Remember when Clare was the Bachelorette?
Me neither, rose lovers.
(Perhaps they’ll show up on Matt’s season ofThe Bachelor?)
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Sorry, I’m getting ahead of myself.
Lots happened before that desert proposal.
He’s all,I told Chris Harrison!But that does not help his case.
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asks Tayshia, who does not really get a satisfactory answer.
(“I just blew it” is not sufficient, buddy.)
Still… is that a smile I see on the Bachelorette’s face?
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Not only that, she’s going to let him come to the rose ceremony.
This night just keeps getting weirder.
“Ben showing up tonight affects everything,” sighs Tayshia.
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“And I just kissed him!Whywould I kiss him?”
Only you’re able to answer that, ma’am.
At last, it’s rose ceremony time.
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Gah, poor guy has no idea what’s coming.
Zac shows up next, and he, too, is feeling great about where he stands with Tayshia.
He and Ivan are just two dudes ready to receive the final two roses.
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Then Ben now dressed up in a suit rounds the corner.
Ivan’s face says it all.
“Interesting,” mutters Ivan to himself.
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With that, she picks up the first rose… and then puts it back down.
Don’t do what I think you’re about to do!
Don’t do it!
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But that’s exactly what she does.
Ivan, bless him, understands that this subject is a “roadblock” for them.
“I get it,” he says.
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“I get it, Tay.”
Bring on the Bachelorette’s family!
Welcome Desmond, Rosario, Desmond Jr., and Bryce!
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Dad, didn’t she tell you?
She’s looking for a husband on TV… again!
The first man up for inspection is Ben.
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“I’m sure you heard, she dumped me last week,” he quips.
Then they all toast to “second chances.”
(In aBachelorfranchise first, Tayshia suggests a “toast,” not a “cheers.”
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Still, Desmond Sr. has concerns.
Rosario, meanwhile, wants to double-check that Ben sees her daughter as “a forever thing.”
Of course he does!
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Oh man, I know this is off-topic but justlookat how adorable Bryce is.
(Kidding don’t you dare do it, Fleiss!)
(Answer: Married, in love, starting a family.)
“I need you to know that that doesn’t scare me,” says Zac.
“It actually excites me.”
Let me tell you, Desmond Sr. “He’s a good man,” says dad of Zac.
Then they all sit down and share some (fake) New York-style pizza.
Still no Bryce time!
So here’s a question: Will Tayshia get an overnight date with Ben before making her final choice?
If not, how is she supposed to make an informed decision?
Even before we get the answer to those questions knock knock knock!
someone’s at Tayshia’s door.
And she is not happy about it.
“Are you kidding me right now?”
wails the Bachelorette as she goes to answer the door.
Don’t worry, honey it’s not yet another spurned suitor showing up to declare his love.
It’s your dad!
That said, you may not be happy about what he has to say.
All he wants is to keep Tayshia from making “the biggest mistake of [her] life.”
On that happy note, it’s time for Zac’s Last Chance Date!
Not triggering at all!
Still, she’s worried.
“Zac makes me so happy,” she says.
Just give it 6-12 months flaws are bound to turn up.
What if she gives up her career (?)
to be a stay-at-home mom and he resents that?
What if anything about their relationship changes??
“My sobriety, whatever you want to call it, is the most important thing in my life.
Damn, that is a good answer.
Am I 100 percent rooting for Zac now?
I mean, yes, because Ben is definitely not ready to be engaged.
Still, I’m probably rooting most for the “she picks no one” option.
But that’s unlikely.
Case in point:
Welp, Ben, looks like you have your work cut out for you.
Actually, never mind.
And son, it isn’t you.
And why am I even asking these questions like any of it matters at all?
Don’t answer that!)
Once again, it’s time for Ben to get dumped on camera.
Tayshia arrives at his room and breaks the news gently.
Oh, sorry, she means Zac.
The poor guy is devastated for a second time, but he doesn’t completely shut down.
“I saw it going differently,” he says quietly.
“But when you love somebody you want them to be happy.”
They share a warm hug, and then say a second round of goodbyes.
“I’m happy for you,” says Ben.
“I’m dead serious.”
Onward to proposal day, rose lovers!
You know what that means:
Neil Lane is back to peddle some bling!
Zac goes with the ginormous, emerald-cut diamond and prepares to take a knee.
But first, enter the Bachelorette!
She looks flawless, as per usual, in a fitted, off-the-shoulder silver gown.
But Tayshia is very in her feelings at this precise moment.
When Harrison greets her for the pre-proposal pep talk, the Bachelorette is almost immediately overwhelmed with emotion.
“What’s going on?”
asks the host, putting his hand on her shoulder.
“I’m just excited,” insists Tayshia, her voice tight with tears.
She seems more stressed/upset/nervous/panicked than excited, to be honest.
“It’s good,” she assures herself.
“It’s really good.”
Yep, this is definitely a woman who’s ready to get engaged.
Even Tayshia says she’s “stressed” and “overwhelmed” as she arrives at the Proposal Platform.
“I don’t know if I’m doing the right thing,” she says.
“But I love Zac, and I just hope I’m making the right decision.”
So do we, Ms. Adams.
Question: Does Zac know that he’s the only guy left at this point?
Zac’s only concern, it seems, is whether or not Tayshia will say yes.
When it’s Tayshia’s turn to speak, she damn near gives poor Zac a heart attack.
Don’t leave poor Zac hanging with “But”!!!
“It’s more than that,” Tayshia gushes after a fraught moment of silence.
Brutal fake-out, Tayshia, but well done!
Ok camera crew, get ready for the Neil Lane product shot.
“Will you marry me?”
“Yes, one thousand times!”
This calls for a fist pump.
“Gimme your hand!”
Awww, she was so happy she forgot to let him put on the ring.
Against my better judgment, rose lovers, I’m a bit choked up.
Here’s hoping these two crazy kids can defy the odds and make it work.
(c’mon don’t burst my bubble.)
Tayshia and her fiance climb in and “drive” off into the sunset.
Let us always remember them as they are in this moment: Happy, optimistic, unbothered by reality.
And there we have it, rose lovers.
Another Bachelorette “journey” in the books.
Take a moment and post your final thoughts on the Tayshia and Zac of it all below.
That kid must be protected at all costs!
