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A Fan Favorite Was Sent Packing On 'The Bachelor'

Arie spent Week 7 of his time as the Bachelor in Tuscany, whittling down his remaining pool of contestants to the four women he'd go on hometown dates with next week. During a one-on-one date with Seinne, after truffle hunting together, making pasta, and joining an Italian family for dinner, Arie decided not to give her a rose. So why did Arie send Seinne home on The Bachelor? It was kind of a stunning decision.

Seinne is a worldly Yale graduate (and a former member of the Yale Black Women's caucus, NBD) who impressed Arie from day one. But all of a sudden, he started realizing that he could summon up deeper emotions about his other relationships. Arie already confessed that he's falling in love with Lauren, even though he hasn't shared it with her yet. And early on during his date with Seinne, he was very clearly experiencing doubts that he'd be able to dig quite as deeply with her by the end of the day. Their first one-on-one date went really well and Seinne seemed to have a firm grasp on her position as an early favorite throughout the competition. But as time passed, Arie grew closer with other women.

Puzzlingly, the first two women Arie sent through to hometowns were women we haven't really gotten to know very well this season. Lauren and Becca K. are both bringing Arie home to meet their families, and it was hard to watch a more memorable contestant get eliminated at such a crucial moment. (Although unsurprisingly, Twitter quickly leapt to the "she's too good for him, anyway" defense.)

This could very well be a function of the editing, but both Becca and Lauren are considered by Bachelor Nation to be a little "boring." It's probably more accurate to say that Arie is boring and that more introverted or guarded women aren't really going to shine the way outspoken ones do unless he coaxes it out of them. Arie, however, seems perfectly content to skate across the surface of his relationships and let his kissing speak for the rest of his personality. It's hard to understand how he's developing strong connections (even love!) with women we've heard speak very little.

Seinne, by contrast, has shared a lot about herself. She won Bachelor Nation over on her very first one-on-one date, during which she spoke about the importance of black female representation on a show like The Bachelor. Said Seinne at the time:

Growing up, in society in the U.S., you don't see love stories that have girls that look like me," she said. "I didn't have something to look at and say, 'Oh that could be my story'... I am great but there are other girls where it's like, this love story looks more appropriate for them.

Arie basically responded with a "yeah" and later told her she was a strong woman. But the strength of their relationship early on just couldn't stand up to Arie's quickly developing feelings for other women. By the end of Week 7, Kendall and Tia, the first woman to say I love you to Arie, had also collected roses, ensuring them hometown dates next week.

Jacqueline opted to drop out from the competition herself, while Bekah, the hotly debated 22-year-old contestant who had wild physical chemistry with Arie but whose age he ultimately saw as too problematic, also went home this week. Although Seinne's elimination was a shock, it's safe to say that she has a ton of support behind her to be chosen as the Bachelorette.

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