The Bachelor recap: Sharks, smoked trout and a trip back to school

It's crunch time for the bachelorettes, so why not bundle them into a cramped flying contraption for 10 hours and finish the series on the other side of the world? Welcome to Cape Town, South Africa.

Bachelor Blake arrives first and makes a beeline for the jeweller. It's like the guy behind the counter can smell the blank cheque and quickly steers our main man away from the wussy "commitment rings" and toward the pricey engagement rings.

'I, hand on heart, love you': Sam tells Blake how she feels on the super yacht.

"I never expected to be falling for three women," he croons.

OMG… three proposals? Maybe not, but that off-the-shelf sparkler just isn't going to cut it. Blake wants to design that ring from scratch, even though he (supposedly) hasn't made up his mind as to who the lucky lady will be.

'Ek is life vir jou,' Louise whispered to Blake.

Like many West Australian beach babes, Blake seems to have acquired both a fear of and fascination with sharks. Whether Sam likes it or not, she's going to climb into a tiny cage as great white sharks nibble on conveniently placed animal carcasses floating around her head.

"Are they seals?" Sam asks, as a shark leaps out of the water and gobbles up the aforementioned seal with a single chomp. How romantic!

There's not really an opportunity for much talking (or kissing), so time for a quick change of scenery aboard the "super yacht".

Now that they have a chance to have a "real conversation", Sam is ready to put her heart on the line.

'It is a bit hard when you can't say it back': Lisa tells Blake.

"I've told you back at the bach pad I was falling in love with you and it depended on my home town date," she stumbled.

Firstly, I love that Sam called it the "bach pad". Secondly, I love the little pep talk she gives herself before letting it all out.

'I never expected to be falling for three women': Lisa, Louise and Sam wait to see who goes home.

"I, hand on heart, love you - very much so. Sometimes, I can tell by the way you look at me that you love me too," she gushes.

Obviously. Blake isn't going to tell her he loves her, that would give the game away. Instead, he offers a very bland reply.

"That makes me so, so happy to hear you say that," he said.

Cue kisses and tears.

Louise is up next and is whisked away to a picturesque setting for lunch.

Smoked trout is on the menu, but Louise is the one being grilled.

"Do you feel that you know me, away from the Rolls Royce, the yacht?" Blake asks.

You mean, the Rolls Royce and yacht that aren't yours? Not to worry, she has the right answer.

"I wouldn't be here if I didn't see a long lasting love," Louise said.

As she goes in for the kiss, a bunch of singing dudes come in and crash the party. Is this the twist I've been waiting for? Are these guys "bach pad" intruders come to woo the girls away?

Nope, they're just singers and now Louise is crying.

Blake whisks her away to the hotel's presidential suite and suddenly the two are canoodling in the pool.

"Ek is life vir jou," Louise whispers. She says it's "I love you" in Afrikaans, which proves blondie is able to use Google Translate.

"Can you see yourself spending the rest of your life with me?" Blake asks.

"I can, 100 per cent," Louise replies, and they kiss. Of course they do.

Nervous Lisa does her little spiel to the camera, and describes the "butterflies" she feels whenever she sees Blake.

Little does she know, she's standing outside of a non-descript building in one of Cape Town's most disadvantaged areas. Perhaps a good reason to feel nervous.

Blake arrives and tells her he's taking her to a school. A love school? No, a real school with a whole bunch of hyperactive children.

"Seeing Blake with these kids reassures me that he would be a fun father," Lisa says, then she cries too.

The kids give her a whole bunch of handmade cardboard love hearts, she cries again, and then Blake bundles her into a helicopter to curb the waterworks.

Not much happens during the scenic helicopter ride, so Blake opts for the tried-and-tested presidential suite – "somewhere we could just talk".

Lisa talks about the future and about having babies with Blake, but stops short of telling Blake she luuurves him.

"It is a bit hard when you can't say it back. Even if I do say it, I feel like I would like to know exactly what you're feeling," she says.

"I'm ready and I'm willing to say more, but I can't until I hear it from you."

Nope, Blake still isn't going to use the L word. There's still one episode to go, and advertising rate for the finale probably a lot higher.

"I am falling for you hard. Every time I see you, more and more so. You've swept me off my feet," Blake tells Lisa.

Rose ceremony time.

Blake "can't express what it's meant to be on this journey with the three of you", so he gets straight down to business.

Sam gets the first rose. She's the favourite with the bookies.

Lisa gets the last rose. She's chomping at the bit to have Blake's babies.

Louise gets shown the door, but she refuses to let go entirely.

"The love that I have for you will last a lifetime," she tells Blake. Is that code for "if it doesn't work out with the others, call me?"

And so it's a battle of the nice girls to the finish. Wouldn't it be awesome if they exchanged friendship bracelets and walked off into the sunset together?