The Bachelorette has aired its iconic 13th season finale, and as the dust settles, we can finally confirm what we’ve known for weeks:
Rachel Lindsay has given out her final rose! But to whom?!
Viewers have waited all summer for the answer to this:
Were The Bachelorette spoilers we’ve been discussing for weeks – especially after the conventional wisdom changed – correct in the end?
And given many fans’ growing concerns regarding one of the three guys left in the running for Lindsay’s love, did we want them to be?
Might an epic twist rock Rachel, Peter, Eric and Bryan and end the season on a note that not even Bachelorette spoiler aficionados predicted?
To channel our inner Chris Harrison for a moment, this may go down as the most anticipated, controversial finale in Bachelor history.
The beautiful Dallas attorney, a veteran of The Bachelor, spent 11 weeks paring down 25 suitors to the three standing before her tonight.
All the while, dispatching the likes of DeMario Jackson, Lee Garrett, that Whaboom guy and some others who were actually tolerable.
So would Rachel give the final rose to Bryan Abasolo, the smooth-talking Miami doctor whose confidence has turned off many a competitor?
Or would it go to Peter Kraus, a guy who looks and acts the part of a swoon-worthy fiance – but who has expressed 11th-hour reservations?
Or would Eric Bigger, whose relationship with Rachel has developed slowly but powerfully, pull off an upset no one believed to be possible?
Yes, all three gentlemen met her family as Rachel grappled with what could be the most difficult and consequential decision of her life.
Who does she see a brighter future with – and can she trust that person with her heart, especially given the doubts surrounding them?
So which guy got the rose, if anyone? Did they get engaged – and perhaps most consequentially of all, are they still engaged right now?
Man alive, The Bachelorette producers sure can cut a slick series finale, keeping us guessing and slowly dialing up the drama to 11.
In the end, though, there was no major shocker:
Rachel Lindsay is engaged to Bryan Abasolo.
Yes, her first impression rose recipient all those weeks ago is now her fiance, having proposed (she said yes) at the end of the night.
But that doesn’t mean the road to Rachel Lindsay’s engagement ring was easy for her, or this wasn’t super painful for for Bryan to watch.
The finale focused heavily on fan favorite and eventual runner-up, Peter Kraus, and his lingering apprehension about popping the question.
Peter asked Rachel how she would feel if he couldn’t propose, which made her realize how strong her feelings actually were for him.
For Peter, that emotion “went a long way,” and he got invited to the Fantasy Suite, as did Bryan, obviously … but then things got a bit weird.
Bryan noticed that she was a little checked out, and Rachel admitted later that she was hung up on Peter and her complicated feelings.
In any case, Eric didn’t make it to the final two.
Bigger was definitely the bigger person in his heartfelt reaction to this, however; Eric thanked her and gushed about Rachel at length.
In a Bachelorette first, the show essentially scuttled the After the Final Rose special, splicing together the reunions with Monday’s finale.
That made for some crafty editing, as well as the revelation that Rachel’s choice – Bryan vs. Peter – would not come until the very end.
But which one would it be?!
For a time, it felt like the connection with Peter was just more real.
Stronger. More genuine and compelling. But for Rachel, Peter not saying he’d propose was brutal, and ultimately this couple’s undoing.
Peter then fully admitted he wasn’t ready to propose, while at the same time confusing her with his talk about building a future together.
Many mixed emotions, to put it mildly, on this finale.
Kraus said that he decided way too recently that he was in love with Lindsay; Peter didn’t want to lose Rachel, but also wasn’t ready.
Eventually, she felt she had to tell him goodbye, saying that if he proposed the next day, it was only ‘cause he knew she wanted him to.
Perhaps he just wasn’t meant for this show, or life.
Their live sit-down was painfully awkward and sad, but at least there was the actual proposal – almost an afterthought after all we just saw.
Fortunately, Rachel called Bryan the perfect foundation, and he pulled out a pear-shaped ring, and soon they were engaged. HOORAY!
We wish the couple nothing but the best going forward and everything, having just seen all this, you do have to wonder, though:
1. Will it last? Do people dislike Bryan for kind of no reason?
2. Did Bryan cover his ears during all the Peter scenes? If he watched, is he equally convinced that he was really her second option?
3. Did Peter just kill his chances of being The Bachelor?
4. How do you feel about Eric’s beard on the live show?
5. Does Chris Harrison have the best job on TV?
Hit the comments and let us know!
