Episode 12: After the Final Rose

Wow! Was that a great season or what?

Think WAY back to the previous cycle. Remember how terrible Ben’s season was?

Naked skiing in San Francisco. 

Questionable morals.

Questionable hair. 

The all-too-predictable triumph of a self-absorbed, self-proclaimed “winning” model.

Media-covered fallout of engagements won and lost and won again as it turned out the model really was too good to be true.

So I say again, I LOVED Emily’s season of The Bachelorette! It was refreshing to see restraint regarding the Fantasy Suites. I remember being shocked – SHOCKED! – as a high schooler watching Alex Michel’s FS “overnight dates” during the inaugural season of The Bachelor and this season redeemed my faith in the franchise...mere moments before it was completely shattered by Bachelor Pad. [Seriously, do NOT watch Bachelor Pad! I think the diseases on exhibit can be contracted through your television.]

The bulk of drama on this very special episode of ATFR centers around Arie. He had a very difficult time moving on and actually flew out to Charlotte to see Emily. When he arrived however, “it didn’t feel right,” so he turned around and flew back to Phoenix. What did feel right was leaving his journal from taping (it's a journal- NOT a diary!) on an engaged woman’s doorstep across the country. Not creepy at all. Apparently Arie was also calling Emily to the point that Jef had to step in and say “Lay off my woman!”

Not really. The ever-classy One F Jef  (half of this season's Arie/Jef BFF bromance, a deviation of the Ben F/Constantine Original Recipe) called Arie to smooth things over and now they talk periodically on the phone and are back to BFFy status. Jef is such a gentleman, no matter how much his hair attempts to upstage all other qualities. And for the record, Arie says he and Emily didn’t just make out all the time…it’s just that all of their deep conversations were edited out. Uh-huh. Yeah. Editing...that was it. 

Perhaps he, Ryan and all other previously inaccurately portrayed Bachelor contestants could form their own version of the Justice League.

After Emily is brought out, Chris Harrison asks the perfunctory prompt:

Arie, are there any questions you have for Emily?

Arie says not really. It is anti-climactic UNTIL…

Emily: I brought something for you. It’s your journal. I told Jef about it. I did not read it out of respect to Jef and our relationship.

Arie [deflated]: Thanks.

Jef and Emily make their first televised appearance as a couple and admit to sneaking around for a few dates in the interim.

Chris Harrison: Well what’s the first thing you’d like to do as a couple?

THIS!

Jef reveals that he wasn’t nervous about proposing and never thought that she would say no. Future plans involve Jef moving to Charlotte (living in a separate house) a wedding in Charleston and humanitarian work building wells in Africa.

Team JEM!