Update 7/28: Ratings were so good they are replaying the finale tonight before the ATFR show. I’m glad my predictions below turned out to be correct. Jillian seems so happy with her choice, I feel badly I can’t share her enthusiasm about Ed, but if anyone’s to blame, it’s ABC for the way they edited him and scripted the season.

7/27: 6:42pm MT:

Final spoilers and my prediction: Jillian will choose Ed at the end of the Final Rose Ceremony during the last five minutes of tonight’s Bachelorette finale and is now engaged to him.

Reid, the realtor from Philly who attracted quite a fan base in recent weeks, even before he was eliminated in Maui, and who comes back during the FRC to tell Jillian he really does love her, is rejected. Ed, the Microsoft salesman from Chicago, who bowed out mid-series purportedly for work and then returned a few episodes later, who is widely rumored to have had two girlfriends when he went on the show, who thinks passing gas is so funny he posted a you tube video about it (his only video), whose idea of a good time is to go to a karaoke bar, who is the only guy who had performance problems with Jillian when they had their overnight date, and who in one episode is so drunk he can’t even form a sentence, is the guy she picks.

Go figure. It’s true Jillian was a bit intimidated by Kiptyn’s family (not their fault), and while he is quite attractive and sensible, he was not Mr. Personality. It’s also true that Reid and she have different cultural backgrounds and it might be that no bridge could close the gap. But, after seeing her swoon every time Wes sang a lyric, it’s not hard to see where her head is. She’s not as interested in finding a life-long partner as she is someone to goof around with. She likes potty humor, from her repeated references to how she laughs so hard she almost pees in her pants to her thinking Michael and Ed passing gas on the show is about the funniest thing she’s ever seen. She describes herself as a liberal Canadian, which in Canada, has nothing to do with politics.

It’s hard to see how she could choose Ed. But, she’s only 29, let her have some fun while it lasts. At least she got a boatload of cute outfits out of the experience. She can now giggle and squeal her way back to Canada where she’s announced she’s opening her own design business (no word about how that fits in with an engagement to a guy who lives in Chicago) … or maybe she’ll land a design-related tv gig .

Did you expect more from Jillian? Why? Who goes on a show, signs away every privacy right under the sun and agrees to let a show edit your words in a way that is 180 degrees from what you actually said, so you come off looking like a pervert, a master manipulator or a psycho with anger management issues in the first place? I guess people who want an escape from their lives and think that the show will be a step up.

No matter what happens with Jillian and Ed, I think Jillian will do well and the show was a good move for her. She was third choice for the starring role, because Number 1 last season (Melissa Rycroft, who had both beauty and talent) turned it down after she got demoted to number 2 when simpleton Jason Mesnick, whose primary means of communicating was leaning over a railing and bawling buckets of tears, switched to Molly. (Molly was second choice but she turned it down as well.) Melissa turned the Jason fiasco into a positive experience, moving on to Dancing with Stars where she went all to the way to the finals and came in third. No small accomplishment. Now she’s engaged to someone else and has a reporting gig at Good Morning America. Way to to go Melissa. Her life is infinitely better than had she stayed with mopey Jason. And probably better than had she not gone on the show.

Will Jillian and Ed find happiness? I’ll refrain from making predictions they won’t last six months, and instead say I hope so — but I also hope that tomorrow night’s After the Final Rose Show is the last we see of them as a couple on TV.

I do think contestants can find happiness after the Bachelorette. Wes will do great with his concerts and recordings, notwithstanding that ABC tried to not only throw him under the bus but then drive over him. Reid and Kip will go back to their successful lives, inundated with offers from females to date them and one is likely to be the next Bachelor. Deanna Pappas is doing well. She has her own show on an Atlanta cable station where she gives wedding advice, lives in L.A. and acts appropriately for a 30 year old who wants to have fun and become famous. Jesse, my favorite from her season, whom she chose and then dumped, has been building a fan base, appearing on tv, from sports shows to helping John Walsh solve a crime on America’s Most Wanted, and, he’s a professional snowboarder who puts in major hours doing non-profit and community stuff. He’ll do great. Holly Durst from a prior season, who dated Jesse after his and Deanna’s breakup, is now best friends with Deanna and as of this weekend, madly in love with cute breakdancer Michael Stagliano (from this season with Jillian) and he’s madly in love with her. He even changed his FaceBook status to “in a relationship” today. I think they make an adorable couple.

