By Cara Cleek Ogden

Surely you didn’t miss last night’s final episode of The Bachelorette. So let’s talk about it! Who did Ali choose in the end? And did he propose? Read on…..

LOOKING BACK:
The episode begins by taking a look at the season so far. Some of the highlights that were covered were Justin (Rated “R”) and his TWO at-home girlfriends, and Frank’s decision to leave and return to his ex. No surprise that Ali is left feeling a little scared that her love might not be returned in the end.

BORA BORA:
The final two men meet Ali in Bora Bora, where they’ll meet her family. And they’ll also each have a final date before Ali makes her choice at the Final Rose Ceremony. Ali reminisces about her time with each man and her feelings so far. She knows that she has two great men to choose from, and is excited to introduce them to her family.

ROBERTO MEETS THE FAMILY:
Roberto is first to meet Ali’s dad, mom, brother and sister. He’s nervous, although Ali assures him that they’ll love him. And she’s right. Ali’s family is taken with Roberto immediately. He’s all smiles, which I’m sure didn’t hurt. He does have a killer smile.

Roberto tells Ali’s dad that he’s in love with her and that he’d like the blessing for a possible marriage proposal. Dad doesn’t see a problem with that, and Roberto’s relieved. Roberto teaches the family to salsa dance, and they seem to love it. And they seem to love him. As do I at this point. His easy and charming ways are impressive, and we’re left feeling as if Ali and her family (and we) couldn’t possibly like Chris any better.

CHRIS MEETS THE FAMILY:
Chris’s visit comes next, and he’s all bashful and sweet, which is likable. It’s clear that he cares for Ali, and that he’s a loving sort of guy. Chris tells everyone about how his relationship with Ali developed slowly and seemed real. He impresses the family, and also asks Ali’s dad for his blessing, which is given. They all jump into the water together, and Chris seems to fit right in to the group. He has a lot in common with Ali’s family, and they all seem to sincerely like him.

After Chris leaves, Ali asks her family which man they like. Ali’s dad seems to be on “Team Roberto,” while the others seem to be rooting for Chris. Ali doesn’t give anything away at this point, and we’re left feeling that it’s a toss up.

ROBERTO’S FINAL DATE:
Roberto and Ali have a final day together and they spend it in the ocean riding a jet ski and playing with stingrays. Did this make anyone else nervous? Were you thinking about the Crocodile Hunter being killed by a stingray? I was! Apparently Ali and Roberto weren’t thinking of this, because they played around in the water with them like they were dolphins.

Later, Ali and Roberto have a picnic on a beautiful beach. It rains, and they kiss in the water, which they both described as one of the best experiences of their lives. Then, after a romantic evening, Roberto declares his love for Ali and gives her a gift of a framed picture of the two of them. He’s written a sweet note on the back of the picture, and Ali doesn’t want to leave him.

CHRIS’S FINAL DATE:
Ali shows up to Chris’s bungalow, and we immediately realize that something isn’t right. She sits him down on the couch and tells him that he’s a wonderful man, but she loves someone else. She wanted to tell him now instead of putting him through the Final Rose Ceremony. He appreciates this, although he’s upset. The two have a nice goodbye, and Ali leaves.

After Ali leaves, Chris sees a rainbow in the sky. Chris tells the story about his mother, that she’d told him before she died to look for her in rainbows. So Chris takes the rainbow as a sign that his mother is looking down on him in approval that he’s put himself out there.

Chris packs his bags and leaves. Last week, I thought maybe Kirk or Craig would be the next Bachelor. Now, I believe it will be Chris. And it should be. He’d make a great one!

FINAL ROSE:
Ali prepares for her big day by sitting by the ocean and looking contemplative. Roberto prepares for his big day by sweating a lot and choosing an engagement ring. Roberto doesn’t know he’s the last man standing.

Ali wears a beautiful gold dress to the Final Rose Ceremony. And, despite the heat of Bora Bora, Roberto wears a suit. They both look great, and they do look as if they belong together. Roberto wastes no time in telling Ali that he loves her and wants to spend his life with her. And now’s the time that we’ve all been waiting for…. Ali can finally tell her chosen man how she feels. She starts by telling Roberto that he’s the only man there today. Then she tells him that she loves him. He proposes, of course, and she accepts. The both look very happy. I hope they stay together, as they’ll have beautiful children!

