The Bachelor Ben Higgins is headed to the hometowns of his final four girls this week and meeting their families may prove to be more stressful than he imagined.
Although all of his dates will involve some confrontational moments, meeting JoJo Fletcher’s family may make Ben think twice about moving forward with the Texas beauty. And it’s not just her family who will shake things up — the whole date becomes a big hot mess when a Chad Rookstool , rumored to be her ex, tries to get back in touch with her.
Not exactly the hometown welcome Ben was expecting… https://t.co/DNG5ZqkF04
— The Bachelor (@BachelorABC) February 22, 2016
ABC’s preview for the hometowns include clips from Monday night’s episode (video below) that shows JoJo’s brothers coming down hard on Ben who frankly looks a little shocked when her step-brother — also named Ben — says that she “deserves better.” Ouch .
Oh brothers! These hometown visits hold nothing back. https://t.co/pMKbfIf6OK
— The Bachelor (@BachelorABC) February 20, 2016
What happens to Ben during his sit-down with JoJo’s brothers will remind fans of Sean Lowe’s season of the Bachelor when Desiree Hartsock’s brother, Nate , told Sean that he was “just having fun” as the Bachelor and wasn’t serious about his sister. Sean seemed to take Nate’s words to heart and eliminated Des at the next rose ceremony.
Will JoJo face the same fate? The week 8 preview video above may convince viewers that Ben’s strained meeting with JoJo’s brother will make him re-think his relationship with JoJo.
When JoJo’s brother Martin tells a rather shocked Ben Higgins that he “brainwashes his girls” and “needs to take a step back,” JoJo breaks down and cries about overly protective big brothers.
“I can see myself falling in love with him,” JoJo tells her brothers during the hometown date episode that airs Monday night. Once she finds out her brothers came down a little too hard on Ben, she cries, telling her brothers, “Now you’re doing this? I was so excited about today.”
Of course, this could be careful editing on the part of Bachelor producers who don’t want fans to see the whole story until the episode airs on February 22, but based on the clip, Ben’s meetup with JoJo’s family does not go well.
If the brothers versus Ben Higgins showdown isn’t enough to turn a great date into a nightmare, there’s more drama in store for JoJo. According to WetPaint , JoJo finds a letter and flowers on her front step when she returns home to Dallas and — surprise! — the cameras are there to witness the moment when she realizes they are from her ex, Chad Rookstool.
Apparently her ex still has feelings for her and signs the card, “Love, Chad xoxo.” JoJo immediately tells a stressed-out Ben the flowers and card are from her ex boyfriend. The preview then shows her saying, “My feelings are elsewhere” but this could be more crafty editing on the part of Bachelor producers.
@chadrookstool always cutting me up nicely! Thanks pal pic.twitter.com/u23mONmR
— Matt Nordgren (@MattNordgren) December 22, 2011
According to Reality Steve, Chad, who owns a salon in Dallas , was in a relationship with JoJo but they broke up months before she started filming the Bachelor . However, Steve goes on to say that Chad has been watching her dog while she was on the show, so they are still close enough to share house keys.
Does JoJo move on to overnights with Ben or does her relationship end after the hometown dates? Spoilers indicate that JoJo is one of Ben’s final three girls , so apparently he got over the brothers giving him a hard time and her ex, Chad, making a play for her heart.
Watch The Bachelor hometown dates episode on Monday, February 22, at 8 p.m. ET on ABC to see how JoJo’s date with Ben plays out.
[Image via ABC Television Network]