April 25, 2022 • bachelor insider
This Week in Bachelor Nation History: Andrew Firestone Visits Final Four Women’s Hometowns
This week in Bachelor Nation history, we’re heading back 19 years to Season 3 of “The Bachelor,” which aired in April 2003.
The season began with a special behind-the-scenes look at the other four men in contention for the role as the Bachelor.
Andrew Firestone was finally announced as the Bachelor, and his journey began by meeting the 25 women vying for his heart.
But going into his season, both the women and America were unaware of the identity of the new Bachelor or the fact that he was a millionaire.
This week 19 years ago, Andrew visited the hometowns of his final four women — Tina, Cristina, Kirsten, and Jen.
The episode started off with his date in Wisconsin to meet Tina’s family. Up until this date, Tina and Andrew hadn’t kissed, and he could feel that she was holding back.
During their date, the two went ATVing, and later on, he met her family. Tina’s family approved of Andrew, and that night they shared their first kiss during a romantic one-on-one conversation.
Next, Andrew went to New Jersey to meet Cristina’s family, and while Tina wasn’t showing him enough affection, Andrew felt like Cristina might have been showing too much.
The Bachelor said Cristina was constantly trying to hold his hand and touch him, but he didn’t feel like they were there yet and it was feeling a bit forced.
Cristina shared, “I am for sure falling in love with Andrew, without a doubt, and I can picture him being the father of my children.”
Andrew wasn’t as sure, though, saying, “She would make an amazing wife, just would she make an amazing wife for me?”
After meeting Cristina’s family, Andrew headed to Florida to meet Kirsten’s family.
They discussed Kirsten’s relationship prior to the show and Andrew got closure on any concerns about her readiness to get engaged.
During his time with Kirsten’s family, her dad Frank asked Andrew about his family’s legacy.
If Andrew’s last name sounded familiar, it was because his great-grandfather Harvey Firestone founded the famous tire firm — Firestone Tire and Rubber Company.
Frank said that he just saw Andrew for who he was, not his family’s business or his last name.
By the end of the night, Andrew said he could see himself falling for Kirsten.
And for his last Hometown date, Andrew flew to Ohio to meet Jen’s family.
The two talked about a future and children, and Andrew said he could tell Jen was there “for the right reasons.”
And while Jen did spend some of her time talking about how she wasn’t super fond of Kirsten, Andrew said his connection with Jen got stronger through her Hometown date.
Eventually, Andrew ended up sending Cristina home and said, “The last thing I want to do is hurt you, but I don’t think there’s a future for us. This crushes me. This was very difficult. There’s something I thought was missing but was trying so hard to find. Maybe you felt it.”
Cristina didn’t agree with Andrew’s decision, saying, “You’re making a big mistake,” but he said he’s “following his heart, although if I regret this, I wouldn’t be surprised.”