The Bachelorette's Chris Harrison: "The Biggest Hurdle for Des Has Yet to Come"

After last week's drama on The Bachelorette, the final week in Europe proved to be pretty tame.

On Monday's episode, Desiree and her five remaining men headed to Madeira, where she got some girl time with her fellow Bachelorettes from Sean's season and had some romantic time with almost all the guys. But which one stood out by being the first to say "I love you?" And who was let go — and immediately called his mom? Host Chris Harrison shares his insight on the week leading into the big hometown dates.

I loved seeing Des catch up with Catherine, Leslie and Jackie. Did you get to see them too?
Chris Harrison: They wanted to keep the girls separate, so I didn't get to say hi to them, which was too bad. But it meant a lot to Des to have them there and when you see her talk to the girls you see a more personal side to Des.

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Brooks and Des' one-on-one date was just incredible.
Harrison: Madeira is this small little island off the coast of Morocco that is gorgeous and they have this spectacular mountain that goes above the clouds. It was so picturesque between the two of them with his hair flowing; it was like a J. Crew ad. They are beautiful.

Neither dates had roses on them. Is that always the case at this point?
Harrison: Toward the end we do a lot less of it because at this point, it's just about her picking four people to go on hometowns and there's really no reason to have that added pressure and drama. This is where we try to step a little away from show and facilitate this opportunity for her to find someone.

Zak and Drew, who had the two-on-one, were really under the radar for a lot of the season.
Harrison: They're both pleasant surprises this season. Why were they on a two-on-one? I think it's because Des didn't have to worry about them. They were getting the hometown date.

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It wasn't a shock that Michael was sent home. Were you surprised at all?
Harrison: Michael would've had to come a really long way to upset someone and take their spot. He's a smart guy and a good conversationalist, but I think he peaked and maybe went a week further than we thought he would. I think Des wanted to give him a one-on-one date because he was a question mark and not necessarily a foregone conclusion, but as soon as they were on the date, she knew their relationship wasn't anywhere near what hers are with the other guys. But at least he got the opportunity.

And the poor guy called his mom from the limo!
Harrison: In those moments, some people lash out, some get mad and some call their mom.

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In the deliberation, you pointed out that only Chris said "I love you." Was it a big issue that Brooks, especially, didn't?
Harrison: Not at all. She has a lot of security with Brooks. Chris definitely laid it on the line and it was glaring that Brooks didn't say it because he had the other one-on-one date, but with his non-verbal communication, she felt extremely confident. And that's one of the things I've learned, that it's wise to bring it up during deliberation, but don't make a big deal of it. I just wanted to get her take on it. She's supremely confident in Brooks and knows what they've shared on their dates.

Next week is hometowns! Any teases?
Harrison: This is where everybody is very emotional, Drew's date [especially] is just amazing and it'll tear at your heartstrings. The rest of the season is very intense and the biggest hurdle for Des has yet to come.

What did you think of this week's episode?

The Bachelorette airs on Mondays at 8/7c on ABC.