‘The Bachelorette’: Katie Asks [SPOILER] To Come Back After Eliminating Him In Tears
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With just seven guys left and hometown dates looming, Katie Thurston had some big decisions to make on this week’s episode of ‘The Bachelorette.’
Katie Thurston eliminated Andrew Spencer at the last rose ceremony before hometown dates on the July 19 episode of The Bachelorette. Earlier in the episode, she sent Brendan Scanzano home, and she eliminated Mike Planeta during his one-on-one date, as well. With Greg Grippo, Michael Allio, Blake Moynes and Justin Glaze all getting roses, it meant Katie had to say goodbye to Andrew, as well.
Earlier in the episode, Katie and Andrew had an important conversation about their future during a group date. Andrew is a professional football player in Austria, so he spends half of the year living in Vienna. He and Katie discussed what this would look like for them as a couple if he continued to play, and she gave him the exact answer he was hoping to hear.
“For me, hearing you talk and knowing your dream and what you’re doing, all I would do is encourage you to keep going,” Katie insisted. “If that means we’re living two places every year, then so be it. If that means we have to hold off on having a family because of the inconsistency of our home, so be it. We’re always going to have obstacles and you’re the kind of person that I feel so confident I could be holding hands with and figuring this s*** out.”
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Despite Andrew feeling “confident” following his conversation with Katie, she simply had stronger connections with some of the other men. “I am so sorry,” she told Andrew after eliminating him. “You are such an amazing man and you give a hundred percent to everything you are passionate about and that’s what you deserve. That’s not something I can give you. I could not look your mom or your sister in the eye [on hometown dates] and tell them what they would want to hear because they know what you deserve. I know what you deserve. The hard part is that I am building stronger connections and you deserve more than what I can give you. You are truly one of a kind. You deserve to find great love.”
Andrew wiped away tears as Katie broke his heart, but he assured her that she would “forever hold [her] dear” to him. In a confessional, he added, “It’s heartbreaking. I’ve never felt this way about a woman before. I poured myself into every little bit of this and she had stronger connections with everyone else. It hurts. I put everything into it.”
Meanwhile, Katie had a breakdown and started sobbing after Andrew left. “That was the first decision I had to make where I wasn’t fully confident,” she admitted. “It was the first decision I had to make where I had to hope it was the right choice. I don’t even know what to say.”
The next morning, Katie was still struggling with her decision, and was caught off guard when Andrew knocked on her door. “I’m speechless right now,” she said. Andrew explained that he wanted to end things on a “happy note” with Katie, so he stopped by to say goodbye. “Saying goodbye to you was really hard,” she reiterated. “I hope you know that it wasn’t an easy decision. It was one of those things where it felt like…it was up to the last second. I think that’s what makes it really hard. It was the first time I made a decision I didn’t feel confident about I literally think I dropped to the ground when the car drove away. It has a lot to do with me caring for you, and I still do.
Andrew told Katie that it “meant so much” to him to hear her say that. “It was real,” he said. “I can really say I fell for you. In the pain I have, that gives me comfort. It’s a feeling I’ve never had with anyone. I’m super proud of you and love the woman that you are.” He also gave Katie a note to read after he left, and she opened it as soon as they said their final goodbye. “If you change your mind, I’ll be waiting,” the note said.
Katie ran out of her hotel room to chase Andrew and try to find him. She finally caught up with him to give him one last hug, and was in tears as they embraced. “If there’s a way to stay a little longer, would you want to?” she asked, in tears. “You can say no, you can say yes.” Even though Andrew wanted to be with Katie, he felt too hurt in the house to continue on. “I wanted to say yes,” he admitted afterward. “I’d love nothing more than to be with her. But I want my future wife to want to choose me and I wasn’t chosen. So I had to say no. I don’t want to go through this with her again. I don’t want to be standing at a rose ceremony waiting for her to choose me again.”
Now, four guys — Greg, Michael, Justin and Blake — are left. Next week, Katie will meet their families on hometown dates.