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Last week on CUPID, America's axe fell on Scott, making him the second Suitor to be voted off the show as viewers declared him unfit marriage material for Lisa Shannon. That left eight guys to take Lisa out on a round of dates designed to separate the men from the boys. Despite the day's worth of sleep deprivation they were each subjected to, Hank and Joe managed to make a good impression on Lisa AND her two best friends, Laura and Kimberly. Even Ken, who'd taken more than his share of lumps the first few weeks, drew words of praise for his sleepy behavior on a date that finally seemed to go his way. Dominic, Paul and Evan weren't quite as lucky. Although Lisa liked them all, these three found themselves on the pointy end of poisonous darts slung by the imposing tandem of Laura and Kimberly. Doubts were also expressed about Renda being right for Lisa, but, in a moment that seemed to catch Lisa by surprise, Kimberly went on to say that she had some other friends she'd love to set him up with. The fun, and the surprises, promised to keep coming on tonight's episode, as host Brian Shannon reintroduced the remaining eight Suitors. After the guys took their seats, Brian brought out Lisa Shannon, the girl who comes with a million-dollar dowry, provided she and the last guy standing get married, and stay married, for at least one year. Last but definitely not least, especially when it comes to tossing judgmental grenades, Brian introduced Laura and Kimberly, the two guard dogs drawing a decidedly mixed response from the studio audience. HOUSING PROBLEMS With everyone now onstage, it was time to take a look at how things have been going in the bachelor house, where the guys were not only facing the prospect of getting thrown out of Lisa's life, but were also forced to rub shoulders constantly with the very men they were competing against. The guys seemed sorry enough to see Scott go, as Renda read from a goodbye letter Scott had written to them all. But Joe never took his eyes off the prize, or the fact that everyone was competition (though he did single out Dominic, Evan and Hank as the guys he was worried most about). An ant infestation inspired Dominic to name one of the ants after Kimberly, and then smash it on the countertop as retribution for continuing to harp on his age. Paul, meanwhile, was growing tired of Laura's constant criticism that he was in this for the wrong reasons. But the biggest revelation to emerge from this behind-the-scenes look at the bachelor house was the growing consensus among the guys that Hank might not be the sweet-natured, self-confessed "geek" that he'd been presenting to Lisa on their first few dates (an image, they couldn't deny, that had been successful with Lisa…so far). Renda labeled Hank a "Jekyll and Hyde," while Dominic was even more straightforward, saying of him and Lisa, "They shouldn't be together." THREE DOWN, SEVEN TO GO As the audience reacted loudly to this round of in-fighting amongst the guys, Brian reminded everyone the time had come once again for one of them to get his heart--and arrow--broken on national TV. The three guys who polled lowest were asked to step forward: Renda, Paul and Evan. Prolonging the agony, Brian told Evan that he was safe for another week. Laura and Kimberly then weighed in with their thoughts about the two guys standing before them. For a change, both Laura and Kimberly seemed pained to cast judgment, but they both agreed that Renda was the one they'd vote off. After a brutally long commercial break, for Renda and Paul at least, Brian finally ended the suspense by announcing that the guy who received the lowest amount of votes was Paul. As Renda gratefully regained his seat, Paul faced the music as best he could, but was clearly stunned. Also in shock was Lisa, who nearly collapsed into Laura's arms for a consoling hug. Paul thanked Lisa for everything, and left her with these parting words: "I'll never forget the ride." Lisa expressed dismay and disbelief as she said goodbye: "I'm stunned right now. I really don't know what to say." After a visibly distraught Paul left the stage, Lisa continued, "I don't understand what America is thinking. There's clearly people sitting up there that I don't have as strong a connection with. There's people up there that shouldn't be up there." Even Laura and Kimberly, both of whom had expressed skepticism about Paul in prior weeks, made impassioned speeches in his defense. As Kimberly said, "I can't understand how America could do this to someone as sweet as Lisa is." Despite the support, however, Paul was history. ( Paul Leaves  )
With the seven remaining guys squirming in their seats, Brian explained the game plan for this week's dates. If last week's dates separated the men from the boys, this week's dates put the men WITH the boys, as each guy was given four kids (ages 5 to 13) and asked to come up with a date that involved both Lisa and the kids. As we would soon find out, these kids weren't just part of the dates, they were also given the opportunity to comment on how well the guys did, and boy oh boy, did they not disappoint! DOMINIC'S DATE: THE ART OF LOSING CONTROL First up was Dominic, the bartender and college graduate, who seemed to relish the chance to mix it up with his kids, since he's always considered himself "a kid at heart." Dominic had his kids lie down on sheets of paper and trace their bodies, a task which proved a little tougher to complete than he might've imagined. Watching the kids run roughshod over Dominic, it was hard to argue with 7-year-old Madison's observation, "I think he kind of lost control [of us] in the middle." When Lisa finally showed up, Dominic couldn't have looked more relieved. He then had Lisa lie down on a long sheet of paper so the kids could try their hands at tracing her. Once again, the activity quickly got out of Dominic's control, though Lisa seemed amused watching him try to corral all the kids. At the end, Madison offered another assessment of Dominic, every bit as harsh as anything Kimberly has laid on him: "I don't think he'd make a good dad." Laura was unimpressed with Dominic's antics, though the audience clearly felt differently. With the audience booing her, she told Dominic, "You didn't have any authority with those kids. They need someone they can look up to, not just someone they can relate to." Kimberly was even blunter than Laura in her assessment: "Lisa wants someone who's established in their career, someone that's ready to have kids. You're not established in your career, and you said right there you're not ready to have kids. So why would [America] vote for him?" Obviously stung by the criticism, Dominic fired back: "They're not my kids. I'm just trying to have a good time with them." Lisa softened the blow somewhat, but seemed to agree with her friends' assessment: "I am ready to have a family. I need to see you're ready to make that commitment, and I haven't seen that from you yet." ( Dominic's Date )
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