Charity Lawson has been a delight to watch on The Bachelorette Season 20. Giving her the reins on her own season has allowed me and other Bachelor Nation fans to see more of her sense of humor and personality than when she appeared on Zach Shallcross’ season of The Bachelor. Because I’ve been enjoying this season so much, it made it all the more disappointing when the 2-on-1 date between Sean McLaughlin and Tanner Courtad was not only pretty boring, but ultimately seemed to not matter much, since neither of them were sent through to Hometowns. What the heck was that?
I love a good 2-on-1 date, and it feels like it’s been awhile since we’ve seen the Bachelor franchise’s version of the Thunderdome: Two men enter, one man leaves! The date is often given to rivals who are causing drama with the lead and other cast members. The Bachelor or Bachelorette is able to isolate the problem players, determine if one of them is there “for the wrong reasons” and send them packing.
In the case of the July 24 episode, however, there was no tension between Sean McLaughlin and Tanner Courtad, and I was left yearning for someone to get left behind on an island or something. The group was in New Orleans this week, and the 2-on-1 took place in the bayou, with the trio boarding a swamp tour boat. However, instead of the strained energy we’re used to seeing on these types of dates, it was just plain awkward, with Sean and Tanner kind of politely trying not to step on each other’s toes. In one fan’s words:
you see when i was your age 2 on 1s were reserved for the two who had the most drama to duke it out, not a respectful 3 person boat ride #TheBachelorette pic.twitter.com/r8t8Ty33GTJuly 25, 2023
The date only got worse when they all went to dinner together, and after an awkward three-way toast, I nearly died when Charity Lawson asked Tanner Courtad to leave the table so she could talk to Sean McLaughlin. I know they don’t actually eat the food on these dates, but to me he seemed like a child getting sent to his room. After speaking to them both, it ended up being all for naught, when the Bachelorette couldn’t make up her mind and chose to keep them both! I completely agree with this Twitter user:
They really said here is the most boring 2-on-1 and then NEITHER of them even went home #TheBachelorette #bachelorette pic.twitter.com/rJybbkHPJQJuly 25, 2023
What is even the point of having a 2-on-1 if nobody goes home? Then it’s just an awkward third-wheel date. It left me confused about why the dates for this week were even scheduled this way, or as one viewer put it:
I thought the 2 on 1 meant a big fight and someone gets kicked off. #bachelorette #TheBachelorette pic.twitter.com/JkBUZJqWSrJuly 25, 2023
Maybe her dilemma wasn’t which man to send home, but which one to give the rose to. Perhaps she got on the date and realized she didn’t want either Tanner Courtad or Sean McLaughlin to meet her family, and she couldn’t eliminate them both, because then her final four would be decided before she’d even been on all of her dates.
Plain and simple, these were the two wrong men for a 2-on-1 date. Up until this week, the big conflict in the house had been between Aaron Bryant and scarf-sporting, F-bomb inducing Brayden Bowers. As this fan tweeted, that would have been a fantastic choice for this format. RadioKatie1 wrote:
2-on-1s are only fun when one is a mega villain and they hate each other. Like a Brayden/Aaron B. Date would have been 🔥.
I am now convinced that was the producers’ original plan, before Brayden Bowers chose to self-eliminate last week. If that’s the case, I mourn for what could have been.
Hopefully Bachelor Nation won’t have to wait multiple seasons to see another 2-on-1, and in the meantime I look forward to fully enjoying the remainder of Charity Lawson’s journey to get engaged. The Bachelorette airs at 8 p.m. ET Mondays on ABC and can be streamed the next day with a Hulu subscription.
