The Bachelor Recap: Ben Higgins Goes On His First Dates—And Sends Four More Women Home

The second night of Season 20 of The Bachelor begins with some comments from the women about what happened last week at the first party.

“Getting the first impression rose is proof that the chemistry is there,” Olivia said. “I want Ben Higgins to be my husband.”

And Lace, who did not make a good impression last week, coming off as a crazy girl, said, “That first night, I drank too much. That’s not me. Let’s start over. I hope I get that date card.”

Ben was optimistic about his first day of dating, saying “The first night was more than I ever expected. My mind hasn’t caught up with the excitement and the energy that existed at the mansion. Now, it’s game on. I feel positive. I could have my first date with my future wife.”

Night two of The Bachelor included two group dates, a one-on-one, a hot tub, visits from Kevin Hart and Ice Cube, and the rose ceremony at the end.

GROUP DATE

The first date was a group date with Jackie, LB, Lauren H., Becca, Amber, Mandi, JoJo, Jubilee, Jennifer,  and Lace, who actually may not be able to prove she isn’t crazy as she says, “If I could make out on the date today, that would be fantastic.”

Ben and the 10 women headed to high school, where the girls  paired off in five teams of two, and after each class, one team was eliminated. At the end of the day, the winner became Ben’s homecoming queen.

After science, lunch, geography, and physical education classes, Mandi and Amber were the winning team, but there could be only one, so they had to run hurdles and the winner became the homecoming queen.

Mandi took the tiara – and some private time with Ben.

The date ended with a cocktail party, where the girls vied for Ben’s attention. Becca got him first, and they threw some hoops, but Jennifer got the first kiss of the night.

Lace finally got her time with Ben. She apologized to Ben for coming off as negative. He accepted her apology and told her he wanted to get to know her better. Before they kiss, Jubilee interrupted them. She and Ben have a nice chat. She tells him she was in an orphanage when she was really young. She got the second kiss.

Then Ben came and asked JoJo to go up on the roof with him. He told her he liked her attitude and her bubbliness. JoJo got the third kiss. He gave her the first rose of the night.

SOLO DATE

The next date card arrived for the solo date, and Olivia was sure it would be her. But it turned out to be for Caila. Ben may have picked Caila, but Chris Harrison arranged the date, and it was a ride along with Kevin Hart and Ice Cube, who sat in the back seat and made everyone laugh.

They cruised around, ending at a spa store, where they tested out the tub, but Ben and Caila had to throw Kevin out of the tub to get some private time. Later that night, they had a quiet dinner.

“Caila had depth and was able to speak on that depth,” Ben said. “I want a partner that I can talk life with, who I can share my struggles and insecurities with. Caila seems like somebody who could be a really good wife.”

In order to keep her in the competition, Ben presented her with a rose.

The night ended with a private concert by Amos Lee, one of Ben’s favorite artists.

GROUP DATE NO. 2

The second group included Emily, Shoshana, Sam, Olivia, Haley, and Amanda, who traveled by limo to Love Lab Technologies.

First they had their visual cortex processed, which receives information from the eyes. Then the lab tested how Ben perceived their smell. Finally, the ladies were tested to see if they were a good long-term match by using thermal energy.

Olivia was feeling confident. Ben thought she smelled sweet and they seemed to have good thermal energy. And she was right. When the totals were in, she had the highest score: 7.45 out of 10. The lowest score was 2.42 and it was Sam.

That night, Ben talked to each of the girls, and Amanda finally got a chance to tell him that about her two daughters.

At the end of the date, Ben gave the rose to Olivia.

ROSE CEREMONY

There was an interesting twist to this week’s Rose Ceremony with LB actually turning down the rose when it was proffered to her.

She took Ben aside and said, “I don’t want to cause a scene right now, but it’s really hard to be here.”

“You see people with different personalities that he’s really connecting with, and it makes you question your own personality,” LB  said. “You over think things. Comparing and over thinking is what you do.”

That gave Ben an extra rose, which he gave to Amber, who had been worried because she hadn’t had time to talk to him.

ELIMINATED

Jackie, 23, gerontologist, San Francisco, California

Lauren “LB,” 23, fashion buyer, Stillwater, Oklahoma

Mandi, 28, dentist, Portland, Oregon

Samantha, 26, attorney, New Smyrna Beach, Florida

Here are the remaining Bachelorettes:

Amanda, 25, esthetician, Rancho Santa Margarita, California

Amber, 30, bartender, Chicago, Illinois

Becca, 26, chiropractic assistant, San Diego, California

Caila, 24, software sales representative, Hudson, Ohio

Emily, 22, twin, Las Vegas, Nevada

Haley, 22, twin, Las Vegas, Nevada

Jami, 23, bartender, St. Albert, Alberta, Canada

Jennifer, 25, small business owner, Fort Lauderdale, Florida

Joelle “Jo Jo,” 24, real estate developer, Dallas, Texas

Jubilee, 24, war veteran, Fort Lauderdale, Florida

Lace, 25, real estate agent, Denver, Colorado

Lauren B., 25, flight attendant, Marina Del Rey, California

Lauren H., 25, kindergarten teacher, Ann Arbor, Michigan

Leah, 25, event planner, Denver, Colorado

Olivia, 23, news anchor, Austin, Texas

Rachel, 23, unemployed, Little Rock, Arkansas

Shushanna, 27, mathematician, Salt Lake City, Utah

The Bachelor airs Monday nights at 8 p.m. ET/PT on ABC.