Dean Is Nervous About 'Bachelorette' Hometowns

Despite the fact that Dean and Rachel hit it off right away on The Bachelorette — and had that adorable blimp date, lest anyone forget — they had a really, really awkward one-on-one date on Monday night's episode. From the beginning all the way to their dinner together, Dean was cracking jokes and making light of the situation. But as it turns out, there was a reason he didn't want to get too serious with her, and it finally led him to get real with Rachel again (never forget when he talked about his mom). Dean opened up about his dad on The Bachelorette, and Rachel couldn't help but tear up a little.

As Dean explained, he was being so weird around Rachel because he was letting the upcoming hometown dates get into his head, thinking about how different his family would be from the other guys' and even Rachel's. He told Rachel that after his mom died when he was 15 years old, everything he knew changed. His dad was always the kind of dad who wanted to do fun stuff with him, but when his dad needed to step up and fill Dean's mom's shoes, Dean claims that his dad couldn't do it, and things between them have never been the same since. (Dean's father could not be reached for comment.)

As Dean claimed to Rachel:

"He's just not a person who has any bearing on my emotional experience. He's become quite a bit more eccentric. So what I wish you could see is the family I had in my most developmental years of 0-15 and not the family that abandoned me at, like the most vulnerable time of my life."

By the end of their conversation, both Rachel and Dean had tears in their eyes, and Rachel didn't hesitate at all in giving him a rose that assured him a hometown date, promising that she would be honored to see where he comes from. When she said that, it was like seeing a huge burden lifted off of his shoulders, which was a really good thing. Precious Dean doesn't deserve that kind of stress.

Rachel's totally right — Dean's obviously an awesome person today, and something so tragic happening to him at such a young age doesn't change that. Next up: Their hometown date. Whatever happens, after their conversation, Dean and Rachel will face it together.