The Bachelorette Season 19, Episode 7 recap: Hometowns

We’ve made it Bachelor Nation! The Bachelorette Season 19 hometowns are here! Gabby Windey and Rachel Recchia rest their sea legs and take the opportunity to discover where their men are from.

Let’s find out what happened when the Bachelorettes went on their hometown dates on this week’s episode of The Bachelorette Season 19!

The Bachelorette Season 19, Episode 7 recap

1) New Orleans, Louisiana

First up on The Bachelorette Season 19 hometown dates was Gabby, who traveled to New Orleans to see where Jason was from. The two met in the French Quarter before touring the city. They danced to some live music and threw beads at fellow tourists. The two had a connection without a doubt. Since Jason’s parents are split up, they met his dad first.

Jason’s family is very emotional, and you could feel that from his dad. All-in-all, the meeting went well, and I think Gabby was able to get some affirmations about her thoughts and feelings on Jason. They spent the night visiting with his mother, sister, and her boyfriend. Gabby wanted to find out if Jason is always this reserved or if it was the environment he is in. Gabby met with his sister first; she reaffirmed his personality and believes he’s ready for marriage.

Next, she met with his mom and discussed the fit between Gabby’s and Jason’s personalities. His mom believes it would be a good fit…shocker. Jason’s mom seemed to like Gabby, and the feeling seemed mutual. The whole night Jason couldn’t stop smiling. Jason chatted with his mother and revealed he could never see himself getting engaged at this point, although Gabby is looking for this. It was a good meeting in the end, but there was a giant elephant in the room that the two needed to discuss.

2) Anaheim Hills, California

Rachel’s first hometown date was with Zach. The two kicked it off with a romantic rooftop date watching airplanes take off and land at a nearby airport if you remember back, the two bonded over a shared memory of watching airplanes with their dads.

That night they went to Zach’s home, where they met his mom, dad, sister, aunt, and uncle. Pretty much the whole family. Rachel went off with his dad first and discussed what Rachel finds attractive in Zach and his quest for love. Zach chatted with his mother and told her he told Rachel he was falling in love with her. He admitted he’s ready to propose but is worried about the competition. Rachel and his mom chatted next; her main concern was the other guys. Zach talked with his dad, and they discussed the pitfalls of falling in love this hard and this fast. Zach is in it to win it, folks. He looked ready to propose that night.

The two capped off the night by watching their highlights from the show with Zach’s family. The family seemed to absorb Rachel and vice versa. They have signed off on the proposal. Oh yeah…and his uncle is Patrick Warburton!

3) Palm Beach, Florida

Gabby’s second hometown date on The Bachelorette Season 19 was with Johnny. They switched things up on this date and decided to have Gabby meet Johnny’s family at the beginning of the date. Gabby met his mom, dad, best friend, brother, and brother’s girlfriend. The family hit it off by talking about stories and making Gabby feel at home.

Johnny’s dad pulled Gabby aside first. They talked about their instant connection and what lies ahead for the couple. His dad immediately said they had their blessing because they could see that the relationship was organic and mutual. Gabby talked with his mother next and she noted that he doesn’t give his heart to everyone, so if he gives it to Gabby it’s very special. His mom was relieved after speaking to Gabby and could tell her son was in love with Gabby.

Johnny talked with his mom and dad and revealed he was not ready to propose to Gabby. His dad broke it down and tried to get to the root of what Johnny is insecure about. His dad’s conversation pushed him towards wanting to do it instead of being afraid. The two capped the night off with a romantic boat ride.

4) Wildwood, New Jersey

Rachel’s second hometown was Tyler. The couple met at the Jersey Shore and toured the pier. They had the boardwalk to themselves and went around eating and playing carnival games. Rachel had a great time on the date, and Tyler got to reconnect with many friends and family even before meeting his actual family. Rachel had some apprehension about the date as it went on and realized how far behind her and Tyler’s relationship was.

Tyler was oblivious to her emotions as she walked away. She spoke to a producer about how she was feeling, and meeting so many people on this date even before meeting his close family made her uneasy. She said this date was much different than her first hometown and not in a good way. This was as to be expected in Rachel’s drama-filled season. I’ll take the time to note here that Gabby selected three men to go to hometowns while Rachel selected four. Maybe that was a mistake. She thought about her feelings as she cried in a midway bathroom.

