Last night Bachelor Ben could have been mistaken for the kissing bandit. Locking lips, tonsil hockey and slurping smooches were a dime a dozen as Ben exercised his lips and his right to bare tongue. Gonna guess Ben retired from that week singing to himself, I kissed 11 girls and I liked it.

In Ben’s hometown of San Francisco there were some unexpected appearances, adrenalin rushes, leap listing and near fainting to contend with.

Anyone signing up for Bachelor or Bachelorette-dom should expect to have their biggest fears used against them in the courtship for love. And that is exactly what happened to poor ‘fraid of heights’ Emily. Nothing will make you shit in your pants faster than being acrophobic and told you’ll be climbing the Bay Bridge in San Francisco on your dream date. Only thing that could make this worse is if an earthquake happened simultaneously. Halfway up the steep bridge, Emily freezes in panic and Ben does the only thing he can think of to help her – let the kissing commence!

Ben’s kiss is so powerful that Emily’s courage grows ten sizes that day and she practically sprints the rest of the way to the pinnacle of the bridge where she can kiss Ben some more. When you break through your fears with somebody there is nothing you cannot do together. (really???)

I would just like to state here and now that if I were ever on The Bachelor and told I had to climb a bridge, bungee jump or hurl myself out of a plane for love, I’d leave. And speaking of leaving…that’s just what Brittney did. Left. Packed it up. Outie. Yep, Brittney is presented with a date card and a golden locket, okay a key, and can barely stand the pressure of going on a date with Ben and leaves the castle. Ben didn’t seem to care much, and her one-on-one date was given to Lindzi. (That’s Lindsey with a “zi”) LOL.

Lindzi and Ben unlock many doors in San Francisco including City Hall where they slow dance and kiss to a private concert from Matt Nathanson.

There is a very long family visit with Ben’s sister and Ben where they discuss his finding love and Ben dishes to sis about his favorite girls – citing Jennifer as being the best kisser.

On a group date where they snow ski downhill on the streets of San Francisco in bikinis as onlookers take snapshots, Ben and the ladies slalom where no person has slalomed before – at least in that town.

Meanwhile, someone has been pushing the pedal to the metal in a race to get to the mansion and announce that she wants in on the fight for Ben’s love. Funeral director, Shawntel, from Brad Womack’s second season is convinced that she and Ben have a connection from the times she has met him or whatever and enters herself in the contest. Shawntel knows that she will not be welcomed with open arms by any of the girls, but it’s even worse than she imagined.

First of all, I was dumbfounded to see that not one of these girls recognized Shawntel when she walked in. Not a ONE! At this point it is hard to believe there is a contestant out there who has not been watching this show, but clearly I am wrong. Once they do figure it out, the funeral jokes start flying. But by the end of the show it’s not just Shawntel’s heart that is dead in the water.

Ben is equally shocked to see her. Shawntel arrives in time for the rose ceremony, but alas, to my surprise at least, did not get a rose from Ben. That is a long way to come for rejection in my book. And while Shawntel kept saying she had to try before he fell in love with someone else or she’d always regret it, I say to you, Shawntel do not give up hope. Just wait 3 months and Ben will be on the market again. Doesn’t take a mathematician to do the equation with this show.

There was a lot of drama from Courtney who nobody likes, except Ben. He likes to kiss her. (shocker). We have a girl who has no chance at all with Ben and who we have hardly seen, practically faint during the rose ceremony. But she recovers in time to continue on, only to be rejected by Ben as she suspected. Her, the other one we never thought had a shot, and Shawntel are told by Ben that he does not like any of them enough to give them the final rose of the night and sends them on their way.

My favorite quote of the night was from, I think it was Emily, who said about Courtney, Why is she so weird!

- D4