"The Bachelorette" has been a hot topic this year, mainly because of this year's choice Bachelorette...Rachel. Rachel Lindsay charmed NBC viewers on the last season of "The Bachelor" starring Nick Viall. Rachel's down-home southern roots, mixed with some Texan charm is a sure winner. However, when Rachel made it to hometowns and was not chosen to progress in the show, many viewers were left dumbfounded. The confusion was soon overcome with joy when NBC announced Rachel as the next Bachelorette. This would become a historical moment in network television; the first season of a black woman as the Bachelorette! Rachel had many stereotypes and values to defy as an African-American attorney showing her quest to find love on national television. This left many viewers with the question; who will she choose?
The Beginning: This season started off with a very interesting variety of 31 eligible bachelors for Rachel to choose from. Ranging from attorney's to doctors, to athletes; comedians, models...and even a professional tickler. Yes, there is a man in the world who's profession is tickling people.
Some of the guys left Rachel speechless, while others were automatically giving Rachel red flags. For instance, DeMario Jackson a contestant on the show caused immediate drama. A girl from DeMario's past contacted Rachel Lindsay with text messages from De'Mario claiming that he was not in love with Rachel, but in love with his mistress. After confronting De'Mario... Rachel ultimately came to the conclusion that De'Mario was just a fame seeking liar.
The War: So the drama did not end with DeMario...a new source of anger filled drama started between Lee (a country singer from Nashville) and Kenny (a professional wrestler from Nevada). The tension was caused by Lee, a man who originally seemed to befriend Kenny. Lee seemed to target Kenny because Lee felt that Kenny was "aggressive," and should not be in a relationship with Rachel. Meanwhile, Kenny, a single father, found himself constantly fighting to protect his image and integrity with Rachel, the woman he loved. However, Lee was determined to get Kenny off of the show at all costs...even if it meant him lying and making false accusations. Most of the men in the show eventually led to the conclusion that Lee was a racist and was only targeting Kenny because of Kenny's race. There could definitely be some truth to that. Either way, both men were more focused on themselves than on Rachel, which is what eventually led to Rachel having to let both contestants go.
The Final Four: The final four guys left in the show were Dean, who won Rachel's heart with his first statement, "I want to go black, and never go back,"; Eric, a fitness trainer originally from Baltimore but who currently lives in California; Peter, a business owner; and Bryan, a chiropractor from Miami. Many viewers fell in love with Dean, who turned out to be the youngest contestant at only 26. Apparently, Rachel felt "love" with Dean as well, even after what seemed like a bumpy hometown visit with Dean's family in California. Rachel told Dean, "I am falling in love with you," however, her actions said otherwise. Directly after confessing her feelings to Dean...Rachel did not choose him at the rose ceremony. This left many viewer's upset, but with hopes of Dean becoming the next Bachelor.
Confessions: When it came down to the final three men, all three had a few reservations. Starting off with Eric, Eric was a bundle of complete mystery. Rachel was constantly questioning where her relationship stood with Eric because he never confessed his emotions to her. Well, we later discovered that Eric had never been in love before...and also, he had never even brought a girl home to meet his family before. However, as their relationship progressed, Eric eventually confessed that he was fully in love with Rachel and was ready to spend the rest of his life with her. On the other hand, Peter, a common ground for Rachel, had relationship trauma that he was trying to overcome. Peter's last relationship, like Rachel's, left him heartbroken and damaged. Due to that, Peter confessed that he struggled with loving another again, which is why he confessed to Rachel that she stood a high chance of him not proposing to her by the end of the show. Meanwhile Bryan, the Latin hot Miami chiropractor, immediately confessed his love and desire for Rachel. But that left Rachel, along with many others, to question if Bryan's feelings for her were real.
To many peoples' surprise, Rachel took a chance and let Eric, the man that finally fell in love, go and she decided to keep Peter, the one that told her he would not marry her, and Bryan....I know, huh?
"The One": After an emotional ride, Rachel made her final decision. She struggled with accepting the fact that Peter was not ready for an engagement, even though she was deeply in love with him. Rachel spent countless conversations trying to convince Peter to propose to her, however, in the eyes of Peter engagement means instant marriage...and that obviously was not what he wanted. In the end, both Rachel and Peter broke each other's hearts...So, that only left one guy for her to choose.
And The Winner Is - BRYAN!!!! The sexy Miami chiropractor has found his "esposa" (esposa = wife)! Bryan received the first rose from Rachel and he accepted her last rose. Some viewers are not happy with the final choice, but let's keep a positive outlook here, people. Rachel came on "The Bachelorette" to find love, and she found it within Bryan. Let's all be happy for the two of them and wish them the very best in their future. Who knows what this upcoming season of "The Bachelor" has in store for us.
