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US Bachelorette forced to ‘settle’ in underwhelming series finale

REALITY TV doesn’t always go to plan. And in the finale of the US series of The Bachelorette, one man dropped a bombshell.

2 min read
August 9, 2017 - 6:46AM
Rachel Lindsay parts ways with Peter Kraus on The Bachelorette.
Rachel Lindsay parts ways with Peter Kraus on The Bachelorette.

WELL this has never happened before.

The finale of the US series of The Bachelorette has aired overnight and the show’s leading lady, Rachel Lindsay, has chosen her man. Only, she didn’t really “choose” him. She was more just lumped with him whether she liked it or not because one of the two fellas in the finale kind of eliminated himself before the final rose ceremony.

It was a world first and it’s the kind of exciting yet totally underwhelming ending we hope for with our local version of the reality franchise.

To catch you up, it came down to two men: winner Bryan Abasolo, and runner-up Peter Kraus — a muscly personal trainer from Madison, Wisconsin who just couldn’t bring himself to commit.

L: Lindsay settles for the remaining Bryan Abasolo. R: Lindsay with commitment-phobic Peter Kraus.
L: Lindsay settles for the remaining Bryan Abasolo. R: Lindsay with commitment-phobic Peter Kraus.

Just hours ahead of the final rose ceremony, Kraus dropped his commitment-phobic bomb on Lindsay during their last date — telling her he could not propose at the end of the series.

“I don’t think that I’m ready to ask you to marry me tomorrow,” Kraus told Lindsay. “But I don’t want to stop being with you.”

As expected, Lindsay wasn’t pleased with his decision.

“You talk to me about our future and what size bed we’re going to have,” she said. “It’s like fantasising this future we can have together, but when it comes to the reality with this, it’s like steps are skipped.”

Reaching an impasse, the pair agreed to part ways.

“My biggest fear is saying goodbye to somebody I’m not to say goodbye to,” Lindsay said, fighting tears. “I just feel like I’m making a big mistake.”

Kraus’ dismissal happened two-thirds of the way through the three-hour finale and resulted in the rather obvious ending of Lindsay “choosing” chiropractor Bryan Abasolo — i.e. the remaining guy who was willing to propose.

“You are so easy and effortless to love, and I just want to love you for the rest of my life,” Abasolo told Lindsay before proposing atop a picturesque Spanish estate and sliding a Neil Lane ring on her finger.

Amid the frustration and confusion with Kraus, Lindsay was certain she has found her soulmate in Abasolo, sealing the engagement with a kiss. As they were reunited in real life in a live television special as part of the finale, Abasolo reproposed.

And it seems runner-up Kraus doesn’t regret his decision, admitting in a live chat during the finale that he just “couldn’t get to that same point as (Lindsay) at that time”.

“You proved to me that throughout all of it that I could develop feelings of love,” he told Lindsay. “I wish you nothing but the best and I want happiness for you.”

While Lindsay is totally thrilled with her happy ending, fans of the series are not — with many feeling she was forced to “settle” with Abasolo.

- With the New York Post.

Originally published as US Bachelorette forced to ‘settle’ in underwhelming series finale

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Original URL: https://www.themercury.com.au/entertainment/television/reality/us-bachelorette-forced-to-settle-in-underwhelming-series-finale/news-story/321a0373cc9ab5eef501744198613cc3