WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Episode 10 of The Bachelor Season 25, which aired Monday on ABC.
The season finale of The Bachelor was truly like no other we have seen before, as Matt James made a crucial decision that threw out the show’s rule book by writing his own ending. However, that’s not all that happened, as after the Final Rose ended up playing a huge role do a real world controversy involving racially-insensitive photos of contestant Rachael Kirkconnell.
Here’s a spoiler-filled recap of what happened in The Bachelor Season 25, Episode 10.
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Michelle Meets Matt’s Family
For the first part of Michelle’s last date with Matt, she met his mom, Patty, and his older brother, John, both of whom are very pragmatic people skeptical of Matt’s ability to commit to a partner this quickly. Michelle, having all the qualities a supportive and loving partner would ideally have, impressed Patty and John after they grilled her. Patty was happy to see her son so happy, though Matt shares his fears afterward about if he can get to the point of being ready for marriage in a few days, as if that’s not the entire point of The Bachelor.
Rachael Meets Matt’s Family
Patty and John both could easily see Matt’s connection to Rachael in his body language. When she spoke with Patty about how Matt’s faith was a huge sign for her that this was her person, the two of them broke down in an emotional moment. John had some doubts about Rachael never truly being in love before, but she squashed them when admitting that Matt is the first person she has been deeply in love with. Both women earned Patty’s seal of approval, but she was more leery of her own son breaking their hearts.
In a chat afterwards, Patty put her own fears about love not lasting in her life onto her son, which only made him doubt himself even more. This type of deep, committed love was new for Matt as well, and he doubted whether he was ready to make a life-long commitment. According to Patty, love is not all it takes to stay in a marriage for the long haul. Apparently, Matt has been talking himself into an engagement this entire time, similar to Serena P.’s situation, and not being honest with the any of the women. Chris Harrison had a more rosy outlook on love, as he hilariously tried to talk Matt back into an engagement. Matt decided to take it one day at a time and see what the best option was for his relationships.
Michelle’s Final Date
As if love was scary enough, Michelle and Matt rappelled down the side of the resort for their date. As if to symbolize Matt stumbling in commitment, he nearly slipped and fell down the side of the building. In the evening portion of the date, Michelle poured her heart out to Matt by giving him an adorable gift. She got them matching jerseys, since they are on the same team of “world changing warriors.” Matt cannot keep lying to her at this point, so he opened up about not being ready for an engagement, leaving her confused but glad he was honest.
When asked where they go from here, Matt shockingly sent her home for good. Apparently he wasn’t ready for marriage or in love with Michelle. This completely blindsided her, and she was unable to process Matt’s snowballing.
Rachael’s Supposed Date
Matt canceled his date with Rachael, needing time to figure out his heart. This blindsided her, leaving her to spiral in self-doubt. Then, Neil Lane and his briefcase of rings arrived, which was a sure-fire answer to Matt’s problems! The two men looked at engagement rings to actualize Matt’s fears; he picked one to merely hold onto. The next day, he sent Rachael a letter telling her to meet him by the lake. Still undecided, he believed clarity would come to him when he saw her walk up.
She spoke first, saying how she just wants him to be happy. Then, he shared his doubts with her and revealed that he could have told her what she wanted to hear, but he can’t propose in good conscience. With that being said, he still wanted to continue their relationship, just not as an engaged couple. The two then rode off in their horse-drawn carriage, but what happened next was far from a happy ending.
After the Final Rose
Former NFL star Emmanuel Acho hosted “After the Final Rose” in Chris Harrison’s absence. Acho wanted to have a discourse on the controversy surrounding Rachael. She recaps how pictures of her attending an Antebellum South party surfaced on Instagram. This ended up drawing a lot of ire, with Bachelorette alum Rachel Lindsay called for accountability and social awareness. Others, like Harrison, tried to defend Rachael.
In the empty studio, Acho dove right into the controversy with Michelle, who was hurt to find out how ignorant Rachael was about the implications and history behind her actions, though she believes Rachael does have a good heart. In more devastating news, Michelle divulged that she wanted to talk with Matt for her own closure after the she was sent home, but he declined to see her. However, when Matt came out, he apologized for his actions.
Matt, though, was still hurt and angered by Rachael’s racial ignorance and ended the relationship when the pictures surfaced. He repeatedly said that he needed to give her the space to grow personally. Acho then brought Rachael out to create an open dialogue and make this a productive learning experience for all of them. Rachael apologized for her actions, which she claimed did not seem offensive to her in the moment. However, she admitted her ignorance and has been educating herself on the social ways racial ignorance lives in her life. Still, despite her apology and claim that he is the only man for her, Matt couldn’t look her in the eye.
Moving on from this season’s controversy, Acho brought out the two new bachelorettes: Michelle Young and Katie Thurston from this season. They will not being going at the same time, instead Katie’s season will premiere over the summer and Michelle’s in the fall. Two separate seasons, two journeys to find love and two dignified women that will lead this show back to a more respectable place.