Bachelor in Paradise: Season 2, Episode 7 Recap

Last week’s episodes could be dubbed “Samantha-gate”… the whole cast was trying to get to the bottom of the issue of Joe and Sam knowing each other before the taping of Bachelor in Paradise.  Through various interviews and conversations, Joe and Sam went back and forth between saying they exchanged texts, emails, social media correspondence to denying it all together.  One thing that was abundantly clear though is that Juelia was played by Joe and Samantha isn’t as sweet and innocent as she claims.  JJ finally had had enough and basically threatened to punch Joe at the end of last Monday’s episode.

Tonight’s episode starts off at that same point and Jared talking JJ down.  Then Joe  confides in Jorge, the bartender, and says that Sam knew that he was going to do whatever it took to stick around until she got here on paradise. Joe then talks to Sam about it and telling her that he’s just over it.  She tells him not to worry about what others are saying and just have a good time with each other.  Joe is getting irritated though that Sam isn’t taking any responsibility for it though and he’s getting all the heat. However, he’s the one that played Juelia and broke her heart, so that’s why he’s getting the heat.

Cocktail party before the rose ceremony.  Three ladies will be going home tonight.  Juelia, Clare, Ashley S, Amber, and Megan are the possible ones on the chopping block.  Joe addresses everyone at the cocktail party and admits to half truths about talking to Sam on Instagram before going on Bachelor in Paradise.  Juelia then asks if he then used her to stay longer to see Sam get on the show.  Joe denies that he used Juelia.  Tanner just wants them to fess up, but both of them are covering it up. Juelia’s just hurt because she and Samantha are good friends outside of the show, even vacationing together.  Tanner confronts Sam and she still denies denies denies and he doesn’t believe anything she says.

Ashley I and Jared sit down completely awkwardly together.  His body language is totally saying he’s not interested in her at all.  She comes off really immature.  She basically begs him for a kiss and he finally kisses her.  So awkward and weird! He’s just not that into you!!

Dan is one of the swing votes tonight.  He was with Ashley S but then broke it off with her and went on a date with Amber.  However, Amber is concerned he might save Juelia because all the guys feel bad for her and what happened.  JJ is the other swing vote.  JJ tells Tenley that Megan refused to kiss, so he can’t read her.  Tenley puts in a good word for Juelia and thinks that maybe JJ should use his rose for her.  Megan then sits with JJ and tells him that she really likes him and would like to spend more time with him.  JJ is feeling pressured right now even though Juelia says she doesn’t want a sympathy rose.  She said she wants to figure out another way to stay.  So she goes and talks to Chris Harrison.  She tells him that she feels that Joe used her and that she should have given Mikey a better chance when Mikey tried to convince her that Joe wasn’t being honest.  She asks Chris if they can bring Mikey back.  Chris says “what you’re asking is really unprecedented” ….. which means, this wasn’t Juelia’s idea and they will bring Mikey back because it will be good drama.

Rose Ceremony: Joshua –> Tenley, Jared –> Ashley I, Kirk –> Carly, Tanner –> Jade, JJ….. he looks very stressed out and doesn’t necessarily look like he feels good about his decision.  Then he gives it to Ashley S…. what?!! He tells everyone that he broke up with someone to come to Paradise and now he realized that what he’s searching for is back at home.  He thanks everyone for their friendship and then he WALKED AWAY.  Crazy.  Rose ceremony continues with Joe giving his rose to Samantha.  Final rose is wild card Dan… the only one left to save Juelia.  He puts the rose down and then asks to speak to Carly?!!  He tries asking her for advice before making his decision.  He’s just really torn.  He finally decides to give his rose to Amber and everyone is a bit disappointed.  Megan, Juelia, and Clare are now going home.  Clare declares this is her retirement from Bachelor in Paradise.  Joe laughs about Juelia going home and says “boom!  Game over!”  ugh!!  Juelia walks out to the car and waiting for her is Mikey!  Juelia is very happy and calls him a knight in shining armor and he walks her back to the crowd.  They get to see if they have anything together and Chris Harrison welcomes them back to Paradise.  Everyone is happy and relieved. Joe is obviously not happy!

