Tell Me Sweet Little Lies

Buonasera, Rose Enthusiasts! This week's episode of the Bachelorette is brought to you from Venice, Italy aka the "Most Romantic City in the World!™" I suppose that sending our merry crew to Venice makes sense, as it is known for throwing ragers for Carnival, and people wear masks so they can participate in debauchery and no one can know who they are. Much like everyone on this program. 

We open with the guys taking a nice boat ride around Venice, where Grumpy-Pants Nick confides to the camera that he hopes the week in Italy will be better than the week in France, where he "sucked on the last group date." Cody is hoping this is his week for a one-on-one since he's the only one left who hasn't had one. Well, Kewpie, I hope that you get a one-on-one, because if not, you're totally going home. 

"Where's my one-on-one??"
- Cody

After disembarking the boat, the guys meet up with Andi, who says - SURPRISE! - the first one-on-one date starts right now! Everyone is expecting Cody to be on this date since he hasn't had one, but today's one-on-one is going to be with .... Nick! Win one for Grumpy-Pants. Andi basically says she doesn't care if the guys aren't happy she picked Nick, but that she needs to make sure Nick isn't a huge jerkface before sending him on to next week. 

"Why wasn't I on this date?" - Bert

While Nick and Andi are walking around Venice, they are marveling about how there isn't just one romantic square or one romantic church or one romantic pigeon! The whole place is romantic! Andi is finding it difficult not to get swept up in the romance of Venice, but she must press on, because there is business that needs to be discussed with Nick about his behavior in the house, his behavior on the last group date, his interactions with the guys, etc. Detective Dorfman is on the case! Nick sort of apologizes for his cranky behavior last week, and says he's going to do better, but Andi (and me too) remains skeptical.

Later in the evening, Andi emerges from the shadows (what is this - Dick Tracy?) wearing a gold lamé evening gown. Nick is hoping that during dinner the opportunity presents itself to tell Andi that he's falling in love with her (too soon, buddy!). During dinner, Andi's all, "Don't think I brought you here because I like you, I brought you here because you were a rampant douche bag last week, and I need to figure this shiz out before you get to come with us next week!" Nick attempts to defend himself, saying that his feelings were "hurt" when Cody said that he was "overconfident" about his standing with Andi (um, no one made you openly declare yourself the front runner!), and when Andi straight up asks him if he thinks he's the front runner, he says, "I don't like that word..." (So clearly, you do.) Choosing his words very carefully, he tells Andi that he is "fortunate and grateful" to have the connection they share, and that he "cannot imagine" someone else having the same connection with her. Good save? Yup. "I can confidently say that I am definitely falling in love..." he whispers, and Andi is all over it. Rose, meet lapel. 

Group date card! If Cody is on the card, he is totally going to throw himself in front of a train. Going on this week's group date are: Josh, Marcus, JJ, Dylan, Brian, and Chris! Whew. Cody is going on a one-on-one. Crisis averted.

Before we get on with the group date, however, we check back in with Andi, who has received another note from her secret admirer! Who is it? We have no idea, but I imagine that the secret will be coming out, because today's group date involves a lie detector test! I can't believe there have been this many seasons of the show without having one, and I am pumped! The guys, however, look less than pleased about this development, and rightfully so. "How accurate are these things?" wonders Josh. Chris is also concerned because he has a secret he wants to tell Andi, but he didn't think it would come out during the lie detector test! Ooooh. Wonder what it is?

Most of the "confessions" during the lie detector test were pretty boring (Josh cheated on a test, Marcus likes brunettes, etc.) except that Dylan has slept with over 20 women. Um. Gross. He also doesn't wash his hands after using the bathroom. Still not as gross as the first. The lie detector test proves to be too much for Dylan, who decides to bow out of the date early due to a "stomach issue" (fecal borne illness is the worst), or as it is more likely, so he doesn't have to be confronted by his outrageous amount of sexual conquests on national television.

Chris does not have any
troglodytic relatives. 

