Halfway through her journey, Katie Thurston is down to her final seven men.
Katie Thurston made some hard choices on Monday night's episode of The Bachelorette. Episode six of Katie's journey included a challenge for the men, a pretend wedding, and a heartbreaking goodbye, all of which ET is breaking down in the Bachelorette recap below.
The episode began with Katie and Justin growing both their physical and emotional connections, but the second man to receive a one-on-one wasn't so lucky.
The group date saw one man's integrity being questioned, before a canceled cocktail party and a small number of available roses made all the guys wonder where they stood.
Keep reading for the full recap of episode six of The Bachelorette.
Katie Asks the Guys to Refrain from 'Self-Care'
While speaking to co-hosts Kaitlyn Bristowe and Tayshia Adams, Katie revealed that she came up with "a fun challenge" for the guys that involves waiting until Fantasy Suites to have any sort of sexual release as they "withhold their self-care as long as possible."
Kaitlyn was the one to break the news to the men, much to her delight. While Katie didn't expect the guys to "last 24 hours," Mike P., who previously told the Bachelorette that he's a virgin, was up for the task.
"These guys are screwed," he joked. "I’ve been mastering this my whole life."
Katie and Justin Exchange Vows
The dates for the week started on a high note, when Katie and Justin donned wedding attire, exchanged vows and posed for pictures, as they pretended it was their wedding day.
Justin was "nervous" going into the one-on-one, a feeling Katie shared as she looked to discover if her spark with the investment sales consultant is "actually a connection that could lead to an engagement."
Katie found just that, though, when Justin vowed to support her "through all of life’s ups and downs and do everything in my power to keep that infectious smile on your face." A wedding dress-clad Katie likewise gushed over Justin, promising "to chase you, to cherish you, to protect you."
When they arrived at the nighttime portion of their date, Katie said that the date had been challenging for her because it reminded her that her late dad won't be there to walk her down the aisle on her actual wedding day.
She got even more personal from there, revealing that, before her dad's death, she found out that he was not her biological father, and that the man who is wants to have a relationship with her.
"How do I build a relationship with this man I knew nothing about, while also mourning the passing of the man who raised me?" Katie asked Justin. "Anytime I try to get close with him, it’s just a reminder of the fact that my dad who raised me is no longer here."
Justin responded by praising Katie's "strength," and leaving the Bachelorette feeling "happy and comforted." After offering Justin the rose, Katie and her date extended their night with a private MAX concert.
In confessionals after the fact, Justin celebrated taking things to "another level" with Katie, while she remarked that the date was "the beginning of what could be love."
The Great Royal Debate
After greeting her group date suitors, Katie led them into a room where drag queens Shea Couleé and Monét X Change explained that the guys would be participating in a roast of sorts called The Great Royal Debate.
Aaron predicted that much of the attention would turn to newly-emerged villain Hunter, but the software strategist planned to "leverage" such negativity in order to set himself apart.
When things officially got underway, James and Greg were blasted for being "too nice" and "lame" respectively, before Brendan upped the ante by pointing to Hunter as the man who's least compatible with Katie.
Brendan continued by calling out Hunter for having a top four list of the remaining men. Though Hunter denied such a list, viewers saw him share exactly that with Greg earlier in the episode. After hearing the list, Greg said that Hunter was "calculated" and "a super-fan of the show," feelings that were supported by Aaron and James.
"You’re a super-fan. You’re commenting on the Bachelorette blogs and forums," James said to Hunter during the group date, before Aaron referred to the man in question as "a leprechaun."
Hunter didn't fire back with insults of his own, which left Aaron feeling like he was "phony."
On the nighttime portion of the date, Andrew S. told Katie that he's "really starting to feel this," before Greg asked Katie how she felt about their relationship.
"I am falling for you," Katie told Greg. "It’s exciting. It’s scary."
The romance came to a rapid stop there, when James, Aaron and Tre all expressed their concerns about Hunter to Katie. The Bachelorette went to the source next, and Hunter claimed that he's "not being calculated."
All the drama made Katie physically ill, as she rushed to the bathroom to vomit. She quickly ended the date after that, opting not to hand out a rose at all.
A Double Date Ends in Heartbreak
Connor B., who stole Katie's heart night one when he showed up dressed as a cat, felt like he was in "a dream" when he was invited on the second one-on-one date of the week. Katie, though, decided to use the date as "the final test" to her and Connor's relationship.