Cara is a working single mom of a very energetic 10-year-old daughter, Ibby. Cara says, “At the end of my day, I often have just enough strength left to operate the remote control. Thankfully, my personal life is fairly calm. So in order to up the drama quotient, I keep up with my favorite TV shows. I may feel differently in a few years when my daughter hits puberty. But for now, I’m glad to have some ‘Drama for Mama’.�

By Cara Cleek Ogden

I was looking forward to some juicy scoop this week on The Bachelorette: The Men Tell All special. I didn’t exactly hear any revelations, but there was a lot of gossip and trash-talking, which psyched me up for next week’s finale.

The Men Tell All special is usually a non-event in my opinion, but it’s fun to watch the guys in a more relaxed setting. I always look forward to the blooper reel, and this year’s was pretty cute, while reinforcing my opinion that Chris L. is a pretty fun guy behind the scenes. He’s my choice for next week’s final rose.

Some of the highlights of the evening:

JESSE showed up with a nearly bald ‘do, and he looked quite nice that way.

CRAIG R. talked a LOT. And they let him, which was unusual. I don’t think I’ve ever seen them focus on a contestant so much, let alone one who wasn’t a top-three choice. Maybe they’re setting him up to be the next Bachelor?

KASEY, the awkward singing/tattoo guy, really redeemed himself by not taking himself too seriously and laughing along as the others gave him crap. He sang a hilarious song to Ali at the end, which brought the house down. The other guys all seemed to like Kasey a lot, although most agreed that he’s a bit over-the-top. I think he’ll find someone who appreciates him someday, and he can “guard and protect” her heart 4-ever!

JUSTIN (aka Rated “R”) wasn’t even there and he was still the focus of the evening. It was a bit off-putting that they couldn’t think of anything better to do than trash Justin all evening. Not saying that he didn’t deserve a little grief, but still…. it was overkill. Yeah, yeah, he was there for the wrong reasons, he’s a jerk, we get it!

KIRK had his time in the hot-seat, and talked about how Ali broke his heart a little. My hunch about Craig R. aside, Kirk would be the most obvious choice at this point to be the next Bachelor.

ALI came out briefly and answered a few questions. She seemed genuinely happy to see the men, but didn’t give anything away as to her decision next week.

NEXT WEEK:
Ali introduces the final two men, Chris and Roberto, to her family. The final rose ceremony takes place, and who will receive the final rose? Will she choose Chris or Roberto? Or will she choose to keep the rose and remain single? I can’t wait to find out!

Cara is a working single mom of a very energetic 10-year-old daughter, Ibby. Cara says, “At the end of my day, I often have just enough strength left to operate the remote control. Thankfully, my personal life is fairly calm. So in order to up the drama quotient, I keep up with my favorite TV shows. I may feel differently in a few years when my daughter hits puberty. But for now, I’m glad to have some ‘Drama for Mama’.�

By Cara Cleek Ogden

This week, Ali and her three remaining men travel to beautiful Tahiti. There’s a lot of ‘foregoing’ going on (you’ll see) in this episode and a lot to get to, so here we go!

TAHITI-BOUND:
The episode starts by showing Chris and Roberto each packing their bags and talking about their feelings for Ali. Both men are falling for her and both are excited to get to Tahiti to tell her how they feel.

Frank, however, is a different story. It seems that he’s been missing his former girlfriend, Nicole. Even though his feelings for Ali are strong, he can’t get Nicole out of his head. He thinks he may need to see Nicole once more just to ‘get closure.’ So he heads back home to Chicago to find her.

In a totally unrehearsed and non-scripted (dripping sarcasm) scene, Frank shows up at some undisclosed hotel room, where Nicole just ‘happens’ to be staying, and knocks on the door. ”What is going on?” asks Nicole, innocently, obviously completely surprised and not forewarned about the cameras that show up and enter her hotel room behind Frank.

