By Zoe Benjamin OnMilwaukee Reporter Published Jan 19, 2016 at 5:06 PM

The opening scene of this week’s "The Bachelor" let us in on a conversation with some girls talking about their dislike for Olivia and their belief of her being a mean girl. To be honest, I’m starting to agree. Olivia has proved to be highly manipulative and aggressive in getting what she wants. I think that her true colors will truly reveal themselves in due time.

This week had two one-on-one dates and one group date. Lauren B. had the honor of going on the first one-on-one date with Ben, and it was pretty magical: a plane ride, followed by some intimate hot tub time in the middle of nowhere. These two couldn’t seem to keep their dreamy eyes off of one another. I mean, I felt like I was sort of intruding on their moment! Ben even admitted to diving in too quickly and having to make sure he holds back a little bit, but he still wants her to really know him. Do I sense a love alert? I can see a really strong connection between these too, and something tells me that Lauren B. will be sticking around for a while.

The group date involved a very intense soccer game, and trust me, these ladies meant business! The winning team – which included Olivia, Amber, Jami, Lace, Haley and Leah – got the chance to go on a date with Ben for the night. Before Ben could even finish speaking after a toast, Olivia stole Ben away to a hotel room. The girls left downstairs were, of course, very upset at Olivia’s lack of consideration, and as a result, Olivia’s ugly toes became a part of their critique. Come on ladies; let’s not resort to putting down another woman’s body because you don’t like her. Be confident in yourselves and leave insecurities and pettiness at the door. Out of all the girls, Amber used her time well with Ben and opened herself up to him, which resulted in her getting the rose for the group date.

Jubilee was chosen for the second one-on-one date, and then the drama began. Throughout the episode, we saw Jubilee getting quite anxious and starting to doubt her place in the group. She expressed that she believes Ben prefers the really nice, always bubbly kind of girls; however, she doesn’t think of herself to be that type.

Despite her beliefs, though, Ben chose her to go on a special date. When he arrived, Jubilee was visibly anxious and freaking out. Her attitude upset the other girls, especially when Jubilee asked if any other girls wanted to go on her date. We as viewers are aware of Jubilee’s fear of heights, anxiety, insecurity and social awkwardness, but all the other girls saw was an ungrateful and weird girl. That moment was the catalyst that set off an explosion of tension throughout the house.

Meanwhile on their date, Ben and Jubilee went on a romantic helicopter ride to an amazing spa in the mountains. Throughout the date, Jubilee was extremely honest with Ben and seemed to acknowledge and call him out on various aspects of his personality. It’s obvious that Ben isn’t used to someone being so open and raw with him ... but it’s also what intrigues him.

The night was going well, so Ben decided to get down to the hard details of her past. Ben asked why Jubilee hasn’t been back to visit her former home, Haiti, and we learned something unimaginable about this mystery of a woman: Jubilee is the only surviving member of her bloodline, as her whole family died, except for her. The strength of Jubilee is uncanny, and Ben admires that so much. She now makes more sense to me. She’s not weird or ungrateful; she’s simply misunderstood. Ben seems to be pretty smitten with Jubilee and said that he can see himself falling in love with her. We’ll see how this goes!

By the time the rose ceremony night arrived, the tension was very high in the house. All of the girls were still very upset by Jubilee’s statements before her date – and upset that she even got a rose after her comment. Then Ben came out and announced that some family friends passed away, and he was feeling down because of it. Goodness, I so wished I could jump through that television and console Ben myself; nevertheless, this isn’t about me, so let’s talk about what these ladies did when I couldn’t do it myself.

Olivia pulled Ben to the side immediately after his announcement (no surprise there) and began to blab on about none other than ... her cankles. She took Ben’s moment of vulnerability and made it about her. She even started tearing up when she talked about the blogs bringing up her cankles! So, the real side of Olivia begins to reveal itself to Ben; I hope he keeps an eye out for this.

The tension with the girls and Jubilee continued as she began to withdraw from the group. In her defense, I think she sensed the negative energy and decided to keep to herself. Yes, she did seem a bit withdrawn, but when she attempted to change her vibe and get in on the group, most of the girls immediately walked away from her. Either way, who cares. She’s not there to be friends with them; she’s there to win Ben’s heart.

Jubilee decided to give Ben a massage to make him feel better, and the other girls were so upset that she did that. The whole group expressed their disdain for Jubilee’s "antics," and Amber took the lead in summoning Jubilee for a group chat. Jubilee was automatically suspicious of the situation and refused to be ganged up on in that way, and I totally agree. It’s never okay to have a group of people drag one individual into a hellfire of accusations. It wouldn’t have been a discussion; it would have been an attack – and we all know it.

Jubilee removed herself from the situation and began crying in the bathroom, so of course Ben came to console her. Then Amber went into the bathroom to try and get Jubilee to come out so that all the girls can let out their frustrations, but Jubilee refused. As Ben sat there watching what was going on, I think he truly got a glimpse of the cattiness that occurs throughout the house. Something tells me that Ben is a smart enough guy to keep his eyes open on how the pressure of this competition brings out the worst in people.

Not even five minutes after defusing the Jubilee tension situation, Ben is pulled outside by Lace for a conversation. Lace expressed to him that she thought it was best for her to leave because she needed to focus on herself before trying to love anybody else. I have to give kudos to Lace, because it does take a lot to admit that to yourself. Since she started out on this show, Lace has been unstable to say the least. It’s great that she can notice that and be mature enough to take care of herself.

In the end, Shushanna and Jami ended up leaving. Jami had a very negative exit interview, and I think her negativity would’ve gotten worse had she stayed longer. Overall, a couple of bullets were dodged tonight, but the pressure is still definitely on. We'll see who can survive it next week!

Zoe Benjamin OnMilwaukee Reporter

Zoe Benjamin, currently a senior at UW-Milwaukee, was raised in the South suburbs of Chicago. She is a foodie, an avid traveler and music junkie, with just the right amount of nerdiness to top it all off.

Growing up in a large Jamaican family exposed her to a lifestyle full of food, laughter and pride. Zoe’s appreciation for her family’s eclectic nature led her to celebrate the differences in others. She just so happens to especially enjoy the study of food, seeing that eating is her favorite pastime.

Ever since she was able to get on a plane by herself, Zoe has taken the liberty of traveling to every place within her reach -- whether that be the next state over, or across the seas. Her wanderlust has taken her to 10 different countries, with France being her favorite. Nothing excites her more than French food and wine. Zoe hopes to absorb and share as much culture as she can so that the world may become that much more accepting of all the bountiful diversity in the world.