The boys remain in Dallas to be informed that they'll be meeting Rachel's parents there. Two things stuck out to me about this: First, this means that, post-Hometown, Dean was flown to Dallas for the Rose Ceremony only to twiddle his thumbs, get eliminated, and immediately flown home. Second, there's a delightful breaking of the 4th wall...

As a longtime viewer I've always loved Hometowns week, and as a recapper I've discovered I love it just as much. Something about the way the episode is broken up and compartmentalized really works from an analysis perspective.

Rachel starts off in Baltimore to visit Eric and his clan, and we quickly discover the apple doesn't fall far from the tree and his family is every bit as endearing as he is...