The gang heads for bed and there sits the date card… it’s for Tanner.  He and Jade have an early morning flight to Guadalajara and then they drive to Tequila, Mexico.

Back at the resort, Nick (Ashley’s season and Bachelor Pad 3) shows up and tells Chris he’s looking forward to seeing Samantha.  He’s spoken to her on the phone and text messages and he thinks they have a connection.  Oh boy!

Nick shows up to the gang and the look on Sam’s face is priceless “oh shit.”  She is not smiling at all.  Nick picks Sam right away and asks her on a date.  She tells him she’s very flattered and then they go off to talk to each other.  She didn’t give him an answer yet.  She ultimately tells him no and Nick looks stunned.  Everyone is seeing right through it.  Nick is honest with Mikey and tells him that they’ve talked on the phone and texting nearly every day before Paradise.  Mikey fills Nick in that she was talking to Joe before arriving also.  So Nick then asks Ashley S on the date.  Nothing like being someone’s second choice!

Back on Jade and Tanner’s date…. they receive a date card saying that there’s a fantasy suite if they want to use it.  Of course they take the room key!!

On Nick and Ashley S’s date, their boat trip to an island got canceled because of Hurricane Carlos so they’re getting drunk on tequila and get massages instead. Nick says she’s beautiful, she’s sexy, but she’s just a little “out there.”  Umm… you think?  So let’s give her more alcohol!  By night fall, Ashley’s completely hammered.  She’s talking about being Nick’s sister or something..  I don’t know, it’s the oddest thing ever!  My guess is she’s on more than just tequila!

Tanner and Jade go to their fantasy suite and Tanner wants to talk to Jade about their future.  He tells her that he’s worried that at the end of this he’s going to madly in love with her and then it’s just going to be over when they leave Paradise.  She tells him that she’s just as scared, but it’s real for her too.  She’s right there with him.  He says he wants to call her his girlfriend.  She smiled and nodded and kissed him.  So cute, very romantic!  They’re meant for each other!

Next morning, Joe and Sam are talking on the beach.  Joe gets a bit insecure and asks her if there’s anyone else that she might want to go out on a date with.  She says no.  Joe says in his interview that it’s no secret that Sam is out of his league, he knows that.  Joe is obviously feeling threatened by Nick being in the house now.  Joe calls Sam out for being “different” today.  Joe is basically following Samantha where ever she goes. He’s so afraid of losing her, but she’s suddenly getting cold towards him and says she just needs a few minutes away.  Probably because he’s smothering her!

Jared tells the guys that he was hoping for a stronger connection with Ashley I and it’s just not there.  It’s just hard because she has a lot stronger feelings for him than he does for her.  That night, Jared tries to let her down easy and says that it’s not fair to her that she doesn’t get to experience Paradise and miss out on some real potential.  Ashley is crushed, starts crying, and basically can’t talk.  She tells him to go… basically so she can have a total meltdown but not in front of him.  I feel for her, but she really does act like a fourteen year old girl.  Ashley then CALLS Kaitlyn and basically blames him being “obsessed” with her as the reason he’s not falling for her (Ashley).

Joe is now trying to win Samantha over again by having a private birthday party for himself.  In his interview he compares Sam to an “8-point buck on the wall”… calling her a trophy.  Joe and Sam sit down and Sam says she’s just never felt so many emotions so fast.  She just feels like there’s a lot of drama and the only thing that’s different in her life is Joe and why is there so much drama surrounding him?  She said she’s just paying attention to signs and red flags and she can’t handle it.  Joe says there hasn’t been drama at all today.  She played him to get a rose just like Joe did to Juelia!!  She just did what she needed to do to get the rose!  “I just hope you can understand, I’m sorry.”  She says it so cold-like.  She never had any feelings for Joe!!  This is nuts!!  She really is evil!

Sam then tells everyone that Joe just wasn’t right.  Tenley says “welcome to Paradise!” and Sam starts laughing.  Just then Joe walks up and sees her laughing.  Now Sam is saying that she wants to make it right with everyone who she may have hurt.  Joe is pissed that she played him.  The show ends with clips from tomorrow night’s show and then a montage of Sam getting knocked over by waves in the ocean.  Hilarious!