Ben Smith was eliminated by Tayshia Adams after she conducted hometown visits with her four remaining suitors on Tuesday’s episode of The Bachelorette.
The 30-year-old Army veteran was completely in love with her and seemed a sure bet for the finale, but Tayshia, 30, could never get him to tell her how he truly felt.
Where the other three men clearly expressed their love for her, Ben grew speechless and distant when pressed, and it was finally too much for Tayshia to bear.
Hometown visits: Tayshia Adams eliminated Ben Smith after she conducted hometown visits with her four remaining suitors on Tuesday’s episode of The Bachelorette
Tayshia declined to give him a rose at the week’s rose ceremony, and said goodbye.
‘I’m sorry Ben,’ she began. ‘I think you’re incredible and I feel like you have taught me so much being here…. I just feel like I don’t know if our pages are necessarily aligned at this time.’
He blankly responded, ‘I’m not sure what to say. I would have liked it to go a different way, but it is what it is. I’ll be all right. I’m always all right.’
‘Ben, don’t shut down on me,’ Tayshia begged, aware that he had always struggled with being vulnerable in front of others, and had even endured two recent suicide attempts.
No rose: The 30-year-old Army veteran was completely in love with her and seemed a sure bet for the finale, but Tayshia, 30, could never get him to tell her how he truly felt
‘The last two weeks showed me a lot about the things that I was feeling for you, but… yeah…’ Ben trailed off. ‘I don’t know. I’ve been wrong before. Like, I’m heartbroken, but I’ll be all right.’
They parted like strangers, with Tayshia closing the door to his limo.
‘I’m not asking for this grand gesture, but the fact that he couldn’t give me one ounce of emotion was extremely disappointing,’ she acknowledged. ‘There was no emotion at all. He wasn’t angry, he wasn’t mad, he wasn’t sad. It kind of felt empty, and I just felt like, ”Please make me feel like these past few weeks meant anything to you.”
Extremely disappointing: ‘I’m not asking for this grand gesture, but the fact that he couldn’t give me one ounce of emotion was extremely disappointing,’ Tayshia said
In the limo, Ben looked stunned and said, ‘I don’t even know what to do. I’m still in love with her. I really thought we were gonna be together. I really wanted to marry her. She was going to be my wife, the mother of my children, all these things.’
Tayshia wept as she admitted, ‘I really did consider Ben someone I could end up with at the end of this. But I’ve put a lot of my time and energy into pulling things out of Ben, and I can’t do this every single time.’
‘I should have told her how I felt when I had the chance,’ Ben realized. ‘I’m not sure how I’m supposed to fall out of love with her. Maybe she loved me and thought I didn’t love her back. And if that’s the case, I f***ing blew it.’
In love: In the limo, Ben looked stunned and said, ‘I don’t even know what to do. I’m still in love with her. I really thought we were gonna be together. I really wanted to marry her. She was going to be my wife, the mother of my children, all these things’
Getting emotional: Tayshia wept as she admitted, ‘I really did consider Ben someone I could end up with at the end of this. But I’ve put a lot of my time and energy into pulling things out of Ben, and I can’t do this every single time’
Every Bachelorette season comes to a close with hometown visits, which signal that the end of the show is coming and a proposal may be at hand.
Because of safety precautions taken due to the coronavirus pandemic, Tayshia did not fly to her suitors’ hometowns, but instead met their families where they’ve been filming.
Everyone who arrived at the La Quinta Resort & Club in Palm Springs, California, went through quarantine beforehand and was tested to ensure that they didn’t have the virus.
Not easy: The star of the ABC show told the cameras that it was ‘hard’ being in her position
Brendon Morais’ family came first, and like all the suitors he was asked to plan a date for Tayshia involving them—something he would have done back In Milford, Massachusetts.
The 30-year-old roofer took Tayshia through a carnival he’d created to echo those he attended at home, complete with games and a visit by his niece Aliyah, whom he obviously adored.
Tayshia loved seeing Brendan act like a dad, and he said he could see having children with her.
Hometown visit: Brendon Morais had the first hometown visit that included his niece Aliyah, whom he obviously adored
He told his brother Chris later that night that he worried about getting married for a second time, but added that if he could have molded a Bachelorette, it would be Tayshia.
‘This is really real for me,’ he said in a confessional, overcome.
Tayshia was moved by the warm welcome she got from Brendan’s family, and said she could see herself falling in love with him.
Good times: Tayshia loved seeing Brendan act like a dad, and he said he could see having children with her
‘When it’s time to leave, I don’t want to,’ she revealed. ‘It was kind of ”game over,” in a sense. I truly feel like Brendan could be my husband.’
The next day, Tayshia had a hometown date with Zac Clark, 36, an addiction specialist who took her on a cardboard ‘taxi’ ride through New York City.
