War of the Roses - Guess Who's Coming To Dinner?

When we first meet the boys, instead of being huddled around inside with their usual brew, they’re outside working out and getting sweaty. Um, why is this the first time this has happened? Anyway, when Osher comes to interrupt, he lets the boys know there’s only two more dates left to secure their spot in the hometown date line-up.

After the usual debate over who is most-deserving, Sasha steals the single date spot over Michael, who’s only been on group dates so far. There seems to be a simmering tension between these two top dogs and Michael’s confidence is knocked when Sasha gets the nod.

Osher then goes on to tell the Bachelors that all five will be involved in tonight’s group date. And instead of an elaborately planned escape, this group date ain’t going nowhere. Sam’s coming to dinner at the mansion and it’s up the boys to provide all the food and ambience. The pressure is on as Osher so aptly points out, for one of our favourite lads, it’s going to be their last supper.

Richie immediately puts his hand up for being in charge of canapés on account of not being able to cook; Alex and Michael team up for mains and wine and Sasha swoops in for dessert, leaving Dave to man the entrees.

In the kitchen, Richie quickly Googles what canapés means and decides to go with a haloumi and chorizo combo to sweep Sam off her feet. While preparing their main dish, English gent Alex confides in Michael that he feels a bit disconnected from Sam of late and feels the chorizo may not be the only thing on the chopping block this evening.

Enter the dining room where the boys concoct a game of chance to sort out the all-important seating plan. Using handmade cards created by Sasha, Michael shuffles the deck and lays the cards out with Richie pulling poll position directly opposite Sam. Dave then goes on to tell us at home his game plan for the group date is to let love run it’s course.

After a getting-ready-montage, Sam arrives at the mansion with wine in hand. Not long after her arrival, Richie enters with the cheese and chorizo number that certainly has a lot of silent nodding and smiling. He redeems himself with the next canapé of fresh oysters, before going on to give Sam an awkward compliment over the table.

In comes Dave with his prawn concoction, making the genius move of loading up Sasha’s serve with a little extra garlic ahead of his single date with Sam tomorrow. Next, Alex and Michael enter with the main, “le poisson d’amour,” which is salmon…with a side of cheese, apparently. Despite knocking her taste buds for six with the fish, Alex is still not feeling confident he’s captured the attention of Sam’s other senses.

Last man out of the kitchen is Sasha with a chocolate caramel brownie…which he nails, as usual. While Sam is buzzing on her chocolate caramel high, the boys decide it’s a good time to play Bachelor Fun Facts. Through this dinner party game, we learn Alex has no earlobes, Dave lost a pair of teeth, Richie is a camper and Michael, the resident smoothie, lives in fear of not finding his soul mate.

Plumber Dave is having none of it, it’s meant to be fun facts boys, not sad facts! Silently, he withdraws his energy from the table, a move that doesn’t go unnoticed by Sam. After laying her own sad-fun-fact out to the boys, Sam wraps up what has been a rather intense dinner experience.

SINGLE DATE! On a rainy day, Sam indulges Sasha’s greatest passions by organising a vintage car and a creative afternoon. After driving their 58 Buick to a studio, Sam lets Sasha know they will be painting a mural to auction off for the Stroke Foundation. Once Sam changes into her painting uniform of overalls, the pair flirt outrageously while randomly covering the canvas and themselves in paint.

Once the canvas has started to look a little abstract, the pair start discussing the reason why the Stroke Foundation is so close to Sam’s heart. Telling Sasha about the final days of her cherished stepfather’s life, Sam becomes emotional. Then Sasha becomes emotional, then Sam cries and now we’re all crying. Thankfully after the crying, comes the romance, as a painted moustache leads to the date’s first kiss.

IT’S CHEESE AND WINE TIME! And also time for artist Sasha to start opening up. After telling her about how much he admires his mum and stepdad, Sasha goes onto tell Sam in not so many words, that he like, likes her. Sam responds by telling him that she definitely wants more Sasha time and then gives him the first hometown date rose! Holding the rose, Sasha tells Sam, “you’re all I want and here I am.”

Off to the last cocktail party of the season where Sasha’s return, pinned with a red rose, raises the tension in the mansion just that little bit further.

Both Alex and Dave feel like they’re the two on the line tonight, but will their attempts to pull Sam aside at the cocktail party make the difference?