From the beginning, Georgia Love’s quest to find true love with 16 strangers on national television felt fundamentally different to previous seasons of The Bachelorette and The Bachelor.
It started at the very first cocktail party, when Rhys and Aaron (remember him? Me neither) insisted on both talking to Georgia at the same time.
They then proceeded to just speak about themselves, and how friendly they’d become from like five minutes of knowing each other.
It was...bizarre.
They had just arrived. And the whole point of this godforsaken show is to spend time with Georgia and develop a connection with her. Instead, these guys were more excited about building male friendships.
Then Courtney got the first impression rose, meaning he got the opportunity to plan a single date AND a group date for Georgia. But he took his sweet time.
He waited until she prompted him, and then took her scurfing, because it was one of his favourite things to do.
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On the group date, he took everyone billy carting, and chose Georgia to be on his team only because she was the smallest, and it was a good strategic decision.
When he had the chance to choose who she got to spend extra time with at the end (with the option of himself), he chose some guy named Tommy.
WHAT THE HELL.
The following week, during a very confusing knight-themed date, Courtney deliberately threw the challenge that would allow him to spend more time with Georgia.
He said he was looking out for his mates, and wanted one of the guys who hadn't spent much time with Georgia to have a chance.
Courtney made Georgia feel sad, and we didn't like that at all. THEN she had to have one-on-one time with Rhys, who was a) rude to her about her not making more of an effort with him, and b) told her not everyone was there for the right reasons, but wouldn't tell her who.
But it really came to a head last night, when Georgia took Sam and Rhys on a date where only one could return.
Speaking to Rhys, she asked if he was ready for a relationship.
Rhys, who was hell-bent on beating Sam on this date, said he wasn't looking for "the one" and gave Georgia a really patronising look as though she was silly for thinking she was going to love.
Again, he was rude to her, wondering why she hadn't spent more time with him (because legit every time she talks to you, you're rude AF), and ultimately gave the impression that he couldn't care less if she sent him home. So she did.
When she went to speak with Sam, it turned out he wasn't keen either.
He confessed he was just there to launch his TV career, and a confused and presumably hurt Georgia sent him home, too.
That's the thing - for some reason this season of The Bachelorette just isn't about Georgia. So far, the men have made it about themselves, their friendships, their 'bro-code', and their tension.
We're more across the development of Sam and Rhys' relationship than we are Georgia's relationship with any of her bachelors.
For the first time, the person at the centre of this dating show has to feel insecure about whether the people there actually like her.
Compare this to last season, where every woman gushed about Richie and how amazing a life with him would be. These men just aren't giving Georgia the same enthusiasm.
And it's total bullsh*t.
Georgia is beautiful, intelligent, accomplished, genuinely funny, always full of surprises, and actually interesting.
But it's as though the harsh realities of the real-life dating world have followed her into this artificial environment. The men aren't ready to commit and are giving her mixed signals, and she has no idea what's going on.
If Georgia Love faces so many issues in her journey to find a partner, on a dating show exclusively designed to find her a partner, what hope do the rest of us have?