Frank proceeds to tell Nicole that he can’t stop thinking about her. He wonders if there’s still something between them. She tells him that she’s not complete without him, and that he should come home. They kiss. They cuddle. Poor Ali.

ROBERTO’S OVERNIGHT DATE:
Meanwhile, in Tahiti, things are still rocking with Ali and Roberto. They take a helicopter ride to a heart-shaped (Awwww!) lagoon, where they spend the day.

As they two spend share a romantic dinner that evening, Roberto decides to confess to Ali that he’s falling in love with her. She smiles big, and hugs and kisses him. Then later, Ali presents Roberto with a note from Chris Harrison that includes a key to the ’fantasy’ suite, should they choose to forego their individual rooms and stay together as a couple. I wonder if Chris Harrison really ever uses the word ’forego’?  I’m curious.

Obviously, Roberto and Ali do indeed choose to ‘forego’ their individual rooms, and they go for a quick wade in the ocean before retiring to the suite to spend some private time together.

CHRIS’S OVERNIGHT DATE:
Chris and Ali have a nice boat ride and a swim. There’s a lot of flirting and giggling. Maybe not the heat that was apparent with Roberto, but it seems like a real, affectionate relationship. On the beach, Chris and Ali find oysters with pearls inside. Here’s my question: Is it really THAT easy to find pearls in oysters?  Or were they placed there on the beach by producers?  Hmmm?

Later, Chris reads the note from Chris Harrison as if he didn’t know it was coming. Of course he’s going to choose to (here’s that word again) ‘forego’ his individual room, in order to spend the night with Ali. The two kiss by the pool, and Chris whispers that he loves her, before turning in for the evening.

FRANK’S BIG REVEAL:
Frank arrives in Tahiti, to find Ali and tell her the news. He’s still in love with Nicole. He tells Chris Harrison first, and Chris advises him to tell Ali right away.

Ali arrives at Frank’s bungalow with a beautiful flower behind her ear and Frank immediately spills the beans. Although he had a great connection with Ali, he couldn’t stop thinking about his ex-girlfriend. Ali is clearly stunned and hurt. As she cries, the flower behind her ear starts to sag and fall out of place. She grabs at it and tosses it to the ground. I don’t know why this made me laugh. Dang flower. Dang Frank.

Ali wonders why Frank stayed around for so long, if he was having these feelings. He admits that he just wanted to be sure, and didn’t want to be sent home before he knew. Ali thinks this was incredibly selfish and ends up leaving in tears. She hugs him goodbye, which is more than I would have done. I’d have tossed him to the ground with the flower! He led Ali on. That wasn’t cool. He chose to ‘forego’ his chance with Ali because he couldn’t stand the competition.

ROSE CEREMONY:
After Chris Harrison spends some time trying to cheer Ali up, he sends her to her room to relax and gather herself. Then it’s time for the rose ceremony. Chris and Roberto each arrive by boat. But where’s Frank? Chris explains that Frank isn’t going to be there, and that Ali will tell them what happened. Chris and Roberto both look confused.

Ali arrives and tells the two men that Frank has left to take care of some things back home. Chris and Roberto both begin to get tiny smiles on their faces. Then, Ali tells them that she’s 100% certain that Frank was not the man for her. Now Chris and Roberto are both grinning from ear to ear. They know they’ve made it to the final two.

Ali wants to give them their roses. But, even more so, she wants them to accept them. They do, indeed accept Ali’s roses. And it’s off to Bora Bora to meet Ali’s family.

PREVIEWS:
Next week, we have the “Men Tell All” special. Word is that neither Frank nor Justin will be present, which will make for a boring evening. In two weeks, the final rose ceremony will take place. But will it be the most dramatic rose ceremony ever?  Stay tuned……

Cara is a working single mom of a very energetic 10-year-old daughter, Ibby. Cara says, “At the end of my day, I often have just enough strength left to operate the remote control. Thankfully, my personal life is fairly calm. So in order to up the drama quotient, I keep up with my favorite TV shows. I may feel differently in a few years when my daughter hits puberty. But for now, I’m glad to have some ‘Drama for Mama’.�

By Cara Cleek Ogden

After traveling around the world, Ali returns to the U.S. this week, and visits her four remaining men in their hometowns.