The Bachelorette is not a bad show. It’s fun to watch. But the best part is trying to figure out who gets sent home and who wins in the end before they air it. This year, because they played the scripted revolving door trick so much, with Ed leaving and then coming back,and then holy-roller Jake’s ridiculous return to warn Jillian that Wes had a girlfriend which wasn’t true, it became more difficult for the sleuthers. So to producer Michael Fleiss, I’ll say nice job, although you played a little fast and loose with the traditional show rules this season.

The finale starts here in 30 minutes, we’ll see how close I came to the ending. I’m glad it’s over tonight as the show hasn’t been as much fun since Wes left. As for Reid not winning, millions of women watching tonight will be disappointed but not for long: Jillian’s loss may be America’s gain, if he decides to accept the offer of becoming the next Bachelor. If I knew Reid in real life, I’d tell him to run for the hills. As a fan of the show, I hope he agrees so we get to see lots more of him.

ABC has gone from telling us Reid Rosenthal’s return at the Bachelorette Finale next Monday makes Jillian question everything, to Reid’s return changes everything. (Text of both below.) Jillian says she recently started her own interior design business in Vancouver, Jillian Harris Designs. Sounds like we’re down to just a few possibilities and the most likely one is Reid’s return made her change her mind about accepting a proposal from either Kip or Ed, and she rejected or deferred all proposals at the FRC. She’s back home in Vancouver, on her own, but happy.

If that’s the case, what we’ll find out at the ATFR (After the Final Rose) is whether, in the intervening two months between when the finale filmed on May 24th, and when the ATFR is filmed (tomorrow), she continued to see one of them and, whether it’s either going great or it’s over. The other possibilities:

• Jillian decides on Ed, sends Kip home at F2, Reid returns, Jillian freaks out, she rejects Ed as F1 and rejects Reid. She ends up alone. But that’s a score for Reid, he changed her mind about Ed.
• Jillian decides on Ed, sends Kip home at F2, Reid returns, Jillian freaks out, she rejects Reid and proceeds with accepts Ed’s proposal.
• Jillian decides on Ed, sends Kip home at F2, Reid returns, Jillian freaks out, she rejects Ed and then accepts Reid’s proposal.

What about Kip as F1? It’s just not in the cards that they’ve shown us.

A new description from ABC today:

In this gripping special conclusion, Jillian, the vivacious restaurant designer who began her search for love with 30 bachelors, has survived a dramatic, rocky road and found herself falling in love with two wonderful men, Ed and Kiptyn. As she prepares to make one of the most difficult decisions of her life, she invites the two remaining bachelors to the Big Island of Hawaii 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 Jillian’s final rose. But in the most dramatic and emotional conclusion in “Bachelorette” history, there is an unexpected confession that changes everything. Will Jillian find her soul mate? It’s a decision that will change her life forever.

From ABC earlier:

Jillian continues her amorous adventures on the Big Island of Hawaii where her mom, dad, grandma and cousin arrive to assist her with one of the toughest decisions of her life. Not wanting to see her heartbroken again, her family grills both Ed and Kiptyn about their intentions and their feelings for Jillian. After her family weighs in on her options, Jillian takes Ed on a panoramic helicopter ride above the Big Island’s bubbling lava pits. Jillian is falling for this sensitive bachelor, but time is running out for her to make sure she has real chemistry with him. Landing in a lush jungle, the two enjoy a private lunch and a romantic dip in a private lagoon, but Ed must convince Jillian that they are compatible.

Next, Jillian takes Kiptyn on a romantic boat ride to a secluded beach, where the couple share a picnic lunch and frolic in the water. Their physical attraction is undeniable, but Jillian still needs to make sure that Kiptyn is prepared for a future with her. Will he finally share the depth of his feelings for her?

As the moment of decision approaches, Jillian is torn. She is in love with both men and knows she would have an incredible life with either one. A tearful Jillian wrestles with her emotions and is ready to make her ultimate decision, but at the very last minute one man’s shocking change of heart makes Jillian question everything. Does she find her best friend, soul mate and future husband? The two remaining men are: Ed, 29, technology consultant from Chicago, IL.; Kiptyn, 31, business developer from Encinitas, CA.

Jillian held a teleconference call with reporters yesterday. Here’s the transcript.