It’s Hometowns, and Nick travels around Australia to meet the nearest and dearest of the final four girls competing for his heart.
“To me this bit holds a lot of importance,” says Nick as he strolls wistfully along a beach.
At Nick’s first stop, he heads to Avalon where Cass is seen grooming a horse.
“If Nick feels the same about me, then I’m one step closer to that fairytale ending,” squeals Cass.
Nick strolls along about to meet her. “I do have strong feelings for Cass,” he says unconvincingly. “She’s a cracking bird… but I have to see if I can reach the same level of where she’s at,” adds Nick.
The pair then go for a horse ride where Cass can’t stop talking about being with Nick forever. Nick talks about feeling so comfortable around Cass. She appears to have been friend-zoned.
Then we meet the family. They appear to all have the same blonde hairstyle. Her mum reminds her that she added Nick to her ‘wish board’ a while back.
Cass drops the f-bomb in sheer embarrasment.
They sit down for dinner and Cass’ mum reveals her daughter has told her everything. Cass gets embarrassed again, her dad can’t stop chuckling. Nick chugs down his beer.
“Hopefully Cassie will be the one,” her mum squeals. Nick looks at his salmon and scratches his nose.
Cass’ sister then tries to pry out of Nick exactly how he is feeling. ‘Do you feel the same way,’ the sister pushes. Nick dodges the question and talks about Cassie being a beautiful soul. Cass sister is onto him and keeps pressing.
‘Is she the one?’ Nick mumbles and appears confused. The mum sends him off with some homemade cookies in a bid to keep him onside.
Cassie then attempts to tell Nick she loves him, but she struggles. Nick walks off into the night wondering what the hell she was trying to say.
Next up Nick heads to see Brooke’s family in Perth. Nick picks her some flowers and Brooke plays with a football at her AFL home ground and talks about feeling nervous.
She teaches him some footy. We wonder what kind of footy family they would have. Their own little squad perhaps? Nick talks about his connection with Brooke. He clearly is into her.
When Nick rocks up to the family home Brooke sends her best friend Tess to drill if Nick is truly ready to be the support that her friend needs.
She has a good resting bitch face. “Is this real or is this not?” she presses. Nick looks longingly at his food and says: “I’m staring at me bolognaise and thinking, no chance of getting this into me gullet.”
Tess drags him in for a one on one and Nick looks like he’s about to pass out. “Tess is coming in hot,” Nick laments to the camera. “She’s throwing the kitchen sink at me.”
“She’s a girl that really needs stability. You need to be that rock for her. Are you ready to be that?” Tess presses.
Nick pays her some lip service. She seems impressed.
Brooke tells Nick that she really, really likes him and reveals she’s falling in love. They snog. We’re thinking she’s made it to the final three.
At the third pit stop, Nick heads to Queensland to meet Sophie’s family. “I really like Soph as she’s a classic girl next door,” Nick tells the camera like he’s talking about a sandwich.
Sophie takes him jet-skiing. “A woman that goes full throttle in life might be the one for me.” Nick says. They lock lips passionately.
Back at Sophie’s house, everything is going gangbusters until her sisters pull Nick aside to try understand what it takes when it comes to finding love with Nick.
They’re worried Nick isn’t invested as much as Sophie is. We’re all worried if he’s invested in any of the girls.
Sophie says her goodbyes but she struggles to tell him how she feels. She talks about protecting herself. Nick wanders into the night looking a bit forlorn.
At the fourth and final stop, Nick heads to meet Brittany’s family at his home town Port Macquarie.
They meet on the beach. Nick has stars in his eyes. She takes him camel riding before the pair head to her family house.
Everything appears to be going really well until Brittany’s father pulls him over for a chat.
The father tells him he doesn’t like rugby players and threatens Nick that if he breaks Brittany’s heart, then he’s toast.
“I’m really packing it here,” Nick tells the camera.
The father then says the last person that broke Brittany’s heart he would go after if he could. Nick looks dreadfully unsettled.
Then her concerned sister pulls him aside to grill him about his previous relationship with Cass. She’s not too impressed with his answers and then tells Brittany that she’s worried that Nick isn’t being honest about the situation.
At their goodbyes, Brittany questions Nick about him and Cass. “Have you kissed before?” Nick tells her everything and Brittany seems happy with his answers.
But at the cocktail party Brittany needs clarification.
“What was your relationship with Nick before you came into this house?” presses Brittany.
Cass errs and umms and rambles. Brittany looks more and more annoyed. Cass starts to cry. “People are saying that you’re in a relationship. That you’re the winner…I don’t know what I’m doing here. Was it physical?” Britanny needs to know if they’ve shagged.
“We kissed a stuff… this is inappropriate,” wails Cass. She then bursts into tears and a producer has to come in and comfort her. Cass feels she’s about to leave the mansion. We all see the writing on the wall.
Brooke is the first to receive the rose at the ceremony followed by Sophie then Brittany.
Nick walks her out. They cuddle like a father would his daughter. He says some words to placate her. “I hit a ceiling on this…” he laments.
In the car, Cass wails uncontrollably. It’s Jared 2.0. We all collectively sob for the poor bunny.
Bye Cass…It hurts to see you go.
