Week 7 of 'Bachelor in Paradise': Heartbreak for a beach favorite

Week seven of "Bachelor in Paradise" might have only been one episode (instead of our usual two-night affair), but it was not lacking in drama.

The clear, obvious drama this week we're talking about is the disastrous love triangle between Eliza, Justin and Rodney. For me, it's not about *what* happened; it's just *how* it happened.

While the love triangle is one of my favorite tropes, I prefer it in fiction. The week started with a cocktail party and rose ceremony. You could see Eliza was very stressed during the cocktail party because of how torn she was between Justin and Rodney. Of course, she goes last when there is only one rose left. She chose Rodney. Eliza pulls Justin aside to talk to him and ends up walking him out, leaving her very upset. However, Rodney is over the moon, along with everyone on the beach.

The next day, Rodney is out celebrating with everyone while Eliza is holed up inside, sobbing over her decision. It is just so obvious she feels like she made the wrong choice — no one would be this upset if they didn't feel some regret. I mean, her face when she and Rodney were hugging after the rose ceremony and he said, "you're all mine, and no one is going to take you away from me," said it all.

When she finally comes out of her room, she pulls Rodney aside and tells him she felt pressured to pick him because of how much everyone on the beach loves him, that she has stronger feelings for Justin and is leaving to go find him. Rodney is heartbroken, but he handled it with as much grace as he could, certainly better than I likely would have.

I can totally see where Eliza is coming from — just hearing all the interviews back from the rest of the beach about how Rodney was the better choice, how she should choose Rodney, how much they loved him and how good they would be for each other. I absolutely can see how she felt pressured to choose him. However, this is a perfect example of why you should follow your heart — your gut — when it comes to situations like this. If she had been honest with herself and didn't give a damn what the rest of the beach thought, this could have been avoided. I can't imagine what it must have felt like for Rodney to be chosen, just to have it all ripped away the next day. He truly does seem like such a sweetie.

In this situation, it's crappy for everyone involved. But maybe there is a happy ending? In the preview for next week, Eliza and Justin reunite, and we will find out what he makes of all this. For what it's worth, as a Justin fan myself, I get it, Eliza...

We only have two weeks left of this season. What could possibly go wrong?!

Abby Luschei is the assistant editor of Seattle Refined and can be reached at aluschei@seattlerefined.com. Follow her on Twitter, Instagram, TikTok and Facebook.