With both 24-hour dates until his belt, Corey returns to the mansion with a decision to make. His time with Namika did not go the way he’d expected, and all those rejections have him questioning his own judgement. Had he really misread Namika so badly? He’d sensed such chemistry between them! But now, Corey thinks – he must’ve been mistaken. And he wonders – had he made the wrong choice at the last elimination? His thoughts drift briefly to Roskva, stunning in her sparkling blue gown, before shaking the image away. No, he reminds himself – regardless of Namika, his feelings for Roskva run no deeper than friendship. Letting her go was the right thing to do….
But Corey is exhausted now, and he trudges gloomily up to his bedroom. Surprise registers on his face when he finds the beautiful brunette, sleeping peacefully in his bed.
This has to mean something, he thinks to himself. She must have feelings for me if she wants to sleep in my bed!
And suddenly Corey feels himself perk up just a bit. He smiles sleepily at her beautiful face before climbing into bed beside her.
Meanwhile, Jessamine sits alone and eats her dinner. The “party” thought bubble above her head tells me she’s feeling optimistic about tomorrow’s elimination. She chews slowly, fantasizing about the celebration they’ll have after Corey has officially chosen her as his leading lady. Drinks and dancing and decorations, she thinks – and maybe – dare she dream it? A wedding dress?
As Jessamine feels her belly fill up, she wonders again where Corey has gotten to. She’d been hoping to spend some time with him before the end of the night, but she can’t seem to find him anywhere! She’s searched all over the mansion – everywhere but his room, that is.
Come to think of it, she hasn’t seen Namika lately, either. And a dark, pained look crosses her face before she trudges off to bed, alone again.
It’s the middle of the night, and Corey can’t sleep. He tosses and turns, suddenly uncomfortable with Namika’s warm body in his bed. He thinks now of Jessamine, and springs out of bed – this isn’t fair to her.
His stomach grumbles, and Corey realizes he hasn’t eaten in hours. He stumbles down to the kitchen and finds himself something to eat.
His thoughts wander from Jessamine to Namika, and then from Namika back to Jessamine. Being the Bachelor is a lot harder than he’d thought. Corey thinks of Jessamine, and of the wonderful date they had together. He’d never felt closer to her than he did that day in the village! He felt so at ease with her, so comfortable – so free to be himself. Just imagining Jessamine – smiling, cheerful, cute-as-a-button – he rolls a whim to be friendly with her. But then there’s Namika, he thinks – sexy, exciting, hot-and-cold Namika, who keeps him on his toes and always has him guessing. Life would never be boring with Namika, he thinks.
Corey is tugged from his thoughts when he hears footsteps behind him.
Namika, of course. She’d stirred when Corey got out of bed, and woke up with two whims for the Bachelor – one to be funny, and one, naturally, to kiss him (now you want to kiss him, Namika? Really?).
She slides into the chair next to him, and opens with a joke. Corey reacts well, and Namika heaves a sigh of relief. So she hadn’t pushed him too far away after all!
She’s gathering the courage to plant that kiss on him, when Corey excuses himself from the table. He’s in desperate need of a shower (and by the trash bag thought bubble over Namika’s head, I’m sure she’s noticed). The kiss will have to wait.
But not for long.
As soon as Corey is out of the shower, Namika pounces. Corey is taken off guard, confused at first, but the feeling of her lips on his and her body against his chest overwhelms him, and Corey surrenders to the kiss.
Namika thinks of rocket ship woohoo.
He pulls away, dazed, and then slowly, his senses return, and he eyes her warily. What’s changed between yesterday and today, he wonders?
Namika chats with him easily, as if all of this is normal. As if she hadn’t rejected him six times just the previous day.
And then, suddenly, she (autonomously) launches herself at him again, hungry for another kiss.
But Corey’s thinking now – thinking about all those rejections, about the humiliation he’d felt each time she pushed him away. And with her lips just centimeters from his, Corey shoves her back.
“I just don’t get it, Namika!” he says. “You run so hot-and-cold! Yesterday you want nothing to do with me, and now this?”
Namika pales. “I care about you, Corey,” she says finally. “I just don’t like competing for you, I guess,” she admits. “I’m not acting myself.”
