Ali and Roberto have called it quits. Count me among those who are not suprised.

It has not been a good year for Ali Fedotowsky. First she had a head injury in a kayaaking accident. Then she injured her leg kickboxing which required surgery on her femur. By August, she had left her job at Fox5 News San Diego and postponed the wedding. In October, she said there are no wedding plans. On Nov. 1, she was fretting about needing another knee surgery. And on Nov. 7, it was announced the Style Network wasn’t giving her a TV show after all (the show had been announced in April.) The only work I see she has now is on a shopping website called OpenSky. She has a PR firm, and a manager, but her website has been “under construction” forever.

Ali and Roberto didn’t seem to have a lot in common to me. She was bent on a show business career, signing with William Morris soon after her engagement, and then she had a gig on Fox 5 San Diego (now over.) He’s an insurance agent and a jock. What was there to talk about at dinner?

Who knows what went wrong. I think they are very different people, from their politics to their values. She’s much more of a free spirit, while he’s pretty traditional. She’s into clothes, fun and celebrity, he’s into sports and work. They lasted 18 months — probably not long enough under their contract with The Bachelorette to even keep the ring.

Here’s hoping next year is better for Ali. I suspect she’ll be moving to LA (if she’s not already there.) If she really has her heart set on a TV or broadcasting career, she should consider acting and speech lessons while she’s recuperating. She’s very telegenic, enthusiastic and facially expressive, and instantly recognizable, but her voice and speech cadence need a lot of work. The Bachelorette may be a short-cut to a media career for some, but it’s not a substitute for talent. Self-promotion and PR reps will only get you so far.

Reality Steve has some spoilers on Bachelorette Ashley Hebert’s first dates and several of the 25 contenders vying for her roses.

• Tuesday, March 15: Meet and Greet, 25 guys
• Thursday, March 17: 1 on 1 date-Bellagio, Las Vegas
• Friday, March 18, group date , Monte Carlo Hotel (Jabbawockeez show) Las Vegas
• Saturday, March 19, 1 on 1 date, Ryan “Mickey” McLean , Mandalay Bay (private concert from Colbie Caillat performing her song “I Do”) Las Vegas
• Monday, March 21, 1 on 1 date, Ben Castoriani, Americana at Brand outdoor mall in Glendale (flash mob video), Los Angeles
• First week of April: Filming in Phuket, Thailand

Two contestants who may be around for awhile: New Orleans lawyer Ben Castoriani:

and Ryan “Mickey” McLean, a chef from Ohio.

Another contestant: Ben Flajnik of Evolve Winery.

Benjamin Flajnik is and always has been an entrepreneur at heart. Benjamin studied music production in college and crafted his own wine and beer on the side. He then set out in the field of Internet advertising and soon realized his true passion was outside: creating, crafting, and getting his hands dirty. Benjamin was born and raised in Sonoma, California, which provided him the appropriate foundation for his passion for wine and the art of winemaking. Benjamin is currently studying winemaking at UC Davis and has worked in the alcoholic beverage industry on/off for the past eight years.

I’ll be excited to see where will they film. For Phuket, maybe they will be at The Banyan Tree. Or the JW Marriott. It seems too early in the season for aa resort like Amanpuri, which would be perfect for a Fantasy Suite Date or the Final Rose Ceremony, but you never know. Will they also go to Bangkok? And Chiang Mai? Both would make for great date places.

While Reality Steve remains confident Ashley Hebert will be the next Bachelorette, Chris Harrison said today no decision has been reached. He said it could be Ashley, or it could be (of all people) Michelle Money.

“It will not be announced at the Women Tell All,” he tells TVGuide.com, clearing up recent reports. “I can promise you as of Sunday night, I was with the creator of the show, Mike Fleiss, and when I left him in the wee hours of the morning we did not have a Bachelorette picked.”

