Well Bachelor Nation, we’ve finally made it to the end of another season. I can tell this is going to be a long one, so let’s get right into it!

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My Takeaways

1. The episode begins with Ben chatting with his parents (after the obligatory pensive shots of the girls and Ben, complete with voiceovers), and surprising them with the bomb that he is in love with two women, and has shared that feeling with both of the women. Amy, Ben’s mom, begins her turn as the star of this episode, with her reaction. She says, “to know that Ben could possibly be in love with two women first of all is really disturbing to me.”

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   Lauren meets Ben’s parents first, and comes off poised and elegant, which I take as a sign of confidence in her feelings for Ben. She seems like herself, especially in the telling of her desire to meet Ben’s parents since their first date. She tells Ben’s dad, Dave, that she loves him and has shared that with him. She also shares that with Amy, but Amy comes back with some hard hitting questions. She states that Ben can often be his worst critic, and asks if Lauren has seen that side of him. Lauren says that she has a little but they also haven’t been through that tough of times, and their relationship hasn’t been tested. In a true showing of her love for Ben, she asks Amy what is the best way to show Ben that she is there for him and give him the support that he needs. Lauren is worried about making Ben happier, not about making herself happier. They are also holding hands (Lauren and Amy, not Lauren and Ben).

   JoJo meets the parents next. She arrives to the villa where Ben’s parents are staying with a very peculiar plant growing out of a seashell (sometimes I think people who don’t watch The Bachelor must think I make stuff up). Something about JoJo’s personality seemed off to me, and she didn’t seem to be acting like the woman that we had gotten to know in the previous weeks. I’ll bet it was just the nerves, but she seemed to be deferring to Ben more than usual. JoJo tells Dave that she loves Ben and that he is her best friend. Amy seems to really like JoJo. She said that JoJo knows what it takes to make Ben feel safe and that meeting with JoJo was “different” than meeting Lauren. Her tone seemed to imply that this was a good different. Looks like Amy is #TeamJoJo.

   Ben debriefs with his parents, and Amy delivers the line of the night: “I hate the fact that at this point in time he still doesn’t know who to plant his stake with.”

2. For their one-on-one date, Ben and Lauren take a sail boat out on the Jamaican seas. These day-time portions of the date are pretty unremarkable, as I think everyone is just so nervous about what is to come. They cuddle and say “I love you” a lot. Ben tells Lauren that things have been perfect with her and it makes him nervous and that he knew he loved her and didn’t even know why. Uhhh thanks? It’s not Lauren’s fault she doesn’t have Chad as an ex-boyfriend.
   
   At night, Lauren says that she has a lot of emotions going into the night, but Ben gives her a sense of calm. She tells Ben she’s ready to spend her life with him. Ben does what he does best and further confuses the situation by saying “no matter what happens” which never makes anyone feel better. You can see the fear in Lauren’s eyes, which is followed by an ITM where she says she is scared that Ben is in love with JoJo too. Cue the one single tear falling, classic.

   
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   JoJo and Ben’s last date was very similar to their first date in Jamaica, with the addition of a Jeep (and it was a really beautiful Jeep). They go to a watering hole, and jump off the cliffs, and then do a lot of making out under said cliffs. Then, it was time for serious conversation #1 of the date, which happens while they are drying off and sitting on a rock overlooking the water. They talk about what their life would look like together, and JoJo asks Ben if he feels good. His response: “That’s a loaded question.” JoJo continues to push and Ben says that it’s exactly what she would think is going on, and he confirms to her that he is confused about his final decision.

   JoJo no longer feels like they are on the same page, so things obviously need to be hashed out in the nighttime portion of their date. She tells Ben that she left the earlier part of their date feeling sad and confused, and Ben is left to fumble with the words to reassure her. He tells her that what he feels with her is deeper than anything he’s ever felt, and that if he makes that commitment, she would have nothing to worry about. Ben tells her that he doesn’t have any doubts or concerns about their relationship, which is also not helping JoJo understand. He says to her that she is his best friend, and that they also have great passion and intimacy.

