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Last week, The Joes and Anna met each other. This week, they got to know each other better.

Date 1: SeaWorld

First up was a trip to SeaWorld. The guys were very excited about spending time with Anna, although they had different ways of expressing it. Dante Alighire made a point of spending as much time talking to her as he could. Chuck Adezzone and Igor Zhivotovsky, tired of Dante monopolizing her, swept Anna away.

Not that it was doing them much good. Anna felt that the aggressive guys were too pushy. When it came time to choose someone to meet Shamu, Anna made a point of choosing Nathan Griffin, because he was quiet but when he spoke, it was always to say sweet, kind things. Nathan was psyched, because even if it wasn't a date, it was the first time Anna had chosen one of the Joes for something special, and they did spend time apart from the group.

Later, of course, Anna had to choose one person to have an actual date with. She told the Joes that she was basically shy, so she'd whisper her selection ... to a sea lion! The sea lion then came over and, after rejecting various guys with a roar, gave Aaron Clauset an ugly smile indicating that he'd won. (I loved watching the sea lion look the guys over.)

For their date, Aaron and Anna played with the dolphins (which Anna said was like a dream coming true), and Anna gave Aaron a little kiss. In the evening, they sat by the pool, sipped wine, and chatted. Aaron even got his courage up to put his arm around her. He felt that she received it well. She later told the camera that she felt like she was in high school, in a movie theater. She seemed to like Aaron okay, but she also admitted that she likes guys who are passionate and take charge ... unlike Aaron. However, they still shared a nice kiss good night.

Date 2: On The Water

The next date had Josh Nachlas, Gino Cafarelli, Igor, Dante, Clay Ellis, and Dan Boncel going out on the water with Anna to ride inner tubes behind the boat. Josh was a little worried being in this group, because guys like Igor and Dante were such big characters. However, Josh scored points quickly by noticing Anna was cold and offering her a shawl early in the trip. By contrast, Igor lost points (at least among the other guys) when he replied, when asked what he'd take on a desert island, a case of condoms. Not only was it a dumb choice (who needs condoms when you're alone? but he played it off that you could use them for water balloons), but, the others agreed, it was crude, and he'd been crude in front of Anna too often. Anna herself seemed to be wondering about Igor, asking him if he was "always on." Igor said yes, but quickly added that he also knew when it was time to get serious.

The gang had a fun time riding the inner tubes (although Dante had a heck of a time getting on it), and at the end of the day, Anna once again had to choose someone to continue her date. This time, Anna chose Gino, which surprised me and made me smile.

And Gino continued to make me smile, with his gentle romanticism. He had this way of cupping her face as he kissed her cheek that made me melt. Anna seemed to enjoy her date with Gino, but it was clearly Gino that was the one melting in that pair. He kissed her repeatedly, on the face, the hands, the neck. He rhapsodized about her "round face" (she took that as the compliment that it was intended to be). Anna was, in fact, so caught up with Gino's appreciation that she even gave him a kiss. At the end of the night, after Anna left, Gino danced around the ship, giddy, even drawing the ship's captain into his joy.

Not everyone had a good day that day, though. Chuck received news of a friend in the hospital, and chose to leave the show.

Date 3: Dogs and Frisbees

The remaining guys had a group date with Anna playing Frisbee with some very talented dogs. Top dog, though, was Arthur Apicella, who was monopolizing Anna's time. In this case, though, Anna apparently didn't mind. He was the one who got the nod for the evening date.

This was the most romantic date yet, beginning with a candlelit dinner and proceeding to sitting by the pool. Arthur has a love for Sinatra and the Rat Pack, as does Anna, and they clearly were taken with one another. Anna gushed in interview that he knows how to take care of a lady. For his part, Arthur gave Anna a pair of dice that he'd carried with him for two years for luck. He told her that he realized that he didn't need the dice for luck, since he was already lucky to have met her (ummmm, which he did when he had the dice, but who combines love and logic?).

Arthur wasn't always that smooth, though. At one point he said that she was "the same calibre as women like Jessica Simpson." Yikes! He meant that she was as beautiful as a movie star or TV star, but still ... why not Ava Gardner or Ann Margaret, and keep it with the Rat Pack theme?

Anna was pretty smooth with Arthur herself. In talking about her dog, Arthur asked some of the Polish words that she used with her dog. After telling him the Polish word for "sit," she told him the Polish words for "give kiss." Arthur stammered a question about how to say that as a request instead of an imperative, and after she told him and he repeated it, they kissed.

Eliminations

And then, after the dates, came the cocktail party and the eliminations.

Here are the four who were eliminated this week:

• Igor Zhivotovsky. Last week, I picked him as one to watch, but by the end of this episode, I wasn't surprised that he was leaving. It was apparent that he was being too crude, too aggressive, and too much of a showboat for Anna. And it seemed that Igor was prepared for his departure as well.

• Dan Boncel. Who? Yeah, it was one of those eliminations. He himself admitted that it was hard to get to know someone when you're surrounded by 20 other people.

• Joshua Smith. Joshua was shocked that he was leaving, but I wasn't. If Anna was weeding out overly aggressive men, then Joshua fit the bill with his wild behavior.

• Aaron Clauset. I had a sneaking suspicion that Aaron might be leaving, after Anna's lukewarm response to their dates. He, on the other hand, was devastated.

The Hunks

All during the episode, we saw the seven Hunks making their way to Anna. One remarked that "when Anna sees us, she's going to forget those other guys' names." In honor of that statement, I refuse to put any of the Hunks' names here. Next week. This week, suffice it to say that they are all obnoxious, and some are even more obnoxious than others.

First the hunks drove up, then they took a boat, to get out to the beach where the elimination ceremony took place. After the ceremony was complete, they came ashore, stripped off their wet suits and revealed white jacketed suits. They set off fireworks (or perhaps just a flare signaling the fireworks), and while the Joes and Anna enjoyed the fireworks show, the Hunks lined up behind the Joes.

I have to give the producers credit, this was a nicely done set-up. The Hunks were all in white jackets; the Joes all in dark jackets. There was a poignancy in watching the joyful faces of the Joes, while seeing the ominous Hunks lurking behind them. And then there was that moment when the Joes turned around, and the two groups of men were facing each other, in two lines, with Anna standing at the head looking at the Hunks and feeling, she later described, like a kid in a candy shop.

The Makeover

Every week, one of the eliminated Joes gets a makeover, and this week the makeover was Joshua. I'd thought it might be Aaron, or possibly Igor, but upon consideration I agree that Joshua was the easiest to change and get dramatic results.

And he did indeed get dramatic results! I recently went from long hair to short hair, and know how that can change things, but Joshua not only lost the long hair, but was shaved clean and had his hair lightened. Holy cow! He really, truly, looked at least 15 years younger. He also got the treatment from a nutritionist, a personal trainer, a dentist (whitening), and a life coach, who really helped in identifying how Joshua keeps people at a distance.

Average Joe: The Joes Strike Backis on Tuesdays at 8:00 p.m. Eastern time, on NBC.