The Sept. 10 episode of Bachelor in Paradise picks up ahead of the final rose ceremony. The pressure is on for the remaining couples to decide if they’re ready to get engaged at the end of the show. Demi Burnett is admittedly unsure what she wants out of her relationship with Kristian Haggerty, as she’s still learning to be comfortable with her sexuality and expressing affection. It leads to continued tension between the women, as Kristian is reminded of going through similar issues in past relationships, which makes Demi anxious.
Connor Saeli is feeling lonely after being dumped by Caelynn Miller-Keyes. He’s holding out hope that Whitney Fransway, who he met and ‘clicked with’ at Chris Randone and Krystal Nielson’s wedding, will come on the show. However, as the days dwindled down, she doesn’t show up, and he leaves. Just moments later, though, Whitney shows up on the beach with hopes of reconnecting with Connor! When she sees he’s not there, she decides to leave and try to track him down at his hotel. He’s thrilled to see her, and they decide to spend some time together and give their romance a shot.
Meanwhile, Hannah Godwin gets a date card, and obviously, she asks Dylan Barbour to go out with her. They’re both on the same page about wanting a future together. Dylan tells Hannah that he’s in love with her for the first time, and she reciprocates. Clay Harbor also gets a date card, and he, of course, he asks out Nicole Lopez-Alvar. These two have some stuff to figure out — he’s from Chicago and she’s from Miami, so there’s a lot to think about when it comes to their future. However, Nicole is worried that Clay is holding back a little, and wants reassurance from him that he’s 100% in with her.
Clay lets Nicole know that he’s falling in love with her, but admits he doesn’t know if he can say he’s in love with her just yet. With Paradise just days from ending, she’s starting to get worried, and says that she needs answers from Clay before she can take any next steps with him.
Things are going well for John Paul Jones and Tayshia Adams. She’s totally giddy around him, and he’s admittedly falling in love with her. Tayshia surprises JPJ with a goofy date — he has to wear a Speedo and she’ll draw him, like in Titanic. They have a blast together, laughing and flirting the entire time. As for Chris Bukowski and Katie Morton — they had a great date on last night’s episode, but Chris is still second-guessing things. He’s not 100% convinced that he wants to get engaged. Katie senses his hesitation, and is understandably upset.
The next night, Chris Harrison drops a bombshell: There will be no cocktail party. So, the people who are unsure of where they stand are left in a tough position. Luke Stone, who hasn’t really formed a major connection with any of the women, is up first. He asks Bri Barnes to accept his rose, and she says no — which has never happened in Paradise before. Chris asks the women if anyone else wants Luke’s rose, and no one steps forward, so Luke goes home.
Matt Donald has been in a love triangle with Sydney Lotuaco and Bri Barnes, and he decides to give Bri his rose. The rest of the ceremony plays out as expected: Dylan gives his rose to Hannah, JPJ gives his to Tayshia, Chase McNary gives his to Angela Amezcua, Clay gives his to Nicole, Demi gives hers to Kristian, and Chris decides to stick it out with Katie and give her his rose. Unfortunately, that means Sydney, Haley Ferguson and Revian Chang are eliminated. The next day, Chris Harrison lets the couples know that they have a big decision to make: Do they want to get serious and go to the fantasy suite, then potentially get engaged…or call it quits?
Matt and Bri are one of the newer couples, who haven’t had much time to talk about their future. He wants a relationship with her off of the show, but she’s not on the same page, and ends things. Chase and Angela are also fairly new. He admits that there’s something that’s missing for him in their relationship, and they also decide to part ways. On the other end of the spectrum, Hannah and Dylan are both in love and confident with what they have, so they stick around for the fantasy suite.
Nicole is still waiting for Clay to tell her he loves her, and they agree to explore things further in the fantasy suite, as well. Meanwhile, Demi and Kristian have a big conversation ahead of them. Kristian urges Demi to always be open with her, otherwise she doesn’t know if things will work out. Demi still has insecurities, but despite the uncertainties, they both agree that they’re committed to each other and choose to go to the fantasy suite.
Tayshia is feeling conflicted about what to do because she’s simply not ready to make such a big decision like this just yet. On the other hand, JPJ can see himself spending the rest of his life with Tayshia. He tells her that he’s in love with her, but unfortunately, she’s not ready to say it back. She’s worried that he doesn’t actually know what he wants, and although he tries to prove otherwise, Tayshia decides to end the relationship. They’re both in tears as they part ways.
That leaves Chris and Katie. Chris gets emotional while letting Katie know that he simply feels “unsure” about things. He promises her that he was absolutely all-in when he asked her to be his girlfriend, so she’s super confused and blindsided about why he’s having uncertainties. Chris knows he’s being difficult, and he praises Katie for standing by him. When he realizes that she’s going to stick around in tough times, he lets her know that he’s ready to give it a shot, and they decide to take their love to the fantasy suite. We’ll see what happens next during the Sept. 17 finale!