   In an ITM JoJo says that she wants Ben to tell her that it’s her or give her a sign, and we see her leading him into the bathroom. I’m not sure if JoJo thought that she couldn’t be filmed in the bathroom, but I’m betting what he said is not what she had in mind. The two of them still had their mics on, so the entire conversation was recorded, and went something like this: 

   JoJo: I need something from you…

   Ben: …I’m sitting here, on a bathroom floor with you tonight….What I’m telling you tonight is exactly where I’m at but….
   JoJo: But you love her too. Am I right?
   Ben: Yes.

   JoJo mentions that she’s tired of competing with other people, and I question if this is true why she signed up for this show.

   After this, it’s time for Ben to leave, but he doesn’t want to leave JoJo tonight. Too bad Benny-boy this isn’t the fantasy suites, and you gotta get out of there. You have a big meeting with Neil Lane tomorrow. 

3. After both girls have completed their dates, Ben takes a meeting with Neil Lane to pick out the engagement ring for one of the ladies, although we’re not sure who, as he continues to tell both of them he loves them.  Somehow, when looking at a very square ring, he knows who the girl is going to be. 

   We get shots of both JoJo and Lauren getting ready. JoJo is wearing a super intricate and beaded pale pink gown, while Lauren in in a simple cobalt blue racerback gown.  They both get into helicopters to find out their fate. The question the audience asks is, “Who is going to get out of the helicopter first?” Every long-time Bachelor fan knows the first girl is not the one getting picked. 

   Finally, we get our answer as JoJo steps out of the helicopter. After about a 10 minute walk to meet Ben, complete with voiceovers about Ben not blindsiding her, JoJo finally gets to him. JoJo immediately goes into the typical pre-engagement spiel, that I think is mandatory when you get to this stage of the “journey”. As much as I feel like Ben should stop her, I think he is contractually obligated to let her talk. If you look at his stance, he looks ready to run. JoJo tells Ben that she trusts him and that she’s never going to run from this. Ben can’t make eye contact with JoJo as he begins his speech, and JoJo begins to realize that something is wrong. Ben says, “I didn’t know if I could find love. I found it with you but, I found it with somebody else more.”

   Ben walks her out, and JoJo is mad, hurt, and confused all at once. Ben tearfully tells her that he doesn’t know what to say to make it make sense. They have the long good-bye hug, which is one of the most painful things in the world.

   Even though Ben is about to propose to Lauren, he keeps talking about how much he loves JoJo. Then we get a hilarious shot of Ben taking off his jacket, with an ice pack in his pants.

   Now it’s time for the moment we’ve all been waiting for, the big proposal! Ben adorably calls her dad to ask for his daughter’s hand in marriage, culminating in a whoop when he gets the OK.

   
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   Lauren approaches Ben and in her speech, she tells Ben that she wants him to be her last first kiss, that he is her person, and that she loves him. Ben’s response is to tell her that he thought he was unlovable, and they went through a journey with lots of goodbyes. He says, “but Lauren I never want to say goodbye to you. I want to wake up every morning and kiss you on the face.” (You read that right, face.) He gets down on one knee and presents her with a GINORMOUS diamond, which is rumored to be worth 100K. Lauren says yes to the proposal, and they look happy as can be! Ben tells Lauren she is his person! I love Love!

   During After the Final Rose, Ben and Lauren get to make their first public appearance as a couple, but not after JoJo gets to confront Ben. Anticlimactically, JoJo doesn’t really have much to say, I wonder why? Maybe its because she is the new Bachelorette!

Best Tweets

Best Dressed

1. I loved the romper that JoJo wore on the nighttime portion of her date with Ben. The scalloped edges were cute, and the low back kept JoJo’s reign of “sexiest dresser” alive.



2. Lauren’s outfit to meet the parents, was actually one of the only ones in the entire show that I could actually pull off. A tank top tied at the waist and paired with a maxi skirt is something that all of us normal gals can work with.



3. The cobalt blue of this dress looks amazing with Lauren’s hair and skin tone. Lucky for us, this dress is actually available on Rent the Runway, and can be found here.

That’s all we’ve got for this season. I can’t believe its over and we have to wait until May (probably) to get more Chris Harrison in our life. Until then, keep checking out the site for my comments on a wider variety of topics, and as always you can find me on twitter @third_and_girl.

Thanks for reading!
xxEm