Chris is known for his over-the top description of upcoming shows, and his description of Michelle at the “Women Tell All” is no exception:

Michelle will blow your mind, and I mean that in a good way and bad way. I’ve seen it all and I never saw this coming. It’s unlike anything I’ve ever experienced in 10 years, and I was so thrown off I didn’t know what was going on.

Chantal would obviously be a better choice than Ashley or Michelle. So the question is, did she turn it down, or, despite all the recent spoilers saying Emily and Brad are engaged, is she the one Brad picked?

The evidence is mounting Brad picks Emily. If he does, is it because Chantal was too ready to get married right now, and he could take things more slowly with Emily, because of her daughter? Would Emily really agree to pack her daughter up and move to Austin, after just a handful of dates over two months? Or would she agree to get engaged and see how things go over the next several months? Maybe Brad, despite all his protests to the contrary, isn’t ready to commit to more than getting engaged right now.

He certainly has Emily on a pedestal and seems enamored of the idea of a ready-made family. But, it’s now an open question who ends up as F1. Once again, good job, Mike Fleiss. You fleeced Reality Steve and no one would be surprised if you have more twists and turns in store for us. And on the topic of the next Bachelorette, take it slow. Ashley is not the best choice. Neither is Michelle. Please keep searching.

The Bachelor/Bachelorette Franchise has another win in the engagement column. Congratulations to Jesse Csincsak and Ann Lueders. Jesse and Ann have been dating for a year since they met on one of Jesse’s Bachelorette reunion cruises to Mexico, and this week he got down on one knee at a romantic spot on Lake Erie and proposed.

They will wed in Las Vegas and then return to Colorado to start their married life. Radar Online has the exclusive video of the proposal, in which Jesse tells Ann:

“I’ve spent the last year getting to know you….When I was on that boat to Mexico, the first time I met you, I would never have dreamed this would have happened, that it would get to this point. But I have fallen in love with you and I want to grow old with you.”

Ann was a contestant on Jason Mesnick’s season of the Bachelor while Jesse was the winner during Deanna Pappas’ season. Deanna broke up with Jesse within months, and it’s great to see him so happy again.

Jesse has been my favorite male contestant on the show over the many seasons. I’ve interviewed him many times and stayed in touch since then, and am really delighted for him and Ann. My congratulations and best wishes to them both.

Ali and Roberto really do seem in love. The finale was wonderful to watch — Mike Fleiss and Co. delivered the most romantic final episode in many seasons. Congrats to the happy couple, just watching them smile lifts the spirits. Roberto really grew on me last night. I wish we had seen more of his personality during the season. I also really liked Ali’s family, they were so level-headed (as compared to some families we’ve seen in prior seasons.)

Ali has signed with William Morris, so much for those protestations she wants to get back to regular life. I’ll bet she’s commuting from San Diego to LA in no time.

Whether Ali’s ultimate fairy tale ending is that she ends up happily married or with a show biz career, or both, remains to be seen, but a fairy tale ending it was, complete with Prince Charming.

Here’s a nice photospread from the Final Rose Ceremony. Just click on the photo and they all come up. And here’s what the couple had to say on the ABC teleconference call today.

Did Reality Steve, who released the first spoilers at the beginning of the season that Ali ends up alone get Fleissed? Or did Fleiss himself get Fleissed by Reality Steve? Today, Reality Steve admits he got Fleissed. He says his sources were wrong, Ali ends up engaged to Roberto and Chris leaves early.

Chris leaving early is nothing new. The show practically spoon-fed it to us in previews. That Ali chooses Roberto is also nothing new — or at least it’s something that has been predicted here and at FORT for weeks as the most likely ending (if for no other reason than Roberto has been MIA since filming ended while Chris has been out and about.) Roberto as F1 has been evident as well, except to those who had a different favored outcome (like wanting the F1 to be Chris.) I wrote last week, it is likely to end with “A final rose ceremony with only one guy. The suspense might be in “Will Roberto Accept?” rather than “Who did Ali Choose?” (My tweak on it, which probably won’t happen, was to further speculate she proposes to Roberto rather than the other way around.)