Chris's big secret is...he's Andi's secret admirer! Booooo. Boring! I was hoping that he had a troglodytic half-brother or something. Disappointment waits for no one, however, and the results of the test are in! According to our experts, three of the guys told zero lies, one told two lies, and two men lied THREE times. Yikes. But before we can let the drama really heat up by finding out who exactly lied about what and with whom, Andi decides to rip up the guys' results in the name of "authenticity" because "she trusts them." I'm with you, girl. Ignorance is bliss. But, for the record, Andi's test results showed that she doesn't believe all of the guys are there for the Right Reasons™, so at least she's not completely obtuse. 

At the cocktail party, Brian takes charge first, and administers a makeshift "lie detector" test with her hand on his heart (Cute? I can't decide). The only question that matters in his line of questioning is the last one, which was, "Do you want to make out?" "You're lying!" he giggles when she says no. So they make out, which is pretty much all we have seen these two do. 

When Marcus sits down with Andi, he tells her that he wanted to leave before he went on his one-on-one and finishes by telling Andi that he's in love with her. Again. Tone it down, Marcus! Josh continues to complain about the lie detector test during his one-on-one time, which I do NOT understand. Why exactly is he b****ing so much about having to -GASP- tell the truth? Obviously, he is hiding something (unless it's that he's a bit of a lummox, in which case, that's not a secret) Calm it down, man. The date rose goes to Chris, who finally cops to being the secret admirer. Andi loved it. 

After the rose is given out, JJ hops aboard the sour grapes train and whines about how he is "sick" of everyone else getting roses. Well, JJ, everyone else isn't wearing ridiculous pants and don't have faces like clowns. Of course they're getting roses. Chris is not going to let JJ ruin his moment of victory, and declares "Sit there and be sour grapes. I could give a f--- less, buddy... Your f---ing true colors will shine throughout this whole process, and people will see that." Daaaaaaaang. Who knew Chris could bust it out like that? Chris - 1 JJ - 0

Bye, Cody! 

It's time for Cody's date, and I'm sure it was no accident that he got put on this one, and not because of a good reason. Listen, we all know Cody is NOT going to win. So why keep him around? So that they could make his exit as awkward as possible.

But, because Cody has the apparent brain power of the doll he looks so much like (Ken or a Kewpie. Take your pick), he has no idea that he is going to be put up to something waaaaaaay outside his comfort zone: Writing. Everyone should know right there that this cannot be going anywhere good. The date is taking place at Club de Guilette, where real people send letters asking for love advice from the Shakespeare character. Let's pause for a moment of silence for anyone desperate enough to write a letter in earnest to such a place. *pause* Moving on. Andi and Cody write back to a fellow named "Jason," giving him sound advice like "be yourself" and such. Andi tries to muster enthusiasm, but it couldn't be more obvious that she is just not feeling Cody. 

Cody, on the other hand, has no idea. He remains enthusiastic throughout dinner (where he is wearing a deep V-neck shirt? Seriously? This is the Bachelorette, not some "Sun's Out, Guns Out" spring break program), even reading Andi a love letter professing his feelings for her. It's beyond uncomfortable. While he reads, Andi begins crying tears of "It's finally time to send someone home on a date" and weeps, "I can't keep you around until next week. It's not fair!" effectively breaking the bad news. The mystery luggage people come get Cody's luggage, and it's ciao to our personal trainer who never should have made it this far. I hope someone somewhere appreciates your strange tuft of hair and newly waxed chest, because you seem sort of nice, even if you're a little dim-witted. 

Nick takes the reins at the cocktail party, pulling Andi aside to immediately swap saliva. "That's a man!" Andi gushes to the camera, clearly into it. The rest of the guys hurry to catch up. Josh offers a forced apology for being so upset about the lie detector date, JJ aims straight for the make out, Brian reads a poem, Marcus drops the l-bomb again, Dylan continues to get away with being a man-whore with poop hands. 

When the roses are handed out, they are pinned on Dylan (ewww), Marcus, Josh, and Brian, leaving poor JJ alone and rose-less. Like I said, there was no way he was going to win, so this shouldn't be a surprise. Andi tells him that they are just "not on the same page" (read: the other guys are so much hotter than you, and you're kind of a goof), and JJ is off in the Limo of Shame. 

Long week, Rose Enthusiasts, but I am looking forward to this "journey" coming to a close here in the next few weeks. Until then, I'm going to figure out how to hitchhike back to Italy. Ciao!