Hello Bachelor Nation! Welcome to my final recap of this season’s Bachelor. Tonight, all will be revealed on the Most Dramatic Season Finale Ever. I know that I, as well as you all, and Ben, Lauren and JoJo are all feeling:
First tonight we have both of the girls meeting Ben’s parents for the first time. Ben admits to being in love with both women to his parents, and his mom “is disgusted,” which I personally thought was a strong word. I mean, her son has been on the show twice now, she should know how the process works. Lauren arrives first and both of his parents just fall in love with her. They can’t stop talking about how polished and polite she is. Ben’s dad said Lauren set the bar very high. Lauren can’t stop talking about how much she loves Ben, and you can tell Ben’s parents are glad to hear it. However, with the good editing skill of ABC, the entire date looks as if Ben’s parents aren’t all that impressed with Lauren. Interesting.
Next, JoJo gets to meet Ben’s parents. She walks in with a bundle of energy and it’s a completely different vibe from the day before. (Again, good editing ABC) JoJo answers all of the questions with ease, and even comes up with answers to questions before they are even asked. After the date, the audience can tell Ben’s parents like JoJo. However, I think they are split with Ben’s mom pulling for Lauren and Ben’s dad leaning toward JoJo. Clearly the Higgins family likes to fall in love with both women! Ha!
Ben then goes on dates with both women before he makes his final decision. First, Ben meets up with Lauren and they go on a boat ride out to a beach in Jamaica. You can tell throughout the entire date that Ben is not present. His mind is up in the clouds and he is constantly overthinking everything. His mom mentioned how hard he can be on himself, and Lauren starts to notice how difficult the day is becoming for Ben. They quickly leave and head back to Lauren’s room. Unfortunately, Ben’s mood doesn’t change and he can barely hold a conversation. All he can do is kiss Lauren and tell her how much he loves her. But, (again with the good editing ABC) Lauren can tell this might be the last date she ever goes on with Ben and she starts to sob. It was actually one of the saddest things I have seen on this show. I definitely thought Ben was sending her home after they said their goodbyes that night. It is quite emotional. At this point I feel like JoJo’s mom during the hometown date.
Ben’s date with JoJo isn’t much better. They head out to another waterfall and the bluest water I’ve ever seen. Again, Ben’s head is all over the place and it’s really hard to know what he’s thinking. The weird part about their date is JoJo says she and Ben haven’t talked about what happens after the show, such as where they will live. RED FLAG. Honey, if you ain’t talking about the future, then you ain’t got no future. When they go back to JoJo’s room, Ben again breaks down and can’t keep his emotions to himself. JoJo pulls him into the bathroom so they can have a private conversation. During this time, JoJo finds out about Ben loving Lauren too and telling Lauren how he feels, just like he has done with JoJo. When they come back out, Ben and JoJo are both in tears. Not good. Ben leaves soon after and at this point I’m still not sure who he will end up with.
Finally, it’s the day of the proposal! I feel like the table on JoJo and Ben’s first date.
I don’t know who he is going to choose! And neither does Ben! What is going on! The greatest part of tonight’s episode is when Neil Lane asks Ben what kind of girl he is proposing to and Ben looks like he is going to puke. Because he has no idea! What a mess!
I guess Ben makes up his mind because JoJo is first out of the helicopter (which is never a good sign) and Ben has to break her heart. The sad part is Ben lets JoJo just keep going on and on about how much she loves him and how he’s her best friend, before he cuts her off and breaks up with her. It is sad, and kind of reminiscent of when Ashley let Ben (the other Bachelor named Ben) almost propose to her. Whoops. Ultimately, Ben sends JoJo on her way and they both end up in tears.
BUT THEN MY FAVORITE THING HAPPENED. This season has been full of lots of firsts for The Bachelor and Ben has broken many token rules. But before proposing to Lauren, he called her dad and asked for her hand in marriage. The phone call is so sweet and had me in tears. You can hear in both Ben’s voice and Lauren’s dad’s voice how happy they are for this day to be here. Wow. I want my future husband to do that. Ben, you are classy. Lauren shows up and spills her guts out to Ben. Ben looks so giddy, it’s really adorable! He gets down on one knee and says how he never wants to say goodbye to her. He pulls out this huge rock and she laughs out of excitement. It is one of the sweetest proposals on this show to date. They walk off into the sunset filled with joy and I loved every second of it.
During After the Final Rose, JoJo and Ben meet up for the first time since Ben broke her heart. Their conversation is uneventful and you can tell JoJo is over it.
And yet again, ABC throws us another curveball! JoJo is the next Bachelorette!!! They haven’t picked the runner up to be the Bachelorette since season one! Hallelujah!
I am crying tears of joy because I am so glad it’s not Caila. Sorry honey but you were just too fake. I can’t deal, and apparently neither can America. I’m so glad we get to take another journey with JoJo to and watch her find love. The Bachelorette starts up on May 23rd! You don’t want to miss the most dramatic season ever!
The end of the show is Lauren and Ben hugging their family and announcing they will be getting married VERY SOON. Lauren is moving to Denver in a few weeks and there will soon be wedding plans. I am definitely looking forward to moving back to Denver and seeing this hot couple walking around town.
It’s been a crazy season ladies. Thanks for going on this journey with me. I can’t wait to spend many more Monday nights with you at HC. Until next time Bachelor Nation. xoxo