'Bachelorette' recap: Kissing in coffins and a tense debate

Prior Lake American

Welcome back to another week of “The Bachelorette,” starring Prior Lake High School graduate Becca Kufrin, where there are finally few enough contestants that audience members can learn their names.

The week starts off in Richmond, Virginia, because when you are a huge company like ABC with the ability to go anywhere in the world, why not Virginia?

“Just like Virginia birthed the nation, I hope it births a relationship with Becca,” contestant Leo said, which is not at all a weird statement.

Contestant Chris continues the nonsense he started last week by hoping for a one-on-one or a two-on-one date even though his last one-on-one date was approximately two-and-a-half seconds ago.

For those who are new to the “Bachelor” or “Bachelorette” franchise, there are typically three kinds of dates — one-on-ones, two-on-ones and group dates. These dates feature one contestant, two contestants or many contestants going on a date with the lead.

These dates generally end with one rose given out to a contestant and the rest of the roses handed out during a rose ceremony at the end of the week. If a contestant is given a rose, they can move on to the next week. If not, they’re sent home. This goes on until the very end, when the lead (usually) gets engaged to one of the contestants.

Contestant Lincoln, who was convicted of indecent assault, tells Chris that it is unlikely he would have another one-on-one date so soon after he already went on one.

This somehow leads to a shouting match between the two.

“It’s like ‘Dumb and Dumber’ but I don’t know which one is which,” contestant Garrett said.

Despite Chris’ wishful thinking, the one-on-one date goes to Jason.

The two see St. John’s Church and a cemetery, where Edgar Allan Poe’s mother is buried, as Kufrin tells Jason. They then make some donuts and go to a Poe museum, where they kiss in a coffin. Kufrin and Jason then go to an “Unhappy Hour,” which turns out to be drinking for goths.

Great date. Is this the best that Virginia has to offer?

Kufrin surprises Jason at a bar with some of his friends from home and the group hangs out and drinks beer. The two then go to dinner later in the evening, where Jason tells Kufrin that he has run from tough conversations in the past but hasn’t with her.

Kufrin opens up about her father’s death when she was 19 years old and his cancer diagnosis when she was 14 years old.

“I was able to take care of him with my mom,” Kufrin said. “We watched him take his last breath. It’s obviously never easy.”

Kufrin’s mother, Jill Kufrin, lives in Prior Lake and worked as a teacher at Grainwood Elementary for 20 years.

Jason gets the one-on-one date rose.

Contestants Colton, Garrett, Wills, Connor, Blake, Lincoln and Chris are chosen for the group date. In a move that’s shocking to no one, Lincoln and Chris are sent on a date together after feuding.

The date ends up being a debate for Kufrin’s heart at the capitol building. The group meets Abraham Lincoln and George Washington impersonators, like some sort of lucid dream.

Abraham Lincoln and show host Chris Harrison moderate the debate, continuing the lucid dream. Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam makes an appearance to ask some questions. Hopefully his constituents were kinder to him for being on the show than those of Minnesota Rep. Drew Christensen, who also made a brief appearance during the season’s premiere.

The debate goes swimmingly until Chris and Lincoln begin hashing out their issues in front of the audience.

“It’s so embarrassing these guys are airing their dirty laundry for everyone to see,” Kufrin said.

This drama rolls over into the cocktail party in the evening, though Garrett and Colton manage to turn Kufrin’s mood around. The group date rose goes to Colton.

The next day, Kufrin goes on a one-on-one date with Leo. The two ride around the skies of Virginia in an airplane, mostly talk about Chris and Lincoln and shuck oysters in frigid water.

During dinner in the evening, Leo tells Kufrin that his father was a man that he really looked up to and therefore never felt good enough. Kufrin tells Leo that he saw her at her worst.

“That’s your worst? You were like, mildly not yourself,” Leo said.

Leo gets the one-on-one date rose.

Later, Chris goes to talk to Kufrin in her hotel room.

“At this point, I do have nothing to lose,” Chris said, in a great bit of foreshadowing.

During the course of the conversation, Chris tells Kufrin what she should think about, interrupts her multiple times and asks “am I not allowed to express how I feel, though?”

Safe to say the conversation is going well.

Kufrin tells Chris that she doesn’t see their relationship going anywhere and asks to walk him out, to which Chris says “No ... I don’t need a walk out” to which Kufrin responds “I don’t think you need anything, but I’m going to give you that respect.”

It might have been cold in Virginia during filming, but it was icier in that hotel room.

“I think Chris is just a very angry person,” Kufrin said. “He’s not the guy I want in my life, ever.”

The next day, Harrison tells the remaining contestants that Kufrin has made up her mind and is skipping the last cocktail party. Contestants Lincoln and Connor are sent home.

Next week, ABC finally shells out some cash and takes the cast and crew to the Bahamas.