We Need To Talk About This Bachelorette Elimination Like, Right Now

Out of all the great men on Katie Thurston’s Bachelorette season, Andrew Spencer was a standout. But although he and Katie had a sweet connection from the get-go, he didn’t end up making her Final 4. So you may be wondering: Why did Katie send Andrew S. home from The Bachelorette? She had to make a tough choice.

Early on in Season 17, it really seemed like Katie and Andrew could end up engaged at the end of her journey. The pro football player introduced himself with an... interesting attempt at a British accent during his limo entrance, and since she told him it was “really good,” she must have liked him from the start.

Their connection grew stronger during their first 1-on-1 date, when they undertook a series of adorable dares and icebreakers. By Week 7, Andrew even told the guys Katie sees him like no one ever has before. But it wasn’t all smooth sailing: During the week’s group date, Katie admitted they would have to navigate relationship obstacles together as he continues to split his career between Austria and Chicago. Although she told him he was the person she’d trust to figure things out beside her, when he planned an elaborate light-up display to tell her he was falling for her, she kissed him but didn’t respond.

In a pre-rose ceremony conversation with Kaitlyn and Tayshia, Katie worried about sending home the man who was supposed to be her husband right before hometowns. But she tried her best to follow her heart, and ultimately made the hard decision to send Andrew home that night. “You are such an amazing man. You give 100% to everything you are passionate about, and that’s what you deserve,” she told him after the rose ceremony. “I am building stronger connections, and you deserve more than I can give you ... Tonight is really hard, saying goodbye, because you are truly one of a kind, and you deserve to find a great love.”

However, that wasn’t the last Katie (or viewers) saw of Andrew. Presumably the next day, he appeared at her door and told her he wanted to leave things off on a positive, smile-y note. But that’s not exactly what happened... As he left, he handed Katie a letter that read, “If you change your mind, I’ll be waiting.”

This clearly shook the Bachelorette. As Andrew went to make his second exit from the show, a visibly emotional Katie caught him on the way out for a dramatic, tearful hug. But when she asked if he would be interested in potentially rejoining the competition, he ultimately said no. Andrew wants his wife to choose him, and he can’t go through not being chosen at a rose ceremony again.

This was, without a doubt, an emotional Bachelorette goodbye to remember. No one touch me!

The Bachelorette Season 17 continues on Mondays at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.