His First Date Is Hard to Watch

We knew this was coming, and yet, it still feels like we were underprepared. Bachelorette Andi Dorfman and Eric Hill's first one-on-one date on the second episode of the season was hard to watch. Eric, described as an "explorer" on the show, passed away in April during a tragic paragliding accident. (He was not filming the ABC series when he died.) Andi, obviously attracted to his adventurous spirit, chose him before all others and "planned a date" (we all know the producers planned it, but still) that perfectly played to his boldness. They went to the beach then helicoptered to the top of Bear Mountain for a snowboarding lesson. After that, they had a cozy dinner date in a cabin with a fire burning, natch, where they discussed their hopes and dreams, which were made all the more heartbreaking knowing that Eric's future would be cut short.

On the mountain top, Eric shows his soft-side: "I can't tell you how many times I've been in a beautiful place, wishing there was somebody else." A natural on the slopes, Eric was patient and kind with amateur Andi, saying he's a "fan for the snowbunnies" as the two figured out how to fall down the mountain together. He challenged her, yet made her feel good about herself, something Andi really appreciated. She went on to say "seriously, can we find something he's not good at? He's good at everything."

Their fireside chat was even more difficult to watch: Eric told Andi all about his adventures in Syria and opened up about his desire to have children and a family. "I want kids," he said plainly. He and Andi clearly have chemistry and a solid connection and Eric comes across as a sweet man who, as Andi said, is good at everything. "He's smart, he's hot ... those piercing blue eyes ... he's a total package. He really is."

And we couldn't agree more. Eric seems like he was a wonderful human being with ambitious and humble goals alike. I'm sure he's very, very missed.