Hometowns reveal a lot about a person—for better or worse.
After sailing the tenuous waters of the European seas, co-Bachelorettes Gabby Windey and Rachel Recchia split off for hometown dates on the Aug. 22 episode of The Bachelorette.
First up, Gabby visited Jason in his hometown of New Orleans. After the two walked down Bourbon Street and threw beads at strangers, Gabby and Jason met up with Jason's dad in the middle of a park, who immediately started crying while holding balloons and beignets. The trio shared pastries as the sun set and Jason's dad gushed about how much he loves his son.
Later, Gabby was introduced to his Jason's mom, his sister and his sister's boyfriend. Jason's mom almost immediately started crying (a trend in this group, apparently), but it was Jason who threw the festivities for a loop.
"I could never see myself getting engaged," Jason told his mom in private. "It's just not realistic to me. As much as you have feelings for somebody or whatever, it's just not something that I can see myself doing at this point. Maybe it will change in the next two weeks, but I need space to process everything that's happened."
Wait, what?! Jason explained he's hesitant about engagement, in general, not just with Gabby. But he let her leave New Orleans without mentioning any of this to her.
Rachel's first date was with Zach in his hometown of Anaheim, Calif. After riding bikes through a residential neighborhood, Zach brought her to a rooftop where they had a perfect view of airplanes as they took off—a callback to a shared memory from earlier in the season.
Once at his family's house, Zach introduced Rachel to his mom, dad, sister, aunt and...uncle Patrick Warburton! Zach's uncle is David Puddy from Seinfeld?!
Despite an awkward conversation where Zach's dad told Rachel of The Bachelorette experience, "You'll go to the most romantic places on Earth and you'll fall in love with a monkey," the night ended with Zach telling Rachel he was in love with her.
Next up, Gabby met with Johnny in Palm Beach, Fla. where she was introduced to Johnny's mom, dad, best friend, brother and brother's girlfriend. Once Johnny got some alone time with his mom, he expressed engagement concerns of his own.
"My whole thing is not being fully there yet," Johnny confessed. "To just drop and get married, that's a huge step for me. I don't know if I'm ready for that."
Gabby and Johnny ended the date with a boat ride at dusk—but they appear to be in very choppy waters.
After her very successful hometown visit with Zach, Rachel took a trip to Wildwood, N.J. to see Tyler. The duo ate corn dogs, played games and rode bumper cars—and Rachel even met some of Tyler's friends and extended family members who work on the boardwalk.
That was about it for the fun and games, however.
"I just feel so bad because he's such a good guy," Rachel said behind closed doors with her microphone still on. "I can't even look at him. I'm going to break down."
Eventually, Rachel sat him down on a park bench and tried breaking up with him—but Tyler wasn't getting it. "I'm not falling in love with you," he said while smiling. "I am so in love with you."
Rachel eventually had to cut him off to break the news. "I don't know if I'm ready to meet your family when I still have this bit of reservation and I don't know where it's coming from," she told him. "There just is something missing."
Rachel cried, Tyler cried, we all cried.
Thankfully, Gabby's group of hometown dates ended positively—but it was very emotional along the way. Gabby visited Erich in Bedminster N.J., where she was introduced to his family, including Erich's father Allan who had been diagnosed with terminal cancer. (Sadly, Erich later revealed on social media that his father passed away on July 9.)
During the visit, the topic of familial bond was a prevalent one, with Erich's mom telling Gabby, "If you decide anything, commitment in my family is very important. You don't give up on each other, ever. You can't quit, ever. For anything."
At the end of the night, both Gabby and Erich said they were falling in love with each other, with Gabby adding, "I think Erich's hometown could have changed the rest of my life."
Finally, the last hometown date belonged to Tino in his Santa Clarita, Calif. stomping grounds—but it became immediately clear that the date was all about Tino's family and less about Tino and Rachel.
"I just have a hard time believing that what you can do on a whirlwind, fairytale trip is really going to prepare you for marriage," Tino's dad Joe said to his son. "I just want to make sure your head's in the right place."
After Tino's mom Sandy "grilled her ass" (Rachel's words, not ours), Rachel sat down for her own moment of truth with Joe.
"The hardest part is that this is your second go-around," Joe told Rachel. "I was asking Tino, 'Is this person looking to get married or does this person really like you?'"
We get the feeling that Joe would probably find something to complain about in a room full of golden retriever puppies. But still...yikes.
However, despite Rachel telling Tino, "I am going to be honest, I do not think they liked me," about the meeting with his parents, the two confessed they were falling in love with each other and ended the date on a high note.
Find out where Gabby, Rachel and the guys go from here when The Bachelorette airs Mondays at 8 p.m. on ABC.