"I love who he is. I love talking to him. But I’ve been in somewhat of a friend-zone," she explained in a confessional. "We are missing this physical connection. When we kiss, I don’t feel that spark or that passion. My hope is we can get beyond that."
The pair met up with Kaitlyn and her fiancé, Jason Tartick, where they enjoyed an afternoon of games and grilling. As the double date progressed, Jason said he was "a huge fan" of Connor, while Kaitlyn told Katie about how she and her fiancé had a friendship bond before a romantic one.
Katie was willing to give Connor one last chance in hopes of a "magic kiss" that would change everything. The pair did make out while Kailtyn and Jason watched on, but it didn't change things as Katie had hoped.
While Connor was getting ready for the nighttime portion of the date, he was looking ahead to his future with Katie. "I want her to meet my family. I definitely see myself falling in love with her. I feel like she can see a future with me," he said.
Katie didn't feel the same way, though, and showed up to Connor's door crying.
"The more I learn about you the more I realize just how great of a man you are. The song you wrote me, that meant the world to me," Katie said, before breaking down as she told him, "I can’t even look at you right now.”
"It’s OK. I know where this is going. It’s OK. It is. It’s OK," Connor replied, before offering Katie a hug and wiping her tears.
"I really wanted to feel like you were someone I could walk away with at the end of this. It’s, like, the most heartbreaking thing, because I remember how I felt when we first met. I hope you know that. You’ve done nothing wrong in this," Katie told Connor, before explaining her reason for the split.
"When we kiss, there was something missing in that kiss," she said. "That was hard for me, because everything about you, everything about us, was so easy, so good. But when we kiss, that was the one and only time when something was missing."
Through tears, Connor told Katie, "It’s OK, because it’s worth it to have met you." After exchanging hugs and good wishes, a sobbing Katie broke down as she left Connor's room.
"I knew saying goodbye to Connor would be hard, I just didn’t expect it to be this hard. He’s such a good guy. He knew walking in there I was probably about to break his heart, I was about to say goodbye, and he still put me first. He put me first," she said in a confessional. "That’s a man you’d be lucky to be with. I just hope that when he leaves here tonight, that he knows just how worthy he is of finding love."
Meanwhile, Connor called the breakup "heartbreaking," before asking himself, "God, how bad of a kisser am I? F**k."
Connor made his way to the guys next to say his goodbyes. His tearful exit left Tre, Greg, Hunter and Brendan crying, while James admitted, "It suddenly just feels so much realer and scarier."
Blake's Surprise
While Katie was still crying over Connor, Blake showed up outside of her window, where he played the song they danced to on their one-on-one date in a speaker over his head. Katie invited him up, and they made out all over the place.
"I had no idea how romantic he could be. When I’m with Blake I don’t think about anything else except him and I. I’m in trouble," Katie said. "With Blake and I, there’s just overflowing passion. There’s this undeniable chemistry. With Blake, this is what I’m looking for."
"I’m certain that I’m falling for Katie and she’s falling for me too," Blake said. "It’s impossible to deny that Katie and I are going to fall in love. It’s so exciting to think that that’s gonna happen, and it's going to happen soon. I feel like Katie’s going to be my fiancée."
Four Men Say Their Goodbyes
Katie delighted the men when she arrived to the cocktail party, but quickly changed the mood when she announced that she was canceling the event and heading straight to a rose ceremony because she had already made her decision.
As the men filed into the rose ceremony, they noticed that only six roses were out, meaning four of them would be departing. Katie shocked everybody when she called Hunter's name first, but, instead of giving him a rose, she asked to speak to him for "clarity." The pair returned shortly thereafter, without a rose for Hunter.
Blake, Andrew S., Greg, Michael A., Mike P., and Brendan all received roses, while Aaron, Hunter, Tre, and James were sent home.
"Mom and Dad, I’m the same kid you raised. Grew a little bit, got hurt," Tre told the cameras after his elimination. "It’s been a beautiful journey. I learned a lot. I’m never going to forget Katie."
Hunter wasn't so gracious, stating, "I don’t think she made the right decision. I want her to want me here and she didn’t. She didn’t 100 percent want me here. So f**k them."
ET has got you covered throughout the entirety of Katie's season with recaps, interviews and exclusives. Check out all of our Bachelorette coverage for the latest.
RELATED CONTENT:
