One guy just blew his chances with Katie Thurston, and the star of The Bachelorette couldn't be happier to take the wind out of his sails.
During the ABC dating series' Monday, June 14 episode, the tension between Aaron and Cody, which was hinted at in last week's premiere, came to a head during the mud-wrestling group date that saw the two of them paired up for an intense one-on-one match. Aaron emerged victorious and was named the date's winner, and immediately afterward, Katie pulled him aside to delve into why the two men had such frayed feelings.
"We knew each other before, and so I was surprised to see him here, actually, but we're not really cool," Aaron explained to her. "I know he really wants to become famous or get on the show for those reasons."
Katie then relayed Aaron's concerns to Cody, who previously had been best known for his curious decision to bring a blow-up doll named Sandy with him in the limo, and also stood out for his equally curious job title of "zipper sales manager."
Sandy's BF replied that the accusations against himself were "just not factual information," but he didn't seem particularly rattled. As Katie then explained to the camera, Cody "almost just looked rehearsed."
Moments later, she confirmed that she trusted Aaron's word over Cody's by giving the zipper enthusiast the boot on the cowboy-themed date. As the rose ceremony-free episode aired on the East Coast, Katie took to Twitter to make it clear she had no second thoughts about sending one person home—or was that two people?
"Please take Sandy with you," the 30-year-old bank marketing manager posted, adding a GIF from The Office showing Jim holding an inflatable doll.
Katie clearly wasn't the only social media user to suggest that Cody was full of hot air.
"Who would have thought blow up doll guy may be a piece of s--t," one fan tweeted. Someone else posted, "But she didn't get to say goodbye to Sandy the Blow-Up Doll!"
A third person wrote, "Cody got sent home and still showed less emotion than his blow up doll…. good riddance."
However, the drama definitely wasn't over once Cody's hopes had deflated. Perhaps sensing an opportunity to cause Katie to question her bonds with some of the other guys, Karl pulled Katie aside during the cocktail party and told her some remaining men were still there for the wrong reasons, although he offered zero specifics.
In other words, the Cody drama poked a hole in Katie's trust for the guys, and Karl was quick to give oxygen to her doubts. How much confidence does Katie currently have in the contestants? Let's just say it's close to zip.
The Bachelorette airs Mondays at 8 p.m. on ABC.