'The Bachelorette' : Rachel Recchia Faces the 'Hardest Thing I've Had to Do' During Hometown Dates

Mar. 15, 2025

This post contains spoilers from Monday’s episode ofThe Bachelorette.

Twice the Bachelorettes means twice the hometown dates — so many that they didn’t even fit into one episode.

GABBY’S FIRST HOMETOWN

“I just feel like when we’re together, we just have an amazing time,” Jason, 30, said.

“You’ve been nonstop smiling and I’ve been so happy that I could be a part about it,” Michael told Jason while they spoke privately. “No matter what, I always support you, 100 percent. If it’s the real deal, I want to be the best man at your wedding.”

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When Jason and Karen talked one-on-one, the investment banker admitted he had some reservations about proposing in the near future.

“I could never see myself getting engaged,” Jason told his mom. “It’s just not realistic to me. As much as you have feelings for somebody or whatever, that’s just not something I could see myself doing at this point. Like maybe it’ll change in the next two weeks, but I need space to process everything that’s happened.”

RACHEL’S FIRST HOMETOWN

Rachel, 26, headed to Anaheim, California to visit Zach and his family. They hopped onto bikes and rode to a building, which they climbed to the top of in order to watch airplanes fly over.

“This means a lot and you mean a lot to me,” Zach, 25, told Rachel.

Then, Zach brought Rachel home to meet his parents, sister, aunt and uncle, who happens to be actorPatrick Warburton. Zach described his “crazy connection” with Rachel from the start and his mom Megan said her son and the flight instructor “look very happy together.”

Zach Shallcross.ABC

However, Zach’s dad Chapman quickly cut to the chase as he expressed some doubts while speaking with Rachel.

“I’m concerned about him because all the awesome experiences, I mean, you go to the most romantic places on earth and you’ll fall in love with a monkey,” Chapman said. “What attracts you to him?”

Rachel cited their instant connection, and Chapman seemed to accept that. Megan then expressed concerns about the remaining men vying for Rachel’s heart, too. “My biggest concern is how fast and how hard he is falling,” she added in an on-camera interview.

Rachel assured Megan, “There are things that he has [that] truly no one else has and our relationship is different.”

Megan acknowledged the love her son and Rachel shared, telling the Bachelorette, “I really believe he is falling in love with you and for him to feel that confident in what both of you have, we’re going to embrace you as part of the family.”

Zach told his dad “I’m going all in” when it comes to Rachel and Chapman concurred, “She’s incredible.”

Zach thought so, too. When he and Rachel broke away from his family, the tech executive shared some major news with Rachel. “I can tell you that I am in love with you,” he said.

They kissed and Rachel told the cameras, “I am falling in love with Zach. He’s so perfect.”

GABBY’S SECOND HOMETOWN

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RACHEL’S SECOND HOMETOWN

Rachel continued to Wildwood, New Jersey, where she hung out with Tyler on the boardwalk.

“To me, Rachel is the one,” the 25-year-old small business owner said in an on-camera interview. “This could be my future wife. This could be the mom to my kids.”

Rachel and Tyler spent the day playing games and hitting up rides like the Ferris wheel.

“I definitely feel like we have a strong connection, but I definitely feel like my last hometown had a different feel going into the night than I feel today,” Rachel said to the cameras. “I realize my relationship with him is a little bit farther behind than what I’d like to feel at this point. And now it just feels like I’m having a bit of a struggle because meeting his family tonight is looming.”

“Things are getting extremely close to the end and I just definitely feel like I have other connections that are stronger,” Rachel said in an on-camera interview.

Tyler, meanwhile, felt differently. “At this point, I’m not falling in love with you, I am so in love with you,” he confessed to Rachel. “And it has just been incredible and I would not change a thing.”

Rachel broke it to Tyler that she didn’t want to move forward. “I just feel like we’ve had the most incredible day, but I’m still feeling like, not 100 percent confident,” she said. “And I don’t know if I’m ready to meet your family when I still have this bit of reservation.”

Tyler said he understood and went home to tell his family the sad news. “She told me she wasn’t there yet,” Tyler informed his loved ones.

Rachel said “this is the hardest thing I’ve had to do” and continued to tell cameras, “because I feel like my heart is breaking. I couldn’t get there with him.”

GABBY’S LAST HOMETOWN

Erich also told his mom how much he admires her relationship with his dad. “Seeing how undyingly you love him and everything you’ve done for him up to this point, it’s like, I’ve kind of modeled what I want after the bond you and Dad have,” he said.

“We marry for life,” his mom responded. “Don’t take it lightly.”

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Erich also confirmed the news at the time of his passing on July 9,writing on Instagram, “Thankful for everything you’ve done for me. We are gonna miss the hell out of you Big AL. I love you so much dad.”

RACHEL’S THIRD HOMETOWN

Once Rachel landed in Santa Clarita, California to meet Tino’s family, she and Tino reassured each other about how serious they felt about one another. The 27-year-old contractor didn’t think Rachel had anything to worry about when it came to introducing her to his family.

When they visited with Tino’s mom Sandy, his dad Joe and his little brother Matteo, Tino told them how he received Rachel’s first impression rose and hopes to propose at the end.

“What are you talking about? After two months?” Joe questioned, to which Tino responded, “When you know, you know.”

Joe continued to grill his son when they talked alone. “How in just five weeks do you know enough about her?” Joe asked.

Tino said he knew “the important stuff” but Joe wasn’t convinced. “I just have a hard time believing that what you can do on a whirlwind fairytale trip is really going to prepare you for marriage,” his dad said.

Joe then asked Rachel to “convince me that you know him, the real Tino.”

Rachel gushed about how “humble” and “caring” she found Tino to be, but Joe didn’t buy it. “That’s all great, but at least in our mind, from 20,000 feet away, we see it as like this fairytale thing,” he said. Sandy felt similarly, telling Rachel, “This is not real.”

Before Tino and Rachel departed, Joe told them: “You guys have a lot more to learn about each other.”

Rachel did not think the day went well, telling the cameras, “I don’t know how I made it out of that house alive.” Tino tried to insist that his parents “definitely adore” Rachel but that didn’t seem to change her perspective.

“I’m not too confident your dad was even giving me a chance,” Rachel said.

Tino wouldn’t let the meeting with his family change how he felt about Rachel, though. “Rachel, I’m so sure about you. You always make me feel appreciated and valued and loved every time we’re together. And that’s why I’m proud and excited to tell you that I am falling in love with you. I don’t want a future without you,” he said.

Rachel shared similar feelings. “I think I also feel like I have been falling in love with you for a while,” she said The couple kissed and Rachel told the cameras she felt “really happy.”

The Bacheloretteairs Mondays (8 p.m. ET) on ABC.

source: people.com