Incase you don’t remember, from last season of ABC’s The Bachelorette, this is Ben Higgins
We all fell in love with 27-year-old Ben from the moment he stepped out of the limo looking very “Boy Next Door”. We knew immediately that he was going to be the one to steal our hearts and we made a little extra effort to remember his name on night one.
Early in the game, week 3, Kaitlyn pulled the most embarrassing prank for a group date. She had child actors ask uncomfortable questions for a mock sex-ed class. Basically all the guys squirmed under pressure at the idea of talking about sex with maturity. However Ben handled the situation perfectly and once again had us swooning. In short, his talk on egg fertilization was a story of a boy and a girl who fall in love and have an emotional connection and trust between both parties that eventually down the line “if he’s lucky, meets the egg”. We learned after this episode that children are a big part of his life because he worked at a youth center and has sponsored many children throughout life because he feels as though they give him purpose.
At first he coasted his way through the show as an innocent. Being the sweet guy meant he wasn’t as assertive as the other guys in terms of competing for Kaitlyn’s love. But he was a natural charmer. One of his early group dates happened in episode 4 in which they had to preform in a rap battle. Ben H. fully admitted being at a slight disadvantage as a white male from Denver, CO. However he let his guard down and wasn’t afraid to make a fool out of himself which in turn resulted in his performance being painfully endearing.
Then in week 5 Ben finally got the one on one date we were all dreaming of, two stepping in a small town in Texas. We all secretly wished we were Kaitlyn awkwardly learning the steps as Ben assured her to trust him and power through even if it wasn’t natural. He took the lead in something that once again was not his forte but the chemistry we all felt from the other side of the screen was unreal.
Episode 8 came along and I, alongside every bachelorette fan, probably burst into tears during the one on one date with Kaitlyn and Ben This late in the game Ben finally put his guard down and explained his side of things when it came to relationships. After years of failed relationships Ben honestly believed that he was either incapable of receiving love or unlovable because he always seemed to put more into the relationship then received. This confession made me want to jump through the screen and hold him as I professed my feelings to him.
Finally week 9 came around and Ben H. got the option for a fantasy suite. In the moments after Ben accepts Kaitlyn’s invitation we learn that Ben is a virgin *gasp*. Not that it’s a big deal but Ben is a beautiful human being inside and out so I’m just baffled at how after 27 years he hasn’t found love and hasn’t been intimate with someone either. Ben revealed this to Kaitlyn by saying that he couldn’t wait to Netflix and actually chill for the whole night, literally bae.
As the last episode (week 9) wrapped up Kaitlyn decided that her connection wasn’t as strong with Ben after the fantasy suite because of his lack of long-term relationships. In my opinion though I believe for ratings she kept Shawn and Nick purely because how intense their feud was. In the end Ben’s heart was broken but in the true fashion of this show he was named the new Bachelor. I’m looking forward to Ben having 26 girls and winning all their hearts like he did mine, he deserves love!
Tune in January 2016 on ABC to watch Ben on his search for love!