The Bachelorette 2 Finale: Why I Won’t Accept This Rose

After watching the past few episodes of The Bachelorette 2, I was certain Meredith would choose Matthew. He seemed perfect for her, and all evidence showed me that she was really falling for him. But I’ve been wrong before. When I watched the last edition of The Bachelor, I was just as certain that Bob would choose Kelly Jo. The two of them seemed to have a great time together, they shared the same goofy sense of humor, and when Kelly Jo told Bob that she loved him, he kissed her in such a way that seemed to speak the words he could not yet use.

But then Bob gave the final rose to Estella. I couldn’t believe it… until I watched the “After the Final Rose” special and saw that there was a lot to Bob and Estella’s relationship that we didn’t see. It turned out that Estella was just as funny as Kelly Jo. And imagine my surprise when I learned that she was Bob’s choice from fairly early on in the show.

I know that for every one-hour show, hours and hours of footage were edited out, so I could not have possibly seen every nuance of Bob’s time with Estella. And I know that to build suspense, it couldn’t be obvious which woman Bob was going to pick. Still, I felt manipulated. I feel that the editing deliberately misled viewers so that they’d believe Bob was going to choose Kelly Jo so that we’d get a big shock when he instead chose Estella.

I think that in The Bachelorette 2, I was manipulated once again, led to believe that Meredith was falling for Matthew, when all along she only had eyes for Ian.

It was around the time of the hometown dates that Matthew really emerged as the front-runner. Meredith’s time with him in Texas was incredibly romantic. He greeted her on his front porch with his two photogenic dogs, and then they had a beautiful picnic lunch. But they did more than just drink wine together – they also played on Matthew’s rope swing. The two of them laughed and had a great time together. I was sure I was watching two people falling in love. Meredith had a wonderful time with Matthew’s parents, and at the end of the night, said that she could imagine herself as a grandma and grandpa with Matthew. We caught a glimpse of Matthew’s life, and Meredith fit into it beautifully.

Ian’s date in New York, on the other hand, didn’t go nearly as well. Ian didn’t want Meredith to meet his parents, and didn’t offer much of an explanation, just that he was closer to his brother. That was an awkward beginning, and the night just got even more awkward. Ian’s brother Erik clearly did not like Meredith, and told Ian that he absolutely did not want him to propose to her any time soon. Conversation was stilted, and Meredith looked uncomfortable all through dinner. She did not fit in at all, and Erik’s brother and friend didn’t make much of an effort to change that. To make matters worse, neither did Ian. At the end of the night, Ian ditched Meredith in the kitchen and had a long conversation with his brother, again promising not to propose. She stood alone in the kitchen, knowing the guys were talking about her, feeling more and more awkward. If I had met my boyfriend’s family under the same circumstances, I would have ended the evening in tears.

Meredith’s overnight dream dates with the men just reinforced my thoughts that she’d choose Matthew. She and Ian had a great time together in San Juan, no doubt. And it was obvious that they were attracted to each other. But I saw some major problems in communication. Meredith told Ian that she isn’t a great communicator, and he said he’s not either. Then, instead of making an effort to talk to each other more clearly, they communicated in the international language of making out. Sure, kissing is fun, but it shouldn’t take the place of conversation. The one thing Ian was willing to talk about once again was his reluctance to propose to her on TV. His insistence on this fact could have been interpreted as an unwillingness to commit.

Her date with Matthew, on the other hand, was just about perfect. Meredith didn’t want to do any of the planned activities – she just wanted to hang out with Matthew. She didn’t even want to go out to dinner with him. Instead, she could not get to that fantasy suite to be alone with him fast enough. Those decisions spoke to me, because with my husband, I don’t always want to go out. Sometimes I just want to put on sweats and hang out at home. To me, that’s a sign that you really love someone – you just want to spend time together.