Quick flashback to Monday night: A few friends and I gathered in my residence hall’s common room, eager for Nick to make his final decision. Needless to say, The Bachelor gives us girls a reason to buy our favorite snacks and beverages, allowing ourselves a “cheat day” so we can chow down during the most nerve-racking moments the show has to offer. So there I was, clearly Team Vanessa, sipping some hot cocoa and piling popcorn into my mouth throughout the entire last episode of Season 21… That is, until, the first car pulled up to the “engagement destination”… that’s when sh*t got real.
During the first hour of The Bachelor Finale, my friends and I were having a ball, poking fun at Nick’s fake tears and over dramatized “I love you’s”. Truth be told, I’ve been skeptical of Nick ever since the first episode of Season 21. While I truly want to believe that Nick is husband-worthy, I find his hesitance towards marriage and finding a wife to be ironic… I mean, isn’t “finding love” the whole reason why he’s been on The Bachelorette twice and Bachelor in Paradise? Then, all of a sudden, when he was finally chosen to be The Bachelor, thus guaranteeing himself a wife, he’s suddenly doubtful? I don’t know, I guess there’s a reason why he is the most controversial Bachelor ever chosen…
When 9:00 finally came around, my friends and I were on the edge of our seats. While I do admit to being apart of Team Vanessa, I feel as though Raven would have been a better fit for Nick. For one, I truly believe that Vanessa is out of Nick’s league – her standards are high, she’s selfless and she holds her family above all else. Also, she was willing to question Nick’s ability to choose a wife, claiming that she wouldn’t marry him if his relationship with her was “slightly better than his relationship with someone else”. Raven, on the other hand, was willing to give up literally everything for Nick out of love for him, confidently stating that she couldn’t wait to get engaged while she was on her way to the final rose ceremony.
Around 9:30, both women were seated in their designated cars, driving separately (and at different times, of course) to Nick’s “engagement destination”. In past Bachelor seasons, the first woman to arrive is typically the runner-up, and when my friends and I saw Raven’s silver Jimmy-Choo heel step out of her Mercedes, we felt a sense of shock. We asked the same question simultaneously: “What is Nick thinking?!” As stated before, I certainly am apart of Team Vanessa (formerly Team Corinne), but Raven was 100 percent positive that Nick was the man for her. Vanessa wasn’t even sure she wanted to marry him yet!
After Raven was sent home in a puddle of tears, Vanessa received her engagement ring, gleeful as can be. Truth be told, Nick and Vanessa make a beautiful couple, and I sincerely hope that their relationships beats the odds and lasts a lifetime. In all, Season 21 of The Bachelor was far from disappointing, though I was half expecting (and hoping) that Corinne would make an appearance in the final episode at some point!