Last week was a jam-packed one here at TV, eh? and as a result, I wasn’t able to recap last Wednesday’s episode of The Bachelor Canada. But here I am and ready to break down all of the breakdowns that occurred this week. Let’s go!

Now that Shanti has been eliminated, all eyes have turned to Brittany. Brittany was instrumental in getting Shanti booted, so I should have realized she’d be one to watch for the rest of this season. Chris announced this was the week he hoped to advance relationships and figure out who might be in it for the long haul.

After some back and forth clips establishing Brittany and Jessie aren’t pals, Noah dropped off the first date invitation for Stacy, Kait, Jessie and Brittany to attend a pool party at Chris’ place. I laughed out loud when Chris welcomed the four ladies and told them he does this all the time. Really? You invite four girls over to your place all the time to just chill out? Anyway, Chris pulled Kait aside first and revealed he’s an edgy dude who is looking for a girl willing to try anything. He and Jessie continued to grow their relationship as she asked him about baseball and if that defined him. For her part, Jessie revealed applying for The Bachelor Canada was a crazy move for her and doing crazy things might have the biggest payoff. After a quick toast and some Brittany one-on-one time with gossip and smooches, Chris awarded Jessie a rose.

The second group date promised some bomba for Lisa, Lara, Lyndsey, Meghan, Mikaela and Dee. Dee was bummed because she wanted a one-on-one to decide whether she should stay or go home to her daughter. Rather than lazing about by the pool, the six ladies were tasked with writing a bomba, a traditional poem used to communicate feelings. The girls paired up, worked and prepared to recite their poem in front of a school full of kids. Lara and Lisa managed to be funny and dis their competition, Lyndsey and Dee were terrible, and Mikaela and Meghan won. That meant Mikaela and Meghan went head-to-head in a bomba battle with Mikaela winning it all. She landed some personal time with the bachelor and made the most of it with some mini golf and kisses after sinking every putt. After more kisses and slow dancing, Mikaela was given a rose.

The one-on-one date of the week was awarded to Catie and had a yoga theme to it, which made her day. Chris may have been uncomfortable with the yoga moves he was asked to perform, but he sure looked at home with Catie in his lap. Still, Chris had real issues connecting with her on the same spiritual level and it bothered him. Later, the pair practiced more eye gazing before Chris presented Catie with a rose.

At the cocktail party, Lyndsey was questioning whether or not she and Chris had shared a connection … until he pulled her aside for a makeout session. Lisa and Chris smooched in the rain, grounding her concerns too. Dee finally got the opportunity she was hoping for and sat down with Chris to talk about her daughter. Unfortunately for her, Chris wasn’t ready to settle down with a child and they agreed it would be best for her to depart.

Here’s who will be back next week:

• Jessie
• Mikaela
• Catie
• Lyndsey
• Brittany
• Kait
• Meghan
• Stacy
• Lisa

The Bachelor Canada airs Wednesdays at 9 p.m. ET/PT on W Network.

Images courtesy of Corus Entertainment.

Now that the first episode of The Bachelor Canada was out of the way, we could really get down to business. I mean, I felt bad seeing the girls who didn’t get a rose leave last week, but we never really got to know them that well anyway. At least, not as well as the 15 who accompanied Chris to Costa Rica.

I excitedly opened up my bottle of Two Oceans Wine—broadcast sponsor for this season—and settled in to absorb all of the drama as it unfolded.

And what drama there was! As soon as the drinks were poured former model Shanti was disparaging her fellow competitors as not being to the quality she’s used to. Poor baby. Shanti distanced herself from the other girls, literally, preferring to sit off by herself while the remaining 14 wondered exactly what her deal was. With two group dates and a single one-on-one date, the pressure would be on to impress Chris enough to keep him interested. Dee got the first impression rose last week and was hoping Costa Rica would be the perfect setting … to tell Chris about her daughter.

Dee would have to attempt that chat during one of the group outings because it was Lyndsey who scored the one-on-one. The pair united at the airport and hopped aboard a plane for a ride over an active volcano. Laughter was had, sarcastic jokes were traded and cuddling occurred … until Chris asked her age. The 10-year difference—he’s 33 and she’s 23—seemed to throw him for a loop. Chris stuck with the date and was rewarded with a treehouse dinner, but he couldn’t shake the age difference; Lyndsey countered that she’s done a lot of living in those years and is ready to be in a relationship. She’s also encountered hurt: a longtime beau she was ready to marry was on Tinder looking to score a quickie. The result? Chris gave her a rose and major smooches.

Meanwhile, the lucky 13 gathered together to learn who’d be on the first group date: Brittany W., Catie, Lisa, April, Meghan and Mikaela. Then, suddenly, Shanti was asking to have a group meeting. Her issue? None of the other girls, in her opinion, were up to Chris’ standards and if they could see how they were acting most of them would be going home. She added that the stress they were putting on her was making Shanti physically sick. It had become painfully obvious that Shanti shouldn’t be in the house or on The Bachelor Canada.

Thankfully, the group date began, with Chris welcoming who he selected for a photo shoot on the beach. The idea, of course, was to see the girls in a group setting and observe who was more willing to go with the flow and have fun. Meghan made the most of her 1800s swimming outfit, something Chris noted right away. Funniest photo shoot was Lisa, who insisted she don her mermaid lower half for the camera, something Chris wasn’t too excited about. Catie had the winning shots; there was a palpable connection between the two and her eyes betrayed her growing feelings. Then they kissed, sending everyone into a tizzy. Mikaela got back at Catie by kissing Chris as she approached for some alone time, shocking the latter. Meghan got her kisses in too before Chris handed Catie a rose.

As for the final group date, Brittany M., Dee, Jessie, Kait, Stacy, Lara, Ashley and Shanti were off to do battle, but not before Brittany made a devious move first. After discovering Shanti in the bathroom, she suggested Shanti tell Chris about the other girls in the house. The planned group date, however, was scuttled due to weather so Chris dropped by to party at the girls’ place, promising some key personal time with the group date members. That didn’t sit well with Shanti, who made the most of her time with Chris to tear into her competition. Anyone who has watched this franchise knows you don’t rat out others, especially during alone time with the bachelor or bachelorette. Chris finally clued in that perhaps Shanti was the problem and he was doing damage control until the rose ceremony when Shanti told Chris that Dee was a single mother … as Dee walked into the room. It was awful. It was unthinkable. It was embarrassing to watch. That cast a shadow on the rest of the night, despite Stacy and Kait’s nice chats with Chris.

In an unprecedented move—at least that I’ve witnessed in the Canadian franchise—Chris grew frustrated with Shanti’s constant harping about the other girls and asked her to leave. Good on him for doing that … and on Brittany for her power play. The cocktail party was skipped, meaning no more personal time to make an impression before the rose ceremony. Catie was ill and skipped the ceremony (Was she hung over? Did she eat a bad shrimp?) so she missed seeing who was eliminated.

Here’s who will be back next week:

• Catie
• Lyndsey
• Stacy
• Mikaela
• Kait
• Dee
• Brittany M.
• Meghan
• Lisa
• Lara
• Brittany W.
• Jessie
• April

What did you think of the episode? Are you happy Shanti was sent home or will you miss the drama? Let me know in the comments below!

The Bachelor Canada airs Wednesdays at 9 p.m. ET/PT on W Network.

Images courtesy of Corus Entertainment.