Lauren Bushnell’s Hometown Date With ‘Bachelor’ Ben Higgins May Cost Her The Final Rose


Bachelor Ben Higgins recently admitted in his People blog that contestant Lauren Bushnell “took his breath away” when she stepped out of the limo, and his feelings for her have grown noticeably stronger as the season has progressed.

On Monday night, Ben will travel to Lauren’s hometown of Portland, Oregon, where he will meet her family for the first time. ABC‘s previews show Lauren beaming when she brings Ben home, but her dream of becoming the future Mrs. Higgins are dashed when her sister challenges Ben’s intentions, and her father questions the reality of Lauren and Ben’s whirlwind romance.

Will Ben rethink his relationship with Lauren after his rather stressful encounter with her family? Read on for more details about tonight’s hometown date.

[Warning: Spoilers ahead]

In the video clip below, Lauren’s father expresses concern not only about how new her relationship with Ben is, but the fact that there are three other girls still in the running for Ben’s final rose. He is supportive and much more positive than Lauren’s sister, who will pepper Ben with questions about dating four girls at once.

Ben has been dropping hints about how strong his feelings for Lauren are throughout the season. Although he didn’t give her the first impression rose — that went to Olivia — he used the word “wife” after their very first one-on-one date earlier this season.

By Week 4, Ben was still smitten with Lauren and once again wrote her in his People blog. He detailed a conversation they had during the episode where he wanted to “make sure she knew” that their relationship was “the start of something special.”

So, did grueling “meet the family” talks hurt Lauren’s relationship with Ben? Once the episode airs on Monday night, fans may find that the preview videos only showed the negative aspect of the time he spent with Lauren’s family. Crafty editing on the part of Bachelor producers may be duping us into thinking Ben’s could end his love story with Lauren, but that’s not the case.

Although late-night talk show host Jimmy Kimmel (video below) has predicted JoJo Fletcher as the girl who wins Ben’s final rose, blogger Reality Steve is confident that Ben picks Lauren, and he knew she was “the one” halfway through the season.

“This season has essentially been over since about halfway through,” Steve wrote on his Bachelor spoiler blog. “Ben has been pretty clear about wanting Lauren in the end, so much so that it’s apparently become obvious to the rest of the group.”

If Reality Steve‘s spoilers turn out to be right, Ben got down on one knee and proposed to her at the final rose ceremony in Jamaica after sending JoJo home. Although previews show a heartbroken Ben crying after JoJo leaves, Steve feels he will be victorious when the season finale airs.

The hometown dates episode begins at 8 p.m. ET on February 22, with spoilers pointing to Amanda Stanton’s elimination at Monday night’s rose ceremony. Next week, Ben and his final three girls — JoJo, Lauren, and Caila — will head to Ocho Rios, Jamaica for the all-important overnight dates in the Fantasy Suite.

Before the final rose ceremony airs on March 14, fans will see all of Ben’s rejected ladies at the Women Tell All special on March 7 at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.

Do you think Lauren is Ben’s final pick, and will they be one of the few Bachelor couples to make it to the altar?

[Image via ABC Television Network]

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