This weekend, the ending became even more obvious. The New York Post had an article with new comments by Bachelorette producer Mike Fleiss and Bachelorette Ali Fedotowsky. The money quotes:

Fleiss: “The audience is going to be very satisfied with the outcome.”… “I think it ends up pretty well for her. I think she’s happy.”

Ali: “The finale is really good. Sometimes they can seem very orchestrated. This one is very real,…I feel like I made the best decision that I could.”

She made it clear she’s over Frank:

“Regardless of how this turns out — whether I’m with someone or not — I’m so grateful to have finally realized I don’t have to marry a guy like Frank,” says Fedotowsky. “I don’t want the chase. I want a guy like Chris or Roberto. It’s important for a woman to be with a man who adores her. That’s something you realize when you’re a grown up and I’m finally a grown up.”

Translation: The audience would not be happy if Ali’s final choice rejected her. So scratch off Ali being dumped at the Final Rose Ceremony.

But Chris Harrison is still making it sound like Reality Steve was right and she picks no one.

“What happened with Frank really set things in motion and really set her off,” Harrison said. “She was falling in love with the guy and he was falling in love with her. When she got to Chris and Roberto, from the last-chance dates on, it’s a completely different finale.”

And a finale that will have fans talking about the decision, he says. She feels like she really got her life in order and has come to terms with what she’s done,” Harrison said. “I think they’ll appreciate what she does. It will be interesting to see how the fans react. I think I know but I always have to wait to Tuesday morning to see how the fans react.”

The audience would not be happy if Ali didn’t choose either Roberto or Chris. Both of their edits have been too pristine. No one would understand if she rejected both. The only option that leaves the audience happy: She chooses Roberto or Chris and there’s a happy ending. Which one does she choose? It has to be Roberto. Why? Again, because he’s the one who has been missing in action since the finale was filmed.

As for their happier ever after, it’s likely to be on Dancing With the Stars. I predicted a few weeks ago Roberto would seek it and get the slot, but according to Reality Steve, both will be on, competing against each other. So of course, for Ali, life is perfect. She chose her guy and gets to be on DWTS.

As for Chris as next bachelor, I’m sure he has every intention of turning it down. It’s rumored he has already rejected the deal a few times, even with subsequent offers of more money and maybe even promises of a good edit. Since money has a way of convincing even the most principled (except maybe Kiptyn and Reid), I won’t be surprised if he does signs on in the end. He’d make a great bachelor and what an easy gig (since the season is much more about the women than than the guy.) Memo to Fleiss: Keep upping the ante, he’ll come around. (Update: Rumor has it he’s turned it down for good and the next Bachelor will be Casey James of American Idol. )

Final word: Great job, Mike Fleiss & co. You punked Reality Steve and by extension, those of us who have come to trust his spoilers. Hopefully next season we’ll get back to sleuthing and have learned our lesson to skip the spoilers.

Congrats to Ali and Roberto. It was a very romantic and satisfying ending.

It’s still impossible to tell who Ali is favoring. Which may well mean she ends up with neither. Or, Chris could leave before the Final Rose Ceremony day, and Roberto could show up and propose. There’s pictures of Roberto arriving by boat, but none of Chris so far. And it’s still a possibility that Roberto could propose and get rejected.

The latest preview from ABC makes it seem both Roberto and Chris aren’t ready to propose to Ali. But if that were the case, it wouldn’t be her decision, it would be their decision. And she repeatedly has said she’s happy with her decisions. In the clip, Chris tells her he’ll miss her. And the clip ends with a shot of Frank.

So what’s the shocker in store for us at the finale, the thing that’s never happened before? Is it just that both reject her…or does she find out the one she wants most isn’t going to propose and so she takes a risk and proposes to him instead? And if so, does he accept? That’s one of the few alternative scenarios that accommodates either ” will she find love or leave paradise with a broken heart.”

