Maybe they should do the hometown dates at a resort in Palm Springs every season of The Bachelorette?
It makes a lot more sense in real life for a person to actually visit the hometown of their partner before they get engaged, but for the purposes of entertaining us, tonight's "hometown dates" were absolutely delightful.
Brendan took Tayshia to a carnival. Zac recreated the spirit of NYC with cardboard cabs, New York pizza and a controversial bagel breakfast (Tayshia got roasted for choosing blueberry, but topping options included strawberries and gummy bears so how mad can you really get?). Ivan taught her how to prepare a Filipino meal, and Ben recreated Venice Beach, complete with a weird hat store.
Every single date was adorable and actually looked fun, and even the family visits were pretty chill, for the most part. The parents were skeptical but no one was even that dramatic. It was simply very pleasant, and even emotional when Ivan's brother arrived as a surprise.
The thing that truly threw us for a loop was the fact that Ben's hometown included his BFF Antonia, who turned out to be celeb chef and frequent Food Network judge (shoutout to Cutthroat Kitchen) Antonia Lofaso. We were not able to listen closely to anything anyone said from that point on because Antonia's presence was so confusing, but it appeared that she got Ben to admit (to her) that he was in love with Tayshia.
The problem was that he couldn't tell Tayshia that. He just froze up as they talked later, and he knew at the time that he blew it. He couldn't even muster any emotion when she sent him home, so while she cried and wished he could acknowledge in any way that any of this meant anything to him, he tried to come to terms with what just happened. He thought they were going to be together forever, despite his inability to not tell her how he felt.
"Maybe she loved me and she thought I didn't love her," he mused. "And if that's the case, I f--king blew it."
Well Ben, you're not wrong. Is Antonia single? Can you bring Antonia to the next season of Bachelor in Paradise?
Keep up with all the remaining men (and the men we've lost) below!
He is 30 and from Milford, Massachusetts. He's a roofer, loves a turtleneck, and quickly connected with Tayshia.
Ivan Hall, 28, is from Dallas, Texas. He's an aeronautical engineer who's quiet, soft spoken and known as "Sweet Ivan."
Zac Clark is 36 and from Haddonfield, Pennsylvania. He's an addiction specialist with a heart of gold and a very heartfelt story to tell.
Ben Smith, 29, is from Indianapolis, Indiana. He's an army ranger and he's best friends with celebrity chef Antonia Lofaso.
Noah Erb, 25, is a nurse from Tulsa, OK. He joined the show along with Tayshia in week four, and just barely missed the final four.
Bennett Jordan is 37 and from Atlanta. He's a wealth management consultant which is exactly what he looks like his job would be, so good for Bennett! He was eliminated during a two-on-one with Noah, but then he brought himself back with declarations of love. Tayshia let him attend the next rose ceremony, but he did not get a rose.
Riley Christian, 30, is from Long Island City, New York. He's an attorney who takes a while to show off his smile. Tayshia pulled Riley aside to explain that she didn't want to hurt him any more than she had to, but she still hurt us.
Blake Moynes, 29, is from Burlington, Ontario, Canada. He's a wildlife manager and owns a falcon. Tayshia didn't even let him get to dinner on his final date before sending him home.
Demar Jackson, 26, is from San Diego, California and he's a spin cycling instructor.
Ed Waisbrot is 36 and from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He's a healthcare salesman, and Chris says we shouldn't judge a book by its cover.
Spencer Robertson, 30, is a water treatment engineer from La Jolla, CA. He joined the show for Tayshia in week four and got her first impression rose, but did not survive to the end.
Eazy, whose real name is Uzoma Nwachukwu, 29, is from Dallas, Texas. He's a sport marketing agent.
He's a 31-year-old IT account executive and from Walnut Creek, California, and Chris Harrison said he's ready to "fight" for the love of his life.
Joe Park is 36 and from North Woodmere, New York. He's an anesthesiologist who is very sweet and is loved by everybody, but found himself up against some huge obstacles.
Jordan Chapman, 26, is from Southington, Connecticut. He's a software account executive who apparently seems way older than 26.
Kenny Braasch, 39, is from Oaklawn, Illinois. He's a boy band manager (!!!) who apparently likes to take his clothes off a lot and has no tan lines.
Montell Hill is a 30-year-old gym owner from Boston. He joined the show for Tayshia in week four.
Peter Giannikopoulos, 32, is a real estate agent from Massachusetts. He joined the show when Tayshia took over as Bachelorette.
Jay Smith is 39 and from Langhorne, Pennsylvania. He's a fitness director.
Jason Foster is a 31-year-old from Rutland, Vermont. He's a former football player who is a "big lovable teddy bear" with a laugh like Seth Rogen.
Zach is 37 and from St. George, UT. He owns a cleaning service. He was eliminated when things went very wrong on a date with Clare. He grabbed her neck and made her feel uncomfortable, so Chris Harrison stepped in and sent him home on behalf of Clare.
Blake Monar, 31, is from Rockport, Indiana. He's a male grooming specialist and he has incredible hair. Clare sent him home in week two.
Garin Flowers, 34, is from Fort Lauderdale, Florida. He's a professor of journalism at USC who's not afraid to bare his soul "and everything else."
This 36-year-old is from Dallas, Texas. He's a super country music manager whose brother is singer Granger Smith. Clare sent him home in week two.
Yosef Aborady is 29 and from Mobile, Alabama. He's a medical device salesman who has a daughter and who isn't afraid of controversy, as he proved when he threw a fit at Clare after the strip dodgeball date. He left in a huff and we do not miss him.
Brandon Goss, 28, is from Cleveland, Ohio. Clare sent him home in week two when he couldn't come up with a reason to like her other than the fact that she's "obviously so beautiful."
AJ, 28, is from Irvine, California. He was out in week one.
Chris Conran, 27, is from St. Louis, Missouri. He's a landscape design salesman and he's a great chef.
Jeremy Higgins is 40 and from Virginia Beach, Virginia. He's a banker with "great perspective." Clare sent him home in week one.
Jordan Manier is a 30-year-old from Deerborn, Michigan. He's a cyber security engineer who is six foot eight! He describes himself as a tall nerd. Clare sent him home week one.
Season 16 of The Bachelorette concludes next Monday and Tuesday at 8 p.m. on ABC.