Part one of The Bachelor's season finale delivered the drama that was promised. Arie proposed to Becca, changed his mind, callously dumped Becca in a scene that the show presented unedited (no music, no nothing), and went and told Lauren he wanted to be with her.
Many fans knew this was coming, and they had their knives out for the guy who was boring even while he was burning the his life to the ground. (Not as boring as Lauren, though! Arie even admitted to his family that Lauren barely talks to him!)
I am 98% sure this finale of #TheBachelor is going to make me cringe more than the Scott's Tots episode of The Office. I have never been so ready to witness a train wreck.
— Mary Churay (@hiphipCHURAY) March 6, 2018The finale of #TheBachelor is unedited. Because even production can't bear to watch anymore of this season.
— Dana Weiss (@Possessionista) March 6, 2018Me getting ready to watch Arie's journey to find love crash and burn #TheBachelor pic.twitter.com/35tZLnMYlB
— Jordyn Taylor (@jordynhtaylor) March 6, 2018Lauren's soporific personality worked wonders on Arie's family. "Have fun and be yourself," he told her. Bad advice. Lauren doesn't seem to have fun. And being herself seems to be sitting alone with her hands folded staring at a wall like Hailey Baldwin waiting for Justin Bieber.
"Never a dull moment with the Luyendyks!" -- this is the funniest thing ever uttered in #thebachelor history pic.twitter.com/7T02kgJrIi
— Michelle Collins (@michcoll) March 6, 2018Live fed of Lauren's tears, after thinking she might not win: #thebachelor pic.twitter.com/OpccFTe4ht
— Chegge (like reggae) (@AllDayChe) March 6, 2018When Becca met the family, Arie Sr. asked her if she was friends with Lauren (we see where Arie Jr. gets his tact from), and Becca said it was hard to get to know Lauren. She was too polite to say "because Lauren doesn't talk." They kept asking her about Lauren. She was nearly in tears. It was really sad.
Arie's parents comparing Lauren to Becca's face #TheBachelor pic.twitter.com/NfNLpkU2A6
— Paige Raiczyk (@paigeraiczyk) March 6, 2018Arie told his family he likes that Lauren is quiet and introverted. He likes Becca, too, though. And his family liked Becca better, apparently. At this point, I was wondering if Arie regretted telling both women he was so in love with them. What an abysmally bad choice. Nothing good comes of that. And doing that really shows how little regard he has for their feelings.
Then he and Lauren had their final date. They went to Machu Picchu. Lauren actually seemed excited to go. It was still boring. I had sleep paralysis while I was watching it. I could see it and I wanted to change the channel but I couldn't move.
a new EXCLUSIVE picture of Arie and Lauren in their date in Peru!! #thebachelor #TheBachelorFinale pic.twitter.com/Ho0wIVf15a
— carmenđź'‹ (@carsmanz) March 6, 2018America: Arie you're the worst bachelor ever
Arie: I love that #TheBachelor
On her date, Becca said she could see Arie as the father of her children. No comment. Becca has a personality. Her date was walking around town in the rain, but she didn't seem to mind. She gave him a cute scrapbook of their time together. After the date, Arie was very conflicted and stressed.
Arie with Lauren: "I'm taking you to one of the 7 wonders of the world."
Arie with Becca: "idk I guess we could go to a flea market or something."#thebachelor #thebachelorfinale pic.twitter.com/kULTr48aFQ
If Arie really wants to look back at his "story" with Becca, he could just buy this season on iTunes. #TheBachelorFinale #TheBachelor
— Two Pump Vanilla (@2PumpVanilla) March 6, 2018When it was time for Arie to give his final rose, Lauren went first. She professed her love to him. She was so confident. Then he shook his head. She jolted. He said he couldn't go through with it. "I don't even know what to say," she said. He couldn't articulate why he couldn't choose her. "I wish you the best. I don't have a lot to say other than that," she said. He walked her back to the SUV. "Why did you do that?" she asked him. He said he didn't know until that morning. She said she still loves him. He said he still loves her, too. Little does she know what's about to happen.
Damn, I'd be pissed walking down there in those heels, getting rejected, then having to walk back up the hill. #toolateLauren #TheBachelor
— kmc (@Criper) March 6, 2018The schadenfreude I feel watching the heterosexuals at it again is unreal. #TheBachelor
— kath (@kattyschmitty) March 6, 2018There were alpacas at the rose ceremony site. It was weird. Arie proposed to Becca with the ring whose recipient he was unsure of until that morning. "When are we gonna start having babies?" Arie asked her. "Tonight?" she said. Oh, honey.
Back in the present, in a live in-studio segment, Chris Harrison said it seemed like such a beautiful moment at the time. Dun dun dun! On the return from the commercial, we got a little montage of Becca and Arie spending time together as a couple. But Arie admitted he couldn't stop thinking about Lauren, and that Becca knew it. He thought the feelings would go away, but they didn't. He walked contemplatively in the rain in a peacoat and a giant umbrella. He said he had decided that he was going to break it off with Becca.
Becca arrived in California for one of their "happy couple" weekends. She was excited to see him. She had big plans for their future. She didn't know she was about to be dumped. The show put this poor girl through the wringer. Back in the present, the studio audience was booing Arie. Twitter was too.
