The Bachelor (season 20)

Ben greets three former Bachelors: Jason Mesnick, Sean Lowe and Chris Soules, in his bachelor pad and they give him some tips on how to be around the ladies.

Soon, Ben arrives at the mansion, talks to Chris, and the limos arrive. Memorable moments include Lauren B., a flight attendant gives Ben a small wing pin, Jami tells Ben that she is friends with Kaitlyn Bristowe, Lace boldy kisses Ben to be his first of the night, Lauren R. didn't tell Ben her name and said that she has been stalking him on social media, Shushanna was soon followed and speaks Russian, Leah brings a football to bent Ben with a hike toss, Joelle (self-named "JoJo") comes out the limo wearing a unicorn mask, Mandi comes out wearing a giant rose above her head acting as the first impression rose, Emily and Haley – the first twin contestants in The Bachelor shock Ben and tell him that they had never dated the same guy before, Maegan brings a mini-horse, Breanne brings a basket of bread knowing "Gluten is Evil" smashed into pieces, Rachel rides on a hoverboard, Isabel (self-named "Izzy") dressed in a onesie, and Jackie, brings a date card with her that has their names on it for a future date set for "March 14, 2016".

Ben spends time with the 26 new contestants. Lace feels drunk after many glasses of wine and Mandi gives Ben a dental checkup. But soon, the party is largely interrupted with two unexpected ladies arriving at the mansion – Becca and Amber – contestants from the previous season who were greeted by Chris Harrison to find another chance at love. Olivia, a news anchor who left her job for Ben receives the first impression rose.

First Group Date: Jackie, LB, Lauren H., Becca, Amber, Mandi, JoJo, Jubilee, Jennifer and Lace. The girls and Ben shown up at Verdugo Hills High School for a "Bachelor High" competition and have to take into five distinct challenges: obstacle course, science experiment class, apple bobbing, geography quiz and track and field, all to be judged by Chris Harrison. Mandi ends up beating Amber in the final hurdles event and wins the title of "Homecoming Queen". They are taken into a night party where Ben and Becca play a game of basketball, Jennifer gives a kiss and Lace tries to explain to Ben that she isn't crazy. Jubilee shares her adoption story with Ben. Later, Ben returns to the girls and asks JoJo for some one-on-one time. JoJo receives the group date rose.

At the Bachelor mansion, Amanda takes FaceTime with her kids where they tell her that they really miss her.

One-on-One: Caila. Ice Cube and Kevin Hart stopped by at the mansion to promote their movie Ride Along 2 and accompanied Caila for her date with Ben. Ben drove them with the two actors in the backseat. They drove around Los Angeles, buying flowers and condoms, and they made it to a spa, Kevin spends time relaxing on a hot tub with Ben and Caila. When he stands up to leave it is revealed that he's naked (censored). Afterwards, they went to Regent Theater to watch a concert from Amos Lee, Ben explains that they are playing his favorite song. Caila tells Ben about a previous heartbreaking relationship. In the end, Caila receives a rose.

Second Group Date: Emily, Haley, Shushanna, Olivia, Samantha and Amanda. They go to a LoveLab facility inside Azusa Pacific University are in three scientific tests. The scientists measured the women's visual attention and had Ben blindfolded and got him to smell each of the ladies after a strenuous workout. The scientists, led by Paul J. Zak, then measure Ben's and the women's responses to each other using an electrocardiogram (ECG), electrodermal sensors on the fingers, and an electroencephalogram (EEG) while they are directed to interact on a bed. These data are used to produce a compatibility measure called ZEST. Samantha received a lowest score (2.42) while Olivia received a highest score (7.45), both out of 10 points. Amanda finally tells Ben that she is a mother and has two kids of her own. Ben gives the rose to Olivia.

Cocktail Party: Olivia goes to Ben for a mini-makeout session which irks the other women because she already has a rose. Lace come in and confronts Olivia about it. Ben has a one-on-one session with Amanda and presents her with some hair clips for her to bring home to her kids as souvenirs. He also later goes for a one-on-one with Lauren B and gives her a picture of the two of them from night one.

One-on-One: Lauren B. Ben arrives at the mansion to pick her up and drives them in a convertible car, to a small airport in Camarillo. They are going to ride in a biplane. Up in the air, they have a view of the Bachelor mansion and fly over it a few times, while the ladies at the house watched from the ground. Ben and Lauren shared a kiss. They landed in the middle of a field and walked across to a hot tub, where they spent time together talking and kissing. After, they went to a fancy villa for the night, talking about their past experiences. Lauren B. is close to her family and talked about them. She told Ben that her father likes doing yard work. Ben talked about his father's successful heart bypass surgery. Soon, they proceeded to a stage for a private concert by Lucy Angel. Lauren B. received the rose.

