Aaron And Cody's Beef On The Bachelorette Ended In An Abrupt Elimination

The first major conflict of The Bachelorette Season 17 came and went in a flash. On Week 2, two contestants fighting for Katie Thurston’s heart turned up the drama and finally revealed some answers to lingering questions from the first episode. Aaron Clancy and Cody Menk, whose drama began with an odd confrontation in the June 7 episode, got more spotlight in the June 14 episode... and that definitely wasn’t a good thing, especially for Cody. Midway through the episode, Katie sent the 27-year-old sales manager home after some serious accusations from Aaron.

While it was clear there was ~something~ going on between Cody and Aaron on Night 1, it wasn’t until the Week 2 group date that things got messy. Literally. The date activity involved the guys mud-wrestling and, not so shockingly, Cody and Aaron were paired up to duke it out (an easy layup for Bachelorette producers if I ever saw one). After it all went down, Aaron won the award for the best fighter, which meant he got some 1-on-1 time with Katie before the evening portion of the group date. It didn’t take Katie long to ask Aaron WTF was going on between him and Cody — a question on all fans’ minds at that point.

The answer? According to Aaron, Cody wasn’t there for the right reasons (*gasp*). Aaron told Katie that Cody really wanted to become famous and that’s why he wanted to get on the show. “I wouldn’t necessarily say [Cody’s] a piece of sh*t, but there's always that concern there,” Aaron said.

Later that evening, Katie pulled Cody aside during the evening portion of the group date to try to get to the truth. While Cody insisted Aaron’s claims weren’t “factual information” and that he *was* there for the right reasons, Katie didn’t believe him. So, instead of prolonging the inevitable and dragging the drama on, Katie decided to send Cody packing then and there.

Unfortunately, it seems like this is just the start of the “people are there for fame and not true love” issue. After Katie gave the remaining contestants an impassioned speech about them leaving if they just wanted fame, rumors starting swirling about more guys who were just there for followers. While names weren’t said — leaving Katie visibly upset — it seems like there’s more turmoil ahead for anyone who’s after clout and not lifelong cuddles. Go get ‘em, Katie.

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