I thought that with all of JoJo’s confusion, she might do what her foresisters (former Bachelorettes) had done in taking the “safe” choice. Because we all know that the safe choice works. It lasts. Take the very first Bachelorette, Trista. Her final two guys were hot gorgeous steamy soap opera Charlie and Sweet poem writing Ryan. Everyone was convinced she was lusting for Charlie, had an insane connection with him, despite having very strong feelings for romantic Ryan. Still, Trista had been burned before by the bad boys, and in the end, turned down Charlie for Ryan. They are still together today with two kids. In fact, I’d say that anyone who chose the fun, wild, gorgeous stud over the nice, reliable guy who would adore them endlessly did not last. (e.g., Ali Fedotwosky chose Roberto Martinez, Jillian the Canadian chose Ed, etc.). But that’s the past and I love JoJo, so let’s look at it this way…
JoJo always would have wondered what it could have been like with Jordan. Jo and Jor? JoJo and JorJor? JoJor? If she went with Robby, she would have been happy, loved and potentially bored to tears. I thought it was interesting what she said at the After the Final Rose – about how they were sort of lacking in the friendship department. They had the physical chemistry and love, but it sounded like the day to day conversations between two lifelong partners had never taken place. I feared this was the case as Robby never seemed to be able to talk about anything else other than “I fell in love with JoJo in Uruguay” and proving that he fell in love with her.
Some things I’m still confused about:
- JoJo’s brothers. They were surprisingly tame. They accused Ben Higgins of being “coached” when JoJo brought him home to Dallas on hometown visits last season. The brothers came off as cruel bullies, completely full of themselves and seemed to have potentially jeopardized JoJo’s chances with Ben. The Husband and I had been looking forward all season long to watching the brothers GRILL the final two guys (especially Jordan), but we didn’t see ANY interactions between them and Jordan. I wonder why that was. In any event, it seems like they hired an Image Coach to clean up their reputations. Are they trying to get on the next season of Bachelorette? They were on their best behavior tonight which was too bad.
- What’s the Aaron Rodgers deal? We were promised Aaron information but got NOTHING. Seriously, what gives? Jordan’s answer did not have anything to do with Chris Harrison’s question about the whole thing. Jordan was basically like – “It’s a family thing, Chris and you’re not family.” What the heck happened?
- JoJo’s family. What do they think of her final choice? If we interviewed the brothers would they still be on Team Robby? Did they not have JoJo’s family in the audience because they’re opposed to her choice?
- It was amazing to see Ben Higgins (and Lauren), but I kind of still hoped that Ben would just openly declare his mistake and love for JoJo. Not quite sure why they were in the audience except to show that they’re still together or maybe to promote their new show?
- Robby still seemed very much in love with JoJo and perhaps he’s biding his time to see if JoJo will break up with Jordan so he can sweep in. I don’t think he’d be in the running for Bachelor, but who the heck knows.
- Can Chad just go away already? He was so disrespectful to JoJo at the Men Tell All, why do they even allow him to speak? The Husband thinks Chad as Bachelor would be an amazing “unofficial” season of Bachelor, but I think that would be the demise of the franchise.
- Did we ever get to the mystery of why Jordan didn’t feel right proposing to JoJo’s dad when he had the opportunity? Something about him not knowing if he was the only one, or that JoJo picked him? She was super pissed about that. They made it seem like she woke up the morning of her engagement with Robby in mind but then the letter from Jordan arrived and she changed her mind. I wish they had clarified that she was going to choose Jordan the whole time. Did Jordan ever get to have that face to face conversation with her parents? Also, why didn’t we get to hear the phone call they made to their families after? I always love that moment.
- Robby gave JoJo a bunch of photos for the last date gift. What did Jordan give JoJo? More insecurity? Doubt? I don’t think we saw anything.
Highlights of tonight:
- JoJo’s finale dress. AMAZING. She is a goddess. I’ve said it all season. I’m going to miss her as Bachelorette and she’s left some very big shoes to fill.
