“The Bachelor” finale was all roses and daisies

This season was my first time watching “The Bachelor”, so it was my first time being even somewhat involved in the ending. Truthfully, I didn’t even watch every episode this season, but I watched enough to get to know the girls, and like most of America, I fell in love with Daisy Kent.

Joey, in my opinion, did fine as the bachelor. However, I did feel as though he led Daisy on up until the last little bit, especially since he has now come out and said that he knew he would pick Kelsey A. after Malta, which was episode four. If this is true, there were six more episodes (seven if you include the tell-all) where he was continuing to pursue relationships with the other women. I understand that this is the point of the show to an extent, but going as far as to ask other girls’ families for their blessing during hometown dates seems a little absurd to me.

I also loved Maria, and though I did not think she was going to win, I was shocked when she was sent home before Rachel. I was even more surprised that she wasn’t chosen as the bachelorette, but I’ll get to that in a minute. More importantly, I must say that the finale was a wild ride. Going into it, I wanted Daisy to win, but I also thought that Kelsey A. was probably Joey’s top pick.

I watched the finale live with a dozen or so other students, and there were several moments where the whole room was feeling the same way I was. For starters, all our hearts were breaking with Daisy’s during the final date. For me, this was when I knew Daisy was not the winner. We were all left wondering if she was going to walk away or wait to be sent home.

The communal gasp when Kelsey answered after Daisy knocked on what we had all falsely assumed was Joey’s door could be heard around the world. The conversation between Daisy and Kelsey was incredibly heartwarming, and it was nice for me to see the two girls supporting each other, even when they knew one of them was about to get their heart broken. But nothing compared to the shock when Daisy and Kelsey rode together to the final rose ceremony.

The final rose ceremony solidified my adoration for Daisy. She handled herself with such grace and strength, and was so well-spoken even when she was clearly hurting. Again, I have not watched any other seasons, and I was shocked by the maturity shown. I was expecting nothing but petty fights, and while there were plenty of those in the beginning of the season, it ended on such a beautiful note. 

The interviews at the end of the episode showed more of Daisy’s maturity, as well as a lot on the part of Kelsey A. The girls were able to continue a friendship outside of the show, and Kelsey A. and Joey are still going strong.

The bachelorette announcement was the final genuine surprise of the evening. I would venture to say that we all anticipated Maria or Daisy, and if not them, at least Rachel, considering she made it to the final three. While I never would’ve guessed Jenn, I am not necessarily upset by it. She was not a standout for me, but I didn’t hate her like I did many of the others.

The maturity shown in both Daisy and Kelsey and the support they had for one another was so heartwarming that it might have turned me into a committed “Bachelor” watcher. Either way, this season was in no way a waste of my time.