In the final episode, the Bachelorette is happily engaged with one of the remaining finalists while having a tense argument with Greg Grippo in the 'After the Final Rose' segment.
- Aug 10, 2021
AceShowbiz - "The Bachelorette" star Katie Thurston made her final decision in the season finale which aired on Monday, August 9. The episode picked up after Greg Grippo decided to leave Katie, leaving Blake Moynes and Justin Glaze as the remaining finalists.
Blake and Justin were unaware of what was going on until the next morning when Kaitlyn Bristowe and Tayshia Adams filled them in on. The co-hosts told them that each of them would be given an one-on-one Fantasy Suite date with Blake being the first one to enjoy the date with Katie.
The two had a fun paintball-inspired date before they ended up enjoying some romantic time in the hot tub. During the time, Katie opened up to him about what happened with Greg and how she almost quit the show because of it. "I probably underestimated the amount she cared or thought about [Greg]," Blake said in a confessional. "It was the first time where I was completely off as to where I thought her head was at. An engagement is a two-way street. There's still more things to learn about her, so there's a lot to talk about. I love Katie, but if she's still hung up on Greg and if she can't match that, there's no point in getting engaged."
Blake said that love used to be something he holds very close and only shares with a few people. He changed his mind, however, following the Hometown date. "It was one part of the night that solidified things for me, and it was when you took off your high heels and we were playing hockey and you scored a point and [after you scored] you yelled, 'GO AMERICA!' " Blake recalled.
"I remembered in that moment, without thinking about it and without trying to think about it -- I just realized. I said to myself, 'F*** I love her!' It's scary to say because I promised myself I wouldn't say it to anybody unless I was sure. I love you and I'm really f***ing excited about life with you," he added.
Katie also previously vowed to save the L-word until the very end of the show. However, after hearing Blake confessing to her, she could not help but gush, "As much as i want to be stubborn, and just like you, it's scary and it's crazy -- I f***ing love you so much. I couldn't be happier that you're here." They spent the night together in the fantasy suite and Katie dubbed it "best day of [her] life."
Katie was certain that she wanted to be with Blake and that meant she needed to end things with Justin. Justin left while crying after Katie broke the news as he felt blindsided.
She then introduced Blake to her family. Her aunt wasn't too thrilled over their relationship considering the fact that Blake is from Canada "You better be secure as f*** coming into our family," she warned Blake. "You're here because we want you here, not because we need you here."
Of Katie's aunt, Blake said, "It just seemed like nothing I was saying was the right answer she was looking for." Katie's mom was not convinced as well, though Katie tried to assure her that she and Blake "want each other."
Following the family meeting, Blake admitted that he had not reached a conclusion whether he was ready to actually propose to Katie. While Tayshia helped him pick out an engagement ring in case he does decide to pop the question, anyone could see he was still hesitant. "I know I love everything about Katie, but I just feel like my mind's overrun," Blake said. "You want clarity and all you want to feel is clarity, but my head just feels like scrambled eggs. I don't know if I'm going to be ready to do this."
During the final rose ceremony, Blake had made a final decision. "Since day one, it's been a connection and understanding that seemed too good to be true. But I knew. I knew the moment that I first met you and you called me trouble, or the way that you looked at me the night of the concert when we were dancing. Just the way that we just need a minute before things get started to just hold each other and not say a word. Or just the fact that we literally don't need words to communicate at all. With you, I just honestly knew," he said.
"I know how great of a wife you're going to be, and a mother you're going to be. But I know there's things that scare you and I know that you, in the past, have talked about how you've had to compromise the way that you are to make relationships work, and I don't want you to do that," he added. "I can't give you what you came here for because you deserve a lot more than that. You deserve the world and I'm excited to support you and be there for you every day moving forward. So, with that being said, will you marry me?"
In the "After the Final Rose" special, Katie and Greg had a tense argument. Calling Greg a liar and accusing him of gaslighting her, she shared that she felt angry while "watching this back and seeing the way you treated me, using me to get the experience, the exposure, dare I say the acting practice at my expense. It was pretty good until the end when you kind of (expletive) it up and walked away."
That aside, Blake and Katie revealed they are happily engaged. She admitted that she didn't tell her family that they were engaged because they can't keep a secret.
