'The Bachelor' Recap: Cancellation of Cocktail Party Leads to a Panic Attack
— -- Monday's episode of "The Bachelor" did not have a rose ceremony, but it did have one apparent meltdown.
After her emotional conversation with Chris Soules led to the cancellation of the cocktail party, Kelsey's nerves got the best of her and she suffered what she described as a panic attack.
The episode ended there -- so for the time being, all 11 of the remaining bachelorettes are still in the competition.
It was a dramatic twist to an episode that began with Chris and the women heading to Santa Fe, New Mexico. There, Chris and Carly, a 29-year-old cruise ship singer, had a one-on-one date that was at times sensual and awkward. They met with a "Love Guru" -- not the Mike Myers character -- who first had them do breathing exercises.
Then, with Chris blindfolded, Carly ran her hands up his legs and arms, and fed him chocolate-dipped strawberries. The two turned up the heat by removing each other's clothes and revealing their inner thoughts on love.
Afterward, they were placed in an intimate position -- with their clothes back on -- and they breathed heavily on one another before kissing. After an experience like that, how could Carly not receive a rose?
Nine of the other bachelorettes took part in a whitewater rafting trip on the Rio Grande River. At one point Jade fell into the water, but Chris bravely pulled her back onto her raft.
Later, Jordan, a bachelorette who had some embarrassingly drunken moments before her elimination a few weeks ago, surprised Chris by showing up and asking for a second chance. Chris allowed her to join the group, a decision that proved to be unpopular with the others. Sensing the tension, Chris sent Jordan home...again.The group date rose went to Whitney, a fertility nurse.
For his second one-on-one date, Chris sneaked into waitress Britt's hotel room and woke her up for a hot air balloon ride. As she received a rose, the women left behind wondered how sincere Britt is in her intentions. One of them claimed Britt said she's in no rush to get married and start a family.
Following the date, Kelsey revealed to Chris that she is a widow. The way she put it to the cameras, "This is the unfolding of somebody who's been through something so tragic, and you get to watch her pick up the pieces and grow into another person and into another relationship."
Kelsey even declared, “Isn’t my story amazing. ...I love my story.”
Chris reflected on his conversation with Kelsey with the other women, but he became so emotional over the events of the week that he had to leave the room. This aroused the suspicions of at least a few bachelorettes who were upset Kelsey had spent time alone with Chris; Carly told the cameras she believed Kelsey told her story to Chris in an attempt to curry empathy and stave off elimination.
Host Chris Harrison eventually broke the news to the ladies that the cocktail party had been cancelled. Kelsey was so nervous about the possibility of being eliminated that she excused herself. She was found lying on the floor, receiving medical attention as she cried and had difficulty breathing.
We'll get an update on Kelsey's condition next week when ABC airs a new episode of "The Bachelor."
