Take an “Amazing” “Journey” Back Through Bachelor Ben’s Talked-About Season

Lindzi may have secured her spot in the final two on night one, when she arrived on horseback. The dedicated equestrienne approached producers before the premiere to set it up, and Ben took notice. We’re not sure if it’s her great smile and dimples or the sensational arrival, but Lindzi locked up the first-impression rose that night.

Some people are not cut out for the pressure of a reality dating show, and Jenna was one of them. She could barely keep her tears in check at any point of her (short) stay on the show, and even ended up sobbing in beds and bathrooms. Yikes! We can’t even bear to bring up her awkward “confrontation” with Monica (and that infamous tampon comment).

Like Lindzi, Brittney had a memorable entrance (remember her adorable grandma?). She also had a memorable exit. Brittney realized early on that she wasn’t feeling a connection/attraction to Ben and decided to leave before her one-on-one, giving another woman a chance at love. The women balked at Brittney’s bold move, and we applauded. It’s about time someone made that decision on this show.

This is starting to become a habit of the Bachelor/ette franchise, and we wish they would just cut it back (or out entirely). Allowing Shawntel (from Brad Womack's second season) to infiltrate the group in San Francisco and flying Kacie all the way to Switzerland just to have them both rejected seems a little harsh. We know it’s supposed to be “dramatic,” but it just seems like overkill.

The down-to-earth epidemiologist (and rapper) was everything we thought Ben was looking for in a woman. She even made the decision to be the first person to confront Ben on Courtney’s scheming ways, despite what it cost her. At the “Women Tell All" special, she proved herself to be a class act. Frankly, we’re glad Ben let her go. She deserves better.

Oh, poor Jamie! She barely had any screen time this season, and when she did, it was the most awkward kissing scene ever. From giving Ben a step-by-step process for how they would kiss to straddling him, Jamie sealed her fate that night.

It was awesome to see the women out of their element and not in bikinis for once. We’re used to the competitions we see in the hot tub and at the cocktail parties, so it was a lot of fun to see the women show that competitive spirit in an entirely different venue. Blakeley was especially hilarious. We’ll never forget her final insult of “I hope you throw up” as the helicopter took off with the winning ladies.

Oh, where do we begin? Courtney is the woman everyone has loved to gossip about since night one, when she let it be known she was in it to win it. From taking Ben skinny-dipping to eschewing her bikini top on a group date to relentlessly bullying the other women, Courtney has not found supporters in the house or in the television audience. But she has the only supporter that counts: Ben. We’ll see if he gets over his concerns and ends up proposing to her on the finale.

The franchise has been working the international angle for several seasons now, and we love it. It’s great to see other parts of the world, and the dates are just incredible (although perhaps less of an emphasis can be put on making contestants face their biggest fears or engage in terrifying acts). Just one plea: fewer helicopters.

We loved sweet Kacie from the start, and it broke our hearts to see her sobbing (with profanity) so sincerely in the rejection limo. Kacie, you will find someone better than Ben. We promise!

Both a best and worst of this season, it was great to see the women confront Courtney. Since the final two never attend the special, we applaud the producers for convincing the season’s villain to show up and “account” for her actions. Although we'll never really know if her apologies were truly sincere, I’m sure the other women were pleased to get their feelings off of their chests.

Although we enjoyed watching Courtney tearing up on the hot seat, we could have done without all the shrieking and yelling. Are we the only ones that didn’t remember all of those women? Who is Samantha and why wouldn’t she stop talking?

Although we are sure it was no treat to live in the house with her, Courtney’s presence provided us with some of the best confessionals and facial expressions we’ve ever seen through the 10 years of the show! One of our favorites: Kacie B. miming squishing Courtney like a black widow (which all the women mimicked on the “Women Tell All” special).