The Bachelor Recap: Did Zach Just Ruin Everything With A 'Sex Week' Faux Pas?

Yes, it's fantasy suites time on The Bachelor — or, as Zach helpfully refers to it, "Sex Week." This week has tripped up many a Bachelor and Bachelorette in the past, but Zach thinks he's figured out a way to simplify things. Or did he actually just make things much, much more complicated? Let's find out!

He heads to beautiful Thailand for overnight dates with his three remaining ladies — Kaity, Gabi and Ariel — and they're all very excited to see him. But first, Zach sits down with host Jesse Palmer and tells him he's set some ground rules for this week: "no sex of any kind" with any of the women. (Jesse seems as surprised as we are.) Zach explains that Sean Lowe inspired him to go this route, and to be fair, Sean is the only Bachelor who's still married to the woman he chose, so he's a pretty solid example to emulate. Jesse wonders if Zach can resist the temptations of "Sex Week," though, and while Zach takes his customary weekly shower in front of the cameras, he admits he has some "pent-up energy." Oh, and did we mention there are monkeys watching him while he showers, too? Buckle up, because it only gets weirder from here...

First up is Ariel, who is "very, very eager" to "keep exploring this relationship" with Zach. Well, don't be too eager! They go to a Thai night market, where they try local delicacies like grasshoppers and crickets. (Is Zach trying to gross himself out to tamp down his libido?) They kiss a lot while watching fire dancers, and Zach admits that Ariel makes him "very hot." As they head to dinner together, Gabi spies on them from her window. (Yep, she admits she's bothered.) At dinner, Ariel tells Zach she's falling in love with him, and all he can say back is: "I can absolutely see a future with you." (Gee, thanks.) They get a fantasy suite invite, but Zach first makes it clear that sex is "off the table." She claims she wasn't expecting anything, but she admits in an interview she's "a little disappointed."

Their suite has a private pool, and once they slip into swimsuits and start making out, Zach starts questioning this whole "no sex" thing. The next morning, he and Ariel wake up in bed together, their clothes strewn everywhere. She says they tried three different positions... but he clarifies: Sleeping positions! No, they didn't have sex; they just talked. Ariel seems happy, though, and Zach says he has more clarity now. One temptation resisted, two more to go!

Next up is Gabi, and she's happy to see Zach as they take a boat ride and dive off together, but she's haunted by insecurity. During a chat on the beach, she admits she's been stuck in her own head a bit; she's felt like a second choice in previous relationships, and she's feeling that way again. She even walks away from Zach and cries to a producer that she feels "disgusting" and "ugly." Zach comforts her, though, and reassures her that he's there for her. At dinner, she opens up about being cheated on before, but she feels safe with Zach — safe enough to tell him that she's falling in love with him! He doesn't say it back, but he does kiss her, which is a good sign, we guess.

When the fantasy suite invite arrives, Zach dutifully explains his "no sex" rule, and Gabi admits that sex is important to her, and she wasn't planning to get engaged to someone she didn't have sex with. She promises not to seduce him, though, and they check out the fantasy suite together, including a test run on the bed. Hmmm... the next morning, they giggle in bed together, and Gabi says they had "a special night." Zach says he's feeling "a lot of incredible feelings" and reveals they has "a passionate night." Later, he tells Jesse he and Gabi did have sex (!), and he feels guilty for breaking his word. He doesn't regret it, but he wants to tell the other women because he doesn't want to keep any secrets. "It was a beautiful moment," he says as he tears up, but "it feels robbed."

Kaity is Zach's final overnight date, but first, he stops by Gabi's room to tell her he feels bad about breaking his word and wants to be "fully transparent" with everyone. (Why is he making this so much more awkward than it needs to be?) A stunned Gabi tells him, "I didn't realize you were so bothered," and she thought last night could just stay "between us." She feels "blindsided," she says in an interview: "I do feel like my trust was broken." Sensing that things are going south, Zach takes the plunge and tells her he's "definitely falling in love with" her and doesn't want anything to get in the way of that. (He adds, "You're someone that would be awesome to go through life with." Somebody put that on a greeting card.) He feels better after their conversation... but Gabi feels a lot worse.

Zach then goes to meet Kaity, and they take a ride in a glass-bottomed canoe through the jungle together. She's excited to see him, but that excitement fades when they dock the boat and he tells her he went into this week thinking he wouldn't have sex, but "a lot has changed and evolved... I have been intimate this week." Kaity admits "it sucks" to think about that as she tries to hold back tears: "Honestly, I could've gone without hearing that." She's "crushed," and she's now feeling "distant" from him. Telling her that was like "rubbing salt in the wound," she adds. Zach tries to salvage things, telling her, "I can really see it being us at the end of this." But she cries to a producer: "How am I supposed to spend the rest of the night with him when I'm not happy?" Now she just wants to go home. So Zach has somehow managed to torpedo things with two of his final three women. Great job, buddy!

That night, Kaity isn't looking forward to seeing Zach again, but she eventually shows up. She tells him what a big step it was for her to tell him she's falling in love with him, and now she feels like their bond has been weakened. He didn't want to keep any secrets from her, and while she calls it "a step back," she thinks it's something they can get through together. Well, OK, then! They smile and kiss and head into the fantasy suite together. This time, we don't hear from Zach what happened in there — maybe because he's learned his lesson.

It's time for Zach to send someone home, and Ariel arrives at the rose ceremony feeling confident — and blissfully ignorant! Gabi looks very unhappy, and she feels like her trust has been broken. She doesn't even know if she wants a rose. Kaity is anxious and isn't sure if their bond is strong enough. Does she still not know which of the two women Zach slept with? And did he ever tell Ariel about breaking his word and sleeping with Gabi? We're spotting a lot of holes in Zach's masterplan here.

After a pep talk from Jesse, Zach faces the women and tells them the parameters he tried to set were a mistake and he knows he's caused them pain. (Ariel has to be feeling a little confused at this point.) He gives his first rose to Kaity... and his second to Gabi, sending Ariel home. He walks her out and tells her how much he appreciates her as they hug goodbye. In the van home, Ariel says "it hurts a lot," and she just wants to find someone who'll put her at the top of their list. Hmmm, on Bachelor in Paradise, perhaps?

Kaity whispers something to Gabi (so she does know Gabi was the one Zach slept with?), and Gabi feels like she's wearing "a scarlet letter." She confesses, "I thought I'd be a lot happier." When the three of them share a toast, she gripes that Zach is only making eye contact with Kaity, and she still needs some answers from him. In a preview for next week's season finale, Zach tells his family he tried to do something that "bit me in the ass." (Why do you have to tell your family about this, Zach???) Gabi asks him if he regrets what they did, and while he says no, he does say he's feeling torn, so she runs off in tears, tired of feeling like she's not enough. Zach is crying, too, predicting that "somebody at the end of this is going to get hurt." Might be a little late on that one, Zach.

Alright, Bachelor Nation: Hit the comments to share your thoughts and tell us who you think Zach should end up with in next week's finale.