He's the one
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Chris Harrison knocked on Clare's door and she was surprised that he had come over to talk. He told her that the guys in the house are "unhappy, confused, and they're not dumb." "The path we are on right now, we can't continue," Chris said. He asked her to be completely honest about the way she feels and she said that she is head over heels in love with Dale. She said she looked at all the guys' social media pages before the show started and she pretty much fell in love with him. She can relate to the fact that he misses his mom who passed away on Mother's Day, and that his sister is in a care facility, the way her mother is. She swore on her father's grave that they did not talk before the show. She said she simply knows what she wants. "I feel like Dale is my match, he meets me on the level of what I'm looking for in a relationship," Clare said. "He just continually shows up for me." She cried tears of joy, brought Chris Harrison to tears, and then he said, "Well, I think we have to reinvent this whole thing." Clare said that she wants to spend, as much time as she can with Dale and let him know how she feels. "In your mind, is this over?" Chris asked. "Yeah," she said. "Congratulations, you've just blown up 'The Bachelorette," Chris said. There you have it, the line you've heard in all the promos! We finally know how it came about.
No cocktail party or rose ceremony
Chris Harrison then walked over to talk to all of the men. He broke the news that there would not be a cocktail party and no rose ceremony. "I'll see all of you tomorrow," he said. Then Chris called Dale to talk outside. "The reason there's no cocktail party and no rose ceremony is because Clare wants to spend time with you tonight," he told Dale. He was undeniably happy with that news, but Clare sat back and worried whether or not he would feel the same way. It would be an all or nothing one-on-one date situation for both of them, and the show. The stakes have never been higher!
One-on-One
Clare looked stunning in her red gown and Dale showed up dressed impeccably in a suit with his perfect smile. She told him that she knew she caught him off-guard and she was sorry that she changed things up but she knows what she wants and she wanted to do it her way. She explained to Dale why she couldn't give any of the other men the date rose the night before; it was because she could only think of him. She said it has been years and years and years of praying for a man with the qualities that her dad had. Someone that was really strong and yet compassionate.
Clare told him the story about how her parents met one night, hitchhiked to meet her mom, proposed three weeks later and then got married within three months. Dale shared the story about how his parents met during a basketball clinic and his dad hitchhiked to meet his mom because he was too poor. They thought it was funny that their dads both did the same thing to get to date their mothers and be with them. He said that when his mother passed away, it left his entire family in a deep place and it was falling apart. They both talked how they felt bonded about their shared experiences of losing a parent.
She decided to lay it all out on the line. Clare acknowledged that it's been a very short time, but every time she wakes up she thinks about him and when she goes to bed at night she thinks about him. "All I know is that I'm so falling in love with you," Clare said. "When we met, I felt love and that's what I came here for. I'm falling in love with you through this process. My heart is open and I'm not going to fight that. I've been dying to share this with you," Dale said. "So have I!" Clare said. "It's right here, right in front of our faces," Dale said. "What is happening?" Clare asked. "Life, love, just go with it!" Dale responded.
Then they walked over to hear a private performance from Chris and Bri, you might remember them from "The Bachelor Presents: Listen to Your Heart." It was such a sweet moment! They danced, kissed, and said that their dreams were coming true. It really did seem like magic. They went back to her place and after some kissing on the bed, the door shut and you could imagine what happened next.
The men wait
Back at the guys' rooms, they were sitting around and getting upset. They put two-and-two together and figured that she must be with Dale since he was nowhere to be found. Many of the men sat around and talked about how they didn't feel that Dale was the right guy for her.
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Falling in Love
The next day, Dale and Clare woke up in each other's arms and seemed happier than ever. They both agreed that this was it, they were in love. Clare was ready for a proposal, but is Dale ready to move that quickly? He thinks that there is a lot of time left in the process to see how the rest of the time goes. Does he not realize the show for them is pretty much over?