- Hearing my father-in-law (who can’t fathom why any human being would devote time, brain cells or any devotion to this show) get into the finale. He watched the entire 3 hours. AND he thought JoJo was very sincere in her confusion re: Robby vs. Jordan. What he thought was difficult to understand was how she could be so emotionally invested and physically involved with two guys at the same time, in such a short amount of time. I didn’t want to tell him that he’s now going to have to watch all of the Bachelor/Bachelorette episodes to show the formula – that this is actually quite common and the real mystique / fascination with this series.
- Having my mother-in-law scold anyone who interrupted the show, made petty remarks about JoJo’s mother’s plastic surgery or in any way tried to interfere with our viewing experience. That is true devotion and nobody appreciates that more than me. Thanks, MILLY!
- The Husband handing me a bowl of S’mores ice cream and a glass of water because it’s important to binge and stay hydrated during the finale.
- Learning that it was my sister-in-law who had her honeymoon at Nemacolin Resort, not The Husband’s parents as The Husband had informed me several weeks back. I’m hoping The Husband and I can stalk JoJo’s Instagram / Twitter account, find out when she and Jordan are going there so we can crash and casually befriend them.
So overall, I think JoJo made the best decision that she could have made given the guys presented to her. She was clearly in love with Jordan from a very early point and I never saw anyone else even come close to matching their chemistry and connection. It’s only for that reason, that I can rest easy in her final choice. Jordan’s always had this over-confidence about him that kind of rubs me the wrong way. I just hope that this confidence can help him navigate the stormy tabloid sea they’ve had to face and will have to face going forward. I would have liked to hear more about the potential cheating rumors that Chad was referencing (wish they would have confronted Chad about that).
I was very happy to hear that Jordan will be moving to Dallas and buying a new house with JoJo ASAP. This is the best chance they can have at making things work. So that whole “we’ll see what happens within the next year” nonsense he gave her earlier was for the camera. Also, if it doesn’t work out, at least JoJo didn’t have to be away from her family.
As for Robby, I hope that he can lick his wounds and find a job, like perhaps as a competitive swimmer instead of a former competitive swimmer.
It’s after midnight here and I’ve got a 2 year old that hasn’t slept past 6 AM for the past 2 mornings. Gonna grab the sleep while I can before our road trip home tomorrow. It’s been a great Bach ride, Friends.
So excited we only have to wait 24 hours until Bachelor in Paradise. I’ll be blogging that too, so please check in to discuss the train wreck.
Xoxo,
Stacey B
Susan Q from Philly says
Stacey:
What I love about your blogging is that you are SO right on the money about the characters and the “event” of watching the show. We had a party last night, albeit small – only 3 of us – but it was such fun to be together to exclaim and respond to what was happening on the screen. As a mother myself, I was totally with JoJo’s mom about directing her to the fellow who adored her, but I could see JoJo’s point about her concern that she would then always wonder about Jordan.
BTW, I will vote for JoJor as their combined names!
Thank you, again, for your wonderful comments!
Emmy Kay A. says
Not sure . . . but something about both body languages was off? JoJo’s exuberant “I love you-I love you-I love you’s” after the proposal was diluted, subdued, almost missing! Her demeanor was muted tones. Jordan was trying too hard to convince all is right . . . talking too much, talking too fast!
Her conversation with Jordan the night before the proposal was a huge yellow/red flag! Proceed with caution!! Her misgivings about trust, her doubt about Jordan’s making her secure were flashing in neon! She ignored her instincts and those of her family too!
I hope against hope I was reading it incorrectly! Perhaps no one with trust issues should be trying The /Bachelor/Bachelorette forum seeking a happily ever after! The stats there aren’t encouraging!
JoJo is adorable . . . I so hope I am wrong! Although I fear Jordan is a player with an ulterior motive (Bachelorette-ese for “there for the wrong reasons”!
