'UnReal' recap: We're not a team, we're a time bomb
Spoiler alert! The following contains spoilers for Monday night's episode of UnReal.
Bye bye, Beth Ann. The Confederate flag bikini-wearing contestant gets a pretty sweet send-off this episode after her disastrous hometown date with Darius, who already was pretty uncomfortable heading down to the Deep South. Throw in an unplanned pregnancy, an angry ex-felon and a manic depressive Rachel, and you got some classic cynical UnReal with the sixth episode, "Casualty."
But while things are going as planned in front of the camera, they're not so much behind the camera, with Rachel reeling from her abuse at the hands of Jeremy and Chet, Quinn and Coleman trying and failing to help her.
The time bomb: Rachel
The morning after Jeremy hit her, a bedraggled Rachel is helped out of her gown by Chet. She tells him that she's going to the police. Chet tries to convince her not to, saying Jeremy knows too much about their extremely unethical and most likely illegal practices on Everlasting. Resigned, Rachel agrees, but when she's alone, she takes pictures of her bruises before covering them up with makeup.
After a meltdown in front of Darius and the entire crew, Rachel throws herself into work to suppress her trauma. She takes over Madison's producing duties over Darius' date with Beth Ann at her hometown in Alabama. Coleman joins her unaware of the situation, but he is soon informed of her traumatic experience by Quinn. Worried and seeing her grow more unhinged as time wears on, Coleman tries to take her home, but she rejects him, moving on with her plan of blowing up Beth Ann's family's sweet picture of a post-racial America.
Most likely to grab life by the ... horns: Quinn
While Rachel's raw edges are showing again, Quinn reveals a softer side, thanks to the charms of the adulating John Booth. Her concern over Rachel and her uncertainty with Booth hint that the ice queen may finally be melting. Of course, then she angrily confronts Jeremy as he's packing up and grabs him where the sun don't shine. To top it off, Quinn leaves Jeremy with a threat to cut off his genitals next time.
But UnReal would never let us cheer for Quinn wholeheartedly. She still sabotages any of Rachel's attempts at happiness in hopes of keeping the Everlasting "family" together. She not only doubles down on Chet's decision to not go to the police over Jeremy, but also brings back a man from Rachel's troubled past.
The reality star hit by reality: Darius
Despite the warm welcome Darius gets from Beth Ann and her family, Darius cannot hide his discomfort with being a black man in Alabama. And his fears are realized when Rachel sets in motion Beth Ann's public confession of her pregnancy by her ex-felon ex-boyfriend. If that wasn't enough, Rachel brings Beth Ann's ex to the scene with a wedding ring, who quickly mistakes Darius for the father and nearly beats him up. Beth Ann's father diffuses the situation with a shotgun aimed at the ex's face — and briefly Darius, by accident.
Fed up with being a pawn in Rachel's gleeful machinations, Darius returns home. He's greeted by Tiffany, who had just been verbally pummeled by the other contestants after Madison and Jay produced a rogue therapy segment. They both gripe over being manipulated by the show, and Darius sympathizes with her, keeping Tiffany on the show in the elimination ceremony. He uncomfortably cuts Beth Ann, but sets aside money for her kid's college fund — the least he can do for kicking out a crying pregnant lady on national TV. Angry over the actions he's been forced to take, he blows up at Rachel, and despite her pleading ignorance, she loses his trust for good.
That bomb twist: Adam
Quinn's mystery man turns out to be Adam! He returns to the Everlasting set — slightly more bearded and disheveled-looking — but seemingly happy to be back and interrupt the bit of happiness that Rachel may have achieved with Coleman.
Worst person of the week: Still Jeremy
He hit Rachel and still tries to make her out to be the villain? Don't let the door hit you on the way out, Jer.