Is this "The Bachelor" or "Survivor"?
Sean Lowe definitely wants to make sure his future wife is tough. He's taken these women on quite a few extreme dates -- zipping down buildings, the roller derby fiasco, and now a polar bear plunge in Canada. Nothing says romance like an icy lake!
The lengths these ladies will go to … including some first-rate theatrical acting. Come on, does anyone think Tierra wasn't faking her little hypothermia episode?
Oh right, Sean! "The Bachelor" gave her little act the best review possible -- a rose.
The girls dish on their experience in Canada:
White lightning
The week's first one-on-one goes to Catherine, whose snarky asides we've quite enjoyed so far this season. She awaits Sean in what looks to be a blizzard, and he rolls up in a gigantic snow bus!
"We're going to play in a glacier," he announces, and props to Catherine for looking as if she is genuinely excited by the idea. They romp in the snow, make some angels, and have a rip-roaring (if cold) time.
"This is what I want from a wife," Sean declares. "I want someone who can totally embrace the moment and have fun."
Later, they're taken by a horse-drawn carriage to a castle made of ice. In the romantic setting, Catherine opens up about her past. When she was a girl, a friend died after being hit by a falling tree limb while they were hiking together at summer camp. It made Catherine realize that life is too short and that she wanted to have a family more than anything – which fits in with Sean's goals. They kiss and he gives her a rose.
Mr. Freeze
Group-date time for AshLee, Daniella, Lesley, Lindsay, Sarah, Selma, and Tierra. Sean takes them canoeing, and a crafty Lesley manages to share a boat with him, to the other girls' displeasure. After a jaunt around Lake Louise, they go back to shore, where Sean springs a crazy idea on them -- a polar bear plunge in the icy water!
He gives them an out, which Selma immediately takes, but the others decide to brave it. Together, they take the frosty dip and run back out to waiting blankets. Everyone's exhilarated and proud. "This is a breakthrough that I chose to do for Sean," AshLee says.
Well, everyone except Tierra, who claims that she can't breathe. As a concerned Sean watches, medical staff converge on a shivering, wide-eyed Tierra.
[Related: Sean Lowe tells Yahoo! TV he 'won't be pulling a Brad']
"Once again the ambulance is called," Lindsay comments, rolling her eyes. "Same story, different day."
The other women think Tierra is faking it. Says AshLee, "I feel like it's the boy who cried wolf."
Perhaps not, though, since Tierra has to stay behind from the rest of the date. There's no way that Tierra would skip out on seeing Sean if she was really ill … right? Right.
Later that evening, Lesley pulls Sean aside to tell him she's very happy to be there and that she's developing feelings for him. He's touched and they make out. Then who shows up but Tierra? The other girls are shocked, since she's supposedly suffering from hypothermia. Guess that cleared up quickly. Meanwhile, Sean looks over the moon that she's "recovered" and whisks her away for some alone time.
"She is a professional at getting attention -- 'How to Fake an Injury 101.' If this was a class, she should teach it," Lesley snarks. "Everybody watch your back: We have a Tierra-ist on our hands."
Lesley's our new fave.
Watch a deleted scene where the women gossip about Tierra:
Back to the Tierra-ist, Sean is actually asking her if she'd want a proposal at the end. As if he might actually choose this woman to be his wife! Tierra somehow manages not to shout, "Yes, yes, yes!" and answers demurely that she just wants to find the right person for her.
Luckily, before she can continue her manipulations, Lindsay comes to steal him away.
At the end of the date, Sean announces he's giving the rose to someone who truly embraced the day -- Lesley.
Tierra's eyes? Murder.
One door closes; another reopens
The date is over, but Sean is doing some serious soul-searching. Earlier in the evening, Sarah had shown him pictures of her family, as she's very close to them. It made him realize that he wasn't prepared to take such a serious step with her -- and that Sarah wasn't the one.
He comes back to the group and asks to talk to Sarah. Dun-dun-dun-duuuunnnn … She can see it in his eyes even before he speaks. Sean explains how he felt an instant connection to her at the beginning, but that spark hasn't grown. He feels enough for her not to make her wait another day and go through a rose ceremony.
[Related: Yahoo! TV goes behind the scenes at 'The Bachelor' mansion]
"I wanted it to work so badly. It just … it hasn't been there," he says, as Sarah begins to cry. Apologetic and pained, he gives her time to say goodbye to the others.
And with that, Sarah and her one arm go off into the Canadian sunset.
The second one-on-one date of the week goes to Desiree -- a surprise, since a couple of the other girls, including Tierra, still haven't gotten one, and this is her second.
Sean takes her rappelling, then on a picnic, where they talk through the awkwardness between them in Montana. Des is feeling better about their relationship, so Sean celebrates by climbing a tree -- with Des not far behind!
Later at dinner, Des opens up to him about growing up poor, even living in a tent for a few months. But she didn't care about material possessions as long as there was love. Sean is amazed and is happy that their relationship is moving forward again. He gives her a rose.
Letting go
At the cocktail party, Sean makes sure to spend time with some of the women he didn't see much of this week, such as Lindsay and AshLee.
The latter breaks down in tears (again!), confessing that she has a hard time giving up control the way she did during the polar bear plunge. But she's willing to let go … for Sean.
Meanwhile, Selma sees that the odds aren't looking good and decides to go for broke -- she kisses Sean, even knowing that her family will disapprove.
Time to hand out roses! Catherine, Lesley, and Desiree already have roses, and there are only three left. Sean unsurprisingly gives the first two to Lindsay and AshLee, then hesitates. Ooh, maybe Sean has finally opened his eyes about Tierra?
Tierra tells Sean she wants a one-on-one date:
Nope, he gives the final rose to Tierra, leaving Selma and Daniella crushed. Poor Selma, she kissed him for nothing!
And poor everyone else -- they still have to deal with the Tierra-ist.
Check out Twitter reactions to the episode; then sound off in the comments below!
No one gets hypothermia after 5 seconds on freezing water. She's faking this again. #bachelor
— Kevin (@kbrees) February 6, 2013
Did anyone else tear up after hearing Sarah's heart literally break on national television? 😢 #bachelor
— Haley Kruchten (@haleygabrielle9) February 6, 2013
Next on Sean's Torture Dates: The women are submerged into a flaming pit of vipers while blindfolded. #cleverbachelor #bachelor
— Glennia(@Glennia) February 6, 2013
