This week on Episode 6 of "The Bachelor," things got a bit wild (although nothing could match last week's skinny-dipping). Ben Flajnik and several would-be Mrs. Flajniks traveled to Panama City, Panama, where they got rained on, wore skimpy costumes and tried out some very bright cocktail dresses.
While there were some exciting moments for both Ben's relationships (Emily seems to be getting back on track, Rachel is building a stronger bond) as well as the clothes (Kacie B.'s whole date wardrobe, a surprisingly sexy dress from Rachel), in many ways this week brought more of the same: the same girls we love wore the same cute clothes we've been coveting, and the girls who seemed to be the weakest contestants were the ones who ultimately went home.
The girls arrived in Panama City wearing their casual traveling clothes, but they don't get to change before they see Ben: he shows up playing the role of Chris Harrison, delivering the date card with an all-knowing grin. Maybe he was smiling at Kacie B.'s adorable red Converse, which definitely put a smile on my face.
Luckily Kacie B. got the first one-on-one date and I was as happy as she was. I love her personality and her style and she didn't fail to impress on this date. To cover up her swimsuit, Kacie chose cute black shorts and a slightly cropped, purple and pink print top. (See this outfit and the all the rest in the photos below!)
Once she and Ben got to their "deserted" (read: inhabited by scores of cameramen) island, Kacie stripped down to an adorable mismatched bikini: black sequins on top, neon yellow on the bottom. Like when she wore neon yellow bottoms last week, I love it. Her hair is also curly and natural throughout, not blown-dry as she has it for some of the dates. I like the all-natural Kacie.
For the dinner portion of the night, she kept things simple in a black jersey dress with one long-sleeve. While I'm not normally a fan of the one-sleeve dress (see: Elyse's dress from Episode 5), this was lovely. As Kacie said (about her date), "On a scale from one to wonderful, today was fantastic." She could've been describing her outfit choices.
For the group date, the girls started out in casual outfits covering up their bathing suits. Casey S. wore her favorite, a sheer white tee with a hot pink bikini underneath, while Courtney wore her new favorite look: a loose tank top with open sides and a low cut neckline worn over a bathing suit or bra. Someone's turning up the heat...
Lindzi did her thing in another peasant top, a look she favors, and Nicki chose a similar floral style. But two girls weren't so style savvy: Emily in a zebra print top (ew) and Jamie went wuth a white short-sleeve blouse that buttoned up the front (except when, well, it didn't). These looks just didn't fit the casual, rain-soaked vibe of this group date.
But the clothes came off soon enough. With the arrival of the adorable village boys wearing nothing but loincloths, the girls stripped down to their bikinis and donned some traditional Panamanian beaded tops.
Except Courtney, who stripped down to nothing beneath her beaded top (subsequently requiring that her chest be blurred out by ABC for the rest of the group date activity). Girl loves being naked.
Lucky for her, Ben does too. He came out wearing nothing but a royal blue loincloth with a mini skirt-like bottom. It wasn't his best look, but the ladies seemed to like it just fine. As Lindzi quipped, "I'd like to be a member of Ben's tribe."
Alas, after playing Tribe For A Day, the ladies and their man got back into normal clothes. Lindzi looked sexy yet low-key in a loose beige dress tied at the waist with dangly turquoise earrings that popped against her skin. Courtney also did sexy in her own, semi-covered up way in a low-cut maxi dress.
Unfortunately, Jamie tried to do sexy in the most obvious way: black short shorts, high black heels and a metallic halter top. It was all too much, as usual.
And Emily went the other direction, pairing her black and white miniskirt with a basic black tank. It was utterly unremarkable and not the least bit alluring.
But never fear: alluring is Blakeley's strong suit. The bronzed, shellacked contestant embarked on the dreaded two-on-one with Rachel, who underwhelmed (fashion-wise and otherwise) on her last one-on-one date. But this time things started out well for both Rachel and Blakeley, with the former in a lovely brown silk blouse, white shorts and wide brown belt, and the latter in a printed blue halter dress cinched at the waist with a black belt. Fine picks, ladies.
Unfortunately they needed to momentarily swap their cute date looks for awful salsa dancing dresses. I couldn't decide which was worse: the blinding pink of Blakeley's given frock or the unflattering feathered bottom of Rachel's. Either way, I'm glad they got to ditch the dresses after the awkward two-on-one dance lesson.
For evening, both women were trying a bit harder. Rachel wore a short, tight black dress with a long silver necklace and Blakeley tried a white shirtdress... cinched so tightly at the waist that it rode several inches higher than it was meant to. Both women would have benefitted from reciting the "less is more" mantra before getting ready for their dinner date that night.
Blakeley, who totally won my heart with her earnest yet slightly childish Ben-themed scrapbook, was sent home... and there was another exit in the offing. Casey S. still loves a guy back home and Chris Harrison marches her over to Ben for a swift rejection. It was awkward and sort of pathetic, but at least Casey S. was wearing a super cute denim romper while it all went down. I was sad to see her go -- she had some of the best clothes in the house.
With two girls gone and two girls with roses, we're ready for a cocktail party! Standouts were as expected: Kacie B. in a bright pink frock with a flattering criss-cross cut and Nicki in a seriously sexy (read: tons of cleavage) metallic dress trimmed with paillettes. Rachel pleasantly surprised me in a sexy silver dress with a wide scoop neck.
The misses? Jamie, who has become quite the repeat offender, in a strapless red dress that was way too tight for her attempted mounting of Ben (that's right -- mounting). Lindzi was questionable in my book: navy was a great hue for her, but the poofy flower on the shoulder felt borderline prom-like.
Then came the Rose Ceremony, where these fashion recaps suffered a loss: Ben said "so long" to Jamie, thereby eliminating the one contestant who consistently fumbles her fashion choices and gives us something to talk about.
So is it a coincidence that most of the girls left are my fashion faves? Courtney is becoming less so each week, but Nicki is continuing to rise and Lindzi and Kacie B. are holding steady as the style frontrunners.
Meaning next week it will be interesting to see how the women do. Who will have the cutest swimsuit in Belize? Check back here next week to see. In the meantime, check out pics of this week's episode below.
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