What does it take to topple a villainous monarch? If the women of The Bachelor just taught us anything, it’s that sometimes the solution is as simple as calling her crappy attitude out to the right person.
Matt James finally took the reins Monday night, after Katie Thurston tipped him off last week to the relentless bullying that has pervaded this season. It appears our Bachelor was ready to clean house. First he sent home Anna Redman, who last week started a ridiculous scandal in which she gleefully accused one of her fellow contestants of being an escort. (As if there’s anything wrong with that to begin with.) Then, after a revealing conversation with newly-arrived contestant Ryan Claytor, the moment we’ve all been waiting for finally came: Matt finally found out about “Queen” Victoria Larson’s bad behavior, and gave her the boot. And as the cherry on top, Matt finished the episode by putting MJ Snyder, our royal bully’s second-in-command, in the hot seat.
Anna looked genuinely mortified as Matt sent her home. She called accusing Brittany Galvin of being a sex worker her “worst moment ever,” and said that she felt so horrible about it that she’d broken out into a rash. For a newcomer to Chris Harrison’s House of Emotional Pain who’s never appeared in a Bachelor program, Matt handled the situation well. He treated Anna with empathy, telling her that he, too, has said things that he regrets, and that he’s been able to grow from those mistakes. At the same time, he said, “I have a responsibility to the women that are here, to Brittany, to myself, to follow my heart. And unfortunately I can’t see you being part of that journey anymore.”
While Matt was graciously showing Anna the door, Victoria seemed to realize that consequences for her own misdeeds this season might not be far behind. Victoria has spent the past few weeks bullying various housemates into submission—and despite our “Queen’s” rushed apology, Ryan decided to tell Matt what’s been going on.
Ryan and Brittany were both among the contestants who joined the season late—only to find the rest of the house united against them. Victoria has been the ringleader. “It’s constant,” Ryan told Matt. “She told me to my face that because I’m a dancer—she flat out stated that I was a ho. And you know, she laughed about it after.”
“It’s just hard to hear somebody say that about you when it’s so not true and you don’t even know me, and then to apologize in the hallway... It does not feel sincere, and I do not believe it one bit.”
Matt was clearly upset by Ryan’s accusations, saying outright, “I’m not going to stand for that.”
“Through all the antics, I felt like Victoria had a big heart,” Matt said during an “In the Moment” interview with producers. “But there’s no excuse for that behavior. Not here, not anywhere.”
Upon finding out that Ryan had tattled on her for torturing her fellow contestants, Victoria responded about how you’d expect. “That really pissed me the fuck off,” she said. “Literally everything was going amazing! Literally, I am the perfect person to be his wife, but then these fucking losers create a problem when everything is fine!”
Victoria swore to Matt that Ryan was taking her comments out of context—to which he replied, “I’m just curious. What context would calling somebody a ho be acceptable to be taken in?... I just have a lot to think about it.”
In her own ITM interview, Victoria began to unravel. “Am I missing something here?”she asked. “Like, I make the house toxic?! That’s completely fucking crazy!”
From there it was straight to the rose ceremony, where a spiraling Victoria ultimately got the boot. “These girls are just telling him complete bullshit,” she seethed as the roses were being handed out to everyone but her. “I’m actually kind-hearted, honest, genuine, hard-working, loyal. I’m like the most loyal!”
As she made her exit, Victoria refused to hug Matt, as is customary within Bachelor Nation for some reason. “I honestly feel so sorry for you that you would listen to hearsay and not all the facts on a situation. So, goodbye.”
“He’s not my king,” Victoria huffed before getting in the SUV to leave this season’s Pennsylvania-set romantic compound. “I’m still a queen; Matt is a jester. The fact that he chose Katie over me? Yeah, Matt, I feel sorry for you with your choices.”
Although Victoria seemed convinced the other women would “feel like shit” once she left, they quickly toasted to calmer weeks ahead—but the quiet didn’t last for long.
When Matt took several contestants on a group date, he confronted MJ Snyder about accusations he’d heard that she, like Victoria, had led some of the bullying. (The edit we’ve seen certainly has not been flattering.) MJ played it cool in the moment—but the minute she got back from the date, she was furious and looking for whoever ratted her out.
Turns out Jessenia Cruz told Matt about MJ gleefully labeling the women who just joined the season the “JV squad,” underlings to the “varsity squad” of original cast members. Womp, womp! MJ, however, remains steadfast in her belief that she has been nothing but a benevolent angel this season. “I lead by example,” she said. “If I see something, I’m gonna make peace and harmony.”
“It’s the ‘lead by example’ comment that really rubs me wrong,” Jessenia said. “Because you were the one—you made it uncomfortable for these girls. That’s what you did.”
MJ took the expected route, framing herself as the one being “attacked.” Bachelor addicts already know that there’s only one way this ends—the dreaded two-on-one date. Sure enough, this week ended on Jessenia and MJ meeting up for their romantic head-to-head with Matt. And if MJ is out to make herself sound like a peacemaker in the house, she wasn’t doing herself any favors.
“I am going into this because she said that I’m the reason there’s a division in the house,” MJ said. “I am pissed off. You picked the wrong girl... She threw my character into question to make herself look better. That is toxic. I have had it. Y’all wanna see me fight? Get some popcorn.”
And when she finally sat down face-to-face with Jessenia? That’s when MJ really put her diplomacy skills on display. “This is embarrassing,” she said. “I’m embarrassed to be here, but I’m here because you said my name. You know what I stand for. I preach harmony. Peace!”
LET’S GET READY TO RUMBLE!!!