I absolutely hate that Arie and @ABCNetwork are taping this break up. So messed up doing it on camera. Shame on you all. #TheBachelor
— Cara™› (@caraaaaaa) March 6, 2018One of the lamest Bachelor's in history is a jerk too? Imagine that?! Dodged a bullet Becca. You're too good for him. #TheBachelor
— CHRISTY (@nkotbfn4eva) March 6, 2018I'm so angry they did this to her. Poor girl #TheBachelor
— Julianna Serrao (@juliannaserrao) March 6, 2018Then the unedited breakup. Even though I knew what was coming, my heart was pounding. Arie noticed Becca's new tattoo. He liked it! But Arie was making her nervous. The cameras went splitscreen, one on Arie, one on Becca. "I still think about her," he told her. "Do you want to be back with her?" Becca asked. "I want to see if there's that possibility," he said. "Are you f---ing kidding me?" said Becca. She was so mad. She felt like everything Arie said about being so in love with her and how he didn't see the same future was a lie. "Were those just words to me?" she said. She said she tried to help him along as he worked out the feelings he still had for Lauren. She said he shouldn't have gotten engaged to her if he was still conflicted. "So f---ing embarrassing," she said. They blindsided her with cameras. This show has been so brutal to Becca over the past few episodes. Remember when they blindsided her with her ex-boyfriend? There better be a reward for her for putting up with all this.
You PIECE OF POO! If my fiance said, "You know I still think about (insert any other woman here), I would be slapping the hell out of him. #TheBachelor
— Lilly Prince Howell (@MrPoesRaven) March 6, 2018#TheBachelor pic.twitter.com/MnrexAhJaA
— Ryan Hornibrook (@ryanphornibrook) March 6, 2018Fuck boy isn't even crying. Not a single tear. #thebachelor pic.twitter.com/QwhNb5TTAO
— Julia Perch (@JuliaPerch) March 6, 2018But there was more. "Well, I hope you get what you want," she said. "Okay, I'm done." She walked to the other end of the house and packed her bag. Arie went to talk to her and she didn't even want to see him. He said she could stay and he would leave. "I'm not gonna hug you goodbye." She was barely holding in how angry she was. She wanted him to go. He left, and she locked herself in the bathroom and cried. She didn't cry while he was there. He stopped on the porch, looked at the ring in his hand. The camera went black for a few seconds (not really unedited, is it?), then went back inside. He knocked on the door and said, "Are you okay?"
"Leave!" she said. "What are you still doing here?" But they weren't going to leave until Becca blew up. Arie sat down on the couch. "I have nothing to say," she said, choking. She said something that should have been subtitled. He didn't say anything, just sat there like he was haunting her. He got up and asked if they could talk. "Don't touch me," she snapped. "I don't think there's anything else to say. I'm just not the one for you."
Damn y'all leave her the hell alone and get the hell out of the house. #TheBachelor
— Craig Christ (@RealCraigChrist) March 6, 2018Is anyone else trying to sink into their couch right now? I feel so sad that this is all being shown on TV... #thebachelor #soawkward #gohomearie
— Caroline (@kalolainastar) March 6, 2018#TheBachelorFinale #TheBachelor
Watching this feels wrong pic.twitter.com/RNYtzJS8jg
"hey uhhhh...I kinda need that ring back so I can propose to this other woman..." WHY ARE YOU STILL THERE GO AWAY ARIE #TheBachelor
— Annie (@ancient_ray) March 6, 2018But he still wouldn't just go. He made her sit down and talk to him. About what? What does he want from her? "It kills me to see you like this," he said. "I'm so sorry."
"I feel like my future was ripped away," she said. "I love you and I want you to be happy. I just can't believe it's not me. I can't imagine my life without you."
He wanted to share his life with her, but he can't if he's in love with someone else. He's sorry. He knows that what he's doing is cruel. Throughout this whole sad moment, I had no idea what he wanted her to say. I couldn't tell if there was something he really wanted to say. He was just sitting there. "Just go," she said. "Please just go." And he didn't. Becca has the patience of a saint to not scream at him. She should have screamed at him. Did he want her to scream at him? When he said, "Okay, I'm gonna go," I cracked up. He said it like it was his idea. He didn't shed a single tear through the whole thing. Arie cannot handle hard situations.
It wasn't a grandly emotional breakup like Rachel and Peter's. It was just "brutal," as Becca said, watching it back in the present. She got cheers from the studio audience. She was ready to marry him. She said she hasn't talked to him since that day. Chris Harrison said she's going to see him again tomorrow night on the live finale. They're bringing them all out. Honestly, it might not be that much of a scene. Becca's pretty Minnesota stoic and Arie and Lauren just don't show much emotion.
And this wasn't really unedited because they bleeped out all the swearing.
that moment when you realize you dodged a bullet
The Bachelor's live two-hour After the Final Rose finale airs tomorrow, Tuesday, March 6 at 8/7c on ABC.
Other Links From TVGuide.com The BachelorArie Luyendyk Jr.Lauren BurnhamBecca KufrinChris Harrison