Bachelor In Paradise recap: Kat’s birthday is ruined by a new connection after four men are eliminated

DEVASTATION WARNING! This post contains details from Thursday’s episode Bachelor in paradise on ABC.

Buckle up, people. We Eventually host another rose ceremony in paradise.

Five weeks later, this is only the second rose exchange. The men panic because it looks like five of them are going home. While some of them try their best to bond, I wonder why Aaron S. didn’t go with Sam when he had the chance. But just as he and Sean after the Bachelor in paradise Gods, the producers are throwing them a lifeline.

Sam Picco, from the Canadian edition of Bachelor in paradiseis here on the beach and going to hand out a rose tonight.

Her appearance is met with some excitement and much confusion as no one has any idea who she is. But neither man really cares. They just want a rose. That’s probably why Sam seems to go through a revolving door of conversations with the single men – starting with Sean, then Aaron S., then John B., then Peter. And they all did their best. Sean offers her a chance and Sam admits his age is putting her off. Meanwhile, Peter praises Sam’s appearance her Age (even though she’s only 34?).

After watching the single men fight over Sam’s rose, it’s time to find out who will throw a shackle at them. Kylie gives Avan her rose (no surprise there). Rachel offers Brayden hers. Eliza picks Aaron B. Jess picks Blake. Kat gives Tanner a rose. Olivia chooses John Henry and Mercedes chooses Tyler, ending two love triangles. Sam, somewhat shockingly, settles for Peter.

See you soon, Sean, Will, John B. and Aaron S!

The next day is Kat’s birthday and she can’t wait to celebrate with the group and hopefully celebrate her 27th birthday with a little romance from Tanner. But her excitement is short-lived after she endures a double whammy of date cards that aren’t for her. The first goes to Rachel, who asks Brayden out.

Not long after, Davia from Zach’s team appeared The old bachelor come to the beach with another date card. After talking to Tanner, she invites him out without talking to anyone else. He accepts and takes Kat aside to talk. She tries to stay calm and tells him to go on a date when he feels the need to explore his options, but inside she’s angry. Tanner tries to explain that it might provide some clarity, but Kat thinks he needs to know now if he wants to commit to her… It all feels a bit like a double standard though, since Kat is with Tanner. without ever having a conversation with Brayden about it.

Anyway, as soon as Tanner leaves for his date with Davia, Kat is ready to kick him to the curb. Everyone tries to calm her down and encourage her to celebrate her birthday, but when they sing her happy birthday and bring her a cake, she runs away and throws it into the sea. Sam tries to tell Kat to put the birthday thing aside because it was just bad timing. In her eyes, Kat Tanner couldn’t blame him for dating again therefore It’s Kat’s birthday. But shockingly, Kat disagrees.

Tanner, however, seems relatively unfazed by his appointment. We don’t see much of his conversation with Davia, other than the part where he tells her he saw Kat, but is very open to other options. In a confessional, he says he’s sorry to miss Kat’s birthday, but he doesn’t regret his decision.

Meanwhile, Rachel and Brayden have been largely spared the day’s drama since their date. After spending a fun-filled day having fun and decorating like piñatas, they show up on the beach covered in paint and papier-mâché and ready to party. The only problem is that Kat is still mad at Tanner – and Brayden feels somewhat vindicated when he finds out what happened.

There’s a small moment where Wells restores his truth cabinet after Aaron S. destroyed it last week, and Sam looks ready to spill some tea with an anonymous note. Hopefully we’ll get back to that because I’m excited to hear what she has to say after spending less than a full day in paradise.

The rest of the group decides to play Truth or Dare and things get a little messy. Olivia tells Brayden to give the “most exciting” person on the beach a lap dance, for which he chooses Jess. Peter kisses Kylie as a challenge. Mercedes kisses John Henry. Kat takes a body shot from John Henry. Olivia sucks John Henry’s finger…best regards to John Henry tonight. The tension really rises when Jess is asked if Blake is her number one person right now. She hesitated… for a while. Then she says yes, but only because he’s really her only connection right now.

Yes. Blake is rightfully confused and asks Jess for some clarification. Unfortunately, it doesn’t look like he’s going to make it. When he asks Jess why she is unsure, she starts crying. She believes she hasn’t tried hard enough to explore her options and isn’t sure what she wants. Blake takes this as a sign that she needs some space, and both leave the conversation more confused than when they started.

The next morning the atmosphere is strange. Everyone is anxiously awaiting the news about Tanner and Davia’s date, still reeling from last night’s truth or dare.

Davia goes to the beach first and tells the girls that their date went well. They try to warn her that Tanner and Kat’s bond might be stronger than he lets on, and Davia decides to work things out. Kat admits to Davia that she and Tanner haven’t had exclusivity talks yet, but she’s not sure if she wants to keep pursuing something with him if he’s soft. Davia says she feels confident after the date, so it’s up to Tanner to end it.

Finally, Tanner graces the beach. He immediately takes Kat aside to talk, but we’ll have to wait until next week to see exactly what happens. Whatever is said, the previews give the impression that Kat won’t be happy in the end… and that she might just move in with John Henry because of it.

I can’t imagine Olivia taking it well.

Bachelor in paradise airs Thursdays at 9pm ET/PT The golden bachelor on ABC.