So one of the more...quirky (read: kinda annoying) bachelors on Hannah Brown's Bachelorette season is Cam Ayala. He's the guy who has rapped more than once in just two episodes, in addition to letting everyone know (many, many times) that the mantra he lives by is ABC, or Always Be Cam. He's also the one that a lot of the bachelors don't like, primarily because he crashed a group date that wasn't his. In the promo for the third episode, there's a much-talked scene with him, a.k.a. the "pity rose." What in the world could that be?
So, for context, we know that Cam has lymphedema, from his social media post from December of 2018. In a nutshell, it's a rare, understudied condition that mean Cam has had to endure a lot of treatment in his young life and almost had to have limbs amputated.
"The experts at Boston Children’s Hospital performed a diagnostic procedure that saved my leg from being amputated in Dec. 2016," he explained via Instagram. Among other things, Cam chose to share his story because, among other things, "Empathy and Sympathy are great but you ARE NOT entitled to them." He also said, "NEVER be ashamed of your story, it’s yours, and not everyone will understand nor is it your obligation to make them." This is probably a hint about what's coming.
Here's the preview, in which the other bachelors get irritated:
Reality Steve says that it is this condition, lymphedema, that Cam explained to Hannah, and that it's what's driving the bachelors crazy in this clip.
Spoiler alert for potential events of The Bachelorette episode 3:
According to Reality Steve, the whole drama is enough to get Cam sent home before the rose ceremony even takes place. I'm noticing a trend in Hannah's season, mainly that if someone displeases her, he'll get sent packing right away.
What's interesting is how this all goes down—how does a bachelor's illness end up causing so much drama? (A note: I'm certainly not begrudging anyone their personal story or the manner in which they choose to tell it.) The sharing of personal stories is not unheard of on the Bachelor franchise, so I wonder if the way he told it (or maybe he bragged about it after?) is the true sticking point? Either way, it'll be interesting TV to watch the guy who has led with huge levels of confidence go home much, much earlier than he likely anticipated.
Update: So, Mike spoke to Hannah about the "pity rose," rephrasing Cam's words a little bit (at least, the words we saw him speak on camera.) Cam did make it to the final rose ceremony of episode 3, but Hannah was super mad, and absolutely did not give him a rose. And he was upset and super-irritated about the situation.
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