All season long, the previews of upcoming episodes from the Bachelor have been misleading. Is tonight’s any different? From the voiceovers and screencaps, it appears Jake picks on one.
First, you see Jake alone at the final rose ceremony site, looking up at the approaching helicopter, which we know now is how Vienna and Tenley both arrive (no limo this time. )
“I can’t believe it’s come to this. I’m so confused. I would never ask a woman for her hand in marriage unless I was 100% sure….I can’t believe it’s ending like this.”
First up in the preview: Tenley:
As Tenley’s mouth is quivering, we hear her say in a voice-over:
“I’m pretty hurt that Jake doesn’t think we have physical chemistry when I feel like there’s so much passion.”
Then it’s Vienna’s turn:
As she looks down and off to the side and cries, you hear her say, also in a voice-over, “I don’t know where his mind or his heart is right now.” Then she adds, “I don’t know where I went wrong.”
Then there’s Jake, doing his best Jason Mesnick:
As he cries, his voice-over says: “This is the hardest decision I’ll ever have to make.”
It was a given he wasn’t going to pick Tenley. Who wouldn’t feel trapped and be struggling for air after hearing her say “forever” and “for the rest of our lives” in every other sentence? It reminded me of the 1972 version of the movie “The Heartbreak Kid” and we know how that turned out. And how many times in her personal interviewss tonight did she say “ex-husband?” I think I stopped counting at 5.
So, the question is, is the preview an accurate portrayal or yet another attempt to mislead us and keep us guessing? The Bachelor knows we all know Vienna was Jake’s final choice. So the only suspense is in whether he proposed, if so, whether she accepted and either way, whether they are still together.
The options: Jake pulls a Brad Womack and tells first Tenley and then Vienna he’s not ready to propose — or Vienna just has a moment of self-doubt, but Jake chooses her and proposes, and her facial expressions are tears of joy, not sadness.
If Jake chooses no one, his post-show interviews will probably consist of him saying, as he has the past two episodes, that he was in love with more than one woman. Add in his crush on Gia, and his belief he was falling in love with Ali, and he’s in love with four women. Meaning, he wasn’t exclusively in love with either Vienna or Tenley, and he needs to know that when he proposes, there’s only one woman for him.
In the end, it’s unlikely Jake stopped wondering what would have happened if Ali hadn’t left. Even more so, it seems Gia’s gracious and classy exit had him dwelling on whether she would have continued to open up.
Then there’s the cynical view: Jake didn’t go on the Bachelor to find a wife, but for fame and to become a media star. He played the game through, was gracious to all, and ended up alone — as he intended to all along.
The other lingering question: Is Ali the next Bachelorette? All signs point to it. They hyped her to death this season. What other reason could they have had? The only other possibility is Gia, who certainly has the looks and sex appeal, but is a little too timid in the personality department. But maybe an acting coach can fix that.
The only winners this season: St. Lucia which got incredible publicity, and the bank account of The Bachelor. Did you notice that at the end of the show, an announcer said, “Travel and accommodations provided by St. Lucia Tourist Board.” And of course, the viewers: We’re almost done with Jake and the most boring season in Bachelor history.