OPINION: The men are swooning over Lexie – but they are also dropping like flies.

OPINION: Hamish is back in Lexies good books tonight after a supremely successful single date which saw them snowboarding in the southern alps before having lunch on an alpine lake which they finished off with a touch of (almost) skinny dipping.
Sounds romantic. It was, and it triggered a full 180 in Hamishs mind. At the rose ceremony this episode, he almost didnt take the rose he was offered, after reacting petulantly to the news that Lexie likes partying and confronting her about it later. But with Lexie inviting him up the Southern Alps for the best day of his life, Hamishs frustration turned into euphoria, particularly after the pair shared a kiss in the alpine lake.
All it took was a bit of a kiss for Hamish to change his opinion of Lexies wild ways.
How special for the two of them. Indeed, until later in the episode when Jack won the group date (by planting trees fast, because thats how you impress her dad, apparently) and Lexie took him for a stroll along another lake. It must be said here that while introducing the tree-planting competition, Art Green told the lads that it was a ripsnorter of a day, a word I would like to never hear again.
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What were you saying about Jack? Ah yes. After a conversation in which Jack was able to guilt-trip Lexie for not taking him heliskiing, but make up for it by building some more chemistry, the two also jumped into the freezing lake and shared an almost identical kiss to the one Hamish got up the mountain. When in Rome, I guess.
Wait, so what happened at the rose ceremony? For the third episode in a row, we lost two more men this episode. (Every time I type something like that, I feel the need to remind us all that they did not die, they just went home). Thats six this week. First, it was the unlucky Aidan, serial entrepreneur, owner of long hair and teller of even longer stories. Aidan took this so gracefully and selflessly, reassuring Lexie that she didnt need to explain, and telling the camera that he was just happy he could make things easier on the other guys. What an absolute lad. (Plus, even though his stories were long, it sounds like he has a lot of good ones, and I kind of wish we learnt more about his rather inscrutable character.)
How does the saying go? Ah yes: When in Rome, jump in the lake and cuddle a hot man.
And then It was poor Matt who didnt receive a rose at the ceremony itself, which is a tragedy for this show. Sure, he might not have been totally compatible with Lexie, but he was an absolute bundle of joy with an infectious energy. Matt told the camera that he regretted his playful, cruisey cat attitude on the show, but I think that exact attitude is what will find Matt a partner very soon following his elimination.
Hows everyone else doing? Todd is a rising MVP of this season; hes sweet, nervous and very keen on Lexie, and he managed to finally land his kiss with Lexie during this cocktail party. Joe and Paul seem to just be coasting on their established chemistry, but no one more so than Jesse, who arrived this week in a cloud of tension and then swiftly faded into the background. This entire episode, Jesse was literally no drama, just vibes. Until
The cliffhanger. The editors sure know what theyre doing on this show. This episode ended as another cocktail party began, and Jesse asked Lexie to step away with her for some alone time. It seemed he was about to drop a bombshell about his intentions on the show
Huh? Im as confused as you are. The narrator (who I feel Ive come to know as a friend) seemed to tease that Jesse was going to reveal that hes here either as a mole or doing immersive research for his own show. Either option feels rather anticlimactic, to be honest; even though wed met Jesse before, having an intruder was kind of fun. The men this season are lovely, and theres not really a dud among them. But given everyones so nice, there hasnt really been much drama; I sometimes feel like Im watching a very long hangout film. Some intruders would definitely stir things up, but were a bit late in the game for that. Lets see how things pan out when we hit home visits next week…
– The Bachelorette NZ continues on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, 7.30pm on TVNZ 2