‘The Bachelorette’ Finale Recap: Becca Kufrin Chooses Her Winner, Accepts Proposal
By Kirsten Chuba
LOS ANGELES (Variety.com) – SPOILER ALERT: Do not read if you have not yet watched the Aug. 6 finale episode of “ The Bachelorette .”
After a season of ups and downs and plenty of off-camera drama, “” finally came to a close this week, with Becca Kufrin choosing between Garrett Yrigoyen and Blake for her happily ever after.
And if you thought the real-life controversy surrounding Yrigoyen would keep Kufrin from picking him, think again.
Following the drama of last week’s ” Men Tell All ” episode, Kufrin sailed into the Maldives for her last week, where she had to decide who would get her final rose and become her fiancé. The finale kicked off with Kufrin’s family flying into the tropical destination to meet her final men and help her make the ultimate decision.
Garrett’s date came first, sitting down with her mom, sister and extended family members. He opened up (for hopefully the last time) about his past marriage and what set this new relationship apart, with a surprising amount of waterworks. Kufrin’s family repeatedly expressed their love for him and confirmed to the Bachelorette she had chosen a good one. Garrett takes the lead!
When it was Blake’s turn to meet the family, he talked to her sister about his insecurity about Kufrin’s relationships with other men and his love of independent women. As her family members repeatedly brought up Garrett and how he would feel if he wasn’t picked, Blake started to spiral emotionally, fearing that a breakup was coming. “She’s going to pick Garrett,” he said in his solo interview, visibly worked up and in tears.
Meanwhile, Kufrin’s family proved to not be much help, telling her both were keepers. In a sit down with her mom, the Bachelorette was quickly also in tears over the decision she would have to make and breaking one of the men’s hearts. Good luck, girl!
For the final dates of the season, Garrett and Kufrin headed out onto the water for a boat day, where they frolicked with dolphins and spoke about their possible future together. At night, he continued to declare his love for her and express what the Bachelorette meant to him, even telling her he would be okay if Kufrin chose Blake because he just wanted her to be happy. Now cue the waterworks for the viewers.
Blake’s final date meant more exploring in the Maldives, with the two biking, paddleboarding and swimming across the tropical islands. Although seemingly still in his head, Blake seemed to have gotten some of his insecurities under control and was back to reminding Kufrin of his love. Later, Blake presented the Bachelorette with a time capsule of photo and trinkets from their relationship and seemed confident going into the final rose.
Finally, it was time for the big day. Both men picked out Neil Lane engagement rings and suited up ahead of the proposal, while Kufrin said that she had chosen the man without whom she could not picture her life.
Blake was first to arrive at the final ceremony, which, as any true “Bachelor” knows, is never a good sign. As he started his proposal, Kufrin cut him off to send him home, saying she felt the other option (AKA Garrett) was a better fit. Seemingly in shock, Blake walked in tears to the limo, while Kufrin struggled to catch her breath and had a similar emotional breakdown.
In his solo interview, the runner-up expressed his confusion and heartbreak over the final decision, and then the show cut to the Los Angeles, Calif. studio with a live audience and host Chris Harrison, who immediately sat down with Blake for his tearful reaction to the rejected proposal. Salt in the wound, Chris!
Blake spoke about his difficulty watching the season back, and sat down with Kufrin for the first time since the Maldives. He sought closure and dove into their relationship, with the two appearing to end on good terms and wishing each other the best.
Returning back to the proposal, Garrett arrived at the beachside spot to profess his love, with Kufrin finally telling him she was in love with him too. The final suitor dropped down on one knee to propose, which the Bachelorette quickly accepted and offered him the final rose.
Garrett, who received the first impression rose in the season premiere, has been at the center of controversy for months after it was revealed he had a history of liking posts on Instagram that mock Parkland high school students, liberal women, trans people, and undocumented immigrants. The contestant later apologized and created a new account, saying he deleted his old Instagram to “start fresh because I have learned an extremely valuable lesson and am taking steps to grow, become more educated, and be a better version of myself.” None of this was depicted on the show, as the posts were dug up after he had been cast and the first episode aired.
Kufrin and Yrigoyen celebrated on the beach with champagne and plenty of “I love yous.” Congrats to the happy couple!
At the “After the Final Rose” sit-down, the two took the stage for their first public appearance as an engaged couple. They discussed their time together since the show and showed footage from their private weekends away while the season aired.
The couple also tackled Yrigoyen’s Instagram controversy and how it has affected their relationship, with Kufrin admitting, “that was a major thing we had to talk about early on, in the very beginning of our relationship.”
“The Instagram situation, I don’t condone that and I know he stands by his apology and feels so bad for everyone he did offend and he didn’t mean it,” she told Harrison. “I just want to move forward and learn and grow and educate ourselves and that’s all you can ask for in another person, someone who recognizes if they make a mistake and do something wrong and want to learn and grow from it. That’s what he’s shown me.”
For his part, Garrett again apologized publicly, and credited his new fiancé with helping him become a better person.
“When that all came out, we attacked it because I feel like when I was liking things I was going against what she stands for and that made it really hard for us as a couple, so when we started talking about that we got through that together,” the “Bachelorette” winner said.
He added, “I was really worried that I might lose her from that but she knew who I was as a person and that I didn’t stand behind those likes and I was a better person than who I was presenting on my social media. Like I said, I apologize and it’s made us stronger as a couple.”
Kufrin and Garrett were vague about their future plans but said they were just going to enjoy their engagement, and in the end were gifted a minivan (like the one Garrett arrived in on night one) to leave in happily ever after.
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