‘The Bachelor’ Season 28, Episode 4 recap: Who went home? And who survived the Sydney/Maria two-on-one date?

The Bachelor kicked off the international portion of Joey Graziadei’s search for love with an exciting trip to Malta during Week 4.

The 28-year-old and his 15 remaining women hoped to leave the drama of Week 3 back in Los Angeles, but the maddening feud between Maria Georgas and Sydney Gordon raged on during a dreaded two-on-one date that ended with a single suitcase being wheeled out. Before the chaos, Joey invited a special someone on a romantic one-on-one date and held his largest group date yet at a historic location that’s sure to delight Game of Thrones fans.

Wondering who got a on-one date in Malta? Who survived the dreaded Maria and Sydney two-on-one date? And who went home during Week 4 of The Bachelor?

Decider’s The Bachelor Season 28, Episode 4 recap has you covered.

Joey Graziadei and Lexi Young’s One-On-One Date Recap: An Emotional, Crucial Conversation

For his first date in Malta, Joey invited Lexi Young to explore the capital city, Valletta, with him. The two saw the sights, got to know each other better, and had a meaningful chat about marriage and the importance of family with Priest David Cilia at the Collegiate Parish Church of St. Paul’s Shipwreck. Though Lexi enjoyed the day, she planned to have a “tough conversation” about a “very sensitive topic” for her later that night.

When the two met for dinner, the 30-year-old opened up to Joey about falling ill after she moved to New York, getting surgery, and being diagnosed with Stage 5 endometriosis. When Joey admitted he was unaware of the condition (emphasizing the importance of airing the eye-opening conversation on ABC), Lexi explained it’s “a reproductive condition where tissue that’s supposed to grow inside of your uterus grows on other organs.” She revealed the tissue covered her reproductive organs and went all the way up to her lungs, and though it was successfully removed, her doctor sat her down and told her she might not be able to have her own kids.

Lexi shared the “wide range of emotions” she felt after learning the news with Joey, saying that she’s wanted to be a mother her whole life and definitely wants to have a family one day. Then she revealed she’s only opened up about her fertility issues to one other person, her ex, who “ultimately came to the decision that he can’t be with someone who might not be able to have his children.”

Joey, respectful and empathetic as ever, thanked Lexi for sharing with him. He told cameras that “the idea of someone having complications with having kids” was never something he had to deal with, but he assured Lexi, “I don’t want you to think in any way that’s something that I hear and it makes me want to run away. That doesn’t scare me in any sense, and there are a lot of other ways to be able to create a family…”

“Things happen for a reason, they make you stronger, and they define who you are. You need to know how special you are and how much you deserve everything, because I understand from any type of past experience, when something like that comes out you think there’s something wrong with you. There isn’t,” he continued. “It shouldn’t ever make someone run away or be afraid of being in a relationship with Lexi, cause there’s so much more to Lexi than just that.” The response brought Lexi to tears, and she happily accepted Joey’s rose.

Group Date Recap: Joey Spoils Game of Thrones

If you haven’t seen Game of Thrones and don’t want to learn what feels like a major spoiler (I, too, have not seen Game of Thrones) then consider skipping Joey’s group date intro. The leading man invited Jenn, Daisy, Edwina, Kaitlyn, Allison, Rachel, Autumn, Kelsey T., Jess, Madina, (*takes breath*) Leia, and Kelsey A. to Fort Manoel to fight for his heart. If Fort Manoel sounds or looks familiar, you may recognize it from a major Game of Thrones moment.

“I’m a big Game of Thrones fan and this is where some of the show was filmed, so the fact that we’re doing this today, where Ned Stark was beheaded, is something that’s crazy,” Joey told cameras before a producer screamed at him over the spoiler. “Oops, sorry I know. I’m not supposed to say that,” Joey continued. “If you haven’t seen it, Ned Stark’s head gets cut off.”

After changing into proper dueling attire, the ladies got their sword fight on in hopes of impressing their knight. They practiced eye contact, competed in a sash snatching competition, and finally took on The Sausage Wheel. Tasked with trying to catch flying sausage links and blocks of cheese, the girls embarked on a disgusting, slightly NSFW challenge with Joey right by their sides. “I don’t usually think about catching sausages in my mouth, but I couldn’t make the women do something I wouldn’t do myself,” the lead said. When Autumn emerged victorious, she got some alone time with Joey ahead of the cocktail hour later in the evening. That night, Daisy and Joey named their future twin girls, Jess told joey she was falling for him, and Kelsey T got the group rose after telling Joey how important action is to her.

The Terrible Two-On-One Recap: Maria Vs. Sydney

In an effort to gain clarity on the escalating tensions between Maria and Sydney, Joey invited both women on a dreaded two-on-one date and questioned them separately. You know where we stood on the feud before the episode, and hearing the way Sydney and Maria handled themselves and the awkwardness of the group date in Episode 4 only confirmed that opinion. While Sydney tolds cameras that “spending the whole day with Maria is like spending the day with the devil,” Maria was desperately trying to move on, calling Sydney “a vampire” for sucking all her energy.

After the awkward trio explored The Blue Grotto, each contestant defended herself to Joey and the three met back up later in the evening for dinner. Since he didn’t get the clarity he was hoping for, Joey asked them one final question: “Do you think there could be a potential future with us?” Sydney said yes despite their lack of time together, and Maria told Joey she “absolutely” felt something between them in the beginning, but since she’s repeatedly had to defend herself she’s hoping they can get back there. Joey gave the rose based on gut instinct, Sydney was sent packing, Maria stayed, and “Ave Maria” was sung “from the heavens” to celebrate.

The Bachelor Cocktail Party Recap: Who Went Home Season 28, Episode 4?

As the episode winded down, the group headed to St. Julian’s for a cocktail party, where Joey addressed Sydney’s absence. He spent the night catching up with his ladies, cracking jokes about his “ugly” feet, and taking a major step forward with Madina, who opened up about past issues with her parents that “shattered” her trust in them and the concept of love.

With a new night came new drama, this time on behalf of the recently departed Sydney, who Lea missed terribly. After seeing a friendly conversation between Madina and Maria, Lea pulled Madina aside and said she was “frustrated” about how she navigated the Sydney/Maria situation. When Maria learned she was accidentally at the center of more Bachelor drama, she broke down in tears and told producers she just wants to go home.

Does Maria self-eliminate? We’ll have to wait and see. Sydney is the only contestant who went home in Episode 4. In Episode 5 — airing on Tuesday, February 13 — we’ll likely see the rose ceremony take place along with Maria’s fate.