Clare Chooses Dale
Chris Harrison came over and Clare gushed about what an amazing time they had together. She said that she has reassurance from him that he feels the same way. Chris Harrison was excited to hear that Dale loves her too. "This is unprecedented to say the least," Chris said. "Fall in love, meet the man of your dreams." He told her that the next step is a proposal, "that's where we're headed." He told Clare that the proposal would be THAT NIGHT. WHAT?! Ok, ok, I'm all for love at first sight, but this is SO SOON. "I can't believe what you are doing to us," Chris laughed.
Breaking up with the men
Meantime, the poor other guys are still just sitting around! She's left them waiting long enough. Clare walked in and faced the music. She explained to the men that she has fallen in love with Dale. "What I came here for I found and it's with Dale." She told them that she respected them, she didn't want to lead them on and the moments that she shared with them was real, and she hopes they can fall in love like she did. Brett Moynes said that he's worried that she's going to end up devastated at the end of this, but he understood. Kenny asked her if she had talked to Dale before the show, and she said she never did. Kenny told her to apologize for wasting their time and she did. She said that she would apologize for wasting their time and for hurting them, but she wouldn't apologize for falling in love. A few of the other guys thanked her for being honest, but Jason was heartbroken. They had a great one-on-one and for him it meant something.
She left the room and cried about the fact that all of the guys are really amazing. Moynes said that he even had bought a book about dementia and Alzheimer's so he could connect with her and understand what Clare goes through with her mother. These men really tried, but let's face it, they aren't Dale!
Proposal Planning
Chris Harrison FaceTimed Neil Lane and asked him if he could get him the ring right away, that day. Dale said that he can't wait to spend more time with Clare. Chris drops by and says, well, how about forever? Guess what? Clare broke up with all of the other guys. She wants a proposal. Dale looked a little stunned. Is he ready for this?
Clare started to worry about the fact that this may be moving way too fast for Dale. She's got a live one on the hook; she doesn't want to lose him! She started to cry and freak out in her hotel room, and Chris Harrison tried to calm her down. He told her to trust herself, what she feels, what she saw, trust that. "This last hurdle is the biggest one to get over," he said to her.
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The Proposal
Cue the shot of Dale staring at the Neil Lane ring box. He seemed nervous, excited, but then he was clearly praying. Would he show up? Would he propose? Chris Harrison walked Clare over to her podium to wait for Dale. Chris came back out the doors, walked over to Clare, and told her that they're all so happy for her.
Dale walked in (Thank goodness) and Clare told him everything that she loved about him. She told him that she wants to show up for him each and every single day and that he makes her so happy. Then it was Dale's turn. He said that it was wild and that he knows that they both felt the sparks immediately when he stepped out of the limo. He said that he knows that she would go to the shadow of the end of the earth for him and that he's never had that. Dale told her that he wants nothing more than to be there for her every day, and he told her that he loves her. "I'm so appreciative for you and the best is yet to come, I'm not going anywhere," Dale said. "I'm doing it, I'm doing it," he told her, and then HE DID IT. He got down on one knee and proposed! Clare said, "Yes!"
"This is really happening, we're engaged!" Dale said. Clare gave him her FINAL ROSE EVER - we hope! Please, she's waited long enough. She's been on this show for six years over the span of several shows. "This was already exciting, let's do the damn thing," Dale said. "You're stuck with me," Clare told him. He picked her up and carried her off.
A New Bachelorette
The next day, Chris Harrison showed up to tell the other men that he was sorry that it didn't work out for them the way they had hoped. He broke the news to the men that Dale proposed to Clare and she had said yes. Chris told the guys that Dale and Clare left the bubble, but that the journey isn't over for them if they don't want it to be. He told them all to get dressed up and be ready to make a decision if they wanted to continue THEIR own journey that night.
All of the guys dressed up and met Chris Harrison to say they wanted to take the leap of faith and continue on in the show. He told them that their new "Bachelorette" was on her way there right now. He told them that she's smart, independent, beautiful, and really wants to get to know them and find love. There were no limos for the guys - Chris Harrison walked outside and brought Tayshia who arrived in a limo into the room.
Unfortunately, that's where it ended! We'll get to see Tayshia's first conversations with the men next week!
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