The Bachelorette came to an end tonight with Blake Moynes getting down on one knee and proposing to Katie Thurston. She said yes, of course. The action cut between the final dates, fantasy suites and family visit to co-shosts Tayshia and Kaitlin overseeing a studio audience watching the proceedings.
Reality Steve actually spoiled the show (yes, I looked, but decided not to spoil here) correctly. Producers tried to lead fans to thinking Katie would end up with Greg Grippo. But he may never have been her first choice. Maybe nobody was her first choice. I approach the Bachelor franchise as if it were a scripted series. I have a hard time believing anybody serious about finding a mate would sign up for a reality show. Dating apps are probably better! With all the yada yada ya about people being on the show for the “right reasons?” I mean, c’mon, the only reason is for a career in show business. Or at the very least to have a decent crack at becoming a successful social media influencer.
Greg dramatically left the show last week, accusing Katie of not giving him back as much as he gave to her. He seemed to expect her to stop the “process” once he confessed his love, and choose him right then and there. As if Bachelorette producers would allow that to happen. Indeed in a studio interview, the two had a confrontation. Katy threw up her hands, reminding Greg that dating several people until the very end is how the Bachelorette works.
Katy accused Greg of not wanting to get engaged in the first place. His dramatic exit was a way out, she said. And then she brought up that he had acting aspirations, accusing him of faking everything. He just sat there like a lump looking like a deer in the headlights. “My person was not Greg. And when he left, so did all my feelings for him,” said Katie. The two parted on extremely awkward terms.
But she did behave as if Greg was the one, and then he abandoned her. Nevertheless, Katy moved on seamlessly to Blake. After a fun one-on-one date, Blake earnestly confessed that he loves her. That prompted Katy to confess that she “f******” loved him. After their “Fantasy Suite” date, where they obviously consummated the relationship, Katie took Justin, the other remaining suitor aside, to say she wasn’t going to move ahead with him. He didn’t even get a last date. During his studio interview, Justin asked, near tears, if he ended up in the final two by default. Katie tried to assure him he belonged on the show, and that she cared for him. But c’mon. Justin was cannon fodder. Once Greg left, the question was whether Katie and Blake would end up together, or Katie would leave without a ring.
After Fantasy Suites, Blake met Katie’s mom and Aunt Lindsey. Hoo boy. Auntie didn’t seem like a very happy person? She was clearly not buying the “process” and grilled Blake about his intentions. “Why did you come back to the Bachelorette after flunking out twice.” she asked. And then she warned him “You better be secure as hell. You’re here because we want you here, not because we need you here.” When Blake said he was committed to making their relationship work, she rolled her eyes and called it “cute.” Mom was also a bit skeptical, but a little more empathetic, telling Blake “If you care about each other as much as you say now…that’s a good thing.”
But the awkward meeting with Katie’s family set up the rest of the episode. With all the suitors sent on their way, the narrative needed another dose of doubt. Blake spent the rest of the episode, up until he proposed, questioning whether he was ready to be engaged. While picking out a Neil Lane ring with Tayshia’s help, Blake suddenly “needed a moment.” I didn’t believe a minute of that. I mean, the show had like, an hour to kill until the happy ending, right?
Before the proposal, Blake and Katie visited a new-agey “faith healer.” She instructed them to write down all their fears and put them in this giant, totally nightmare inducing voodoo doll looking thing. Afterward, they burned it to the ground. The stuff of nightmares.
Finally, Katie and Blake made their public debut in front of the studio audience. They coo and gush over each other. And to cap off the show romantically, as a bunch of dudes stand and hold up boom boxes. American Idol 2019 winner Laine Hardy’s current single “Memorize You” ends the show as rose petals rain down from the sky.
“Memorize You” became Katie and Blake’s theme. It started with a mini concert during the couple’s first one-on-one date. A few weeks later, Blake showed up under Katie’s window with a boombox. In a nod to John Cusack in the 1989 film Say Anything, he holds up the radio while it plays Laine’s song.
The show ended with dudes in the audience holding up boom boxes. The romantic song played. Rose petals fell from the ceiling. The couple danced and kissed.
The song didn’t make one appearance. It literally turned into Katie and Blake’s song. Good for Laine, receiving all that sweet promo for his new single.
