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The Bachelor Season 16 Episodes
Season 16 Episode Guide
12 Episodes 2012 - 2012
After his proposal to Ashley Hebert was heartbreakingly rejected in "The Bachelorette," Ben Flajnik is ready to put his heart back on the line to find his soulmate on the 16th season of "The Bachelor." The successful winemaker from Sonoma, Cal., has 25 bachelorettes to choose from, including a law student, a personal trainer, a critical care nurse, and a model. Tension develops among the women as their feelings for Ben grow stronger and a mystery woman enters late in the game, prompting the bachelorettes to wonder if she is their new competition. This season features romantic and adventurous dates in San Francisco and Sonoma, as well as international travel to Puerto Rico, Panama, Belize, and Switzerland.
Episode 1
Week 1
Mon, Jan 2, 2012 121 mins
Jilted Sonoma, Cal., winemaker Ben Flajnik begins a new quest for love as this durable matchmaking contest's Season 16 bachelor. In the opener, Ben meets and greets his 25 would-be partners at the entrance to the Malibu mansion. (One arrives on horseback; another's older than he might have suspected.) And he receives his first kiss before the opening cocktail party begins. Then come push-ups, a gangsta rap and a first-impression rose, and before the evening's over Ben pares the field to 18.
Episode 2
Week 2
Mon, Jan 9, 2012 121 mins
The 18 survivors of the opening cocktail party venture to Sonoma, Cal.—Ben's hometown—where the season's first one-on-one date takes place. In it, Ben and the chosen bachelorette view each other's home movies. Later, two gals will be sent home, but first there's another one-on-one date (a Redwoods romp with Ben and his dog, Scotch) and a group date for 12 women, who enact a play written by Sonoma children. Then there's an adults-only party in which one gal turns a pool into a hot tub.
Episode 3
Week 3
Mon, Jan 16, 2012 121 mins
Ben returns to his hometown, San Francisco, with the 16 remaining gals and goes skiing with 11 of them. (It's a hilly city.) He takes another to City Hall, where they're serenaded by singer-songwriter Matt Nathanson. There's also a cocktail-party crasher, a woman who already knows Ben and wants to add her name to his list of romantic possibilities. The official bachelorettes are not amused. One woman faints and another breaks down in tears at the rose ceremony, and when it's over 13 have roses.
Episode 4
Week 4
Mon, Jan 23, 2012 121 mins
Ben and his 13 would-be soul mates visit Park City, Utah, for kayaking, rappelling, fishing, horseback riding, a rain-soaked dinner and a concert by country star Clay Walker. Before Ben sends two gals packing, there's romancing and sniping as well. Next stop: Puerto Rico.
Episode 5
Week 5
Mon, Jan 30, 2012 121 mins
Ben visits Puerto Rico with the 11 remaining women. Nine of them "play ball!" at Roberto Clemente Stadium in Carolina (the Hall of Famer's hometown), and one gal has Ben to herself for a tour of Old San Juan, where they happen upon a wedding. Another bachelorette goes yachting with Ben. But when he returns to his hotel, he's surprised by another gal, who taunts the others about it at the rose ceremony. Then Ben and nine women head to Panama.
Episode 6
Week 6
Mon, Feb 6, 2012 121 mins
Ben escorts the nine remaining bachelorettes to Panama for a visit to an Embera Indian village and, for one gal, a one-on-one date on a deserted island. Before three are sent home, there's also a two-on-one date that features salsa dancing. Next stop: Belize.
Episode 7
Week 7
Mon, Feb 13, 2012 121 mins
Ben and the six remaining bachelorettes visit Belize. One-on-one date activities include biking on a limestone-coral island, a visit to Mayan ruins (where Ben hears something surprising) and diving. The group date also involves diving, this time with sharks. At the rose ceremony, Ben has four roses to dispense. He'll visit the recipients in their hometowns.
Episode 8
Week 8
Mon, Feb 20, 2012 121 mins
Ben visits the hometowns of his final four contenders. He's greeted by a marching band and skeptical parent in one town, and a protective mom in another. He also goes on a shopping spree before returning to L.A., where one bachelorette receives bad news. For the other three, there are roses and a trip to Switzerland.
Episode 9
Week 9
Mon, Feb 27, 2012 121 mins
Ben and his three finalists visit Switzerland for picnicking, Alpine rappelling and, perhaps, fantasy-suite nights. There's also a helicopter tour, a train ride—and the return of a rejected bachelorette, who needs to know why Ben didn't pick her. Then Ben must reject another woman before he and the final two head to Zermatt, Switzerland, and a meeting with Ben's family.
Episode 10
The Women Tell All
Mon, Mar 5, 2012 121 mins
Ben faces bachelorettes he rejected—and one, Courtney, who's still in the running. One of the castoffs, Emily, has some things to say about Courtney. There's also an appearance by 2011 contestant Shawntel, a season review and profiles of the finalists, Courtney and Lindzi.
Episode 11
Week 10
Mon, Mar 12, 2012 121 mins
Season 16 finale: Ben and finalists Courtney and Lindzi are in Zermatt, Switzerland, for Alpine fun (skiing with Lindzi; a helicopter ride over the Matterhorn with Courtney) and that final rose. But first, there are meetings with Ben's mother and sister, and they're concerned about Courtney's reputation for not playing nicely with the other bachelorettes.
Episode 12
After the Final Rose
Mon, Mar 12, 2012 59 mins
Ben and the woman he chose review their very public courtship and discuss their plans for the future. Also: an update on 2011 Bachelorette Ashley Hebert and her fiancé, J.P. Rosenbaum.