But something else may be in store for us, as ABC says she makes a “last minute, heart-wrenching decision which changed all of their lives forever.” That suggests she picks no one. In fact, today’s press release from ABC: Something happens on the Last Chance Dates. Chris’ sounds particularly ominous.

IT’S ONE OF THE MOST ROMANTIC AND DRAMATIC NIGHTS EVER ON ABC, ON THE SEASON FINALE OF “THE BACHELORETTE,” MONDAY, AUGUST 2…And Immediately Following the Season Finale, Both Chris L. and Roberto Join Ali to Look Back at the Dramatic Ending to Her Journey to Find Love, on “The Bachelorette: After the Final Rose”

“Episode 610″ – In this gripping special conclusion, Ali, who began her search for love with 25 bachelors, has survived a dramatic, rocky road and found herself falling in love with 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. Then the men have one last chance to lay their hearts on the line, each trying to guarantee that he will be the one to get Ali’s final rose. But Ali, who has risked everything for a second chance at love, has always feared that she might fall in love but not be loved back. When she finally lays it all on the line, will she find love or leave paradise with a broken heart, on the Season Finale of “The Bachelorette,” MONDAY, AUGUST 2 (8:00-10:02 p.m., ET), on the ABC Television Network.

With Ali’s search for her soul mate over, she talks to Chris Harrison about her final three bachelors this season in “After the Final Rose” special. She’ll take viewers back to exotic Tahiti when Frank dropped his bombshell announcement: He was in love with his ex-girlfriend and was breaking off his relationship with Ali. She will share how Frank’s decision not only left her completely heartbroken, but questioning herself and what she was looking for in a man. Ali will discuss her different relationships with the final two men and the last minute, heart-wrenching decision which changed all of their lives forever. Both Chris L. and Roberto come back to sit with Ali and talk about the shocking outcome of the series. It’s an emotional conclusion to Ali’s heartfelt journey to find true love, on “The Bachelorette: After the Final Rose,” MONDAY, AUGUST 2 (10:02-11:00 p.m., ET).

Ali’s relationships with final two men evolved differently – with Roberto, it was hot and steamy from the start, and with Chris, it grew out of friendship. When Ali arrives In Bora Bora, she’s in love with both men and ready to introduce them to her family.

A life-changing decision is quickly approaching, and Ali looks to her family for input on which incredible man they think would make the best match for her. When Roberto arrives bearing gifts, he makes a great impression. He has a heart-to-heart with Ali’s mom, who says she’s never seen her daughter so happy. After having a serious talk with Ali’s dad to ask for her hand, Roberto is ready to get the entire group up to dance and have a good time.

When Ali’s family find out that Chris L. is from their home state, he is an immediate hit. They’re especially impressed with his devotion to his family, especially during difficult times. He, too, asks Ali’s dad for her hand, and then the group has a great time laughing and splashing in the clear blue water. In the end, Ali’s family offers glowing reviews about both men, and they encourage her to trust her heart and do whatever she feels is best for her in the end. Ali has to hope her last chance dates with these final to men will bring clarity to an impossible decision.

Ali’s date with Roberto starts a fun day in the sun – jet skiing, swimming with stingrays and picnicking. However, with the sunset, their date turns more serious and Roberto takes this last chance to tell Ali exactly how he feels.

On another beautiful day in Bora Bora, the mood becomes emotional and Ali goes to her date with Chris L. with a new perspective. She meets the excited bachelor to start their fantastic day together, and their relationship takes a surprising turn.

From the very beginning of her journey, Ali has been open about her feelings, emotions and even her insecurities. For the first time ever, an unexpected turn of events leaves her risking it all for love. Ali has laid it all on the line and the end is here. But will she find the man of her dreams and get her happily ever after?

