Here’s Ali on the red carpet after the Men Tell All. At the very end, she says it’s definitely possible to find love on the Bachelorette, and we’ll have to wait to find out if she did, but, she insists, there are real emotions involved. She then seques into the media, saying, “I just hope I have the strength to deal with it in the right way.”
If she made a traditional pick, Chris or Roberto, why would she need strength to deal with the media?. She’s shown herself to be quite the media darling the last few weeks as they follow her every move in L.A. from jogging to shopping to getting manicures and hair extensions. Only if the media turned on her, would she need strength to deal with it. Yet, that’s seems to be what she’s expecting.
So, why would the media turn on her?
Only if, having these two seemingly great guys to choose from, she picked no one. Or, if she rejected one and the other rejected her, and she’s portrayed as the heartbroken loser.
What foreshadows the second? The theme all season, from her comments about Roberto to Frank, to Chris Harrison’s comments about her, has been “What if he doesn’t love me back?”
And, ABC’s description of the finale, asks whether she will find her love and be happy, or leave heartbroken?
The caption to the six photos of the Final Rose Ceremony on ABC Media Net say:
THE BACHELORETTE – “Episode 610” – Ali Fedotowsky, who risked everything for a second chance at love and began the search for her soul mate with 25 bachelors, has survived a dramatic, rocky road and has narrowed her search to two wonderful men, Chris L. and Roberto. As she prepares to make one of the most difficult decisions of her life, she invites the two remaining bachelors to Bora Bora, Tahiti to meet her family. Will she find love with the man of her dreams or leave paradise with a broken heart? It’s a dramatic and emotional conclusion on the season finale of “The Bachelorette,” MONDAY, AUGUST 2 (8:00-10:02 p.m., ET), on the ABC Television Network. (my emphasis)
If she wasn’t into either guy, and rejected them both, she wouldn’t be leaving heartbroken. She might be a little sad she didn’t find love, but she’d also be relieved it was over. The only thing that could make her heartbroken is if the one she chooses doesn’t choose her back.
That’s a virtual impossibility with Chris, who has told her he loved her, he’d move across the country for her, and he’s so ready for a life forever with her.
Roberto, on the other hand, just might reject her. According to Kasey, Roberto came off to some of the guys as a little too slick. He’s after the prize, winning the show. Sure, he likes Ali, but he might not be ready to take that leap of faith. I think that’s why we have begun to see him sweat profusely at inopportune times. like during a romantic dinner with just the two of them, or at the Tahiti rose ceremony, even one where he’s guaranteed a rose.
Maybe it’s just the editing and what they have chosen to show us, but as I’ve said before, I haven’t seen a single, substantive conversation between Ali and Roberto all season.
Then there’s the big risk Ali takes at the end. TV Guide for the finale:
Ali arrives in Bora Bora with two guys (Chris L. and Roberto) and one rose. Her family are also there—and they do her no favor by liking both bachelors equally. Later, Ali takes a huge risk.
What risk? Maybe Ali decided on Roberto after the Meet the Parent dates and told Chris she wasn’t choosing him on their Last Chance Date, putting all her eggs in the Roberto basket. That’s quite a risk because he might not love her back and propose. The question is, did her risk backfire? Did Roberto decide he’s not ready? If she rejects Chris and Roberto doesn’t propose, she’s all alone. No more Chris, he’s already gone.
Another indicator this might happen: Chris Harrison’s latest interview with TV Guide:
At this point, America’s going to say, “Ali, you better not screw this up. You have two of the most amazing guys maybe in the history of this show, you better come through.” And that’s why it’ll be interesting with the finale of how America reacts to what Ali does when every woman in America is like “If she doesn’t pick Roberto have him call me,” or “If she doesn’t pick Chris, have him be the bachelor.”
ABC says there are two choices: she finds love with the man of her dreams or she leaves broken hearted. It sounds like she is going to tell one guy goodbye and then spend a few days with the other (who in all likelihood Ali has told he’s the last one standing) and after a few days to see how it goes, either they get engaged, or he says no. All signs point to Chris being her F2 and Roberto her F1. But whichever one it is, if her F1 rejects her after she’s rejected her F2, she is definitely in for a media storm of criticism, and she’s right: she’ll need a boatload of strength to deal with it in the right way.