If you’ve been anywhere on the internet in the past few weeks, there’s no doubt that you’ve heard some of the gossip surrounding the season 23 finale of “The Bachelor.” This show is such a guilty pleasure, and although the concept seems ridiculous to many (including the die-hard fans), we can’t stop watching it.
For those fans who check the spoilers before the season even starts, like me, the ending came pretty unsurprisingly, which made it even more entertaining to watch everyone else’s reactions around us. If you haven’t seen the finale yet, here’s a quick recap of the two-day rollercoaster.
Recap
At the start of the finale, I think most people knew instantly that Colton Underwood, the bachelor this season, was incredibly smitten with Cassie Randolph. He went on his first overnight date with Tayshia Adams, and while it seemed like it went well, his second date hit pretty hard. Colton took on his next fantasy suite date with Cassie. During the date, Cassie was still hesitant about the whole engagement situation. Right before the fantasy suite, Cassie’s father showed up out of the blue and asked her to consider why she was doing on the show, and if she actually could picture herself getting engaged to Colton. Talk about perfect timing.
She discussed this with Colton, admitting to him that she was planning to leave, which caused Colton to straight up panic. Colton basically reassured her that he loved her and begged her to stay. He even told her that she was the one he wanted at the end. Still, she remained confused and conflicted, and said her goodbyes to Colton. Then came the long-awaited fence jump. People leaving happens quite often, but having the Bachelor actually chase after them? Iconic.
After straight up admitting to Cassie that he knows he wants her to be his fiancé, it doesn’t seem fair for him to just pretend that he is falling in love with the other two contestants. He decides to cut off the relationships with the other two women and chase after Cassie. Tayshia took the breakup extremely well, actually comforting Colton in her own time of pain, while Hannah G appeared fully blindsided and upset and for very good reason. But don’t worry, she looked stunning when she saw him again during the finale reunion, showing Colton that she had moved on and was better than ever.
Colton chases after Cassie and convinces her to go meet his family and give them another shot, telling her that he had already quit the show and said goodbye to the other two women. Cassie was in complete shock, but agreed. Since then, the couple is not engaged, like how most “Bachelor” seasons end, but rather are dating and taking it “day by day.” They said that they see engagement in the near future, but are not quite ready to take that step yet.
One of the biggest moments of the finale, besides the winner, was the announcement of the new Bachelorette! The next season will surround Hannah B, one of the last contestants in Colton’s season. Some fans seem to be disappointed in the chosen Bachelorette, while others are utterly excited. Either way, the next season is bound to be a whirlwind of excitement and drama, and we can’t wait to meet the new contestants!
Reactions
With the insanity that was the finale, I wanted to get perspectives of some of my friends and family on their thoughts on the ending, including Colton’s winner and the newest Bachelorette.
My older sister:
My older sister has been an avid fan of the show for years. She said that while she loves the couple now, she definitely sensed Cassie’s hesitation and understood it.
“I think [Colton and Cassie] are adorable now, but deep down I think she wanted to leave. You saw her demeanor change when her dad didn’t give the blessing, and I think mine would too—if my husband didn’t get my dad’s approval, I wouldn’t be able to say yes to marriage either. She’s been on a reality TV show before, so she understood how they worked and it held her back, which I think is a good thing.”
As for the Bachelorette reveal, she said she absolutely loves Hannah B and can’t wait to see her next season. “I think she’s like a little firecracker. You don’t know what she’s gonna say next.”
My friend:
My friend watched this every week and we constantly discussed our thoughts on the episodes. Her favorite of the top three girls was Cassie, so she was happy to see that she was the final (although unofficial) rose.
“I like how Colton changed the show and did his own thing. It showed that he didn’t care about what other people thought, he only cared about being with her. I really liked Cassie, because she seemed real and treated the show realistically.”
When I asked her about the new Bachelorette, she was quick to state that she wasn’t a fan of the choice—she wished it had been Caelynn.
My boyfriend:
One of the funniest things this season was watching the show with my boyfriend. It is always so interesting to get a guy’s perspective on a reality TV show about love.
“It was a great decision on his part [to pick Cassie] because that was the girl he was the most crazy about. The issue he had was that he gave up on the other girls too early in the season. He should have given Hannah G more time, because she had no opportunities to have her own fantasy suite date.”
As for the Bachelorette reveal, he thinks that he would have liked to see Hannah G as the future bachelorette instead, since she got completely blindsided at the end.
And with that, season 23 has come to an end. Until next season, Bachelor Nation.