The two remaining men are:

Chris L., 33, landscaper from Cape Cod, MA
Roberto, 26, insurance agent from Charleston, SC

Ali Fedotowsky says the ending to her journey for love on the Bachelorette is a surprise, something that’s never happened before on the show. What could that be? As far as I can tell, only two things. Either her final choice rejects the final rose she offers (no proposal, she ends up alone) or she proposes to him rather than the other way around.

I’ve been leaning towards believing she ends up alone and is happy about something else in her life, like some exciting new show business or fashion job she’s been offered and anxious to start.

A few things point the other way. The finale was filmed on May 9. So far, we haven’t seen previews with an engagement ring in them. So, did the guys pick out rings? Here’s jeweler Neil Lane in an interview in the Boston Globe on Thursday May 6th. Lane was going to be in Boston on Thursday, May 13 to talk about his art and clients at the Museum of Fine Arts Fashion Council. (Here’s their Facebook post about it.) The event was not open to the public.

Q. “The Bachelor” pops up when you search your name online.

A. I’m going [this week] to film my fourth season with “The Bachelor” on an exotic island. This one is “The Bachelorette.” I’ve become part of that. I will present the rings for “The Bachelorette,” for the two bachelors she chooses, for them to decide on the ring. Doing these things are like – OK, why not?

Even if the interview was a few days earlier than May 6, the inclusion of [this week] means he was going the first week in May –the week of the final rose ceremony. The paper notes the interview was condensed and edited. Considering how far away Bora Bora is, if Ali wasn’t intending to pick someone that last week,would they have flown Neil Lane out?

Also, Roberto Martinez has not surfaced. While Chris Lampton has been out and about this summer on Cape Cod, there are no sightings of Roberto, only a change of address for his insurance license to Southern California. The no sightings suggest he’s the F1.

What’s never happened before on the Bachelorette? No bachelorette has proposed to her F1. Since Ali and Chris think viewers will be surprised but like the ending, and viewers want to see a love story and a happy ending, I now think there’s a fair possibility Ali proposed to Roberto and he accepted. Question: Was Chris Lampton still around, or had she already rejected him? That too would be a first for the Bachelorette: A final rose ceremony with only one guy. The suspense might be in “Will Roberto Accept?” rather than “Who did Ali Choose?”

Update: Put another way: Re-reading Chris. H.’s and Ali’s various interviews, there will be something different about the finale that hasn’t happened before. According to the TV Guide episode description, Ali takes a big risk on Bora Bora after the Meet the Parents part. Chris H. , in an interview with TV Guide, says it will be interesting to see if America agrees with what she does — as if she takes some action (rather than just makes a decision.)

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.”

The caption to the finale pictures from ABC Media Net ask whether Ali finds love with the man of her dreams or leaves paradise broken hearted (not just alone, but broken hearted.)

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. (ABC/MATT KLITSCHER)

Combine the above with Roberto being MIA since taping ended in May, which I think suggests he’s the F1 over Chris, and I think you have ….Ali rejecting Chris before the FRC and at the FRC, proposing to Roberto (rather than waiting to see if he proposes.) Since she’s so happy, he must have said yes.

I don’t have a favorite between the final two, but there are only so many possibilities that are consistent with Ali and Chris H.’s statements. Since they are the only two talking who know what happened, I’d say this is as likely as Ali rejecting both or getting rejected by her F1, which is what I thought happened a few days ago.

ET! The Bachelorette “Men Tell All” preview.

Poor Kirk. Or should we say lucky Kirk? Monday night is the “Men Tell All”, which typically isn’t much more than a placeholder until the Finale the following week.

Rumors are running the gambit between her picking Roberto, Chris and no one. Some are speculating she’s back with Frank. I think she’s single, and on the “After the Final Rose” episode which airs right after the finale, she’ll finally tell us why. Is she engaged, does she have a new love, go back to an old love, or does she have an incredible new job or career move? As of now, I’ll say it’s a new job or career venture.