Viewing Notes: The Bachelorette (Tayshia) – Finale

Looks like we made it. Look how far we’ve come, my readers. It’s finale night!

Before I get into it and most of you click away, I just want to thank you for reading/skimming these posts, whether you like the show, or just like me. I appreciate it!

We left off with Ivan and Zac as the only ones remaining, but Ben came back at the end of the episode, so we pick things up right there.

BEN IS BACK

• Tayshia tells Ben she’s shocked he’s here. Ben says she makes him feel unlike anything he’s ever felt in his entire life.
  
  
• He was too scared to tell her earlier, but spills the beans that he told Chris Harrison before the last Rose Ceremony.
  
  
• Chris “chamber of secrets” Harrison.
  
  
• Tayshia wishes he told her sooner, but is inviting him to the Rose Ceremony.
  
  
• They walk out of the house and act like they aren’t going to hug, but then they do, and then they kiss.
  
  
• “Why did I kiss him? Why did I do that?” – Tayshia, after Ben leaves

THE ROSE CEREMONY

• Ben shows up at the Rose Ceremony, looking like it’s his first day of school. Just needs a Lion King backpack. Ivan and Zac look like they just saw the ghost of bachelorette past.
  
  
• The Phantom of La Quinta, if you will.
  
  
• The first rose goes to…nope, Tayshia puts the rose down and asks Ivan if they can talk.
  
  
• Oh no. Nothing good ever comes from talking.
  
  
• Tayshia says there are some things that have posed a concern for her this week. She brings up her religion being a strong part of her morals and beliefs.
  
  
• Ivan acknowledges that religion is the road block for the two of them. We must’ve not been privy to their religion chat earlier.
  
  
• She’s letting Ivan go.
  
  
• What was the issue exactly? Are they just going to let us speculate on it?
  
  
• Tayshia tells Zac and Ben that there were some things with Ivan, where their futures didn’t align.
  
  
• And now she gives a rose to both of them.
  
  
• Ben is the football team that gets in the playoffs via a wild card spot and has to go on the road and win three games, just to reach the Super Bowl.

TAYSHIA’S FAMILY IS THERE

• Tayshia’s parents and two brothers are there, as are platters of food. I spy pizza!
  
  
• She tells them she started with 20 guys and now there are 2. They’ll be meeting Ben today.
  
  
• Tayshia’s Dad says, “WHAT!?” when he finds out that Ben came back. It was an A+ reaction.

BEN MEETS THE PARENTS

• It’s brought up that Ben attended West Point, which sparks an Army vs. Navy school rivalry with Tayshia’s parents.
  
  
• Ben sits down with Tayshia’s mom and tells her he loves Tayshia.
  
  
• Ben says the same thing to her dad, Desmond. Desmond thinks Ben is a sincere man.
  
  
• And now the whole family are out riding around on scooters, before Ben and Tayshia skedaddle.
  
  
• Tayshia tells us she was starting to fall in love with Ben when she sent him home.

ZAC MEETS THE PARENTS

• Tayshia’s dad asks her on a scale of 1-10, does she see herself with Zac. She gives it an 8.95 and leaves room for her family’s opinion.
  
  
• Zac tells Tayshia’s mom that he loves her daughter.
  
  
• These family visits were more extensive in earlier years. Now, they are quite formulaic and there isn’t much room left for “wild family members” anymore, which is a shame.
  
  
• Tayshia’s dad likes Zac.
  
  
• Oh my God there are two large pizzas on the table and they’re showing them eat!!!!!!!
  
  
• This is unprecedented.
  
  
• Zac says this is the closest they’ll get to a New York style pizza in the desert.
  
  
• Random question: Is “New York” a personality trait?
  
  
• Tayshia says, “this is really good cheese pizza”.
  
  
• The pizza party is over. God, that was the best, and most normal…18 seconds in this show’s history.

THE NEXT DAY

• Tayshia is back at her house and says she would be happy with either guy.
  
  
• Now there’s a knock at the door. There always is.
  
  
• My bet is it’s Ivan.
  
  
• IT’S TAYSHIA’S DAD??
  
  
• He sits down with Tayshia and wants to let her know what the family thinks.
  
  
• They don’t want Tayshia to make a mistake. He says both Zac and Ben are good guys, but he’s worried.
  
  
• This worry stems from the fact that she’s been married before and he doesn’t want her to get hurt again.
  
  
• “I don’t want you to be making the biggest mistake of your life.” – Dad
  
  
• He basically just unloaded a huge truck load of anxiety and left. Didn’t even bring any leftover cheese pizza.
  
  
• Was that scene really necessary? I feel like he was put up to it because things were going too well tonight.

ZAC’S FINAL DATE

• Zac is wearing a long sleeve grey shirt that looks like it’s made of breathable material. You know what else is made of breathable material? SHORT SLEEVES.
  
