If you have been watching this season, you know the drama was coming from all over the place. Between people showing up with relationships already established and Demi, the drama was endless.
This brings us to the finale. It started with Noah and Abigail breaking up. I was rooting for them, just to be crushed by them parting ways. Then we come to what we were all waiting for: the proposals. Who is leaving together and who is going their separate ways? Who found love, and who is leaving heartbroken?
Let’s start unpacking with the rose ceremony at the beginning. Wells came out and shocked everyone (is it really a shock if it happens every season though?) with no cocktail party and them going straight into the ceremony where the guys were giving out their roses to their chosen girls.
Here is how that worked out for everyone:
1. Joe gave his rose to Serena (swoon).
2. Riley gave his rose to Maurissa.
3. Kenny gave his rose to Mari.
4. Thomas gave his rose to Becca.
5. James gave his rose to Anna.
6. Aaron gave his rose to Tia.
7. Ed gave his rose to Mykenna.
We said goodbye to Natasha (who I hope becomes the next Bachelorette because she deserves this) and Chelsea. Which takes us to the next day, the fantasy suites. Dean and Caelynn came in to show the couples what can happen in paradise. The couples then broke off to have difficult conversations and to decide if they are going to the fantasy suite that night. We said goodbye to Becca, Thomas, Ed (who was such a good sport about being dumped), Mykenna, James, Anna, Aaron (who left with James), and Tia, who was so graceful about Aaron leaving her to go home with the other half of his bromance, James.
Then came the fantasy suites. Riley telling Maurissa about how he pictures Sunday mornings in the future and then telling her that when he looks at her he sees Sunday morning, made my heart MELT. I started to tear up.
The next day was the moment of truth for the three couples that remained. Will they be leaving engaged? Will they be leaving dating? Or will they be leaving separately?
Of course, we had to go through the dramatic will they/won’t they, when there were couples we knew would be leaving together.
Riley, of course, made Maurissa sit on the edge of her seat right before the final ceremony.
First up, Kenny and Mari. They had a turbulent time in the beginning with the love triangle they were in, but the two came through stronger and ultimately the boy band manager got down on one knee and asked the former pageant girl turned marketing director to marry him, and she said yes!
Then we went on to see what was going to happen with Maurissa and Riley. The 25-year-old patient care coordinator was extremely nervous and unsure what was going to happen with her and the lawyer. In the end, Riley asked and she said yes. They are actually still together, happily engaged!
Finally, we need Grocery Store Joe to get his happy ending. He and Serena seemed like an unlikely pair. And we were all on the edge of our seats because of Kendall. However, she did not try to stop the love that was blooming between the grocery store owner and the publicist. Thankfully, we got to see their happy ending with an engagement.
Toast to the three happy couples!