During last week’s episode of The Bachelorette, Kaitlyn’s obvious final two dudes, Shawn and Nick, had a pretty stupid fight. Not content with having one pointless conversation, Nick “decided” to come back and try again with Shawn, resulting in a pointless argument in which nothing of substance was discussed or concluded.

Nick clearly thought this second producer-manipulated conversation would improve his standing as the “nice dude” of the two of them, explaining that he thinks Shawn is a hot-head who got “so fired up” and threatened him. “I didn’t think that was classy, I didn’t think that was the move,” said Nick, who—reminder—has been on this show not once but twice.

“I just hope Kaitlyn is as smart as I think she is,” he said, perhaps not for him, but for his family, who, when they were introduced yet again later in the episode, were very hesitant about him doing the show again (they cried). “I think everyone in my family is very worried about how this is going to play out again,” he said.

The sensitive, loving Nick seemed, as it usually does, at odds with the Nick who knows how this game works. “It’s down to two, once again,” he said (while grinning) after Kaitlyn sent Ben H. home. “For better or worse, I’ve been in this position before.”

Shawn, who has not done this whole thing before, was mad mad mad about Nick and not having Kaitlyn to himself. Neither of them came off very well, and their dumb antics were contrasted sharply by the unsurprising exit of Ben H., who, if he wasn’t rumored to be the next Bachelor before, set himself up perfectly for the role with his classy goodbye.

Contact the author at dries@jezebel.com.

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