After everything, 'The Bachelorette' finale was... completely normal?

If there’s one thing we’ve learned over the years from watching The Bachelor and The Bachelorette, it’s that a happy ending is almost never a happy ending. Yes, we quite often see engagements on the season finale, but then someone pulls a Pilot Pete and changes his mind. Or it’s revealed someone has a secret girlfriend, like Jed during Hannah Brown’s season. Then it all collides in an explosive confrontation during the much-beloved drama-filled After The Final Rose special. Welp, as host Chris Harrison explained, there will be no AFR special this time around (for obvious safety reasons), so Bachelor Nation held its collective breath during last night’s big shebang, hoping for a happy ending.

Spoiler alert: Tayshia got her happy ending, her white knight, her declaration of love….. and a big honking diamond engagement ring designed by Neil Lane. And there wasn’t a dry eye in the house when Zac walked out in a stunning true blue suit, told Tayshia how he will choose her everyday for the rest of their lives, and got down on one knee. Even the most hardened and cynical of viewers (*raises hand*) were bawling. Watch this and try not to cry!

“The other night,” Zac said, his voice trembling, “we were talking. You spoke about this idea of someone choosing you. And I can't picture another day, another moment without you in my life. And if you'll let me, I'm gonna choose you right now. I'm gonna choose you tomorrow morning. I'm gonna choose you next week and next year. I'm gonna choose you forever. 'Cause I love you.”

Is someone playing a violin made of onions because HELLO WATERWORKS.

Of course, it wasn’t an easy road to get to this point, and there were lots of tears on the way. When we last left off yesterday during part one of the finale, Brendan had just left of his own volition, and Ben showed up at her door, asking for a second chance -- all right before a rose ceremony!

Tayshia decided to let Ben have another shot (after smooching his face off), much to the wide-eyed surprise of Zac and Ivan, but before the rose ceremony could even begin, she pulled Ivan out of line and sent him home because . . . reasons?

Bachelor Nation was confused by her justification of religious differences, because it had never come up before. And Ivan is such a gentle, sweet soul! It was carnage on social media.

This is the trouble with having an amazing group of finalists – hearts get broken that don’t deserve it! Why couldn’t we have had a villain make it to the end (like Yosef . . . just for yuks!)?

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As for sweet, tenacious Ben, his return meant that he got to meet Tayshia’s family, and he held his own with her no-nonsense dad whose eyes seemed to look right into everyone’s souls. But after professing countless times his love of Tayshia to her family, to Chris Harrison, to Tayshia herself, and probably every potted plant at the La Quinta resort, Tayshia ultimately brought him back just to send him home again (ah, the Bennett curse). 

So many tears on the road to happiness, but we’re so happy that the two Bachelorettes of this season found their soulmates (and two men from the same season were both winners!). Congratulations Tayshia + Zac, and Clare + Dale... hey, remember Clare??!!

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