After countless long weeks of tough decisions and broken hearts, “The Bachelor” Chris Soules finally chose his soul mate Monday, March 9th on the season finale of the hit ABC series.
Chris proposed to Whitney Bischoff, a 29-year-old fertility nurse from Chicago, IL, after turning down second runner up Becca Tilley, a 25-year-old chiropractic assistant from San Diego.
Throughout the two-hour highly dramatic and emotional finale, it was clear that Whitney was much more committed to living a life with Chris in the small town of Arlington, IA. Whitney’s warm and charming personality made a great first impression on Chris’s family. She assured them that she was prepared to make the move to Arlington and become a mom.
On the other hand, Becca felt overwhelmed by the situation and admitted to Chris’s parents that she was not ready to make the move to Arlington unless she knew for sure that their relationship would work. Not only was she unprepared to move, but she also admitted that she was not sure if she was ready to say yes to a proposal. While Whitney confessed to Chris that she loved him, Becca never truly said the words “I love you,” but rather “I think I am falling in love.” Stricken with confusion and apprehension, Becca felt unsure of their relationship as she felt she had “nothing else to compare it to,” mainly because she had never been in love.
Becca’s uncertainty spilled over into their final date together as she warned Chris that she could not make any promises about their future together. The tone of Whitney and Chris’s final date was much different, as Whitney declared that she was confident in her feelings towards him and did not question anything about their relationship.
Although Chris appeared to be torn with having strong feelings for both women, Becca’s hesitation made it much easier for Chris to decide. While Whitney was all in, Becca wasn’t completely in. The end result of the season is a proposal, and Becca simply was not ready to commit. Chris finally cut ties with Becca and stated, “I don’t think it’s fair for either of us to take that leap at this point.”
After turning down Becca, Chris was able to move forward with Whitney and presented her with the final rose of the season in his charmingly rustic Iowa barn. Chris dropped down to one knee to ask for her hand in marriage with a Neil Lane 4-carat engagement ring. He told Whitney that he loved her, and added, “everything about this moment feels right.” The season finale of “The Bachelor” concluded with a happy ending of the newly engaged couple kissing in a hayloft.
In the one-hour “After the Final Rose” event with host Chris Harrison, viewers were able to see Chris and Whitney together for the first time since the televised proposal. But before interviewing the happy couple, Harrison had the chance to talk to Becca, who Chris Soules was able to see for the first time since the break-up. Surprisingly, they were both admirably civil and agreed that the decision was for the best. There seemed to be no regrets and both were confident that they are in a better place.
As for the newly engaged couple, Whitney described herself as being “the happiest girl in the entire world.” It is interestingly revealed that she chose not to watch Chris’s dates with the other women in the competition because she feels very confident in their relationship. Chris calls Whitney the “perfect” woman for him and goes on to gush, “Not only is she gorgeous on the outside, she’s beyond beautiful on the inside.”
The “After the Final Rose” special ends with a very big announcement on the next season of “The Bachelorette”: for the first time in “Bachelorette” history, there will be two “Bachelorettes!” Two contestants from the just-concluded “Bachelor” season, Britt Nilsson and Kaitlyn Bristowe, have both unexpectedly been cast in the role. Instead of how the show typically runs, this time the 25 male contestants will have, in the words of Chris Harrison, the “ultimate say about who they think would make the best wife.”
Although it is unclear as to how this will work out, ABC promises that only one woman will be around in the finale to hand out a rose. So fans will just have to wait and see how Britt and Kaitlyn will coexist until the new, twisted version of “The Bachelorette” begins its 11th season on May 18!
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