Group Date: Amanda, Haley, Jennifer, Shushanna, Leah, Amber, Lauren H., Olivia, Jami, Rachel, Lace and Emily. They got into a limo and met with Ben at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum where they play soccer. 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup champions Alex Morgan and Kelley O'Hara had to mentor them, the two teams played against each other, with the losing team sent back to the mansion.

Stars: Amanda, Rachel, Shushanna, Emily, Jennifer, Lauren H.
Stripes: Olivia, Amber, Haley, Leah, Jami, Lace

Rachel suffered a leg injury during mid-game that turned out to be a cramp. Team Stripes won and were sent to a hotel for an after-party with Ben. Ben chose Olivia for some one-on-one time, and they went upstairs in the hotel to a penthouse suite. Meanwhile, back at the party, some of the girls are trying to become friends with each other. Later, Ben's time with Lace got cut off by Amber, wanting some time with him. At the end of the evening, Amber received the group date rose.

One-on-One: Jubilee. Ben comes into the mansion to pick her up and they learn they're going to have a helicopter to Cal-A-Vie Health Spa Vista. Jubilee shares with Ben the story of her troubled past; her biological family in Haiti died, and she miraculously the lone survivor. At the end of the date, the story was great and Ben received the rose to her.

Cocktail Party: The rest of the women are shocked that Jubilee got the rose. Ben tells them that he received a bad news from home that two people perished on a fatal plane crash from his family. Ben gets more time with the ladies and goes to Olivia for a talk, she talks about her "cankles". Then, Jubilee gives Ben a massage which upsets the other girls because she has a rose. The women try to confront her leaving her in a bathroom, crying. Amber goes to confront Jubilee that she can't make more drama, Ben goes her to comfort Jubilee and defends her, he is upset. When Ben walks into a living room, Lace calls Ben over for a chat and decides to leave the competition.

Before the start of the dates, Chris Harrison arrives at the mansion tells the ladies they are leaving to Las Vegas, Nevada to meet with Ben. Upon arrival, he has a sign on the side of a building welcoming them.

One-on-One: JoJo. Ben picks her up and went through the penthouse awaiting to whisk away to a helicopter ride and landed on a rooftop of the hotel in Las Vegas Strip. They tell stories about JoJo's past relationship and watch fireworks as the other ladies also watch in dismay from their hotel, the Aria Resort and Casino. JoJo receives the rose.

Group Date: Amanda, Jubilee, Caila, Lauren B., Amber, Haley, Emily, Leah, Lauren H., Jennifer, Rachel and Olivia. They went to The Mirage for the annual talent show, Terry Fator will help the ladies give talent lessons. Twins Emily and Haley impressed with Irish dancing, Jubilee played the cello, and the other ladies performed with other talents like hula hoops, clown skits and sketch comedy. Olivia shows up wearing a showgirl costume and develops into a painful panic attack after an awkward performance, however she calms down rather fast. Afterwards, Ben and the ladies get into an after-party, Olivia talks to Ben at once and tries to deserve a rose. In the end, Ben gave the rose to Lauren B.

One-on-One: Becca. A package arrived into a hotel room contains a wedding dress, with some ladies knowing about her virginity. She is taken to a wedding chapel. She and Ben become co-officiators for the wedding to call multiple couples for a marriage. They later traveled to the Neon Museum for the evening, Becca opens up to Ben dealing with her issues of being a virgin, and receives the rose at the end.

Chris Harrison called the girls over at the hotel room and asked Emily and Haley to come over. Being from Las Vegas, Ben will meet them for a 2-on-1 time to their house, and has an opportunity to meet their mother and some of their dogs. The twins give him a house tour, including a look of Haley's room with photos of her ex-boyfriend still up. Emily talks about how strong her and Ben's relationship is. After a talk with Haley and Emily's mother about how it is difficult having to date the both of them, he asks Haley to say goodbye, leaving Emily to continue on through the competition.

Cocktail Party: Olivia asks for Ben and told him that she is falling for him, and JoJo comes to help Olivia. Multiple girls are upset over Olivia stealing Ben from other girls twice.

For the next stage of the show, Ben and the remaining ladies travelled Mexico City, the capital of Mexico.

