The Bachelor 17 Finale

The night is finally here! The world's worst kept secret will be revealed: who will Sean choose? Hmm...I wonder...

The show is "live"...well, sort of...Chris Harrison is live with the audience as we watch the girls meet Sean's family and their last dates. Chris says that there is a big announcement regarding Sean that they just found out about this week. Oh let me guess...Sean is going to be on Dancing with the Stars? Yeah, Reality Steve broke that news on 2/26, which is more than just a week ago. Nice try for thinking that this is "breaking" news.

Home Visit: Catherine

The first thing I noticed was how serious Catherine was! She's always joking and laughing, and everything was very serious. She did a very good job convincing Mom of her feelings. She was very articulate and had some really good answers. Yet another side of Catherine we haven't seen before. She told his Dad that she was "consumed by him". Wow. Dad had some good questions and she handled them very well. And he made her cry when he said that if she was the one that he was going to love her like a daughter. I know that had to mean so much to her because of not having her father growing up. The family liked her so much that they told Sean to leave instead of her.

Home Visit: Lindsay

Lindsay was so much more giggly than Catherine. The vibe was so different with Lindsay than with Catherine. Oh no, more waterworks...Dad did it again...made Lindsay cry too! He said when Sean was born that he and his wife began praying for his wife. Aw...and then...she asked him for Sean's hand in marriage! Totally caught Dad off guard. At this point the race is still close, but the edge might go to Lindsay.

Who Do The Parents Like

Complete shocker! They love them both! Wow, that's never happened before. Sean was hoping his parents could give him clarity. Gee, no Bachelor/Bachelorette has said that. More crying...this time Sean made his Mom cry! She's worried that he'll make a decision before he's really sure.

Final Date: Lindsay

Lots of laughing as they take a very leisurely boat ride down the river. He says he thinks she'll be a "hot old chick". Um...ok.

At the end of the night, she had a surprise for him: they wrote wishes on lanterns and then released them. He said that in that moment, he felt like she was the one for him.

Final Date: Catherine

How cool...they get to ride an elephant! To say Catherine was excited was an understatement.

At dinner, she finally tells him exactly how she feels, which was really hard for her. She said "I love you" and was hoping to see a sign in his eyes that gave her some kind of sign that he was feeling the same. But, she said she didn't. He left and she went after him, and she just looked so defeated, as she threw herself down on the bed and cried.

The Big Day

Lindsay's out of the limo first, xo there you have your answer...Catherine is Sean's choice! (Over the years, they've fooled us a couple of times (or maybe only once) by having the "winner" come first, but that hasn't happened in years.) And, Reality Steve was right again...he outed Catherine as Sean's choice on Nov. 26. It's so much less stressful to watch when you know what's going to happen, I've gotta say.

Any way, back to the action...

Sean's really having a hard time because he doesn't want to hurt Lindsay. He doesn't have a reason to give her. It's about to get even tougher because she truly thinks that she's about to get engaged and this is the best day of her life. She's about to find out that she is very wrong. (Side note: was it planned that Lindsay is wearing silver and comes in 2nd and Catherine will be wearing gold and she came in 1st???)

He told her that as of yesterday he didn't know what he was going to do, but now he has clarity and his heart is leading him in a different direction. He said it was the hardest thing he has ever had to do, and he knows that he does love her. Sean...only making it worse here. She was holding it together pretty well until he started crying. She just kept saying "it's ok". She then said that she was going to go because it was very painful and that it was her worst nightmare-never saw it coming. You have to feel bad for her, that's gotta be so incredibly painful. Her limo ride was very emotional to say the least. The hardest thing to hear was when she said she thought she had it, but now someone else does.

Before Catherine's limo arrives, Sean receives a letter from Catherine. The live crowd groans in shock, as the camera edit makes it look like maybe Catherine is having doubts. Oh the suspense! Basically, the letter was all good. She said she loved meeting his family, and that she loves him.

As Sean was leading up to the proposal, she looked like she was going to faint. Now THAT would be the most dramatic rose ceremony ever! As much as Lindsay was surprised it WASN'T her, I think Catherine was just as surprised that it WAS her! And in a Bachelor first, they were taken away on top of an elephant, and they rode off into the sunset...a perfect end to their story. I gotta say they quite possibly look more happy than any final couple.

After The Final Rose

The new Bachelorette will be revealed...let me save you the trouble Chris, it's Desiree (thanks again to Reality Steve).

Lindsay returns. Unfortunately, Sean isn't able to give her any better answers, and you can tell she is still very emotional.

Then it's Catherine's turn. They are obviously still very happy together...for now. We all know the track record is not great, and it's not even good at all. But, who knows...they could be one of the lucky ones.

And finally, after talking about it the whole show, THE NEWS! (but wait, we need to see the proposal again, cue more tears from everyone) -- The wedding will be on TV! They don't have a date yet, but Catherine doesn't want to wait, and if it was up to Sean they'd just go to the courthouse. Chris threatened to do it right there because he is ordained...now THAT would be quite the ending!

The New  Bachelorette Is: Des

The "Big Surprise"

OK, so it looks like Sean's "big surprise" is going to be revealed tomorrow on GMA. So, tomorrow, expect him to announce that he will be on Dancing with the Stars, which starts next week, and his partner will be Peta! Just what all us girls want...more shirtless Sean!!