Corey sighs. Can he really blame her? How would he react if it were him in her shoes? But Corey hesitates, and asks himself – how can he be sure that the Namika he knows is the real Namika?
Meanwhile, Jessamine rises from bed and listens to the silence around her. She’s sure she knows where Namika slept last night, and Jessamine is feeling determined. Today is a new day, she thinks. And of course, it’s her last chance.
Whatever developed on Namika and Corey’s 24-hour date, Jessamine knows she has to make her presence known. She has no choice but to demand his attention.
And she knows no better way to do that than with a hot, steamy (autonomous) kiss.
Corey eagerly falls into her arms, liking the familiar scent of her and the way she relaxes into the kiss. This feels easy, he thinks. It feels right.
It’s afternoon by now, and as Jessamine prepares herself a gourmet lunch, she’s beginning to feel very confident. Whether it’s because of her skills in the kitchen or her faith in Corey’s feelings for her, I don’t really know.
Jessamine picks up her plate, and instead of heading outside to the picnic table or to the dining room table, she goes in search of Corey, and settles in next to him as he fiddles around on the computer.
They chat amicably, and Corey is able to fulfill his whim to be friendly with Jessamine.
Meanwhile, Namika is spinning a web of her own. She (autonomously) seeks Corey out for a romantic embrace, but her aim isn’t to rile Jessamine. After Corey’s rejection of her kiss, Namika needs to show Corey just how much he means to her….and that means an intimate, private moment.
Namika leads Corey downstairs, away from prying eyes, and draws him into her arms.
Luckily, Corey allows it, but he doesn’t stick around long to chat. Instead, he heads upstairs, where Jessamine makes room for him next to her on the couch.
She blows a kiss…
He blows a kiss….
And then Namika enters the room. She approaches Corey, and I notice that there’s an autonomous action in her queue for another embrace.
She’s feeling slighted that Corey left high and dry, especially in favor of Jessamine’s company. And so now, Namika’s aim is to rile the competition.
But Jessamine is onto her, and beats her to the punch.
All it takes is one (autonomous) blown kiss, and Namika’s face falls.
But she’s not giving up yet. Namika reaches out in pursuit of the embrace…
but Corey, with Jessamine just a few feet away, shrugs off Namika’s advances.
Where Jessamine should feel vindicated, her drama queen tendencies come to the surface. Despite Corey’s rejection of Namika, Jessamine suddenly feels betrayed. Both women are feeling very sad, and they each have the “drifting love” moodlet. It seems tensions are running high, and everyone is beginning to buckle under the pressure of it all.
Moments later, I see that Namika’s phone is ringing and I look to see who’s calling. Surprise, surprise – it’s our old friend Paige, and she wants to come over for a visit! In the interest of drama, I hit accept, and soon Paige arrives on the doorstep.
She immediately settles in for a little pow-wow with Namika, and it becomes obvious who she’s rooting for here.
She gives Namika a little pep talk, but as soon as she finds herself alone, Paige wanders off in search of Corey, and I see that she’s in a flirty mood. Maybe she’s not on Namika’s side here, after all!
But Corey isn’t interested in Paige, especially not after the unkind words she had for him the day she was eliminated. Still, he feels badly for hurting her, and so he chats with her for a bit, catching up.
When Paige’s visit comes to an end, she throws a flirty wink at Corey before hugging Namika goodbye.
She squeezes Namika’s hand reassuringly, and then passes Jessamine in the hall as she heads for the door.
Paige looks Jessamine up and down, sizing her up. “If you think he’d choose you over her,” she whispers, “you’re kidding yourself. Just look at her, Jessamine. And then look in the mirror.”
And with that, Paige is gone.
The day draws on and finally, it is time for the final Elimination Ceremony to begin.
Corey stands before the women, and he knows exactly what must be done. He takes a deep breath, and calls the name of the first woman : Namika.
She stands, smiling broadly, and casts her eyes skyward. Of course he’s chosen her!
She approaches Corey triumphantly, as Jessamine looks on sadly.
Corey turns his gaze to Namika. “Namika,” he begins slowly, “You are an amazing woman. Your spirit and fire are second to none, and you are a force to be reckoned with. There’s no doubt that a life with you would be full of excitement and adventure.”
