13 burning questions for The Bachelorette finale
Including the biggest one of all: How many times is Becca going to say "we're in the Maldives!" when they're in the Maldives?
Becca Kufrin is officially engaged — and the wait to learn to whom is finally almost over.
After being dumped in front of cameras by her fiancé, race car driver Arie Luyendyk Jr., for another woman earlier this spring on The Bachelor, Becca once again put her faith in the television dating series by coming on as the 14th Bachelorette. While she has said goodbye to some fan favorites along the way (RIP Jason, Wills, Joe the Grocer, and Colton the Virgin), she has at last narrowed her decision down to two guys ahead of Monday night's season finale: Blake Horstmann, a sales rep who first met Becca on "After the Final Rose," and Garrett Yrigoyen, who arrived at the mansion in a minivan and earned himself the coveted first impression rose.
If there is one thing for certain, it is that Becca deserves to finally find love, and that we are going to enthusiastically judge her no matter which man she picks. Here are the biggest, burning questions — including, yes, that one — going into the season finale in the Maldives.
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1. Which man is Becca going to pick?
I don't have any insider knowledge, but it has to be Garrett, the outwardly wholesome Californian who makes up what he lacks in personality with, uh, his hunkiness? Becca gave Garrett her first impression rose on night one, and she's clearly been smitten with him ever since. Although I have spent the last several episodes yelling "PICK BLAKE" at my TV, Becca's friends saw right away how much she lit up when she talked about the tomato-planting medical rep, and their fantasy suite last week went well, judging by the busted headboard. "When I look at Garrett, I see my heart's equal, and I see somebody who will make a great father, a great, loving husband, and he makes me feel like I could rely on him no matter what," Becca gushed afterwards. Still, the franchise loves curveballs, and Becca is clearly conflicted between Garrett and Blake: As early as episode five, she confessed: "I am falling in love with Blake. And I honestly knew it from the beginning." But seriously ... it's going to be Garrett.
2. How did Garrett make it this far in the first place?
Garrett has been a snoozefest all season long, but he is still somehow one of the final two guys going into the finale. Becca is clearly ridiculously charmed by him, although he isn't exactly a poet when he opens his mouth. (Credit where it's due, though: He does have beautiful handwriting.) He tends to stick to stock statements — his list of qualities he will provide her includes "communication," "humor," and "making it happen" — and his big moment with Becca in Thailand culminated in him saying "I genuinely care so much about you." Hopefully the Maldives will be the place where we will finally be able to see what's so captivating about him through Becca's eyes.
(The Bachelorette | ABC)
3. How many times is Becca going to say "we're in the Maldives!" when they're in the Maldives?
Judging by how many times Becca said "we're in Thailand!" in Thailand, or "we were in the middle of the desert in a hot tub!" when she was in the middle of a desert in a hot tub, my guess is about 65.
4. How will Becca's finale dress rank among the previous Bachelorettes'?
Becca has been laser-focused on marriage since the Bachelorette season premiere, when she wore a $22,000 wedding gown studded with pearls and Swarovski crystals to meet her guys. Based on the promos, it looks like she's back in a tried-and-true white dress for the season finale, this one with some angelic, wing-like details at the bust. While it would have been fun to see Becca experiment with some color, let's be real: It was always going to be white and sequined. It's hard to say how this gown stacks up against the others — a dress only comes alive when you see it on someone, so still pictures alone make it hard to judge — but it is certainly an appropriate choice for an engagement photo, if it comes to that.
(ABC|Paul Hebert)
(ABC|Paul Hebert)
5. Will Blake's jealousy sour his relationship with Becca?
By episode seven, Blake was starting to freak out over the idea that he and Becca might not be the only ones who have something special. "She clearly cares about more guys than just me," he said during a confessional, which, duh, that's the entire point of the show. One can't help but be sympathetic, though: Blake's fears almost certainly trace back to his parents' divorce when he was in high school, when his mother fell in love with his basketball coach and moved out of the house. When Blake tried to express his concerns to Becca, she told him "I get that," but he is clearly unraveling. It will be interesting to see if his nerves come across to Becca's family when they meet, or if it becomes a wedge between him and Becca now that he's made it to the final two.
