We continue with the 2nd part of ABC’s The Bachelor finale. We catch up with Clayton Echard at the Hilton in Iceland as he wonders about what he will say to Susie. Jesse Palmer swings by Susie’s room and lets her know that Clayton has been distraught since she left. Susie obviosuly decides to talk to him and finds him there with his parents! She asks to talk with him privately and lets him know what she was thinking.
She lets him know that she can’t answer right now if she is willing to stay and he says that he understands. He decided to let Rachel and Gabby know that he is no longer continuing with them and they don’t take it well.
Back at the finale studio, Gabby comes to the stage and we see her grandfather which we all love as we know he loves her. Gabby shares her thoughts on what took place as she listened to Clayton saying that he was no longer interested in pursuing them and how she thought that she would be the one in the end.
Clayton joins Gabby on the stage and Gabby lets him know how she feels. Although she says she doesn’t think that he is malicious, he isn’t transparent. She believes that he didn’t compartmentalize the relationships even though he said he did. She also explains the importance of loving someone, saying it to the person it is intended to, protecting them and more.
Back on the show, he chats with Rachel and listens to her lay out the timeline and as Rachel notes, he doesn’t even shed a tear. He leads her to the car and she’s left to pick up the pieces. Back on the stage, Rachel watches it playing back and thinking about how in love she was with him. She also sees that in looking back, she fought hard for it and that Clayton just showed disrespect to them. As she talks about her experiences in Iceland, we see her tear up and at one point, Jesse asks if she is still in love with him. She explains that now that she sees everything that went on, she has no feelings for him because all she sees is the disrespect that he show the women that were still trying to continue their journey for them.
Rachel and Clayton are on the stage together. She feels that she will use this time to stand up for herself and to say the things that she didn’t get the chance to stay. Unlike Gabby, she didn’t get up to give him a hug. Rachel shares her thoughts and talks about how she sees him now and how he maneuvered the season. She lets him know that she doesn’t believe them. Throughout, we see that her parents are anger and we can only imagine what they really want to say if they had the ability to do so! Clayton maintains that he did what he thought was best, but he is angling to be a better person.
With both Gabby and Rachel out of the picture, he is focused on doing whatever it takes to win Susie back. He has his Neil Lane (who is also in the audience) ring and hopes that he can leave Iceland with his love. He tells her how much he loves her and how ready he is. She thanks him for his letter and can appreciate all the sentiments but she plans on leaving the island alone as she is not where he’s at and doesn’t feel that she can get there. He asks her if it’s really over or if she needs more time and she lets him know it’s over!
Back in the studio, Jesse says it’s the first time in Bachelor history that there has been a rejection at the final rose ceremony of the Bachelor and the journey ends with no one - or is it? Ultimately, Clayton and Jesse talk about the show and we learn that he is currently dating Susie! Even though she left the experience, they took time apart and then they reconnected! Before we get more details, we learn that the next Bachelorette will not be Gabby or Rachel! We now know that he will be moving in with her in Virginia as he has given up his job, sold his condo etc. He also asks her if she will accept the final rose which she does.
Gabby and Rachel will not only both be The Bachelorette but they will be in the same season! We loved how these two were with one another and this is a new twist to the show that we didn’t expect! We also love their families which we hope we will see more of in their journey! We also learn that Jesse will be the host which will be nice as there’s something to be said for someone that has been through the process and that they already know well.
With that, it’s a wrap! This season had various twists and turns and now, it’s time to look forward to The Bachelorette and our two fave ladies from this season, Gabby and Rachel!
Each night during the season, we tweet about The Bachelor and you can chat along with us (@AthleisureMag + with our Co-Founder/Creative + Style Director, Kimmie Smith @ShesKimmie) to see what’s taking place!
Each week we will let you know who our faves were from the last episode and if we’ve changed up since then as it pertains to who we think should go to Hometowns.
We also suggest a podcast that we’ve become obsessed with over the past few seasons, Wondery’s Bachelor Happy Hour to get their feedback!
SEASON 26 - EPISODE 12
So Gabby and Rachel will be The Bachelorette in the same season! We couldn’t be happier to seethis.
THE BACHELOR CONTESTANTS
Read the latest issue of Athleisure Mag.