The couple sat down at a gazebo on the pier and as Rachel tried to break the news to Tyler, he kept rambling about his love and feelings for Rachel. He reveals he is in love with her and no longer falling in love with her. Immediately her face changed, and she began to cry even more. He is pouring his heart out to her, and she is about to call it off. Rachel finally got a word in, told Tyler how she was feeling and revealed that she was not ready to meet his parents.

He took the news well and agreed with many of her sentiments. In the end, they just wanted each other to find true love and didn’t have the time to get there. What was super awkward was that Tyler still went home, and the crew still filmed it as if the family was going to meet Rachel. As the family awaited Tyler, they discussed how the two would be. Tyler walked in sans-Rachel and had to explain to them why she wasn’t here.

5) Bedminster, New Jersey

The last hometown date for Gabby on The Bachelorette Season 19 was Erich. The two went to the countryside and discussed his dad’s condition with cancer before meeting his family. Gabby met Erich’s dad, mom, sister, grandma, and grandpa. The couple met with Erich’s dad first and discussed his condition and Gabby being an ICU nurse. Overall, Erich’s dad liked Gabby, but his mom would be the final approval.

He discussed with his mom how things were going and the idea of marriage. His mom said they marry for life and not to take that decision for granted. Gabby met with his mom next. They discussed her caring for Erich’s father and the type of relationship they have. His mom discussed how important commitment is in their family and that they never give up on each other and are always there for each other. I felt pressure and anxiety for Gabby because there is much to live up to in this family. Gabby and Erich sped off on a motorcycle to finish their hometown date.

The two capped off the date with a romantic dinner where Erich revealed that he is falling in love with Gabby. Gabby learned a lot about Erich after meeting his family and found he always puts family first and has always wanted to be with a man like him. She revealed that she, too, is falling in love with Erich. She went far enough to say that leaving him that night was difficult. No matter what happens, she will always have feelings for Erich and admits it changed her life.

6) Santa Clarita, California

After a difficult hometown date on The Bachelorette Season 19, Rachel traveled to California for Tino’s hometown date. This date was teased about being pretty dramatic with how Tino’s family reacts to Rachel. The two met in the middle of nowhere and then skip ahead to meeting the parents. She met Tino’s mom, dad, and little brother.

As the couple walks in, his parents are already discussing how much Rachel could like the other guys more. He humbly bragged about receiving the first rose. His dad interjected by asking how much time they spend together, and his mom added that Rachel could be doing the same to other guys. Tino’s dad pushed back about the proposal as Tino said he would propose in the next two weeks. He immediately said he needed to talk to Tino.

His dad is concerned about the speed of getting to know Rachel. They have only known each other for five weeks, and his dad isn’t convinced that they know each other well enough to propose in the end. He kept calling the experience a fairytale and said it’s made the experience has made his family more nervous than it has made him. His mom talked with Rachel and said that the experience wasn’t real and how she would have been if she had met Tino outside of the experience. Rachel had to follow up being grilled by Tino’s mom by getting grilled by his dad.

His first question was, how can you do this quickly? He went far enough to have her convince him she knew Tino. Tino’s dad said she’s saying all the right things and that the experience is a fairytale, as in not real. She was about to break down into tears, and you could tell. He ended it by saying he wants Tino to fall for the right person implying that it might not be Rachel. Well, the teasers have lived up to the hype on this one.

The conversation continued, and Rachel said she was not just here to get married but to develop a relationship. She talked to a producer on the side and said she didn’t know where to go from here. His family has put Rachel on edge, and his parents send the couple away by saying they need to be open and honest.

Tino started their conversation by saying they adored her but Rachel knows that’s not true. He tells her he’s falling in love with her despite his family’s feelings. He added that he should have told her a few weeks ago. Rachel followed that up by saying she has been falling in love with him for a while. Although they are obviously in love, can Rachel get past how his family feels about her?

Aven’s date will have to wait a week as the time has run out in this week’s episode of The Bachelorette Season 19. Next week features Aven’s hometown date, the men-tell-all, and some shocking news about the franchise.

Rachel has had a roller coaster of a season on The Bachelorette Season 19, so it may be wise to recap what has happened before the proposals. What do you think of Tino’s family? 

Let us know what you think in the comments below, Bachelor Nation!