Here are the top moments from The Bachelorette‘s Men Tell All episode with gif reactions.
Let’s Get Started
The Men Tell All must be filmed within a golf cart’s driving distance of Chris Harrison’s side-gig hosting Who Wants to be a Millionaire, because he finally graced us with his presence. Nice of you to take time away from counting the $14,774.28 you get paid per minute on screen, Harrison. I’ve missed your completely non-committal way of talking about virtually every subject. Chris introduced the men who got an invite to the tell all (Jamey, Diggy, Blake, Iggy, Anthony, Lucas, Fred, DeMario, Alex, Jonathan, Lee, Jack Stone, Josiah, Will, Matt, Kenny, Adam, and Dean) and then introduced a package of the best moments from past Men Tell All episodes. These included a bunch of white people yelling at each other, a dash of homophobia, and a live fetal ultrasound that I’d scrubbed from my memory. Quick, someone remind me why we keep watching this show.
My reaction.
Whaboom goes your relevancy
Lucas, aka Whaboom, aka that one guy you avoid at parties, got the first big audience reaction of the episode. Surprisingly, not when he made homophobic innuendos about his conflict with Blake. Not even when he use air quotes inappropriately. Instead, it was when he yelled at Dean to shut up. Oh. No. He. Didn’t. The entire audience erupted in horror. No one yells at teen heartthrob Dean and gets away with it.
My reaction.
DeMario still sucks
DeMario has had an interesting year between that time his girlfriend showed up on The Bachelorette, that time he was accused of sexual misconduct of the set of Bachelor in Paradise, and that video making the rounds of him pathetically hitting on Britney Spears in a grocery store parking lot circa 2008. It’s bad enough that he showed up to the taping wearing a short sleeve white collar shirt like a Pentecostal snake handler, but when he referred to his ex as a “side chick” I was over it. Then he went and out did himself by excusing his behavior with a “but Bill Clinton” reference like a Russian bot in a CNN political comment section. You’re not doing yourself any favors here, DeMario.
My reaction.
Here we go again
So far this episode has featured homophobia and misogyny so it’s about time for Chris Harrison to be painfully awkward during a discussion on systemic racism and unconscious racial biases. Isn’t reality TV fun? There’s no way a Bachelorette tell all episode could go on without exploiting discussing the Lee/Kenny rivalry that dominated the first two thirds of the season. Hold up, I just called it a rivalry but really it was just a casual racist being given camera time at the expense of multiple black men for entertainment purposes. Think about that for a second. The Bachelorette purposely cast a man with an easily searchable history of racist remarks, put him in a house with black men, and then sat back and rolled camera when the inevitable happened. Then they asked those same black men to sit in front of a live audience with him and correct his behavior. They somehow managed to exploit both Lee’s racism and the other men’s magnanimity all in one two hour special while a mostly white audience watched. There’s a problem here.
My reaction.
Kenny takes the high road, again
Kenny deservedly gave the first blow when he said that Lee’s behavior toward him during filming didn’t feel like racism, it felt like Lee was acting out because he was out of his league. Solid burn, Kenny. It wasn’t until Kenny watched the episodes back like the rest of us, that he realized that Lee was being specifically nefarious towards him. Lee admitted that he lied about Kenny violently pulling him out of the van and then he apologized for “not being a better friend,” but Kenny wasn’t having it. Sure, Lee can say he’s sorry now, and have this big moment on TV where he apologizes, but the receipts show that he was never apologetic as the episodes were airing. Kenny said that he tried to be the bigger person for the sake of his daughter, but Chris Harrison pushed his luck when he asked Kenny if he and Lee can ever put this behind them and be friends again.
My reaction.
Nice try, guys
The powers that be behind The Bachelorette may have felt slightly guilty about how they treated Kenny throughout this season because they had a surprise for him. His 11 year-old daughter McKenzie walked on stage and his entire face lit up. It was adorable when she half-heartedly congratulated her dad on his top ten finish, and he clearly loves his little girl. I couldn’t decide if this was a test-run on Kenny as the next bachelor or their lame attempt at reparations, but McKenzie got free Disneyland tickets out of the deal so that’s cool I guess.
My reaction.