Namika smiles up at him expectantly, but Corey’s expression turns suddenly serious. “Any man would be lucky to have you,” he continues. “But…. that man isn’t me. I’m sorry, Namika.”
(Corey has a speech bubble with an axe in it – because he’s giving her the axe!)
Shocked, tears spring to her eyes. The rejection stings like a slap to the face. She buries her face in her hands, desperately reaching for the right response. She’s angry, she realizes – fuming. How could he reject her like this? And for Jessamine?!
But as she takes a deep breath, Namika realizes something. She’s angry, yes, but because she has lost the competition, not because she’s lost Corey. She picks up her head and smiles.
“Whatever,” she says to him flippantly. “There’s a million fish in the sea, Corey. And you’re just a minnow. I’m looking for a shark.”
Farewell, Namika Phan. I hope your shark has a lot of teeth.
Meanwhile, back in the ceremony room…
Corey draws away from Jessamine and looks her in the eyes. “I knew from the beginning it would be you,” he tells her. “With you, I’m happy and comfortable, and I can truly be myself. I’ve never met a woman like you before, Jessamine. Will you do me the honor of becoming my…..girlfriend?”
Jessamine is giddy – perhaps a bit disappointed in the lack of proposal, but she’ll be Corey’s girlfriend any day, and she tells him as much.
Corey kisses her on the cheek and then smiles down at her again. “You might have won the competition, Jessamine, but I think I’m the real winner today.”
For reference, here are the final standings as per Corey’s romantic relationship panel:
Namika lost a TON of romance points from all of those kiss rejections on her 24-hour date, but Corey’s rejection of her embrace (the one in front of Jessamine) was what really sealed the deal.
Later that evening, Corey and Jessamine are alone in the mansion. They’ll have to vacate in the morning, but they still have a few hours to themselves, and Corey asks Jessamine to meet him outside by the cliff.
He still has one last trick up his sleeve.
And they both lived happily ever after 😉
So, now that my Bachelor Experiment has come to a close, here are my thoughts on the experience.
- Jessamine was the only contestant who was MY sim. I really don’t think I favored her at all (in fact, quite the opposite), but it’s kind of strange that Corey and Jessamine were the only two sims in this competition who were created by me…and they fell for each other. Though I don’t think this affected the outcome, I’m incredibly thankful for all the bachelorettes that have been submitted for my Duckling to Swan: The Bachelor, Hasslich Edition so that I won’t have to submit any of my own!
- The more diverse personalities in a Bachelor Challenge, the better. When I chose the contestants for this challenge, I basically just downloaded based on girls I thought were cute. Unfortunately, they mostly all had “positive” traits. I think that the more hot-headed, jealous, etc sims involved, the more the drama and the better the story!
- I originally wanted to give roses at each elimination ceremony, but quickly realized that was a terrible idea. Without player interference, it can be really tough to get the romantic ball rolling – giving roses only creates jealousy and hurts the already fragile romantic relationships that develop.
- The best ideas I had through this challenge were the one-on-one flirty dates, and then the 24-hour dates in the end. I was glad that I waited until there were only 4 girls left for the flirty dates, because I’d been able to ascertain that Corey was at least somewhat romantically interested in each of them BEFORE I meddled. I didn’t want to manufacture a romance where there otherwise would be none. But the flirty dates really did help to differentiate between the girls and Corey’s feelings for each of them.
In the end, I had a TON of fun with this! I do wish we had some kind of real attraction system for this type of challenge, but even lacking that, a Bachelor Challenge can work out with the right amount of patience, and a small amount of player interference/pushing.
I will be moving Corey and Jessamine into a household in my main save (The Hasslich Prettacy) so that maybe someday, one of my spares can marry their beautiful offspring! Which is maybe a little weird, because, guess what? Jessamine is ACTUALLY a made over version of my absolute favorite Hasslich lady, Emmeline!
Anyway, Corey and Jessamine are uploaded to the gallery under #bachelorexperiment.
If you enjoyed my Bachelor Experiment, and would like to participate in my next round of The Bachelor, please visit my thread on The Sims Forums – Duckling to Swan – The Bachelor, Hasslich Edition – to submit a bachelorette of your own!
Thanks for reading!
It's All PeachyKeen 