'The Bachelorette' episode 7 recap: Rachel sends 1 man home before meeting his family

ByMolly Fish OTRC logo
Tuesday, August 23, 2022
Rachel sends 1 man home before meeting his family
Rachel makes the difficult decision to send one of her men home. Unfortunately, she breaks up with him right after he tells her he's in love with her.

Things are getting serious on "The Bachelorette" with Gabby and Rachel meeting the remaining men's families on episode 7 for hometown dates. There were definitely some highs and some lows - let's jump right in.

Jason's hometown: New Orleans, LA

Gabby arrives in Jason's hometown, New Orleans, and the couple enjoys all that the vibrant city has to offer. Then they meet Jason's dad at a park to enjoy some beignets and get to know each other.

Gabby meets the rest of Jason's family in the evening including his mom, sister and his sister's boyfriend. His mom remarks that the couple seems to balance each other out and overall got a good feeling from Gabby. Jason tells his mom that he's not ready to propose, but perhaps that could change in the next two weeks.

Zach's hometown: Anaheim, CA

Rachel meets Zach for his hometown date in Anaheim. They ride bikes (not through a field of tulips this time) and arrive for a little surprise that Zach has set up. Calling back to their first date where they discussed how their dads used to take them to the airport to watch planes take off and land, Zach leads Rachel to the roof of a building where they sit and do just that!

When evening rolls around, Rachel meets Zach's mom, dad, sister, aunt and uncle. He tells his mom that he can see a future with Rachel, and though his mom and dad seem a little apprehensive at how fast everything has happened, overall the family seems to be happy for the two of them.

After we meet the family, Zach tells Rachel the big news: he is in love with her! Though she doesn't say it back, Rachel does say that Zach is perfect.

Johnny's hometown: Palm Beach, FL

Next, Gabby is off to Johnny's hometown in Palm Beach. She remarks that although she and Johnny got a slower start, she feels they have a very deep connection.

Upon arriving at Johnny's childhood home, Gabby meets his mom, dad, brother, his brother's girlfriend, as well as his best friend, Perry. As they sit and chat, Gabby tells us that she feels like she's known them for years, so clearly she feels very comfortable with his family. Could wedding bells be ringing in their future?

Well, maybe not because Johnny tells his mom that although he thinks Gabby is amazing and perfect, he might "not be fully there yet" in terms of marrying her. His mom agrees that marriage is a huge decision, and she will support him in whatever choice he makes.

At the end of the day, Gabby does tell us that she could see herself falling in love with Johnny...but it sounds like she's not fully there yet either.

Tyler's hometown: Wildwood, NJ

After sunny Florida, we make our way up the coast to the Jersey shore. Tyler's hometown date gets off to a fun start as he and Rachel have the entire boardwalk to themselves to enjoy bumper cars, corn dogs, funnel cake and a romantic ferris wheel ride.

It isn't until Rachel unexpectedly meets several of Tyler's friends that she starts to feel very apprehensive about involving his family. She mentions that their relationship feels behind the others and ultimately decides to break it off with him before moving any further into the hometown date.

Considering Tyler tells Rachel that he's in love with her right before she breaks up with him, he seems to take the news pretty well as you can see in the video featured at the top of the recap.

Erich's hometown: Bedminster, NJ

From south Jersey, we move onto north Jersey for Erich's hometown date with Gabby. Before meeting his family, Erich opens up to her about his difficult family situation as his dad has been battling cancer for the last three years. They don't know how much longer his dad has left, so Gabby meeting his family is super important to him.

Upon arrival, Gabby meets Erich's dad, mom, sister, grandma and grandpa. They get an update from his dad who says he has his good days and bad days, but unfortunately his recent CAT scan shows that his cancer is back more aggressively. Gabby and Erich's dad bond over their shared experiences as Gabby is an ICU nurse and his dad recently spent 40 days in the ICU. Erich's mom impresses upon both him and Gabby how important it is that they are sure that they are ready for the commitment of marriage.

Later in the day, the couple enjoys a cocktail out together and Erich shares that he's falling in love with Gabby. She says that words carry a lot of weight, but ultimately shares that she is falling in love with him too. Perhaps there might be wedding bells in Gabby's future after all.

Tino's hometown: Santa Clarita, CA

We close out the episode with Tino's hometown date in Southern California where Rachel meets his dad, mom and brother.

Right from the start, Tino's parents seem pretty skeptical of the whole process. They ask several pointed questions alluding to the fact that the couple hasn't had very much time to get to know each other or interact outside the Bachelor "bubble."

Rachel feels very disheartened after the visit telling Tino that she felt like his parents really didn't like her. He tells her that he's so sure about her and ultimately says that he's falling in love with her. Rachel shares that she feels the same way, but she is still concerned about how the family visit went since she wants their approval.

Aven's hometown...you'll have to wait!

If it feels like one of the men's hometowns was missing, that's because it was!

We'll have to tune in next week to see how Aven's hometown date goes with Rachel.

Then it's an explosive episode of "The Men Tell All" as the ladies face the men they've sent home. It's all next week on "The Bachelorette."