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Jillian Passes Five Hometown Visits with Flying Colors on The Bachelorette
by Alison Cox
On previous seasons of ABC's The Bachelor and Bachelorette,
the hometown visit episode usually occurred when
the remaining "bach" contenders were narrowed
down to the final three. This season, with Canadian
beauty Jillian Harris as The Bachelorette, all
things romantic and single have been slightly
different, beginning with 30 bachelors instead
of the customary 25. So it wasn't a surprise that
when it came time for the hometown visits, all
things family and friends would be larger, too.
 As
the hometown Bachelorette activity got underway,
the first stop was to visit the family of romantic
bachelor Reid Rosenthal in Philadelphia. Like
many men vying for the hands of Bachelorettes
past, Reid was concerned over what his family
had to say, constantly asking, "What do you
guys think?" Interestingly, the open mind of
Reid's father was a refreshing vote of support,
when he counseled his son about not always playing
safe and that sometimes people simply have to
take risks and jump in with both feet to find
the right answer. It was a grounded sentiment
that obviously resonated with his son. For Reid's
30th birthday party, however, the family was
shocked when the Philadelphia realtor openly
showed affection for Jillian, a move that all
insecure bachelors need to embrace from season
to season to get the roses. Although Reid was
never big on displays of public affection, especially
in front of the fam, there was an obvious sense
of mutual admiration. Everyone loved Jillian
- the whole family - and she even admitted to
falling for the Rosenthal family, too.
 Next
on Jillian's hometown stop was to the home of
Michael Stagliano in Tacoma, Washington where
it was revealed that the break-dance instructor
had an identical twin. At one point in the evening,
the spot on identical Stagliano twins went upstairs,
switched shirts and came back downstairs. Despite
the planned swap, nothing got by our perceptive
Bachelorette. "I know my Michael right away,"
said Jillian, and the twin shell game was over
before it started. What Jillian did learn from
Michael's twin, however, was that the two brothers
agreed to get married younger in order to have
more time for fun with a wife before having
kids. Despite the welcome reception from Michael's
twin, his father was cautious while also expressing
his concerns. But the hometown meeting served
up a surprise high note when Michael's sister
flew all the way from Australia to meet Jillian.
And then there was Kyptin.
 Next
stop for Jillian on the hometown Bachelorette
wagon train was the picture perfect town of
Encinitas, California. But the big question
going to meet the family of Kyptin Locke was
"are they too perfect?" Heading into Encinitas,
Jillian thought, "His family might be the first
family I don't fit in with." As the possible
couple approached the Locke family house, the
location was beautiful and breathtaking, but
Jillian was soon put to the test when she met
Kyptin's mom and stepfather. At the dinner table,
Jillian was presented with two slices of lasagna
and two wines and was asked to identify the
best lasagna and the best wine to pair with
it. When it was all said and done at the Locke
table, it was a test that Jillian passed with
flying colors. However, Jillian couldn't help
but notice Kyptin's family was overly polished,
educated and refined, and worried they might
think of her as a complete and utter hillbilly.
When Kyptin's sister confronted her brother
with the question of whether he'd propose in
three weeks, he replied, "Not likely." Perhaps
Jillian should have mixed up the wines and pasta
just for a good laugh and her own entertainment
value.
 As
the hometown tour continued, Carmel Valley,
California was Jillian's next scheduled stop
where she met wine maker Jesse Kovacs' long-haired,
single, and cynical brother, Jacob who immediately
put her to the interrogation test. After the
many stops to meet family members in the episode,
Jillian had Jacob wrapped around her finger
in no time. Interestingly, it was Jesse's mother
who backed up Jillian's suspicions when describing
her son. "He likes to sit back and observe.
Then, when he feels it's right, he can open
up more." After Jillian won the trust of brother
Jacob, he divulged a few key details about his
brother. Jacob described Jesse as dedicated
with an intense love for the business they're
in (wine makers). Jacob also described Jesse
as an "emotional ice-cube. I haven't seen anyone
yet that can crack his shell." Of course Jacob
also hinted that Jillian just may be the one
to bring Jesse out of his emotional igloo.
 On
the final hometown stop, musician Wes Hayden
made a pit-stop to introduce Jillian to his band
before moving on to meet his family in Austin,
Texas. Slippery and slick, Wes delivered line
after line. "I have to have her to myself. I'm
not a good liar. I'm here for you. I'm here
for the right reasons." Love struck by the musical
bad boy, Jillian ate it all up and replied,
"You're saying the right things." In what appeared
to be a moment of sincerity, Wes continued to
say the right things. "I really want to make
this work, honestly." But it was the hometown
visit to the home of Wes Hayden that became
a crucial turning point in the show, and for
good reason.
Although love was seemingly in the air for Jillian, Wes was finally confronted by last week's castoff Jake, who took it upon himself to return and warn Jillian that not only was Wes out for giving his career a boost, but he was also the one in Jillian's select group with a girlfriend. And Jake had a few compelling details to get off of his chest. "Her name is Laurel. We've talked about her more than three times." After the bomb of Jake's revelation, Wes addressed the accusation the best he could. "I don't want to defend myself. That's crazy. She's still one of my best friends to this day. Crazy." But Jillian, who came out of Wes's spell, made one thing clear. "I don't have any tolerance for people who are dishonest." Jake was then brought in to set things straight and the tension in between the boys was like a powder keg ready to explode.
Despite Jake's warning, Jillian went ahead
with the family meeting, which looked liked
an uncomfortable and simmering pre-fight press
conference between two boxing camps. Soon they
tell the family what happened and Wes's family
is quick to point out that "guys have always
been jealous of Wes." Obviously! What family
would sit there and tell Jillian their son was
a douchebag on national television?
 But
the shockers continued as the night went on
as the next one trumped Jake's reveal when there
was a knock at the door. Guess who? It was Ed
Swiderski who left weeks earlier when his job
was threatened. And there was Ed again, pleading
for another chance. "I made a huge mistake.
I got home and I could not stop thinking about
you. I want another shot." Interestingly, Jillian
later confessed, "Seeing him, I get so many
butterflies." How's that for a gut reaction?
From what viewers could tell, Jillian was flustered
because Ed missed her so much, which left her
speechless. Instead, Jillian opted to buy some
time and invited Ed to the rose ceremony, therefore
increasing the field to six, of which only four
would remain at the end of the night. "With
Ed in the mix I'm totally struggling. It's not
really fair for the other guys that have stuck
it out." Come on, of course it's not fair. How
about following your heart? Did she? Yes, she
did!
The roses were given out in this order:
Reid
Kyptin
Ed
And to the dismay of many fans, Wes.
 As
it turned out, Jesse's emotional ice-cube didn't
melt enough for Jillian to keep him another
round. Jesse left, roseless and silent, opting
to give Jillian a classy hug before leaving
with his dignity intact.
The second bachelor not to receive a rose was the break dancing Michael who, during his final reflection, was choked up with emotion and said through quivering lips these three things: "She's beautiful. I'm going to miss you. Be happy." He was a cutie.
Next week the four remaining bachelors and big event bachelorette are off to romantic Spain. Will Wes continue his charade? Will Jillian fall for it yet again?
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