We’ve arrived at the finish line, Bachelor Nation. On Monday’s two-hour season finale, Rachel Lindsay finally got what she’s desired for so long: an engagement — and one sparkly rock on that finger.
Of course, it wasn’t without a few (painful) bumps in the road — namely in the form of her runner-up, with whom she parted ways in one of the most heartbreaking scenes in franchise history.
SPOILER WARNING: If you haven’t seen Monday’s season finale of The Bachelorette, heads up that the outcome will be revealed in this article.
FANTASY SUITE DATE WITH PETER
Picking up where we left off, the finale opened midway through the evening portion of Rachel and Peter’s overnight date, where the two were deep in discussion over the fact that Peter — despite caring for her deeply — wasn’t ready to propose, while Rachel wasn’t willing to leave without an engagement.
“This is what I want,” she explained. “I want a proposal, I want marriage … I’m putting all of this out there, and he’s telling me he can’t give it to me. It’s hard because I’ve done this before — I had a five-year relationship that I thought was moving towards marriage that never left the girlfriend-boyfriend stage. How do I know that it’ll leave that girlfriend-boyfriend stage with Peter if I agree to just date him?”
But she wasn’t ready to give up just yet, and decided to offer him the Fantasy Suite card so the two could spent an evening together — alone.
“Peter and I are both falling in love with each other, so I feel like there has to be a way to fix this,” she said. “There has to be a way to make this right. I don’t question his feelings for me by any means — I just feel like he’s fighting it and I know that I need to see this through.
”“To have this private time, this extended time, is everything for us,” she added. “Because right now, I don’t know where we go from here. How do you have such deep feelings for someone and then just walk away because you can’t work it out?”
The next morning, the two woke up wrapped in each other’s arms — but Rachel’s anxiety lingered on. She knew that the two were still on “opposite ends of the spectrum” when it came to a potential engagement.
“I just never thought I’d be in a situation where I could pick somebody who doesn’t want to propose to me,” she said. “It’s been a heavy week, and it’s not over yet.”
FANTASY SUITE DATE WITH BRYAN
Up next, it was time for Rachel’s last overnight date — this time with Bryan. The two spent the day exploring the region of Rioja on horseback, but Rachel’s situation with Peter was clearly still affecting her mood, leaving her visibly distracted and quiet at times.
That evening, Bryan addressed the awkwardness with Rachel, gently noting that she seemed a little “off.” Though she felt bad that her relationship with Peter had affected her date with Bryan, she was glad that he was able to pick up on her energy. She apologized, told him her mood had nothing to do with him, and offered him the Fantasy Suite card.
“It is very comforting and reassuring to know exactly where Bryan stands — how he feels about me, about us, and where he wants to go with us,” she admitted. “I feel like our relationship is just moving forward in a really good way.”
By the next morning, things were right back on track with these two — and, according to Bryan, the “chemistry” was “hotter than ever.” (Translation: “We had sex.”)
FROM PEN: Rachel Lindsay on Making History as First African American (& ‘Oldest’) Bachelorette — ‘All Eyes Are on Me’
FINAL ROSE CEREMONY
The final rose ceremony was weighing heavily on Rachel. Not only did she have a big decision to make by sending either Bryan, Peter or Eric home, but it was also the rose ceremony where she was sent home on Nick Viall‘s season.
“Coming into this week, I really was hoping to gain a lot of clarity,” she told her final three men. “But if I’m honest with myself, I’m more confused than ever. The only thing I know to do is be true to what I want for myself at the end of this.”
“I want a proposal,” she said, looking directly at Peter. “I didn’t come here to date, I didn’t come here to have a boyfriend. I came here to cultivate a relationship that’s moving towards the common goal of marriage.”
The first rose, unsurprisingly, went to Bryan — and ultimately, even though he wasn’t quite where he needed to be emotionally, Rachel’s feelings for Peter were simply stronger than her feelings for Eric, and she opted to send Eric home. The two bid each other farewell, with Eric remaining as respectful and kind as ever.
“Eric and I get each other in such a different way than any of the other men that have been here,” she said. “And it’s so evident in him saying goodbye: no bitterness, no hate, no regrets — and that’s why Eric is such an amazing and beautiful person.”
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FINAL DATE WITH BRYAN
Finally, the time had come for Rachel’s very last dates with her two finalists. Up first was Bryan — who, unlike Peter, was ready to propose like, yesterday. After a hot air balloon ride at dawn, the two spent the evening hanging out in Bryan’s hotel room, where he gifted her with an adorable homemade Spanish dictionary.
“I can’t even envision [us breaking up], but I would be devastated,” he told her. “I would be the most heartbroken I’ve been in my life if I lost you. I just love you.”
But Rachel, on the other hand, still hadn’t made up her mind.
“Every moment that I spend with Bryan reminds me of how strong our relationship is,” she said. “But one of my biggest fears is that at the end of this I’m going to make the wrong decision. I don’t know what I’m going to do yet.”
FINAL DATE WITH PETER
Going into her last day with Peter, Rachel was petrified — and so was…
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