Last night The Bachelor entered single figures as 10 became 8.
As the only original Bachelorette in the mansion who had not been selected for any one-on-one time with The Bachelor, swimwear designer Noni was upset when date crasher Steph was chosen by Richie to “take it up a gear” on a single date.
Petrol-head Steph bonded with Richie over a thrilling jet-ski ride, followed by a quiet glass of wine by the fire. The usually-guarded Bachelorette found the courage to open up to Richie. Delighted with their first date and hopeful about where this relationship could lead them, Richie offered Steph a rose.
The group date saw all 10 Bachelorettes put love to the test in the Bachelor compatibility test. With one-on-one time with Richie up for grabs, the women’s competitive streak shone bright.
Round one tested what each woman had in common with Richie through a series of multiple choice questions. Five Bachelorettes advanced to the second round, where they had to communicate with a blindfolded Richie by touch alone. Alex proved she had the Midas touch during the two-minute touch test, leaving the other Bachelorettes green with envy.
Alex and Faith progressed to the final round, where teamwork and communication was put to the test, as they hilariously directed a blindfolded Richie around a circuit in a golf buggy.
Rewarded with the title of the most compatible Bachelorette, an ecstatic Faith spent extra time with Richie, making gelato and talking about what their future may hold, before she received a rose and a kiss.
At the cocktail party, the roles were momentarily reversed when Richie approached Alex with a white rose and melted her heart by asking about her son, Elijah.
Emotions ran high after Alex confided in Nikki about gossip she heard in the house. Nikki comforted a teary Alex and they both agreed not to let other people get into their heads.
At the rose ceremony, the women were visibly upset to say goodbye to swimwear designer Noni and date-crasher Khalia.
On not receiving a rose, Khalia said: “Obviously I would have liked to have stayed longer, but everything happens for a reason at the end of the day. “I definitely think love is out there for me and hopefully it’s not too far away.”
Richie took time to say goodbye to Noni, telling her how incredible she is and that he knows she will find the right guy to make her happy. As Noni farewelled the mansion, she said: “Richie has shown me that there are good guys out there and he’s a pure example of that.
“Maybe Richie wasn’t the guy for me but there are definitely good guys out there. I know only good things are going to come from this.”