6. Is Garrett ever going to stop blaming his divorce on his ex?
Garrett's baggage coming into the season was his messy divorce, a topic that brought him closer to Becca when the pair commiserated over the shock of finding out that the person they thought was their person wasn't, in fact, their person (Becca loves saying the word "person," and also "wavelength"). Garrett alleged that his ex-wife, whom he was married to for six months, was "very emotionally abusive" and that he had missed the red flags going in. Bachelor Nation has expressed skepticism about his claims, though, especially in light of him proving he is not exactly a Prince Charming. With Becca's family meeting her final two guys ahead of the finale, Garrett's previous marriage will certainly be a topic of discussion — but how much introspection will he show?
7. Will Becca ever get cold feet?
You might expect someone who was engaged less than six months ago to express some nervousness about being on the cusp of doing the whole (damn) thing all over again, but Becca seems genuinely torn by the fact that she has to make a decision between her two final guys. She's expressed her interest in forevers with both of them: "I can't imagine not having Blake in my life," she said after her day with him in Thailand, while she fantasized during hometowns that Garrett would make "a hot dad." Although Becca has confirmed in interviews since the show wrapped that she is engaged, this will be our last chance to see if she ever wavers in her belief that one of these two is really going to be her happily ever after.
8. Is Arie going to rear his head?
It sure sounds like it! Becca told Entertainment Tonight and Jimmy Kimmel earlier this season that her ex will be making an appearance on the show, and with just one episode to go, he still hasn't shown up. While Arie popping up will almost certainly be a surprise for Becca, it does sound like the pair will reach some closure: "[I]t wasn't emotional, it was just two adults sitting down, wishing each other the best, and talking through our experiences," she told ET.
9. Will someone say "disingenuine" again?
Probably.
10. Will Garrett's Instagram controversy ever be addressed?
Garrett got into some trouble this season after it was discovered that he had liked Instagram posts suggesting Parkland shooting survivor David Hogg is a crisis actor, a meme about throwing immigrant children over the border wall, and other transphobic or offensively antifeminist images. While the controversy didn't come out until after the show premiered, Variety notes that contestants are "not allowed to check their phones or be on social media" during the taping "so it is likely Kufrin did not know about Yrigoyen's activity." Becca is an outspoken Hillary Clinton supporter who flips off Trump signs, but she told Entertainment Tonight "I can't fault anyone for what they believe," so it doesn't look like it's a deal breaker for her either way. Garrett, for his part, has apologized, and we might not get a better conclusion than that, although it will undoubtedly soil the excitement of a proposal if we do see him getting down on one knee.
11. Is Blake going to be okay if Becca picks Garrett?
I'm really worried about this guy! The teaser for the Bachelorette finale showed Becca weeping into her mother's shoulder at the prospect of having to break someone's heart, and unfortunately the poor soul seems likely to be Blake. He's been getting teary-eyed for several episodes now over the possibility that Becca might end up with someone else, and he anxiously confessed "I don't want this to be the last time I'm waking up next to you" during their fantasy suite. Watching how Blake might handle not getting picked could very well be the most heart-wrenching part of the whole season.
12. Will we learn who the next Bachelor is?
We probably won't have an answer to this one until September, but you never know. The fan favorites are good guy Jason and well-dressed Wills. The latter seems to be the less likely choice, because Wills is already appearing on the fifth season of Bachelor in Paradise, but there has somehow still (STILL) never been a black bachelor so, uh, tick-tock. Wills seemed to be on The Bachelorette for all the right reasons, too, and it was soul-crushing to watch him get out of the car and bawl after Becca sent him packing before hometowns. Perhaps most importantly, Wills has the charisma and charm to carry a season of The Bachelor after what was widely considered to be a boring cycle.
Jason, though, is the likeliest choice. The Buffalo native endured a brutal breakup with Becca before even reaching the fantasy suites, and he looked stricken at having to see her again during the "Men Tell All" episode, although the two pledged to try to be friends. Jason won over Bachelor Nation with his sweet, respectful nature (Becca says he has "one of the best characters I've ever met in a man") and his appearance on The Bachelor would be a redemptive conclusion to his story. Why waste such a great kisser, after all?
13. Is there a witch on Bachelor in Paradise?
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Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.
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