to be honest with her and he asks her advice on how to support her in a relationship. Her mother says she needs someone who can ground her and make her feel safe, so he must build a strong bond of trust with her. Gabi’s mother looks impressed after their conversation. Apparently Gabi’s father is the hopeless romantic. He tells his daughter that he met her mother and immediately knew that they were made for each other. While Gabi isn’t so sure yet, she says she has a “good feeling” about Zach.

Zach and Gabi end their night with a one-on-one where Gabi says that during this process she sees a future with Zach more than ever before. But she admits she’s a little worried because she won’t see Zach for the rest of the week because it’s the first place she lives. He assures her that he can never forget her and asks her to trust in their relationship.

Now Zach goes to New York City to see Ariel. She was the underdog of the season and didn’t seem like one of Zach’s frontrunners at first. But as the weeks passed, their bond grew much deeper. Ariel looks forward to showing Zach the city she believes is a big part of her identity. Their tour of the city is all about food (as it should be), with the couple stopping for pizza, pastrami sandwiches, cocktails and more. Ariel says she loves how curious Zach is about her life and wants him to understand how much her family and heritage mean to her.

According to Ariel, it’s not her parents that Zach needs to worry about. It is her brother Bobby who she says is very protective of her. Bobby admits to Zach that he is quite skeptical since the show is an “unorthodox” way of dating. So he wants to know why Ariel should choose Zach. Zach tries his best to answer the question, but he says he has a big heart and he truly believes that he got to know Ariel very well and has great faith in his relationship with Ariel. However, Bobby is not satisfied and points out that Zach and Ariel have different backgrounds, with Ariel and her siblings being first-generation Americans. He asks how Zach plans to “reconcile” their differences and Zach looks a little annoyed but says he thinks they’ll work it out. Now Bobby asks about Ariel’s birthday and middle name – to which Zach has no answer. He wonders how Zach can claim to know her without having those little details, but Zach disagrees that he needs to know those things about her to love her.

As if her brother wasn’t intimidating enough, Zach now has to sit with her father, who describes himself as a “demanding person.” He wants to know what makes Ariel different from Zach, and Zach says her kindness and her ability to make him feel safe and comfortable. As the two talk, Bobby sits down with Ariel to gauge her interest in Zach and admits he’s still skeptical about the schedule. Ariel says she knew she had feelings for Zach before they ever got deep into their relationship, and she believes he could be her “forever person,” but Bobby’s still not sold. Ariel’s father tells Zach that he trusts Ariel’s decisions, but is worried if Zach will vote her back. Her dad thinks he’s cool, but he doesn’t seem convinced that Zach and Ariel are meant to be. Ariel tells her dad that she knows it’s hard for him to process, but she’s ready to get engaged to Zach in the end.

They are both a little nervous about leaving Ariel’s family, but Ariel assures Zach that she is falling in love with him. She says her family has never fried them like this, but it was worth it, and Zach agrees.

Next is Columbus, Georgia, where Zach will visit Charity. Instead of letting him spend time in her hometown, she takes him straight to her family and friends. Her mother immediately notices how happy Charity looks, especially after she tells them about their first date in Estonia. Both Charity’s friends and family seem happy for her, but they are worried about how torn she was after her last relationship, so they are wary of how quickly this new relationship has developed. When her friends ask her if she is prepared for the possibility of not being selected at the end of the process, Charity says she is willing to take the risk.

But after talking to her brother, Charity says she’s hesitant to tell Zach she’s falling in love with him because she’s afraid her heart will be broken again. Charity talks to her mom and says that Zach kept showing up for her, and she admits she’s falling in love with him but is afraid to say those words. Her mother reminds her that these are important words to say and hear, and she assures Charity that she has nothing but good things to say about Zach.

Before the day is over, Charity has one more surprise in store for Zach: line dancing! He’s a little hesitant to hit the dance floor, but once the music slows down, they find their groove. Afterwards, Charity finally tells Zach that she is falling in love with him.

There’s another hometown date, this time with Kaity. Zach is actually on his way home, returning to Austin, Texas, where he and Kaity live. Since she is new in town, she asks if he will help her move in. So they go shopping together. After picking up some groceries and a bouquet of flowers, they head to Kaity’s house. As they unpack the groceries, Zach says spending time with her feels effortless. Kaity is pretty serious about going to bed and asks Zach to help her build a bookcase, set up her mattress, fix some light bulbs, etc.

Of course, it wouldn’t be a hometown without the family. After a day of unpacking, they visit Kaity’s mother and brother. Kaity says during her confession that she is afraid of getting her family’s approval, as it means so much to her. The first thing her mom notices is that Kaity seems pretty comfortable with Zach, and it’s news to her that she hasn’t been involved in Kaity’s dating life until now. But after sitting down with Zach, her mom seems quite impressed with him. She tells Zach that she can see how much Kaity cares for him and that she is worried about her heart. Zach says he’s confident he can see a future with Kaity, but is hesitant to say he’s already falling in love with her because those words mean a lot to him.

Meanwhile, Kaity is already there and tells her family that she could see that he is her husband and father of her children, but she fears that she is vulnerable to him because she does not want to lose him. At the end of the night, she works up the courage to tell him that she is falling in love with him.

Zach has a tough decision to do this rose ceremony as it will determine his final three contestants. He seeks advice from former bachelor Sean Lowe, who assures him that everything will work out if he goes with his gut.

Zach ends up sending Charity home, leading to an emotional goodbye. Kaity, Ariel and Gabi are the final three women who will fight for Zach’s heart.

The Bachelor: Women tell all airs Tuesday at 8pm ET/PT on ABC before next Monday’s Fantasy Suites.