As The Golden Bachelor Season 2 nears its conclusion, Mel Owens is preparing for a pivotal trip to Antigua, where he will spend Fantasy Suite Week with his final two contenders, Peg Munson and Cindy Angelcyk Cullers. However, before this romantic getaway, Mel has a chance to reconnect with 15 former contestants at the much-anticipated Women Tell All special.

According to ABC’s teaser, the Women Tell All episode promised “an evening full of surprise guests, sneak peeks, and unseen moments,” as well as the women sharing their personal journeys of love, loss, and growth. The night was notably free of significant drama involving Mel himself. Instead, the spotlight was on the Golden Gals and the season’s self-proclaimed influencer, Nicolle Kate. Nicolle addressed past tensions, including a dispute over lemon bars and her attempts to frame her controversial mansion behavior as “empowering women,” all while tearfully confronting Mel.

So, what unfolded during this pivotal episode of The Golden Bachelor Season 2? Decider’s recap of Episode 7 offers a detailed breakdown of the attendees and highlights of the event.

The Golden Bachelor Season 2, Episode 7 Recap: Who Was At The Women Tell All?

First, who made it to the Women Tell All reunion? The studio welcomed 15 women from Mel’s journey, offering a chance for reflection and reconciliation.

• Alexandra, 67, a luxury yacht sales representative from Miami, Fla.
• Amy, 63, a full-time mom from Short Hills, N.J.
• Andra, 77, a retired federal worker from Los Angeles, Calif.
• Carla, 62, a former model from Los Angeles, Calif.
• Carol, 63, family manager for baseball all-star Freddie Freeman from Villa Park, Calif.
• Cheryl, 66, a retired U.S. Treasury worker from Lakewood, Colo.
• Debbie, 65, a fitness professional from Denver, Colo.
• Gerri, 64, a home care agency CEO from Rockville, Md.
• Lisa, 66, a state park employee from Marion, Ohio
• Monica B., 62, a flight attendant from Huntsville, Ala.
• Monica P., 60, a cosmetic dentist from Birmingham, Ala.
• Nicolle, 64, a yoga instructor from Miami Beach, Fla.
• Robin, 63, a wealth advisor/vineyard owner from Napa Valley, Calif.
• Roxanne, 62, a longevity nurse from Austin, Texas
• Terri, 71, a cosmetic dentist from Houston, Texas

Notably absent was Diane, a fan favorite from earlier in the season. Host Jesse Palmer explained her absence, revealing that she was unable to attend as she was in Hawaii for her son’s wedding—a more pressing and joyous occasion. Smart choice, Diane!

Nicolle Kate Claims She “Didn’t Come To The Bachelor With Any Strategy”

After a look back at the journey and small talk fan-favorite contestants, Jesse gave Nicolle the floor for the first time and she claimed, “I didn’t come into The Bachelor with any strategy, to be honest with you.” Before people got upset, she clarified that she had no strategy in terms of her connection with Mel. “That was just me being me, and he and I had really palpable chemistry. And I think it shows on the screen, and then when we kissed, the whole world fell away. I forgot y’all were even at the pool party,” Nicolle said, referencing one of her most talked about PDA sessions. Just when it seemed like she might be here to make friends, she claimed she was “the trailblazer on the show” and “everybody was there following,” which started to strike a few nerves.

The Golden Bachelor‘s Lemon Bar Debacle, Explained

Naturally, Jesse took the opportunity to segue into Lemon Bar Gate and asked the group what the heck happened with Nicolle and those sweet treats. Roxanne confirmed the dessert was a “collective” baking effort and Debbie initially brought up that Mel liked lemon, but Nicolle said she could bake lemon bars.

“I spearheaded it for sure,” Nicolle said. “And I will say, that it would have been better said had I said that I was the head chef, and I had all these beautiful sous chefs in the kitchen. And it was made with so much love from all of us.”

The ladies appreciated that admission, and again, it seemed like perhaps Nicolle came to Women Tell All to start fresh, make amends, and take accountability for her actions. And maybe she did! But if so, her efforts were lost in translation again when Jesse asked if she had any regrets and she said, “No. I was 100% on that show to find love and to meet Mel. I also want to say that I want to empower women…I think it’s possible to find the love of your life and maybe even create your purpose and your career and have both. Isn’t that what empowering women is all about?”

To anyone who watched the final edit, it was clear that empowerment didn’t seem to be at the top of Nicolle’s mind, rather, framing her approach as such in hindsight was a clever — albeit transparent — way to get ahead of her negative actions and give them a positive spin. And the strategy may have worked, had Debbie not chimed in to set her straight.

Debbie Deserves Her Flowers

The third runner-up on Mel’s season, Debbie Siebers, seemed authentic, open, and excited to find love from start to finish. After opening up about her ex’s suicide during Hometown Week, Debbie dealt with even more heartbreak when Mel sent her home. So when Nicolle sat next to her going on about how she set out to empower women, Debbie understandably had enough!

“That’s really hard for me to listen to…I really need to address the empowering women thing, because you did not empower us. You dismissed us. You dismissed me and my connection with Mel. You dismissed so many women. You dismissed the final two, saying, ‘It’s not gonna work out. Call me,’” Debbie told Nicolle. “I always was on your side. I had defended Nicolle every single day. But when I saw comments about the first season, the women not being so attractive? When I saw that you really were on there to date America? To be an influencer? I was so disappointed in you, and I thought you were so much smarter than that. If you want to be an influencer, you’re not gonna be if nobody likes you. You hurt me.”

DANNNG, Debbie. You hit the nail on the head! Before all the women could chime in and share their thoughts on Nicolle’s behavior, Carol called for an end to the roast, and Nicolle simply said, “Thank you. I love you all, and I’ll do better.”

The Final Three Spotlights

The rest of the night featured positive trips down memory lane, unseen clips, some comments from Susan Noles and Kathy Swarts, and three more Goldens in the spotlight. Jesse and Cheryl reminisced about her time on the show and she shared some regrets about not being as forward as she could have with Mel. Debbie took the mic again to speak on how hopeful the journey made her feelt. And finally, Mel came out to get roasted by Jared Freid again (“Tommy Bahama Frankenstein” made me LOL) and reunite with his Golden Gals. They did a lot of Mel praising, and nothing MAJOR was said, so start the countdown to Antigua on Wednesday, November 5! Hopefully things get a little more exciting!

New episodes of The Golden Bachelor Season 2 premiere Wednesdays on ABC with next-day streaming on Hulu.