Tayshia Adams got a man to shave his mustache in the name of love on Tuesday’s episode of The Bachelorette.
Noah Erb, a 25-year-old travel nurse from Tulsa, Oklahoma, was one of the newer suitors on the show, and had become known for his jaunty ‘painter’s brush’ mustache.
The other guys had teased him about it relentlessly, but the joke was on them when Noah gained traction with Tayshia, 30, on a group date.
Mustache off: Tayshia Adams got a man to shave his mustache in the name of love on Tuesday’s episode of The Bachelorette on ABC
As the two of them made out, Tayshia haltingly confessed that she didn’t like mustaches and urged Noah to shave his off his signature look.
Noah wasn’t sure at first what to do, he admitted to the cameras.
‘Tayshia, she asked me to cut away a huge part of my life,’ Noah said, referring to his facial hair as if it were a person. ‘Instantly, him and I took an ego beat, because I thought she loved it.’
‘I think I might look funny without it,’ he went on, ‘but mine and her relationship is more important than mine and my secret power’s relationship, really, so I pray that she doesn’t send me away with a bald baby face after this.’
New addition: Noah Erb, a 25-year-old travel nurse from Tulsa, Oklahoma, was one of the newer suitors on the show after Tayshia became a midseason replacement
‘I’ll miss you,’ Noah told his mustache in the mirror, then turned away.
He returned to Tayshia, and showed her his electric razor’s options: ‘Stubble’ or ‘baby-face.’
Tayshia laughed as she put the razor to his face, and admitted, ‘You know, I’ve never done this for a guy before, but it’s kinda hot.’
Kinda hot: Tayshia laughed as she put the razor to Noah’s face, and admitted, ‘You know, I’ve never done this for a guy before, but it’s kinda hot’
‘How bad?’ Noah asked, and Tayshia replied, ‘Actually, you look really good! You’re kinda hot!’
‘You haven’t kissed me with a mustache,’ the nurse pointed out, putting his arms around her. ‘That’s what this was all about.’
Tayshia said kissing him was much better that way, adding, ‘I like this Noah.’
Fan favorite: Tayshia replaced Clare Crawley, 39, who left the show after falling quickly in love with Dale Moss, 32
In private, Noah shared, ‘It does feel better kissing her without the mustache… And I was just following through on my instincts, my gut, my heart. I have no regrets.’
Tayshia ended up giving her date rose to Noah, calling him ‘a man I barely recognize.’
She asked the men if they thought Noah looked ‘good without the ‘stache,’ and no one replied.
Date rose: Tayshia ended up giving her date rose to Noah, calling him ‘a man I barely recognize’
‘F*** Noah!’ Ed Waisbrot, 36, cried to the cameras. ‘F*** that guy! He got a rose. But you know what? The ‘stache is gone, his momentum’s gone. I will call him out in front of the whole house tomorrow and tell him, ”Noah from Oklahoma, your rose means f***ing nothing.”
Throughout the episode, Tayshia forged real connections with a number of the men, which led them all to become ultra-competitive with each other.
For her first group date, she put eight guys to the test in her ‘Grown Man Challenge,’ with help from married Bachelor franchise couple Ashley Iaconetti and Jared Haibon, both 32.
Group date: For her first group date, Tayshia put eight guys to the test in her ‘Grown Man Challenge,’ with help from married Bachelor franchise couple Ashley Iaconetti and Jared Haibon
The guys were asked to complete math and spelling challenges, do a tug-of-war, and make Tayshia breakfast in bed, all to prove that they were ‘grown-a**’ men.
Bennett Jordan, 36, who bragged that he went to Harvard, got all the answers wrong, and then begged out of the tug-of-war due to an old knee injury.
He still won the competition—and title of ‘Grown A** Man—by jumping into bed with Tayshia in his robe and feeding her beignets for breakfast, then kissing her.
In bed: Bennett Jordan, 36, who bragged that he went to Harvard, got all the answers wrong, and begged out of the tug-of-war due to an old knee injury, but still won the competition
Ed, who’d flailed in the tug-of-war, was dubbed ‘Manchild,’ and given a baby doll to carry.
At the after-party, it was clear that Bennett had ruffled some feathers, but the focus soon shifted to Chasen Nick, 31, who irritated Ed to no end.
Tayshia listened raptly as Chasen told her he’d never been in love before, while nearby Ed called him a ‘fraud’ and ‘phony’ who’d spun ‘a web of deceit over Tayshia.’
The host: Chris Harrison talked to the guys as Tayshia got closer to some and jettisoned others
She also felt a strong attraction to Ben Smith, 29, and Ivan Hall, 28, with whom she shared genuine conversations and romantic kisses.