The two of them enjoyed bagels, coffee, and pizza and sat on a bench outside ‘Central Park’ before jumping in a fountain and making out.
Big city: The next day, Tayshia had a hometown date with Zac Clark, 36, an addiction specialist who took her on a cardboard ‘taxi’ ride through New York City
‘When I’m with Zac, I just feel really, really happy,’ Tayshia said to the cameras. ‘It’d be insane if I was with Zac in New York.’
When Tayshia met Zac’s brother Matt later that night, he said he was rooting for ‘a fairytale ending’ for Zac, but remained skeptical.
When he asked Tayshia how Zac compared to the other men, she dodged the question.
Fun date: ‘When I’m with Zac, I just feel really, really happy,’ Tayshia said to the cameras. ‘It’d be insane if I was with Zac in New York’
But Zac’s father Douglas observed that he hadn’t seen his son smile so much in a long time, and his mother Beatrice was thrilled to hear Zac say he wanted a wife and family.
Tayshia thought it went well, saying, ‘It feels right. It feels good. I have zero hesitations about it.’
On her third hometown date, Tayshia cooked Lumpia, a dish from the Philippines, with Ivan Hall, 28, an aeronautical engineer from Dallas who was half-Filipino.
Kitchen date: On her third hometown date, Tayshia cooked Lumpia, a dish from the Philippines, with Ivan Hall, 28, an aeronautical engineer from Dallas who was half-Filipino
Ivan’s little niece Kehlani showed Tayshia how to make it via video, and Tayshia was charmed.
‘It’s not even ”What do I love about Ivan?”,’ she said privately. ‘What is there not to love?’
She instantly took to Ivan’s parents, even when his dad Clarence asked about her divorce.
Helping hand: Ivan’s little niece Kehlani showed Tayshia how to make it via video, and Tayshia was charmed
He wondered if she might be rushing into things, but was impressed by her general demeanor, and felt she and Ivan could be a good match.
Ivan secretly wished his brother Gabe—Kehlani’s dad—could have been there, and in a surprise he showed up at the last minute to observe that his brother was ‘glowing.’
Tayshia said the entire family made her feel special, and she yearned to join their ranks.
Cool family: Tayshia said the entire family made her feel special, and she yearned to join their ranks
Her last hometown was with Ben, who took her to ‘Venice Beach’ in Los Angeles, where they rollerbladed, drank juice, shopped for beach gear and admired their cartoon portrait.
Tayshia had always been drawn to Ben, she said privately, and was falling in love with him.
‘But he has not shared where his heart is, and so today is going to be crucial,’ she emphasized.
Last visit: Tayshia’s last hometown was with Ben, who took her to ‘Venice Beach’ in Los Angeles, where they rollerbladed, drank juice, shopped for beach gear and admired their cartoon portrait
Ben secretly told the cameras that he had ‘never been happier in my entire life,’ though he had been raised to keep very quiet about his feelings.
He’d been hurt by past relationships, struggled with anxiety and attempted suicide, so meeting Tayshia and allowing himself to be vulnerable had been a big deal for him.
That night, Tayshia met Ben’s sister Madalyn and friend Antonia, who assured her that while Ben was guarded, he did want to open up to someone special.
Tender moment: Ben secretly told the cameras that he had ‘never been happier in my entire life,’ though he had been raised to keep very quiet about his feelings
Ben acknowledged to Antonio that Tayshia made him feel like he never had before, marveling, ‘I think the feeling is happiness. Genuine, legitimate happiness.’
He’d never felt so strongly for anyone, he admitted, but ‘love’ was too scary a word to say.
‘You love her,’ Antonia insisted to him, as it dawned on Ben that he actually did.
Beach stuff: Tayshia and Ben went rollerblading as if they were at Venice Beach
‘I’m in love with her,’ he recognized. ‘I just don’t know how to say it.’
When Tayshia subsequently asked Ben how he was feeling about her, he could only stutter that he liked how ‘easy’ and ‘good’ their connection was.
He couldn’t bring himself to say the L word.
‘I’m incredibly uncomfortable, I’m super nervous, my heart rate’s never been higher,’ Ben said to the cameras. ‘My brain couldn’t work.’
Safety first: They wore helmets while rollerblading at the resort
Tayshia grew impatient with Ben’s dithering and said, ‘We gotta go to bed.’
‘So I have to stand up and now watch you walk away?’ Ben asked, as Tayshia replied, ‘Guess so.’
She the walked him to a waiting limo and shut the door.
The Bachelorette’s two-part finale will air next week on NBC.
Final four: Ivan, Ben, Brendan and Zac went to the rose ceremony where Tayshia sent Ben home