Tanner and Sean were the unlucky men to wind up on the season's most uncomfortable date.
Charity Lawson is making some tough decisions. On Monday night's episode of The Bachelorette, the child and family therapist had to suffer through the dreaded two-on-one date as she struggled to choose the four men she'd take to Hometowns.
The New Orleans-set week started on a high note for Charity, as she treated Joey to a horse-drawn carriage around the city. They ate together, got a tarot card reading, and explored NOLA, as Charity told the cameras, "This man could be my husband and I see a forever future with him."
During the nighttime portion of the date, Charity and Joey discussed what it'd mean to be in an interracial relationship, and the tennis pro promised to listen and learn along the way. Charity ended up giving Joey the rose, and he responded by telling her, "I would be crazy not to tell you that I am falling in love with you."
Then came the two-on-one date, which saw Charity tour the bayou with Sean, who was feeling "pissed," and Tanner, who was feeling "overlooked."
After an awkward day outside, the trio sat down for an equally uncomfortable dinner. Charity had a solo conversation with Sean first, who told her, "I might get crushed at the end of this, but that's a risk I'm 100 percent willing to take." During his time, Tanner opened up about having his walls up and wanting to knock them down for Charity.
Ultimately, Charity couldn't pick between the men and opted not to hand out a rose just yet. Tanner took the situation in stride, but Sean complained about not getting "validation" and feeling "insecure" about where his relationship stood.
Dotun nabbed the second one-on-one date of the week, and participated in a tutu-clad fun run with Charity. During their dinner date, Dotun opened up about his "fear of failure," and Charity confessed to wondering if their connection was too good to be true. As Dotun shared the struggle between his heart and his brain, he admitted, "My heart is pretty much screaming that I'm definitely falling in love with you at this point." Charity was delighted by the reveal and awarded Dotun a rose.
The next day, Sean was "confused, frustrated, mad" to learn that he'd be going on yet another group date, this one with Aaron, Xavier and Tanner. He decided to go to Charity's room to share his feelings. Though he told Charity that he was "totally in the process of falling in love" with her, she wasn't feeling the same way.
"What you want from me I can't give and I'm very fearful of not being able to get there," she told him. "I don't think that I can. I know that's not what you want to hear but that's just what it is. I'm sorry."
With that, Sean left, telling the cameras, "I feel heartbroken. I feel crushed. I feel confused. Dude, I don't get it."
The other three men still went on the group date. Aaron admitted to suffering through "one of the hardest weeks of my life," Tanner told Charity that he could "envision it being an amazing time" in his hometown, and Xavier opened up about his fear of committing to the wrong person. After the conversations, Charity only felt comfortable awarding a rose to Aaron, and decided to leave Tanner and Xavier hanging a bit longer.
After she had some more time to think things through, Charity went to Tanner's room to end things with him.
"It really does pain me because you are truly an incredible person," Charity told Tanner, who went on to get emotional in the confessional, saying, "I know it was really hard on her and it's hard on me too... That girl deserves the world, man. She's special."
After awarding the final rose of the week to Xavier, Charity had an ominous thought, telling the cameras, "Time will only tell if my decision is the right decision."
Next week, fans will see Charity meet Joey, Dotun, Aaron and Xavier's families. In the preview, Joey's family is worried that something doesn't "feel 100 percent right with him," Charity displays concern over Xavier's readiness to settle down, and Aaron's family asks Charity some tough questions.
At the end of the week, a sobbing Charity tells the cameras, "The one person that I say goodbye to is not going to see this coming."
Watch Charity Lawson's journey for love on season 20 of The Bachelorette, which airs Mondays on ABC. Stay up to date on all the drama by following along with ET's coverage of the series.
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