‘Today has been nothing short of amazing,’ she marveled. ‘Each guy surprised me so much. I never thought I’d have so many positive connections with all the guys in the group.’
Outside, the guys attacked Chasen for ‘pretending’ to like Tayshia, and Chasen lashed back at them, which led Ed to tell Tayshia that he thought Chasen was tricking her.
Under attack: Outside, the guys attacked Chasen for ‘pretending’ to like Tayshia, and Chasen lashed back at them, which led Ed to tell Tayshia that he thought Chasen was tricking her
He suggested that Chasen had wooed previous Bachelorette Clare Crawley, 39, with the same phrases he used on Tayshia, and intimated that Chasen might just be after Instagram followers.
Chasen reassured Tayshia he liked her, then warned Ed, ‘This s*** needs to stop, man…. Yes, there was a previous Bachelorette, but I am starting to grow feelings for this girl.’
Tayshia then came back out and gave Ivan her date rose, crushing Ben.
Date rose: Tayshia then came back out and gave Ivan her date rose, crushing Ben
At the rose ceremony the next night, the men pulled out all the stops for the Bachelorette.
They wrote her love letters, shared popsicles with her, and even set up a Parisian ‘date’ for her.
Chasen tried to set things right, acknowledging that he’d used similar adjectives with Clare and Tayshia and resolving to now call Tayshia a ‘smokeshow.’
Good times: Tayshia beamed as the men wrote her love letters, shared popsicles with her, and even set up a Parisian ‘date’ for her
Bennett and Ed mocked him, and Ed told Tayshia that Chasen had used his size to threaten him.
Tayshia called the whole affair ‘petty’ and chastised Chasen for not telling Ed directly to stop.
Chasen tried to squash the whole beef with Ed, and Zac Clark, 36, also urged them to quit it.
Sage advice: Chasen tried to squash the whole beef with Ed, and Zac Clark, 36, also urged them to quit it
When Tayshia gave out her roses that night, Ed and Chasen were safe, while Jay Smith, 29, Montel Hill, 30, and Peter Giannikopoulos, 32, went home.
The next group date found 10 of the men releasing their aggressions in the wrestling ring, advised by former WWE champion Amy Dumas, 45, and UFC fighter Tatiana Suarez, 29.
After smack talk and practice, the men learned they would compete in front of their pals that evening in a Bachelorette Wrestlemania, with the prize being time with Tayshia.
Wrestling challenge: The next group date found 10 of the men releasing their aggressions in the wrestling ring, advised by former WWE champion Amy Dumas, 45, and UFC fighter Tatiana Suarez, 29
The competition, dubbed ‘The Battle for the Bachelorette’s Heart,’ was sportscast by show host Chris Harrison, 49, and Bachelor franchise favorite Wells Adams, 36.
The wrestling got aggressive, with Ben and Spencer Robertson, 30, tussling so hard, Wells cracked, ‘He’s mounted him like it’s a Fantasy Suite!’
When Ed and Chasen were paired for a fight, Ed begged off, telling Chris he had ‘really bad shoulders that dislocate chronically, and I will end up in the hospital.’
Hard fought: Brenand and Jordan C squared off in the ring
Noah, who’d been watching from outside the ring, volunteered to fight Chasen instead.
Bennett privately complained that Noah had been trying to push himself onto group dates, calling it ‘childish,’ ‘crass,’ and ‘greedy.’
The smackdown between Noah and Chasen was violent, and Chasen emerged the winner.
Stepping in: Noah volunteered to wrestle against Chasen and earned an invite to the after-party
Tayshia then invited Noah to join them at the after-party, irritating the other guys.
When Brendan Morais, 30, took Tayshia aside, she immediately kissed him, moved by his ‘genuine soul’ and the fact that she could see them together.
Many other guys then got time with her too, as Ben patiently waited to see her last.
The announcers: The competition, dubbed ‘The Battle for the Bachelorette’s Heart,’ was sportscast by show host Chris Harrison, 49, and Bachelor franchise favorite Wells Adams, 36
Kissing session: Demar and Tayshia enjoyed a kissing session
Making out: Spencer and Tayshia also made out with each other
Instead, Tayshia spent time shaving off Noah’s mustache, and hanging out with him.
When Tayshia returned to sit with everyone, Ben asked her if they could talk, and she said, ‘Ben… the night’s over. I’m kind of disappointed you didn’t come find me earlier, to be honest.’
‘I’m frustrated,’ Ben brooded to the cameras. ‘[Noah] got two times with her and a rose, ’cause he jumped the fence. I’m really p***ed with Noah, and I’m not gonna let this go unresolved.’
The Bachelorette will return next week on ABC.
Getting frustrated: Ben enjoyed his brief time with Tayshia, but was frustrated that Noah got her rose