Farewell, Ames

I'm sad. Ames has left us. Was he my favorite at the beginning of the season? No. Was he the most attractive looking guy in the bunch? No. Was he a dorky guy that was more than a little quirky sometimes? Yes. I think we can all see why I fell in love.

A quick recap:
Chris Harrison: "Tell me about Ames."
Ashley: "I love Ames. He is so great. I've never met anyone like him before. He is exactly my type, which is why I'm not going to give him a rose."

Ames' dreams may have been shattered last night, but many women are thanking Ashley for letting go of the best man standing because now he is available for the rest of us. Thanks, Ash. There were collective "awe"s and "that's so sad"s when my friends and I saw the look on poor Ames' face when Ashley broke his heart. She didn't deserve you Ames.

I know I have been really hard on Ashley this season. Don't get me wrong. I love the Bachelor/Bachelorette (thus, the blog), but let's be serious for a sentence. This season is boring! Ashley has made some really stupid choices, the guys have been idiots, the dates haven't been exciting, Ashley cried about a man that wasn't even on the show for at least 4 episodes, and do I really need to remind everyone about the masked man or the hot water heater conversation? It's frustrating.

That being said, we can move on to the hometown date discussion, where I can actually give Ashley some credit. She looked great on all the dates. A very appropriate meet-the-parents collection. Have you done this before Ashley?

In Atlanta, she made pizza with Constantine while being stalked by the wait staff inside the restaurant. Even I felt a little uncomfortable as they watched Ashley and Constantine eat pizza on the patio. About 20 girls stood there with their noses to the window, trying to squeeze into the camera shot for their chance at being on national television for 3 seconds. Awkward. After pizza, they went to talk and dance Greek all night with Constantine's extended family. It actually looked like fun. I applaud you Constantine.

In New York with Ames, they ate a simple dinner with his family and we got a peek inside his mother's poorly decorated home. Next, they went on a little horse drawn carriage ride with men dressed like old-school stagecoach drivers, who I can only imagine Ames' family keeps on staff just for moments like this. They also had a picnic under a magnolia tree ("romantic") where Ames used big words and confused the hell out of Ashley.

Next, in Sonoma, Ben took Ashley to taste his wine. This was followed by yet another picnic in the vineyard and dinner with his mom and sister. Ben had a sweet heart-to-heart with his mother and I may have fallen back in love with him. Not sure yet, but I will keep you posted.

The last home town date was with J.P., back in New York. Jordan Paul got a little creative with his date and took Ashley roller skating. I have to hand it to them, they both had fairly decent skills. When the lights went down and the slow song started, I held my breath in suspense wondering who J.P. would ask to skate with him for the couples skate! Just like in Jr. High, I sat on the couch just watching the other couples skate. (Insert your pity comment here.) They shared (another) picnic on the rink and headed off to J.P.'s for dinner with the family. The highlight of the entire date was the giant picture of J.P. with a mullet. It was unfortunate. But, even more unfortunate is the fact that I still feel like J.P. might be a bit of a jerk.

The hometown dates were, of course, followed by the rose ceremony and a very interesting magical-yoga-pose-twist demonstration by a friend of mine. You can guess which was more entertaining and drew more applause from the crowd at my house.

Next week, the overnight dates. I wonder who will "choose to forego their individual suits"!