‘The Bachelor’ Episode 5 Recap: Tears and Loathing in Las Vegas

By Krissy Dolor for Cupid's Pulse

Cupid's Pulse got a chance to watch this week's episode of ABC's The Bachelor with Bachelor Pad winner and author of The Man Code, David L. Good. The event was at the Village Pourhouse in downtown New York City, and many ladies (and a few gents) came out to talk to David, take pictures, check out his book and watch the fifth episode with him. I have to admit, it was both cool and weird to watch the show with a former contestant - as you guys remember, David was on season 5 of The Bachelorette with Jillian Harris. Hearing David's take definitely added a unique perspective. Read on for our recap of last night's episode and his advice for season 15 contestant Brad Womack:

ABC took Brad and the gang to Sin City, where they stayed at the Aria hotel. The first date was a one-on-one with Shawntel (one of David's favorites). Her card read, "Let's end tonight with a bang," - how scandalous! The day started off with a shopping spree in "one of the nicest malls in the world," where this lucky bachelorette was able to buy anything - and I mean anything - she wanted. The two ran from store to store, picking out what seemed like everything in sight. Luckily, Shawntel was wearing casual clothes that made it easy for her to try stuff on. "It was so much fun shopping with Shawntel!" exclaimed Brad. Since it was on ABC's budget, I'm sure it was.

Their night ended with a rooftop dinner, where they were finally able to get alone time. But was it romantic? "I have waited so long to talk to Shawntel," Brad said. "And she's telling me that she embalms deceased bodies." Awkward. At least tears weren't shed, like Brad's past one-on-one dates. He gave her a rose and their night ended up with fireworks (get it?).

The group date was next. Brad took Jackie, Emily, Lisa, Marissa, Alli, Chantal O., Britt and Michelle to the Las Vegas Motor Speedway. But wait - isn't there a conflict somewhere? It's reality TV, of course there is! Not only was Emily's fiancé Ricky a NASCAR driver, he even crashed at this very racetrack. Brad, who didn't know about Ricky's racing past, tried to to makes amends and asked Emily if she wanted to leave. "I feel like a jerk," he said. No kidding.

But since Emily is the most gracious of this season's bachelorettes, she opted to stay and face her past. "Ricky will always be a huge part of my life," she said. "I will always love him." And with that, the southern belle hopped into the car and drove her three laps. "While I'm driving, I'm not thinking about going the fastest - I'm just driving around thinking the first few laps are for Ricky, and the last lap is for me." Cue the tears!

Later, everyone heads to - you guessed it - another rooftop. Alli was upset that Emily dominated Brad's time. Chantal slipped up and mentioned the L-word, which Brad tried not to notice. And Michelle? She's over the tears that the other women are throwing at Brad, and said, "Brad is a man babysitting little girls." Michelle uses her dominatrix power and shows Brad exactly how she feels with a little tongue action behind closed doors. At this part, David laughed and said, "You have to give her credit!" I (grudgingly) agree - she knows what she wants and she's not scared to fight for it.

But despite Michelle's manhandling, Emily received the second rose of the episode, which was no surprise to anyone on the show (or at the bar).

And then it was time for the dreaded two-on-one date, where Brad would have to send one of the two girls home immediately afterward. Crazy eyes Ashley H. and New York nanny Ashley S. battled it out at a rehearsal for Cirque du Soleil's "Viva Elvis" show. Luck would have it that the Ashleys are best friends in the house - they even got matching tattoos in Vegas! After the rehearsal was over, Brad broke the news: "I think you'll make an extraordinary wife," he said to Ashley S. "I don't think you'll make an extraordinary wife for me." Ouch. Despite Michelle's hope that Brad would send both Ashleys home, he decided to hang onto dentist-Ashley for a little while longer. Turns out that first one-on-one date trumps first impression rose.

We also said goodbye to Lisa and Marissa - just when I was hoping to get to know them better. Next week, it looks like Brad and the eight remaining women take another trip - this time, to the Costa Rica rain forest. While I tried to pry David for some Bachelor secrets (and got no luck - sorry guys!), he did offer up some great advice for Brad: "Don't give into what everybody else wants you to do," he said. "Stick with your heart like you did the first time. Obviously it worked out - both those other girls are engaged … I think he's a little older, a little wiser - I think he's there for love." David continued, "At the end of the day, as soon as you're off that show, in two weeks you're back to real life, and everybody's got to deal with that. Everybody was upset; 'he owes us - he owes us to get married, he was on the show.' … He doesn't owe anybody anything just because he's on TV."

Hear, hear! You can see more clips from our interview with David on Vimeo and YouTube. Don't forget to visit us next week our recap of next week's episode!

For more Bachelor in Las Vegas recaps, here are some of my faves:
Chris Harrison blogs 'The Bachelor' episode 5
'The Bachelor' recap: The Need for Speed?
'The Bachelor' recap episode 5: Pass the tissues, please