Day 4: First Elimination

The sun rises once again on our fellow gents and Miss Merchant. But a different tone dominates the house today.

It's our first elimination ceremony for this season!

And it looks like Miss Merchant is ready to start her day.

Let's see what the men are up to. Daniel's just exercising and releasing some tension on the punching bag.

Dax is playing some ball to help take his mind off today's big event.

Milo's just watching TV as usual, and the others are up and about.

Aaron and Darnell are having breakfast. They got a big day ahead of them.

And Leroy is the last to get up for the day. Kind of looks peaceful too, considering the situation.

Andrea's starting the day with a hotdog for breakfast. Not the most ideal choice, but it's still fuel.

Looks like Leroy's up. Min Kyu and Milo are also chatting it up. Let's have a listen.

"Dude, I don't feel so great right now," Min Kyu complains.

"Don't be, I think she likes you. I admit I'm a little nervous too, but we still have a few hours before it happens. Might as well relax until then," Milo says in response.

If I didn't know any better, I'd say Aaron is trying to impress Andrea by reading his little botany book beside her while she's eating. But then, he's too shy to actually say a word right now.

"Morning, Andrea," Milo greets. "Just having some ice cream over here because, well, why not?"

Aaron keeps on reading in silence. Come on, man! Now's your chance to make a move!

Andrea soon tries to play a little Don't Wake the Llama. It seems like a lot of the men are too nervous to approach her today. Is anyone going to bite?

Soon enough, Andrea moves outside to do some yoga. Gotta clear her head in order to make that big decision later.

"What's up?" Darnell asks Daniel.

"Finished my workout this morning and now I'm starving. All that exercise did make me feel better though."

"Whoddya think Andrea's going to send home today?"

"Not me, certainly. I think me and Andrea had a good connection yesterday. No way she's sending me home just yet, right?"

"Yeah, I feel the same way, bro. I think Andrea likes me too. Be a real shame if she actually didn't, because she's a fine lady."

"Yeah."

"Brushing up on your cooking, Milo?" Andrea asks.

"Yeah. Can't let myself get rusty even though I'm away from work."

"That turkey does look delicious..."

"Are you sure dancing's going to help?" Dax asks Min Kyu.

"Dancing's pretty much all I got right now. I'm just trying to keep my mind off things."

"You and me both, bro."

Just a few hours before the elimination, the men have gathered in the kitchen to talk.

"I don't think I'm ready for this," Leroy utters.

"Same. My heart is racing," Aaron adds.

"Try not to let it get to your heads, boys," Darnell reassures the others.

As the conversation goes on, Tyne keeps quiet while he digs into his ice cream.

I guess the elimination is getting to their heads, because Daniel decides that doing sit-ups in front of the dishwasher is a good idea.

"Oh, Darnell, hey. I didn't know you were here. I was just..."

"Nah, it's fine. I was just washing my hands."

"Say, do you have time to, maybe, talk a little bit?"

"Of course, Andrea."

"How are you feeling right now?" Darnell asks.

"Not too good. I'm not ready to make this decision."

"Look, I know it's hard--"

"Because you've had to choose among several women before?" Andrea teases as she raises her eyebrow.

"Ha, I wish. Look, I've seen my sister deal with relationship troubles before. I'm going to tell you what I usually say to her: just follow your heart, and don't be afraid to chase after what you really want."

"That's...that's a very nice sentiment, Darnell. Thank you, I'll keep that in mind. Now, I think it's time for me to get ready."

Darnell checks the time.

"Oh, damn, it's already 2:45. I gotta get ready too. See you later, Andrea."

As Andrea approaches the stairs, she's stopped by Leroy.

"Aren't you going to get ready?" Andrea asks.

"Wait, is it about to begin?"

"In a while, yes."

"Andrea, if I'm the one who has to leave, I just wanted to say that I had a fantastic time here. I never would've imagined even getting into this show in the first place."

Andrea chuckles upon hearing this.

"Leroy, I think it's a bit too early for that. Let's not get ahead of ourselves."

"Anyway, you guys should get dressed. Let's meet here at 3 PM sharp."

"Got it," Leroy replies.

"I'll make sure to look real nice for the occasion, Andrea," Dax chimes in.

This is it. Andrea's getting ready in more ways than one. She's really thinking this one through.

"Welcome, gents, to our first elimination ceremony. If you've seen the show last season, you'll know that one of you will be sent home today. When Andrea calls your name, please step up and get your rose. The man who doesn't receive one will be eliminated. Let's start."

"Before we begin, I just wanted to say that I had a blast with all of you, and if I had my way, we wouldn't be doing this right now. But sadly, I have to let one of you go. I gave it a lot of thought, and I've decided to give my rose to...

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"Leroy"

"I think there's still a lot you can teach me. Will you accept this and continue your journey with here?"

"Always."

"Darnell"

"What you told me earlier really touched me. And my heart says it would be wrong to let you go. Please accept this rose."

"I will."

"Milo"

"I never thought I'd meet another chef here. I've had so much fun talking about recipes and cuisine. Will you take this rose?"

"Of course."

"Aaron"

"I know how much you appreciate plants, so I hope you'll like this one."

"I really do, Andrea."

"Min Kyu"

"Min, I'm glad I got to see some of your moves. They were great! But I know you have more to show me, so I hope I'll get to see the rest of them soon."

"You can count on it."

"Daniel"

"I just love how passionate you are about making the world a better place. Any girl would be lucky to have someone like you."

"Thanks, Andrea."

"Tyne. Dax. I'm sorry it's come to this, but only one of you will get to stay for another round. I really appreciate you both, but I did some thinking, and..."

"Dax"

"I hope I can hear more exciting stories about your time as a professional surfer. Maybe this rose can convince you."

"Oh, I have lots to tell, Andy."

"Tyne, I'm sorry, but you'll have to pack your belongings and forfeit your cash prize. Please throw your check in the fire."

An amount of 100,000 simoleons becomes briefly visible on the check before the flames consume it in its entirety.

"I guess this is it, huh?"

"I'm really sorry, Tyne. You're a nice guy, but after getting to know you a bit, I just don't feel like we'd work out that way. I hope you understand."

Tyne faintly nods as he tries to hold back his tears. With that, he says his goodbyes to Andrea and begins to walk out.

"I really messed up, huh? I was hoping this could be my chance to change my life, but it just wasn't meant to be. I guess it's back to the old routine. I'm sure The Happy Lobster will be glad to have another set of helping hands around."