ROBERTO:
First up is Tampa, Florida, which is Roberto’s hometown. He takes Ali to his college baseball field at the University of Tampa, where he shows off by strutting around in his baseball uniform. The two have a nice day on the field, but Ali’s nervous to meet the parents.

Roberto’s dad is a former Army Ranger, and Roberto is worried that he’ll be tough on Ali. Dad assures Roberto that he just wants what’s best for his son, and wants to make sure that Ali is good enough for him. His main concern is Ali’s career, and he wonders if she’ll be able to put Roberto first. Ali seems to charm him, however, and they all end the evening by salsa dancing in the living room.

CHRIS:
Next stop is Chris’s home turf of Cape Cod, Massachusetts. Ali’s also from the area, so she feels at home as Chris shows her around his hometown and walks her along the beach where he grew up. Chris tells her not to be nervous, as he’s sure his family will love her. He hasn’t brought a woman home since his mom died, but is excited to introduce Ali to his father and brothers.

Chris and his dad have a sweet reunion and it’s clear that Chris is well loved by his family. His home is filled with mementos of his mom and his dad talks a lot about love. Ali feels that she’d be welcomed into the family. It’s clear that the family is taken with her, but they’re worried about Chris getting hurt. He’s been through a lot and they want the best for him.

KIRK:
Ali’s concerns about Kirk arise from the fact that his parents are divorced and don’t speak to one another. Ali’s worried that this might have been damaging to Kirk. He’s also not had any serious relationships to speak of, so she wonders if he’s prepared to commit to someone.

Kirk takes Ali to his dad’s house first, where Ali meets Kirk’s dad, step-mom, and adopted little sister. Kirk’s dad immediately shows Ali to the basement, where he works on his taxidermy business. Ali’s a little freaked out by the dead animals on the wall, not to mention the ones in the deep-freeze sitting right next to the popsicles. Ewww. But she gets a warm feeling from Kirk’s dad, and thinks she might not have all that much to worry about (but probably hopes that no one offers her a frozen treat of any sort).

Next, they visit Kirk’s mom, sister and grandma, where grandma has made a home-cooked meal. Kirk’s mom talks about Kirk’s illness, and Ali realizes that although Kirk was raised in a non-traditional way, his family cares for him and has shown him a lot of love.

FRANK:
Ali’s last visit is to Chicago, where Frank lives with his parents. Ali and Frank take a boat tour, and Frank talks about how nervous he is. He’s been uptight all along, and he’s sending out signals that would make most girls worry. Ali’s starting to catch on to this, and wonders if Frank’s discomfort may be because of unsure feelings about their relationship. (Note to Ali: Listen to your gut.)

Frank’s family seems to warm right up to Ali, and Frank’s mom says that she feels like Ali’s been dating for a long time and that she fits right in. Frank’s sister thinks that Frank’s nerves are due to his strong feelings and emotions toward Ali, and Ali feels better for the time being. She can see the two of them together in the end.

ROSE CEREMONY:
Ali gets emotional when handing out her three roses to Roberto, Chris, and Frank. Kirk will be the one leaving. Ali walks him out, and they have a tearful goodbye. Kirk felt that he’d really opened himself up to Ali, and he’s disappointed that it wasn’t enough.

Ali toasts her remaining men, and tells them that they’re off to Tahiti for some romance in the sun.

NEXT WEEK:
Next week, we’ll finally find out what Frank’s been so nervous about, as we see previews of some angst-ridden conversations and a lot of tears.

Cara is a working single mom of a very energetic 10-year-old daughter, Ibby. Cara says, “At the end of my day, I often have just enough strength left to operate the remote control. Thankfully, my personal life is fairly calm. So in order to up the drama quotient, I keep up with my favorite TV shows. I may feel differently in a few years when my daughter hits puberty. But for now, I’m glad to have some ‘Drama for Mama’.