Not sure Robby would have been a right choice either! There were a couple of earlier dismissals which might have proven better for her insecurities!
Thank you, Stace, for your great recaps!
Chrissy says
I think Jordan NOT asking for her hand when he met her dad was WAAAAY more normal than Robbie asking for it so quickly. His rationale that he needs to be sure that when he takes such big step, the girl is definitely going to say yes is totally reasonable. Just like a proposal is something a girl dreams of, that “dad meeting” is what the guy thinks about (at least Jordan did). It’s a big deal and he didn’t want to “waste” that once in a lifetime moment when he also had some doubts. Poor Robbie. It was never really him. She was so over it by last night and he was still living back in Uruguay.
I think JoJo’s brothers saw how stupid they looked on Ben’s season and calmed it down.
Enough already with the Aaron Rogers “drama.” I think it’s as simple as the family doesn’t like his wife. Doesn’t seem like a HUGE problem, but when you’re living it, it is. So sick of hearing about it.
I loved JoJo’s dress at After the Final Rose. Ben and Lauren seemed like they did not want to be there.
Can’t wait for Paradise tonight…constant cringe-worthy scenes!!
Jennie says
I COMPLETELY agree Chrissy! During that whole discussion, I was yelling at JoJo (who I think has been really level headed this whole season) to just shut up and let Jordan explain himself. What he was saying made perfect sense and she just didn’t want to hear it because it went against her “dream” of how this would all play out.
She talked all season about how it was a two way street, but when it came to the proposal, she wanted it to be a one-way street where Jordan had to put himself out there and she didn’t.
I support his hesitation when he didn’t know if she felt the same way.
katbyrd says
I was wondering why JoJo seemed subdued and not “over the moon” on MTA. Did she ever proclaim that she was in love and found her ever after? If she did, I missed it. Now I know why…. all the hate tweets, IG comments, tabloids….. that’s bound to bring a couple down. Glad to see they worked through it, and I love Jo and Jordan together. Much happiness to them!
As for Chad — his 15 minutes expired a long time ago. Go away, already. I’m not sure that I’ll even watch Paradise, too many of them on there that I truly detest: Ashley I (again!! Get a dang job, girl.) Evan…ewwwww.. he just creeps me out. Already mentioned Chad. And the guy from Andi and Kaitlyn’s season — what’s his name. (see how memorable he is?) Still can’t stand him. Run for your life, Amanda!! lol
jan in colorado says
Stacey, your recap is one of my favorites -> you are like most of of viewers in that you truly love the show, unabashedly root for the person choosing, aren’t nasty (a biggie!), commiserate in the fact that everyone wants love… I laugh at the little details that you notice. Thanks for the recap. I wish I had a viewing party like you. My husband kind of watched (mostly just commenting for the other room) for a couple of seasons and my best friend watched one season.
My comments are that I do think that perhaps Robby declaring love soooo soon had to do with the magic of the environment created by this “situation”- I felt like he was a bit in-love-with-love. I actually found Jordan very real in the sense that he could say out loud “I don’t know” to some of JoJo’s damanding questions (I like JoJo) and that he wanted to KNOW that she loved him before he asked her dad for his blessing.
Anonymous 4 says
All’s well that ends well. For a moment I thought she was going to pick Robby. It was confirmation that Jordan was for her when she spoke of missing the friendship part with Robby. Goodness, what a boring life to be with someone who adores you and has nothing to say!
Really glad Jordan’s bags are packed and that he’s ready to dedicate himself to their relationship. They look so good together, except for Jojo’s being bummed about the press.
I totally agree with Chrissy that Jorday was much more level headed to wait to ask for her father’s blessing. What a good turn of events. Now, just hoping the media pressure & tabloids don’t spoil their happy ever after.
The Husband is so thoughtful to bring you a glass of water with your bowl of ice-cream!
A4