Over the past 11 weeks, viewers have been able to watch the new season of The Bachelor, and see 33 women fight to win Joey Graziadei’s heart. I don’t think I have ever been this invested in a TV show before, but I was ready every single Monday night at 8PM to watch. It became my favorite night of the week, I was so excited! This was actually my very first time watching the show in its entirety, and I definitely have a lot of thoughts after watching the final episode.
*Warning: There will be spoilers in this article, so if you haven’t watched the final episode, just be aware!*
Initial Thoughts
From the very first episode, I was 100% team Daisy. Ironically I had already followed her on TikTok, later following her on Instagram. I knew right away that I wanted her to win because of how sweet and caring she was, and you could already prove she was truly there for the right reasons. Her pulling up to the mansion in a little red truck hauling a Christmas tree was enough for me to know I was going to like her!
There were many women who immediately grabbed the attention of viewers: Kelsey A, Maria, Rachel, Lexi, Jenn, Edwina, Kelsey T, and especially sisters Allison and Lauren. I was definitely shocked to see sisters come on the same show, let alone the exact same season.
On the other hand, within the first few episodes, it became pretty obvious who was going to be stirring up drama; Sydney, Lea, and Jess. I am a girls girl, but let’s be honest, they were not it. There was so much miscommunication that caused so much unnecessary drama, especially when it came to them attacking Maria’s character. They definitely kept it entertaining, but it was just so stupid that it became laughable. Throughout the whole season, I was definitely on team Maria, that poor girl deserved so much better. During the ‘Women Tell All’ episode, I was very happy to see everyone apologizing and rekindling friendships and how they realized they made such a big deal out of nothing.
Recap
When the show got down to the final four, it was really hard to predict who Joey was going to end up with. All four women, Daisy, Rachel, Maria, and Kelsey A, are amazing people. All four of them were able to connect with Joey enough for him to know he wanted to meet their families. This episode was definitely one of the most emotional episodes of the season, and I honestly didn’t know who he would be able to send home. When the rose ceremony came for this episode though, I realized pretty quickly that he was going to send Maria home. I honestly hated this so much, because I loved watching her literally carry this season.
Fast forward to the final rose ceremony, Daisy and Kelsey A were left. At this point in the show, both of these women got to meet Joey’s family. At the start of the episode, I was both excited and nervous because I truly did not know who Joey was going to pick. I loved both of them, so I was going to be happy either way, but I was definitely pulling for team Daisy.
Within the first hour of the show, after both women were able to meet his family, I knew exactly who he was going to pick. You could see it plain as day when he was talking about Kelsey A, that she was the one. I was absolutely crushed because Daisy had just explained to his family that she would marry him 100%, he was the one for her. Both Kelsey and Daisy still had their final dates to go on, and the episode just kept getting even more sad. Joey was not telling Daisy that he already made up his mind, she had to put the pieces together herself.
The Final Rose
Up until this point, I fully respected Joey. But the minute Daisy said “I love you” and he literally just stared back at her and said nothing, all that respect was just gone. I cannot fathom why he strung her along at this point because her heart just kept breaking and it was so sad to see.
During this point in the episode, we all know he was going to pick Kelsey A. Although I was upset, and still am, about the Daisy situation, they are absolutely adorable together. I am glad they found something genuine with each other because that is, after all, the entire point of this show.
The Next Bachelorette
After viewers got to watch the final episode and see who Joey not only gave his final rose to, but also proposed, we got to hear who would be the next bachelorette! I was one of the many people who desperately wanted it to be Maria because she deserved so much better than what she experienced this last season.
At first, they tricked us and brought Daisy out on the stage, but then they made the true announcement, someone not many people actually saw coming; Jenn Tran.
No hate to Jenn at all, but this was unexpected. While she was in this season for most of the time, she didn’t make the most impact as the other women throughout the season. She definitely brought some humor, but she wasn’t who I was expecting to come back and be the bachelorette. It is really iconic that she accepted it though, because she is the first Asian American cast by ABC! Although I probably won’t be watching her season, I hope she is able to find her person! I am still a little upset that Maria is rumored to have declined the offer.