A lot to discuss about the finale, so lets start here. We don’t need to break down too much of what we saw last night leading up to the inevitable ending that she got engaged to Dotun. But a couple things I wanted to cover:
1) Everything that happened with Aaron was just…bizarre. I’m sure if you asked any guy who was eliminated at #4 in a past season if he wanted to travel to the overnight date location and ask for another chance, they would’ve agreed to. So I don’t see why they made such a big deal out of this. Especially since we knew since June he went down to Paradise. Hell, even without the spoiler, the guy got eliminated at #4, she went on two overnight dates with Joey and Dotun, and Aaron just gets a visit to her room at night – did anyone really think she was gonna keep him over Joey and Dotun? Made no sense. It seems like they just brought him there since they needed a third guy in Fiji once she sent Xavier home. Had nothing to do with such a strong connection they had that they needed to explore. Did you hear her reasoning when she eliminated him? She said the other guys relationship had progressed further. Well yeah, of course they did. You didn’t eliminate them already and had an overnight date. No offense to either, but bringing Aaron back and making it seem like they HAD to have their connection explored, only to tell him, “Yeah, I’m just further along with the other two” just seemed pointless.
2) The typical “family doesn’t like the guy that the lead inevitably picks” storyline happened once again. I’ve lost track of how many times this has happened. And the fact that Charity got so bothered that both her mom and sister commented positively about her with Joey over her with Dotun kinda showed you where her head was at. If she knew she was picking Joey, her family’s comment wouldn’t have affected her in the least bit. She wanted them to be more open to Dotun because deep down she knew that’s who she wanted. You read everything they said post show last night, and they’re both talking about the connection they had since their first date together. So yeah, it’s clear this was always going to be Dotun. Not that she didn’t like Joey or fall for him, but he was never going to be end game for her. But hey, Charity followed Joey’s sister on IG two months after filming ended so that MUST mean she picked him. And oh yeah, he was also smiling in a picture at his cousins wedding on May 2nd, just days after the finale aired so that must’ve meant he was engaged too. Confirmation bias. Every. Single. Season. So stupid.
Now lets discuss the Bachelor announcement. Still really bizarre they never promoted it once on social media in the last week that we were getting the announcement last night until Jesse opened the show with it. Weird, but we keep that in mind for future seasons. Again, I was never told who it was, but for the last 2 weeks I was telling you 1) no one else from this season made any sense whatsoever outside of Joey and 2) every season people think they’re gonna take a celebrity, or someone from a past season, yet I believe 17 of the past 20 Bachelors were from the season that just aired (Jake, Juan Pablo, and Arie being the exceptions – might be another one in there), and from someone that finished in top 4. It’s just their formula. We should pretty much accept it moving forward. Lets not read too much into it anymore.
Plus, with some of the commercials that aired in the last few episodes with Jesse’s voiceover telling people to apply and making a tennis reference one week, then talking about kissing under a waterfall in another one, it’s not like they weren’t basically telling us who it was and I pointed it out at the time. Then we had last night with this whole “someone in the audience is gonna be on our next Bachelors season,” and the first woman they show us is Lea, who just so happens to be from Hawaii, but now lives in LA. By the way, she told Joey when she ultimately met him that she just found out she was showing up this past Friday. Great, she lives in LA. Was it that big of a deal she found out a few days before? It’s not like they had to fly her in. There was one other girl there they wanted to make you think it was too. Kat Izzo and Brooklyn also there but we know they weren’t actual possibilities. Kat is engaged from Paradise, and Brooklyn just wasn’t a big enough name for it to be a big deal. And when Kat and Brooklyn were asked who they wanted to be the Bachelor, it was obvious each of them were told to say either Joey or Dotun. It was just very poorly hidden who it was gonna be. Everything about the Bachelor tease last night was botched.