One-on-One: Amanda. Ben came to the room to give her an early morning wake-up, shocking the other women. The two traveled to the ancient city of Teotihuacan, getting a free ride on a hot air balloon. After seeing the famous Pyramid of the Sun and other nearby ruins, Ben and Amanda were taken to an area with a scenic view of the pyramid for a picnic. Then, they went to a hotel in the Santa Fe district, where they discussed Amanda's past. Amanda revealed that the father of her children ignored her and cheated on her, forcing her to break off the relationship. Ben comforted Amanda, assuring her that she would meet a worthy partner one day before giving her the rose.

Group Date: Jubilee, Becca, JoJo, Caila, Emily, Lauren B., Jennifer, Leah and Olivia. The women joined Ben in taking Spanish language lessons before going to a local restaurant. The chefs asked the group to pair off before buying ingredients and preparing a Mexican dish. Olivia paired up with Ben, to the discomfort of the others. Lauren B. and Jubilee's dish was praised by the chefs, causing them to be declared the winners. The group then went to a hotel for a night of parties and one-on-one time with Ben. Lauren B. serenaded Ben around the city during this time. Later, Ben took Jubilee aside and told her that she seemed standoffish and distant lately. In fairness to her, he decided to send Jubilee home at this point. After reuniting with the other women and explaining the reasons for Jubilee's departure, Ben gave the group date rose to Olivia.

One-on-One: Lauren H. She and Ben went to Pineda Covalin headquarters to browse a set of designer clothes. They then met with Ricardo Covalin, who invited them to participate in Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week with professional models. Having never modeled before, Lauren was nervous about appearing on the runway, but she and Ben went through the show without a hitch. Afterwards, the pair met over dinner, where Lauren explained how her ex-boyfriend cheated on her and broke her heart. Impressed by seeing yet another side of Lauren, Ben gave her the rose while complimenting her openness.

Cocktail Party: Feeling confident now that she had a rose, Olivia told Amanda that she reminded her of an episode of Teen Mom. Offended by Olivia's behavior, the other women resolved to take their concerns to Ben, believing that he was unaware of Olivia's duplicitous traits. Emily was the first woman to discuss the situation with Ben - while they were talking, Olivia observed the conversation from the main room; correctly guessing that Emily was speaking about her, she went over to interrupt the conversation. In her confessionals, Emily phoned her twin sister Haley on a smartphone, tearfully recounting Olivia's harsh behavior; she admitted that she had cried frequently and that she greatly missed her sister. After speaking with Olivia, who gave him a ring as a "present", Ben began to suspect that he didn't know the whole story about Olivia's interactions with the others. He spoke with some of the other women, all of whom expressed concern that Olivia was creating an atmosphere of negativity with her aggressive pursuit of him.

Continuing from the previous episode, Ben pulled Olivia aside for a private talk. He conveyed the concerns of the other women and she assured him that there was nothing to it, that she was just different than them. They rejoined the others and the rose ceremony began. At the Mexico rose ceremony, a pained Emily got the last rose, leaving Jennifer eliminated and heartbroken. Afterwards, Ben announced that the remaining ladies are heading to The Bahamas.

One-on-One: Caila. Leah had been hoping for a 1-on-1 date and was severely disappointed when she did not get it. Ben and Caila trekked on a deep-sea fishing trip and went to the villa for an evening dinner. Ben noted that Caila was always upbeat and smiling, and asked how she would act during the tough times. Caila gave a confusing answer saying that she liked him but did not want to hurt him, then later gave a more sensible answer. Ultimately, Ben gave a rose to Caila.

Group Date: Lauren B., Becca, Amanda, JoJo, Lauren H. and Leah. They met Ben on Pig Beach to swim with the pigs and feed them. Leah continued to be upset that she was stuck on a group date and did not get the 1-on-1 date. Ben advised her to cheer up and make the most of it. Later Ben and the women went back to a villa for an evening party. Ben took each of the women aside for conversations. Becca admitted that Ben obviously has a strong connection with Lauren B. Leah decided that she needed to do something before time ran out and told Ben that Lauren B was a different person in the house than she was around him, but did not give any specifics. Later, Ben told Lauren B that someone in the house said those things about her, which upset her greatly. Lauren B broke down in tears with the other ladies, and she asked Leah if she said those things and Leah denied it. In the end, Amanda received the group date rose.

