This is the spiritual sequel to Hannah Brown moving the podium. On Monday’s episode of The Bachelorette, leading lady Katie Thurston finally looked past the cheekbones and saw Thomas for what he really was as a contestant: a brutally honest guy who admitted to everyone that he thought he could claw his way to being our next Bachelor, even though, at best, he’s a Paradise supporting player who lasts a few weeks. During the episode’s rose ceremony, Thurston brought Thomas up to the podium under the guise of giving him the final rose, only to humiliate him as millions of viewers did a wine spit-take at what happened next. “You told me things that I wanted to hear. What I learned about you tonight is that you’re selfish, unkind, and a liar,†she explained. “Your Bachelor audition ends tonight, so get out.†Actually, the moment is so great that we feel a GIF is necessary. We haven’t felt this alive since Fleetwood Mac started feuding again in 2018; or the time that other Thomas got into heated argument on the Island of Sodor.
“Thomas betrayed my trust. He manipulated my emotions,†Thurston said during a subsequent talking-head interview. “You don’t get to use me as your stepping stone for whatever your goal is. Not here, not today, not tonight, not ever.†Taking Thomas’s place, however, is returning Bachelorette contestant Sulley from Monsters Inc. Blake Moynes, whose second chance at love in the franchise has been teased since the beginning of the season.