This week on "The Bachelor," Ben went to the hometowns of Amanda, Lauren, Jojo and Amanda. The past couple of weeks have been emotionally draining for Ben, but I know that the girls have to be feeling a lot of pressure as well. They’re all falling for Ben, yet they have to watch other women fight for his love and attention – and that’s heartbreaking for any girl. Hopefully, returning to the comfort of their homes will allow them to unwind and get a clearer perspective on the situation.

The first hometown on the list was Orange County, Calif., Amanda’s hometown. Their date was especially important because the time had come for Ben to meet Amanda’s daughters. All things considered, I think their first encounter went off without a hitch.

First of all, words can’t express how cute and precious her daughters were! Her older daughter, Ansley, seemed to adjust to Ben more quickly and was chasing him around in no time.

When it was time to meet Amanda’s parents, Ben was a tad nervous because he anticipated that her family would be super protective of her. He brought flowers like any gentleman would and was nothing less than pleasant. Amanda’s dad thought that Ben looked like a deer in headlights when it came to handling her kids, and I agree. Amanda’s mom said that Ben was young yet mature, but it was still too early to tell what he would be like as an instant dad. The scary part about Amanda and Ben’s narrative is that they both need to take care to be sure of their decisions because kids are involved. He is indeed a young guy, and taking on someone else’s kids isn’t easy. He worked well with them, but it doesn’t seem to me like that situation would work for our favorite bachelor.

Lauren’s hometown of Portland, Ore., was next up, and I was especially excited for this part. As you all know, I have always felt like Ben and Lauren have had the strongest connection since the very beginning. I was interested to see how their time together would go after a few rocky instances; however, I soon realized that those difficult moments weren’t big enough to halt their connection. Lauren is in love with Ben, but chose not to tell him until he met her family. Honestly, I don’t think she has to say the actual words for Ben to know where she stands.

For their date, Lauren took Ben to an area in Portland known for food trucks. They tried all the wonderful deep-fried and high calorie foods that life has to offer before heading to a beautiful whiskey library. The combination of the whiskey and the calming ambience allowed Ben to express to Lauren that he was uneasy because he thought that she was going to leave the competition. I’m glad she didn’t, because if she did, I think Ben would’ve have been crushed beyond measure.

Before Ben and Lauren arrived at her family’s house, her family was discussing their daughter’s well-being. They seem like a wholesome, tight-knit family that are open to get to know Ben, but are wary of his intentions. Lauren’s sister had a nice talk with Ben to make sure that he wasn’t giving the same speech to each family and was being genuine. Ben said that he can’t put how he feels for Lauren into words, then started crying! Aww! The crazy thing is that Lauren also started crying when she started talking about Ben. She feels like Ben is her person and that their paths were meant to cross. They’re totally in love – you heard it here first.

Lauren’s dad wants Lauren to remember that she may have strong feelings for Ben, but there are still three other women in the picture. Lauren takes her father’s advice to heart; as a result, she decided not to reveal her love to Ben at the end of the night.

Kayla’s hometown visit in Hudson, Ohio, was my most favorite of all. Ben is so enthralled with Kayla because she challenges him and keeps it real at all costs. Ben dubbed his relationship with Kayla as the deepest relationship out of all the girls, and his next step is completely falling for her. How could you not fall for her, though – Kayla is the ultimate great mixture of honesty, mystery, fun and good looks.

Kayla took Ben for a romantic stroll through the city of Hudson before taking him to a very special bench at her former high school. She’s always wanted to sit at that bench with a guy that meant a lot to her, and no other guy has gotten that honor (cue "Aww").

They moved on to her dad’s toy factory to design and build a toy house together, and it was the coolest thing ever. Not to mention, Kayla was totally killing it in her leather pants. Kayla is also in love with Ben, but wants her parents’ validation before telling him.

Kayla’s parents didn’t waste any time whatsoever passing over the fluff and getting to the hard part. Her dad wanted to know how Ben is dealing with the microwave fame, and her mom got Ben alone to get an inside look on his attraction to Kayla. After the hard part was over, though, Kayla’s dad gave the best advice. He told them that if you find the right person, you’ll never regret that decision for the rest of your life. Those were wise and important words for Ben to take heed to.

At the end of the night, Kayla was ready to tell Ben that she loved him but didn’t allow herself to fully trust him in that moment. She thought that Ben deserves better than that, but I think she’s being a little hard on herself. Telling a man that you love him when three other women feel the same way, when he probably returns the feels for some of those women, is an extremely daunting task! Don’t sweat it Kayla, you’re only human.

They certainly saved the best for last, because Ben’s visit to Jojo’s hometown in Dallas, Texas was the most intense of all. Jojo arrived at home to a bouquet of flowers and a love letter, which she assumed was from Ben. She opened the letter and began reading, only to find that it was from her ex, Chad. Seriously, Chad? You choose to do this to her now? Jojo decided to call Chad and confront the issue head-on, and I agree with her decision whole-heartedly – you have to be firm with narcissistic douchebags.

Ben walked in to find Jojo crying, and it made things weird. I’m glad she sat Ben down and was honest about the situation. If she hadn’t done that, it certainly would’ve made matters worse. Jojo felt comfortable enough to tell Ben that she loved him at the end of their conversation, but I think she may still be slightly in love with her ex.

They made their way to her family’s home, and that’s when things got really tricky. Jojo has another tight-knit family, complete with two overprotective older brothers. The brothers let Ben know that they’re highly attached to Jojo and are uneasy because they saw the damage of her last relationship. One of them even said that he genuinely couldn’t say that Ben is that terrific – ouch!

The guardians sat with Jojo and inquired about her relationship with Ben. They couldn’t understand how she could be in love with Ben after only two solo dates and urged her to keep her heart guarded. I can see where their comments frustrated Jojo, because the only way to find love is by keeping your guard down. If she was going to stay guarded the whole time, what was the point of going on "The Bachelor?"

One brother is sure that Ben isn’t as emotionally vested as Jojo is, and he wasn’t backing down on revealing Ben’s intentions. The whole family sat in the kitchen, without Jojo, and her brother totally called Ben out. Ben tried to assure him that he cares for Jojo a lot and doesn’t want to hurt her, but her brothers weren’t having it. They were absolutely intimidating and weren’t welcoming at all. I also felt like they were trying to attack Ben’s character before they even tried to get to know him, especially when one brother asked Ben if he was coached to give certain responses – how rude! Ben left Dallas feeling very unsettled after the visit, and he has every right to feel that way.

The rose ceremony arrived, and the roses were given out in the order of Lauren, Kayla, then Jojo. Amanda felt a bit slighted because she thought Ben should’ve told her he didn’t think it would work out in Orange County, instead of making her come back to LA to be dumped. Ben claimed that he wanted to go to all of the hometowns first, but something tells me that he knew Amanda wouldn’t be getting that rose. I think that he might have felt that way, but didn’t want to follow his instincts because of what a great person Amanda is. Their goodbyes were truly heartfelt, leaving Ben crying as she drove off.

I can’t image what the next couple weeks are going to be like! I have my suspicions, but I don’t know who’s going home next week. I must say that "The Bachelor" has kept it interesting this season.