Shortly after the group date ended, Lauren B was still speculating as to who could have said those things and the suspicion centered on Leah. Leah went to Ben's hotel room to talk to him, and she continued to say bad things about Lauren B. Her move backfired when Ben responded by saying that he realized that he wasn't feeling a connection to her any more, and sent her home.

Two-on-One: Olivia and Emily. Prior the start of the date, Emily called Haley back in the U.S. to get her advice on how to handle the 2-on-1 date. Haley advised her to just be herself and hopefully Olivia's true colors would come out. Emily and a supremely confident Olivia rode with Ben on a speedboat to a private island. First, Ben took Olivia for a chat and they discussed what happened in the previous rose ceremony, and Olivia went on and on about her many virtues and talents and told Ben that she's in love with him. Then, Ben had some 1-on-1 time with Emily. Later Ben picked up the rose and walked with Olivia, and instead of giving it to her he said he couldn't reciprocate her feelings and had decided to send her home. Ben returned and gave the rose to a delighted Emily and they departed on the speedboat, leaving Olivia behind on the wind-swept beach.

Chris Harrison announces that Ben decided to cancel the cocktail party and will be heading straight to the rose ceremony.

Ben returns to his home town of Warsaw, Indiana and reunites with his parents at a restaurant. He discusses his journey so far and shares his impressions of each of the ladies.

One-on-One: Ben showed Lauren B. a tour of Warsaw including a school where he studied and a hotel what used to be a theater. They arrived at Baker Youth Club where Ben used to volunteer during his teenage years and they play basketball with the kids. Ronnie volunteered to play and gave an offer to kiss the couple. Indiana Pacers basketball players Paul George and George Hill drop in and lead the kids in some exercises. Then they went to a town bar to hang out with Ben's friends. Later Lauren reflected that she was not able to defend herself against Leah's allegations, and Ben said he had not seen anything to tell him that they were true.

One-on-One: JoJo had a date with Ben in Chicago and they went on the field at Wrigley Field (Chicago Cubs' home stadium) to play baseball by themselves wearing "Mr. Higgins" and "Mrs. Higgins" uniforms, then they had a romantic dinner in center field. JoJo opened up about her past relationships that make her afraid of opening up and getting hurt. They ended the date by putting "JoJo & Ben" on the manual scoreboard above the stadium.

Group Date: The group date was composed of Caila, Amanda and Becca. They spent time with Ben at the farm, after which Ben spent some quality time with them. He gave a rose to Amanda for this portion of the date which upset Caila and Becca who had to go back to the house. Then they went to McDonald's where they quickly became crew members serving meals to customers and later ate dinner. They ended up at a crowded carnival, with the town's mayor in attendance.

One-on-One: Emily gets a one-on-one with Ben at his family home which is a few blocks away from where the ladies are staying, and meets his parents, David and Amy who speaks to them about Ben's life. Amy comes away with the impression that Emily is not mature enough to become Ben's wife at this time, and shares that impression with Ben. Ben agrees and decides to send her home.

Amanda: Her hometown date begins in Laguna Beach in Orange County, California to meet with Ben. She brings her daughters, that she hasn't seen in weeks, to spend time with them at the beach. Then, Amanda takes Ben to meet with her mom, dad and sister; also bringing along her daughters. Amanda's dad tells her that Ben proved that he was ready to become a dad to her kids. Amanda's mom gave encouragement and approval. In the end, Ben wrote a storybook for Amanda's daughters and read the story to her.

Lauren B.: Next, Lauren's hometown date took place in her hometown of Portland, Oregon. She brought Ben at Pioneer Square, then they stopped at the famous food trucks where they ordered a traditional Georgian khachapuri pie and end hung out at Multnomah Whiskey Library. Then, Lauren took Ben to her house, where he met her family. Lauren's sister spoke to Ben and he says that he feels lucky to have Lauren and he got emotional, making her sister feel better. Lauren's dad voices his concerns that there are still other girls that Ben could choose.

Caila: Her date takes place in Hudson, Ohio. She gave a tour of the town including her former high school. They went to a toy factory where her dad works, where they designed and built toy house from scratch, signifying that they may one day have a house together. Then, Caila brings Ben to her house to meet her family and eat traditional Filipino food for dinner. Her dad commented on her being cute and bubbly and her mom encouraged her to make a connection with Ben and tell him that she loves him sooner.

