The Choice, S1 Episode 5: Recap & Review

Tonight it was back to the celebrity bachelors as comedian Finesse Mitchell, football star Rob Gronkowski, Olympian Stephen Lopez and reality star Rob Kardashian took to the spinning chairs, love handles at the ready, to look for love.

But before we could find out which guys would win us over tonight, we caught up with the bachelorettes from last week. Sophie and Shane got Chinese food and ended things with an awkward kiss goodnight, Rima and Andrew hit it off during aerial acrobatics and are still talking, Hope and Brant had the worst date of the night, discovering their clashing personalities at a cooking class that had Brant begging to leave and Carmen and Christopher, as expected, had the best experience as their chemistry boiled over after their mani-pedi with Christopher admitting his willingness to move to LA for her.

This week’s bachelors were able to up the ante in terms of the banter between them all and some pretty priceless moments as a result, but still, something was missing because it didn’t leave up to the first three episodes of the show.

Finesse, however, completely stole the show with his constant humor, followed by Stephen who seemed the most heartfelt in his decisions and actions. Gronk displayed almost immediately that he was the “frat boy” one of the girls called him out on being and Rob Kardashian broke out the family card every chance he could, proving that he’s famous for nothing but his last name – and we’re still not even sure why that makes him famous.

That’s the episode in a nutshell, but here’s the bachelor breakdown:

FINESSE MITCHELL

Sometimes people claim to be comedians and end up trying too hard, but Finesse was super smooth and super funny from start to finish, proving that he deserved the comedian credit. The best banter of the night came between Finesse and Stephen when they continued to turn around for the same girl, having to argue their case. His line of the night, when it came to competing against any of the guys was, “I was gonna say that!” and it was a line that never got old. His quips against the guys, the girls and even Cat proved constant entertainment for the evening, particularly when he lamented how he kept getting passed over. He could be overheard saying things like “I’ve never had this much trouble getting a date in my life” and “nobody wants me!” but we particularly liked when he called out one girl who had to decide between he and Rob. The girl said how great Finesse was, only to say “… but Rob” and go on to choose the Kardashian. “Cat, see how they build me up?” he cried out. Oh, we see it, Finesse, and especially with your fellow bachelors, we don’t know why you were passed over so much!

In the speed round, Finesse got in some good questions and ended up getting rid of the last girl he chose who we kind of all could tell he had no chemistry with anyway. Left with his two, we weren’t sure why he had picked the one robotic woman to begin with, but he ultimately went with Neilda, who not only seemed the perfect match for Finesse from the get go, but was also the most likeable girl of the entire evening. And, he was the only guy who acknowledged the almost-date in the decision, saying “thank you, but…” Congrats, Finesse!

Final Question: Finesse has written a relationship advice column. What’s the best advice you’ve ever been given for a successful relationship?

ROB GRONKOWSKI

Well, we gave him a good chance, but by the time the first girl had made her decision and Gronk had stood up from his chair to do some terrifying pelvic thrusting meets victory dance, we had discovered all we would need to know about Gronk. One of the most genuine and endearing girls of the evening (Stephen’s ultimate choice) evening called him out as a “frat boy” that she didn’t like once she met him. We couldn’t agree more! Gronk turned around for girls for a variety of reasons – like being from Boston or, well, not even hearing her speak before gauging the audience reaction and turning around for that alone. But one of his funniest moments came when one contestant (Rob’s ultimate choice) came out and said she loves two things: Jesus and football. What was funny was the close-up they did on him – you know, cause he plays football and all – and he had no interest in turning around. Frat boys are good for small amusements.

He also had a few quality moments in the speed round when he had to deal with some interesting characters by means of hysterical questions. One of those characters was a loud and talkative girl from Boston who he sent home as soon as he could – advice which Stephen seconded for him – because she talked like crazy. When it came down to the final two, it could have gone either way, but ultimately he selected Elle, the girl who would set records for her extreme confidence. They appeared to be a good match immediately as they remained curled up together in the chair for the rest of the episode. Whatever makes you happy, Gronk!

Final Question: Last year, he set NFL records for receptions, receiving yards and touchdowns. What could you set the record in?

STEPHEN LOPEZ

When you see the four of these men lined up in their chairs, Stephen is the clear stand out in the looks department. It came as a pleasant surprise when we found that he was also the most genuine and endearing of them all. While he had his moments of poor judgment, like when he turned around because one of the girls said she looks like Megan Fox, most of his decisions were sound and reasoning adorable. The banter between he and Finesse was pitch perfect and just when we thought we couldn’t love him anymore, he gave the perfect reaction to a girl named Princess who came out with her tiny Chihuahua at her side: the cut sign and an “oh my God!” Yeah, Stephen, we like you! So we weren’t all that surprised that he was the first of the bachelors to get three girls in his dating pool. The only negative about that is he was removed from the banter earlier than the others because of it.

Even when he had to turn down a girl in the speed round, the Megan Fox lookalike mind you, his reason for leaving her behind was that she was “so beautiful, I’m not sure I could be enough for her.” Nicely played, Stephen. But between his final two girls he had to choose between, there wasn’t much of a competition. Angelica was his choice and had proven all along how innocent, sweet and right up his alley she was. He was a big fan of the fact that she could cook and the respect she had for herself. When he went up to her to make the choice, he cupped her face and kissed her cheek continuing his adorability streak.

Final Question: Stephen is a two time Olympic tae kwon do champion which requires immense discipline. What are you most disciplined about and why?

ROB KARDASHIAN

Rob was supposed to the biggest celebrity on the show and, one would think, a personality worth tuning in for, but not only did he fail to impress us and make us think any higher (or anything at all) about the Kardashians, he came off as dull, flat and pressing way too hard on the whole family thing. We get it, you’re a Kardashian, at least try to act like you have something else going for you, okay? He had a few redeeming moments, but they mostly came thanks to the likes of Finesse who had enough personality to cover them both. He did make a cut sign on one of the robotic girls which was appreciated, but it’s hard to come back from a first impression like we got with the first girl when Cat asked him why she should pick him and his reply was “It’s quite obvious.” End of reason. Nah, Rob, it’s not.

Rob turned around when he heard words like Persian or no words at all as was the case with Gronk. Rob and Gronk had a good deal of banter between them, but it in no way compared to that of Finesse and Stephen. It was… well, just like two frat boys at a party. Rob did surprise us with some deeper questions in the speed round, but confused us with his reasoning for kicking out the girl he did and definitely weirded us out a little bit as he walked up to make his final choice repeating nothing but the word “Jesus” over and over. We knew this was a big hint that he would be picking Kayla, the Jesus-and-football-loving girl, but still, it was an odd way to announce the decision.

Final Question: Rob is very close to his sisters Khloe, Kourtney and Kim. What family member do you have a special bond with and why?

In the end, the episode provided the amusement we want from a light summer show and definitely some choice moments with a few new favorite faces. But unlike in episodes past, we weren’t swooned by all of the bachelors. They each had their own moments, but it was Finesse and Stephen that made tonight worth tuning in for.

It’ll be interesting to see how next week turns out as Dean Cain, Ndamukong Suh, Dr. Robert Nettles and Tyson Beckford vie for love because Dr. Robert Nettles is completely terrifying and will hopefully make for some brilliantly awkward moments… especially with the naturally gorgeous Tyson Beckford at his side.

Until then, tell us what you thought of tonight’s episode! Who would you hope turned around for you? Or didn’t? What was your favorite moment? Sound off in the comments below!

The Choice airs Thursdays at 9 PM on FOX.