Being rolled out in a golden tub filled with bubbles and drinking champagne is quite the entrance, even for The Bachelor. But after Samantha on The Bachelor wore a bikini (complete with unnecessary black box), she was never to be seen again on the episode. In a sea of blondes, the redhead was like the Little Mermaid emerging from a bubble bath. But where did Ariel, I mean, Samantha go to?
"Want some of this bubbly personality?" Samantha asked Clayton as she exited her limo, I mean, tub. She gave him her champagne and told him, "I'm going to go inside and get dressed and I'll see you in there."
She did go inside the Bachelor Mansion, where she received cheers from some of the women. (Others saved their judgment for asides... as if they won't be wearing bikinis on national TV a week or two for now.) But, as fans noted online, she was never seen inside the Bachelor Mansion again — not in a random shot in the background, not talking to Clayton, and not during the rose ceremony. Even though, in the ABC press photos, Samantha was featured in a sparkly blue dress (again, very Ariel of her), talking one-on-one with Clayton.
According to Samantha on her Instagram, her limo entrance look was not her idea. In a post with her the bikini photo, she wrote, "This wasn't my first (or 15th) idea," with the face with tears of joy emoji... so, evidently, the bikini bubble bath was a producer stunt. After the premiere, people were wondering in the comments of that post where Sam went to, but she didn't respond. Though, in an Instagram Story, she shared the dress she had wanted to wear for her limo entrance and wrote, "I have some explaining to do. Hopefully can this week."
It seemed there was a scandal brewing that might be related to her black-boxed limo entrance. (Especially since Samantha has recently been very vocal about her commitment to Christianity on Instagram.) But only hours later after her Story, Samantha, bless her, explained what happened in a Feed post — and it's all very tame.
"Clayton and I privately talked night one. He was attentive, charming and kind. However, a romantic connection is important in a relationship. And I've made it a point in my life to not force anything I'm not feeling," she wrote. "As much as I wanted to stay, it would not have been fair to try to take his heart, as well as take the opportunity away from a woman who was all in." She wished Clayton luck and said she was rooting for him.
If that's the whole truth behind it, Samantha is pretty much the anti-Chelsea. In that, she wasn't feeling Clayton, but her exit lacked so much drunken drama that the producers didn't feel the need to show it. Or, if you include supposed-to-be-married-that-day Salley, maybe the producers didn't want to feature a grand total of three women rejecting Clayton on night one. Because then it might seem like they did in fact make the wrong choice for the Bachelor? (#JusticeForRodney)
Despite what you think of Clayton as the Bachelor, it's also completely normal and quite realistic that not every single one of the 31 contestants would think Clayton is the right fit for them. And it would be better if the franchise showed that rather than stick with the narrative that all of the contestants are instantly enamored with the lead.
So good on Samantha for doing what The Bachelor always wants people to do and following her heart. And not so good on The Bachelor for just completely ignoring this part of Clayton's journey. But at least Samantha gave the intel to solve this Bachelor mystery, so viewers didn't have to live in suspense any longer.
Images: John Fleenor/ABC