Lee is still talking
Lee’s time in the hot seat began with Chris Harrison asking what caused his conflict with the other men in the house. Pick me! Pick me! I know the answer. Lee said that he’s naturally fascist facetious and he makes jokes when he’s uncomfortable. As someone who often makes jokes in uncomfortable situations I can definitively say that’s B.S. If your default jokes make people think you’re racist, you’re probably racist. The only problem my lame jokes have caused is that one time the grocery clerk didn’t want to help me out to my car because I said I keep my reusable bags next to the body in my trunk. Lee’s obviously had some coaching, because he kept repeating key phrases like, “I should have been a better friend” and “I have things I need to fix,” but he never came out and said what exactly he needed to fix. Anyone who has ever been in a conflict knows that true reconciliation can’t happen unless both parties acknowledge what the harm has been committed. His words felt like just words.
My reaction.
Tweets are forever
Lest you think The Bachelorette is above being petty they flashed a few of Lee’s infamous tweets on the screen for everyone to gasp at. You know, the tweets they definitely knew about before they cast him. Excuse me while my eyes roll back into my head. The tweets are undeniably bad, so Lee admitted that he made a mistake. But the other men were quick to point out that he didn’t think they were a mistake until he got caught. This was the moment when the men really turned on Lee, particularly about his comparison of the NAACP to the KKK. Josiah the prosecuting attorney had Lee literally shaking in his boots when he asked him, “Why did you come on a show where the bachelorette was an African American woman if on the other hand you’re tweeting about black people and groups of black people who fought and died so that I could be on the stage next to you? People came before me so that I could go to the same school as you, so that I could drink from the same fountain as you, and if you’re comparing them to the KKK, people who hanged my ancestors, why are you trying to date a woman who looks like me?”
My reaction.
Not done yet
Don’t get too excited, it wasn’t over yet. Anthony stood up and gave a fantastic explanation of ingrained biases and systemic racism that went way over Lee’s head. It went so far over his head that Lee the country singer/songwriter complimented Anthony the Fulbright scholar for being well-spoken. Like it was a surprise. That’s ingrained racism. Sure, Lee admitted that he has a lot to learn, but when he stood and hugged Kenny it felt gross. Speaking as a woman who is so white I’d blend in at a Kennedy family reunion on Cape Cod, how many times are black people going to be asked to be the bigger people? How many different ways can we expect them to forgive and forget when the facts of systemic racism are largely denied by white Americans? Sure, it was cathartic to watch the men have their say and they absolutely deserved that opportunity. Yes, I was blown away and inspired by their willingness to forgive Lee and offer to help him as he continues to learn. But, I couldn’t help but feel like it wasn’t their responsibility to teach Lee, and the rest of us watching, what should be obvious if we’ve been paying attention.
My reaction.
Where’d Dean Go
Now that The Bachelorette has ended racism by making Kenny hug Lee (that really happened) it was time to pretend like nothing happened. There’s no better distraction than swooning over Dean. But wait, where’s Dean? I can’t see him thanks to his camouflage suit jacket. Dean’s camo jacket is appropriate for those times when you need to dress formally, but also hide in a room full of ignoramuses. In other words, it was perfect for the occasion. He talked a bit about moving on from Rachel (he’s fine) and about his relationship with his dad (he’s not fine). Then he confirmed that he’ll be on Bachelor in Paradise so he’s definitely here for the right reasons.
My reaction.
Oh Yeah, her
It wouldn’t be a Men Tell All episode without the awkwardness of Rachel hanging out with all of her ex-boyfriends again so she arrived wearing a corset dress and her guard up. The only time I interact with an ex is when I stalk their Instagram to feel superior so I applaud her effort. She made a joke about not missing all of them, pretended not to recognize DeMario and explained to Dean that she wasn’t lying when she told him she was falling for him. But the real entertainment came when Fred, the contestant who knew Rachel from elementary school, recited a speech he had clearly been practicing in the mirror. He told Rachel that he was never given a fair chance when he was the only man there for her, not the show, but that he is happy if she’s happy. It’s the kind of speech you’d find in a romantic comedy from the 90’s right before Drew Barrymore lisped, “I love you.” He spit all out in one breath and then sank into his seat while the other men clapped him on the back.
My reaction.
Coming up next week
The season finale is next Monday! I hope you’re all busy hand writing my invitation to your watch parties, but make sure you catch this sneak peek while you’re at it.
It’s no secret that I’m team Peter, but the more I think about this season and distance myself from my personal infatuation admiration, the less I think he’s right for her. Maybe I’m just being selfish because I want him as the Bachelor, but guys…I kinda think she’d be happier with Bryan. Please talk me off the ledge in the comments.
My reaction.
What did you think of this week’s Men Tell All? Is The Bachelorette woke now or just broke? You guys should check out this TedTalk by Eric’s Auntie Verna if you have a few minutes, it perfectly explains unconscious bias. If you can make it through this episode, you can definitely watch her break it down. Let’s talk in the comments!