JoJo: Lastly, JoJo's hometown date began in Dallas, Texas, with an envelope and a roses left on her doorstep from her ex-boyfriend. She decided to call him and ended up on the verge of tears when Ben came to pick her up. She was in somewhat of a bad mood and the feel of the date was already off. They went to her parent's house to meet her family (including Ready for Love star Ben Patton). JoJo's brothers become very protective of her and have a heated talk with Ben, accusing him of lying and "brainwashing" JoJo while Jojo's mom drinks champagne straight from the bottle. Finally, JoJo's dad ends the interrogation with the brothers and JoJo walks Ben out.

Ben and the final three ladies traveled to Ocho Rios in Jamaica.

Caila: The first fantasy date was with Caila. She and Ben took a ride on a wooden raft down the Martha Brae River, followed by a riverside lunch of jerk chicken. Caila was struggling with her insecurities about the other women during the ride and Ben picked up on her feelings. Later they had a romantic dinner on a beach, followed by fireworks.

Lauren B.: Next, Ben took Lauren B. to a preservation mission where they assisted baby turtles. Then they sat down on a beach and discussed their future together and shared their past times including their hometown date. She admitted that she is falling in love with Ben and he said he loved her too. They ended up watching reggae musicians on a bar stage.

JoJo: Then, Ben went on the final fantasy date with JoJo. They flew off in a helicopter to a waterfall near Negril and swam and expressed their feelings for one another, recalling the difficulties with her overprotective brothers during the hometown date. Ben told JoJo that he was in love with her.

All three ladies ended their dates by choosing the fantasy suite.

After the final date was over, Caila decided to go and see Ben at the Bachelor Pad to find out where she stood. Ben said that he was comfortable telling the other two that he loved them but didn't feel he could say it to her, so he decided to send her home at that point. Before departing, Caila talked to Ben one last time and wanted to know exactly when he decided that she would be sent home. He insisted that he did not decide until the current set of dates in Jamaica.

Seventeen of the twenty-six eliminated contestants attended the "Women Tell All" special, sitting in this particular order: Lace, Tiara, Amber, Jami, Izzy, Rachel, Jubilee, Shushanna, Jennifer, Lauren H., Leah, Olivia, Becca, Haley, Emily, Amanda and Caila.

Jubilee was the first one in the hot seat and recalled about her experience on the show, including her breakdown, and later revealed that she was promoted to Sergeant in the United States Army. Next, Lace expresses her emotions during her first kiss with Ben, and one Bachelor fan comes onto the stage, taking off his shirt to reveal a tattoo of Lace on his chest. Chris then asks Lace to join the Bachelor in Paradise cast. Olivia is questioned as to why the other women despise her with Chris recalling a situation where Olivia calls Amanda a "Teen Mom". She states that she felt targeted, and revealed that she was bullied as a child. She gives Amanda a heartfelt apology. Then, second runner-up Caila comes on stage and explains her emotions when she told Ben she loved him and he didn't tell her he loved her back. She explains her heartbreak when Ben sends her home unexpectedly. Later, Ben comes in to see the ladies, talking specifically to Jubilee, Caila, Amanda and Olivia. Chris tests Ben to see if he can tell the twins apart. Ben finishes the show by stating that he is engaged to the winner and "would marry her tomorrow".

Both Lauren and JoJo have an opportunity to meet Ben's parents (David and Amy) on a villa in Jamaica where they have spent time with Ben. Although the parents praised Ben's strong feelings with the ladies, Ben remains undecided about his decision. Ben has one last final date with each of the two ladies. Lauren and Ben's final date involved them snuggling on a catamaran and they had a picnic on a beach. They spent time in Lauren's hotel room, Ben leaves at the end of the night a little worried that their relationship is too good to be true as it hasn't been tested. Ben's final date with JoJo involved swimming in the waterfalls. Just like Lauren, Ben came in JoJo's hotel room, where JoJo questioned Ben's feelings and Ben admitted that he is falling in love with both JoJo and Lauren, and JoJo ends up sobbing on her bathroom floor.

Earlier in the The Women Tell All special, Ben indicated that he would "marry her (the winner) tomorrow", so Chris Harrison arranged for both families and Ben's pastor to be on hand in case they wanted to marry on live TV. First, Ben came out and said that he was completely happy and was certain that he had made the right decision. Then, JoJo came out to face Ben for the first time since Jamaica. Ben apologized again for breaking her heart but he simply realized that he loved Lauren even more than her. JoJo said that she was very hurt at first, but after watching the season she saw the connection that Ben had with Lauren and was able to understand his decision. Chris Harrison announced that JoJo would be the next Bachelorette.