Sean Lowe constantly shocked die-hard Bachelor fans each Monday with his decisions on this season of “The Bachelor.” Bachelor fans have been through the ringer with Sean on his journey to find love. From dealing with Tiara and her constant whining to sending home a fan favorite with Desiree, Sean’s unpredictable choices once again shocked fans in the finale. Show host Chris Harrison promised a whole bevy of surprises to be unveiled during the part live broadcast. So with heavy hearts and much anxiety, Bachelor fans buckled up for the ridiculously long three hour finale.
Protocol for Bachelor, the final episode started off with Catherine and Lindsey meeting Sean’s endearing family. Catherine was up first, and she met the Lowe crew: Sean’s parents, his sister Shay and brother-in-law, and his niece and nephew, Kensington and Smith. Although Catherine’s date went well, and the Lowe family seemed happy and excited to accept Catherine as a future family member, Sean’s nephew and dad stole the show during the date. Sean’s little nephew Smith so kindly reminded Sean that, “Emily didn’t pick you!”, and laughter from the entire family erupted. Then there was the very touching message that Sean’s dad Jay gave Catherine during their one on one chat. Jay and Catherine instantly hit it off and he told her, “If it’s you that Sean ends up marrying, you will never have a bigger fan than me… I’ll love you like my daughter.” Catherine’s genuine heart-felt reaction was very charming and you could tell that it meant a lot to her, considering we learned that her relationship with her father isn’t the greatest in a previous episode. Catherine’s hometown date went flawlessly and it was hard to think that Lindsey’s could even be close to as good as Catherine’s. Lindsey had the second date with Sean and his family, and she nervously walked into the date to meet the Lowe’s. As the date progressed Lindsey relaxed, for she was hyperventilating before arriving, and jokingly poked fun at herself for wearing a wedding dress on the first day to meet Sean. The rest of the date went well, as Lindsey’s talks with both mom and dad went smoothly, but it just didn’t seem to have the same spark as Catherine’s date. The Lowe family asked all the right questions and at the end could agree on the fact that both ladies were great. After both ladies met the family, the show seemed to be hinting that Catherine was the front runner; however, like most Bachelor episodes cause us to do, that feeling didn’t last long.
For the one-on-one dates Lindsey was up first, and Sean and her sailed down a river in Thailand, giggling and kissing the whole way. Lindsey told Sean, “I love you. I mean it. I’ve never meant it this much”, and the chemistry between the two was evident. Sean and Lindsay kissed and whispered sweet words into each other’s ear over dinner, and it was clear that they were smitten with each other. For the final portion of the date, Sean met Lindsey at her place in Thailand, and they sent off lanterns into the air together with messages of “family, love, and happiness.” They departed one another with a kiss, and with Lindsey once again proclaiming her love for him, and Sean telling the cameras that he is absolutely in love with Lindsey as well and can picture her as his wife.
Catherine’s one on one date seemed to be going smoothly the whole time until the end. Sean took Catherine to ride an elephant together. Although not the most romantic, this gesture thrilled Catherine, and they seemed to have a great time together. Catherine talked to Sean about how confident she is that their future is together. When Sean went to Catherine’s place, the date started to get rocky. Catherine poured out her heart to Sean, but fans could tell that Sean was pulling away and feeling guilty about his feelings for Lindsey. Before leaving, Catherine dropped the L-bomb on Sean and told him she loved him. Sean replied with, “Thank you for today” — that hurts. Although Sean is not allowed to tell any of the girls that he loves them for obvious reasons, the chemistry seemed off. Catherine chased after him, and he tried to console her but didn’t offer her much. Catherine wept on her bed and expressed to the cameras her anxiety and fear of her love not being reciprocated by Sean. After the one-on-one dates, it seemed that now, Lindsey was the front runner.
For the next 45 minutes of the show, Sean met with Neil Lane to pick out a ridiculously big, but beautiful engagement ring, and tossed and turned over whom to pick — a stock moment of indecision in every finale. Finally, Sean made his decision, got in his suit and tie, and headed off to a beautiful Thailand setting to break one girl’s heart and fill another. Traditionally the first lady to arrive to the scene is the one to go, so viewers anxiously awaited to see who was stepping out of the limo and into an emotionally grueling break-up.
First girl out — Lindsey.
Viewers were shocked as it seemed that Lindsey was the clear front-runner after their flawless one-on-one date. Sean emotionally broke the news to her, and Lindsey surprisingly handled it with much grace. She stated how she was happy for him that he had found love, and then kicked off her heels and walked out.
So with yet another shock, Catherine was the winner.
Of course Chris Harrison had to hand Sean the much anticipated letter, that trailers have been teasing us viewers with for months. Turns out it was from Catherine and was nothing but positive — shocking. The Bachelor makes the season’s biggest cliffhanger for months about something so trivial. Sean’s proposal to Catherine was very sweet, as her genuine excitement and reaction was very refreshing. Catherine didn’t even notice the ring and just fell into Sean’s arms completely in love. It was the most emotional and touching engagement yet.
On the “After the Final Rose” show, Sean and Catherine were reunited together and their love seemed to have persisted through their time apart — something that doesn’t often happen with Bachelor couples. They also announced that their wedding would be televised on ABC and that they planned for it to be soon. There is much hope surrounding Sean and Catherine’s relationship, for they are probably the most down to earth and normal couple the show has seen. Now viewers a wait the next season of “The Bachelorette” with Desiree.