  
• Ah, there it is. A camera shot of Zac sweating through the back of his shirt.
  
  
• They will be learning how to dance on this date, from another couple.
  
  
• This “dance studio” has some pretty bright TV lights hanging from the ceiling. I am sweating profusely on the inside.
  
  
• Alright, enough about sweat.
  
  
• Tayshia is struggling to pick up on the choreography. The stress of the day is getting to her.
  
  
• About a minute later, her and Zac are in unison. Tayshia’s Dancing with the Stars audition is complete. I assume that’s what this was.

NIGHT TIME CHAT ON THE COUCH

• Going back to the earliest seasons, the couch seems to be the primary setting for the final date. Sometimes, they even make food for themselves.
  
  
• This is normally the time someone gives the other a scrapbook, chronicling their journey. That doesn’t happen tonight.
  
  
• Today was an anniversary for Zac. It is his 9th year of sobriety.
  
  
• Zac reiterates his love for Tayshia.
  
  
• Tayshia tells the audience, “I love Zac Clark.”

BEN’S FINAL DATE

• We are shown visuals of Ben in the shower.
  
  
• Imagine taking a shower and a TV crew is crammed in your bathroom, filming you?
  
  
• They’ve been doing that on this show since the early 2000s, so we’ve become numb to it, but when you really think about how that situation must feel like it real life…
  
  
• Tayshia tells us she woke up this morning and feels nervous because she knows what her heart wants AND IT’S NOT BEN.
  
  
• Tayshia makes decisions fast.
  
  
• Oh no, here comes the breakup.
  
  
• They’re sitting on a couch (told you this is a classic final date destination) and Tayshia is laying in the compliments.
  
  
• “…I care about you so much.” – Tayshia
  
  
• And there’s the turning point.
  
  
• She says her heart is with somebody else. She doesn’t want Ben to second-guess anything.
  
  
• I think Ben missing out on the fantasy suite date and not having an entire night to talk without cameras, was going to be hard to overcome.
  
  
• “When you love somebody, you want them to be happy.” – Ben
  
  
• He’s taking it as well as he could. At least he’ll know he left nothing left unsaid.
  
  
• “I lost a really good thing…she was perfect for me.” – Ben

PREPARING FOR THE FINAL ROSE CEREMONY

• Tayshia tells us that Zac is her person, though there is still a fear of things changing once they get out of this bubble.
  
  
• Neil Lane knocks on Zac’s door and says, “Hi! I’m Neil Lane!”
  
  
• It’s time for Zac to pick out a ring.
  
  
• I really want to know if Neil Lane spent this entire time living at the resort. There’s no way he kept going in and out.
  
  
• Tayshia arrives on a dirt road with a big mountain as the backdrop and is greeted by Chris Harrison.
  
  
• She tells Chris that she’s in love with Zac. He doesn’t really have much to say and they just stand there in silence, as she starts to cry.
  
  
• What the heck, Chris?
  
  
• And now he sends her on her way down a dirt path, to await Zac’s arrival.
  
  
• She’s breathing heavily.
  

THE FINAL ROSE CEREMONY

• Is this location still somewhere on the grounds of the resort? It is very desolate.
  
  
• Zac has arrived and is greeted with a big hug from Chris Harrison.
  
  
• Chris is so glad this season is over.
  
  
• Zac and Tayshia are together now, as Zac goes into his speech.
  
  
• And now Tayshia goes into her speech.
  
  
• “I know that I told you that I love you but…sorry…(long pause)…it’s more than that.” – Tayshia
  
  
• Pretty sure she just gave him a heart attack.
  
  
• Tayshia says she wants to make more traditions and jump into fountains all over the world with Zac.
  
  
• Okay, that might be illegal. You can’t just jump into fountains. You’ll scare the children.
  
  
• Zac has pulled out the ring and is down on one knee.
  
  
• Of course when he opens the ring box, it says Neil Lane on the inside. His contract with this show has no bounds.
  
  
• By the way, I had to Google what the ring box was called because for some reason the word “box” eluded me.
  
  
• I searched, “ring holder”. Oh man.
  
  
• Anyway, Zac whispers, “Marry me?” Tayshia says yes.
  
  
• And now for the most useless part of every season, Tayshia asks Zac if he will accept the final rose.
  
  
• Zac hails the cardboard taxi from their “New York hometown date” and they walk down the dirt road in it.
  
  
• There is no After The Final Rose episode. Instead, there is an episode of Supermarket Sweep.
  
  
• Chris Harrison said on Twitter: “Due to being pushed into the holidays and the difficulty of bringing people safely together during this time it just wasn’t possible.”

So, there you have it. Another season in the books.

A new season of The Bachelor begins on January 4, so I’ll be back for that!

Again, thank you for following along this season!