Don’t blame the player, baby. Blame the game. Since this isn’t Sister Wives, Bachelor star Zach Shallcross only needs one wife. Sadly, he decided it wasn’t you. Buh-bye!
I hope someday Jess Girod, will realize that she actually orchestrated her own exit. During their stay in picture-perfect Tallinn, Estonia, Jess got into her own head. She was convinced that not having had a one-on-one date with Zach meant that he didn’t like her. She was practically her own drinking game. Every time she opened her mouth, the words, “I’m the only one who hasn’t had a one-on-one” fell out. She grew increasingly hysterical by the minute.
During the evening portion of the group date, she was so worked up about her lack of a one-on-one that she totally blew up her private time with Zach. He wasn’t able to make sense of why Jess was so focused on the one-on-one. He tried repeatedly to explain that it was about the quality time they spent together. Not the quantity. The one-on-one date meant nothing.
But it was as if they were speaking different languages. He didn’t get what she was saying. And Jess grew more and more frustrated that he wouldn’t “fight” for her. Zach was confused and wondered, “What am I missing?” As she kept talking in circles, you could see him emotionally distancing himself from her. Finally, he realized they just weren’t communicating. And we all know how important communication is to Zach.
Eventually, Zach realized he was just never going to get through to Jess. He had no choice but to let her go, though he was really sad about it.
As Jess later told Us Weekly, “The exit was frustrating on both ends.” She added that they were both “confused” during their chat. “I think he’s an amazing guy. We both just weren’t understanding each other, and it doesn’t mean that I was in the right and he was in the wrong. It was more of just, like, I wish we could have understood each other,” Jess said.
The E-commerce coordinator concluded that it was “100 percent” a misunderstanding between herself and Zach. Sadly, good communication is key to a healthy relationship. Zach and Jess just weren’t able to communicate. “I definitely was blindsided,” she added.
The other woman who didn’t receive a rose this week was Alyssa (“Aly”) Jacobs. Aly had a one-on-one date with Zach in Episode 3. They jumped out of a plane together! Zach apparently didn’t have as strong a connection with the healthcare strategist as he did with some of the others. See, Jess? A one-on-one date is no guarantee of success.
“I definitely did not see it coming,” Aly told Us Weekly. “I felt like with a lot of the ladies, he did have moments where he gave them that, I don’t know, chat that he wasn’t there or he was trying to let them know that something felt off, [but] we just never had that conversation.” She continued, “I always felt confirmed and validated with him. And so it was a little bit of a shocker.”
Even though she was eliminated, Aly is still hoping that Zach will “find his person” within the “phenomenal” group of women remaining. “He could not have chosen a better group of women,” Aly said. “We were so, so, so, so, so close.” That’s pretty close.
When she didn’t hear her name called at the Rose Ceremony, Aly was stunned. But she managed to keep her composure. “It’s just a lot of emotions at once,” she admitted. “But I smiled and I walked up and we walk out, and I don’t think you really see me cry until I get into the car, until I’m alone. And because it’s like all hitting at once that my relationship with him is done, and so that was painful,” Aly said.
“I think everyone got to see from the moment we went on a one-on-one [date] that we really did have a great friendship,” Aly continued. “He was wanting a friendship. He reiterated that multiple times — he wants a best friend. And I felt like we got to that point.” She continued, “It was unfortunate he couldn’t get past kind of the friendly vibes into something more romantic. And so it was painful, but I understood.”
TELL US – WERE YOU SURPRISED WHEN ZACH SENT JESS HOME? HOW ABOUT ALY? DID YOU SEE THAT ONE COMING?
[Photo Credit: ABC/Nino Munoz]