Then Deadline.com accidentally posted on their Twitter account while Charity and Dotun were still on the couch that Joey was going to be the next Bachelor then had to delete their tweet because it was too early. I mean, who needs me anymore when major outlets are already screwing up and giving away the show secrets days before they happen? First, you had this past Friday in the People.com story of Jesse Palmer and his wife expecting a child, a picture of Dotun on his knee proposing to Charity shows up in the article that I was told about and posted on Twitter and IG stories. Now this from Deadline last night. It’s all very funny to be honest with you.
As for the envelope that was given to Lea that she can’t open til she gets in the mansion, while we don’t know what’s in it and it’s all speculation at this point (other than we know it’s not a date card), my guess is since it’s something Jesse has said will change everything going forward, I don’t think it’ll be something simple. I don’t think this is “hey, you have immunity the first night.” That’s not game changing. I don’t think it’s something where she gets to choose her own 1-on-1 either – not game changing. I’m thinking this is something that has a more negative connotation to it. Like she gets to make some sort of choice on the first night that maybe sends someone home, or takes something away from someone, etc. I think whatever in this card is more of a negative for someone else than it is positive for Lea. That’s the only thing that makes sense if Jesse isn’t exaggerating this will change the game.
With the announcement coming last night and Joey being another month away before filming starts, I think the announcement fell flat and actually took away from his segment with Charity on the couch. I think they need to change the format of announcing the next lead on the After the Final Rose IF that next lead happens to be the final 2 from the previous season. I’m sorry, but Joey sitting there on the couch with Charity knowing he was coming back out in 30 minutes to be announced as the Bachelor absolutely took away from that segment. He got dumped basically back on April 30th. Last night was Aug. 21st. First off, he’s over it by now. And secondly, not like he’s disrespecting Charity in any way, but what does he care to get any closure or ask any questions when he’s got his own season coming up? It doesn’t matter to him anymore. If no announcement was made last night, I think that segment with Joey and Charity has more of a punch to it and could’ve been more emotional with a deep talk, since he wouldn’t have known he was coming out 2 segments later.
Everyone had just watched a very emotional exit of him being let go Charity. Then they immediately go to him on the couch, it’s silent in the audience, Jesse is basically whispering to him on stage, and yet he knows in the back of his mind this will be HIS night in about another 30 minutes. Sure, it was probably hard to watch back, but it was 4 months ago. Not saying he didn’t fall for Charity, I’m sure he did. I’m not saying he wasn’t hurt for a few days. But it was four months ago. I’m just saying that if Joey has no idea he’s going to be the Bachelor last night, that segment would’ve been a lot better and not so, I don’t know, staged. I mean, Joey didn’t even ask any questions. Just kept thanking her for being part of her journey, didn’t ask why he wasn’t chosen (because he didn’t need to and probably didn’t care to), and they just sat up there in a very awkward segment. So all I’m saying is I have no problem if you want to make your #2 person the next lead. Just don’t announce it on the same show where we see them get dumped and have to sit on the couch with the lead. Wait to announce it, or to even tell them they’ve gotten the gig, so we can have a more legitimate segment when they’re talking to the lead for the first time since the day they were dumped months ago. Loses its luster when Joey is sitting there knowing he’s the next Bachelor.
Anyway, another entertaining season comes to an end. Thanks again to everyone who’s followed online all season, on social media, consumed the podcasts, and overall stays with me every season. Yes, more outlets pop up every season that’ll post spoilers here and there, but you know where to come to get your info every season and I appreciate you for that. They don’t know what I do and never will. Look forward to Joey’s season. Cast should be released a few days before filming starts, and if you look back at past seasons, that’s always around the 20th of September or so, so expect the potential women to be released a few days before that. Until then, “Reader Emails” tomorrow, then a month off until they return the week of Sept. 25th, but you’ll still have your Daily Roundups on the podcast side. Thanks again for a great season, and lets see if we can make it 10 in a row next season.
Send all links and emails to: steve@realitysteve.com. To follow me on Twitter, it’s: www.twitter.com/RealitySteve. Instagram name is RealitySteve, or join my Reality Steve Facebook Fan Page. Talk to you tomorrow.
