VIDEO: The Bachelor Finale, Jake Picks Vienna!
March 2 2010, Published 12:42 p.m. ET
Despite the tabloid covers and negativity from his other hopeful ladies, The Bachelor’s Jake Pavelka proposed to the season’s villain Vienna Girardi on Monday’s season finale of the ABC reality show. RadarOnline.com is bringing you the full dish on what happened leading up to the explosive ending!
Before the final dates, it was all about the in-laws descending on St. Lucia. Jake began the episode touching base with his family. “I feel like I could marry either one of them and be happy the rest of my life,” he began before talking about the differences between Tenley and Vienna. Early on, he confirmed that he would in fact ask one of them to marry him.
Tenley came in on a rainbow of goodwill. During her one-on-ones with Jake’s mom and then Jake’s dad, she swept them off of their feet- even making them tear up! “I don’t have any red flags with that one,” his mom said. Jake, after confessing that Tenley has yet to see his “rough” and goofy side, tested her by grabbing her hand and seeing if she would jump in the pool with him. Of course, she did, laughing and kissing him before they were joined by his two brothers. “I think Tenley is the perfect woman for Jake,” his mom added later on.
Next, it was Vienna’s turn in the hot seat. “If today doesn’t go well, it would break my heart,” she said before meeting them. Jake’s sister-in-law immediately took notice of the way Vienna talked about her relationship with the other girls in the house. “I don’t think there was a lot of class in the way she was talking about people,” she said. His mother also felt like Vienna was “not connecting well” with the family. “I’m very concerned about Vienna,” his mother said before pulling Jake aside. “If she doesn’t get along with the girls, I wonder about the sister-in-laws…can’t you see that she might be poking at her sister-in-laws, that she might be poking at you eventually?” His brother also called out Vienna’s “brutal honesty shtick, calling it “immature.” Still, once the sister-in-laws talked to her alone, they opened up and noticed how much Vienna loved Jake and appreciated who he really was.
The first final date was with Vienna in a mud hole during which the two couldn’t keep their hands off one another. In the evening, the action moved to her cottage. Vienna had a special surprise for Jake: the promise ring from her dad proving she’s ready to commit. She also finally opened up about her first marriage, explaining that she realized soon after they eloped that there was no passion in the relationship she characterized as more of a “friendship.”
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Second up was Tenley and swimming with the dolphins. Back on the boat though, the mood took a dip when Jake brought up their physical chemistry and how it wasn’t as strong as their emotional one- setting Tenley on a spiral and reminding her about her ex-husband. “Oh my gosh, what have I done?” he asked himself after seeing the teary aftermath of telling the truth. Later in the date at Tenley’s cottage, Jake apologized for catching her off guard. “I love the fact that as weird as that was on the boat and as bad a job that I did communicating, you didn’t shut me down,” he said. “I could probably go on and on.” Tenley also had a gift for him: a framed collage of their time together.
“I just have to figure out who has my heart,” Jake said in a voiceover going into the day of his decision. The Texan pilot got even more confused after meeting Neil Lane to check out some engagement rings.
The first out of the helicopter was a golden Tenley who crossed the bridge to what would be even more heartbreak. “I really believe he would get down on one knee,” she said in a voiceover as she was shown walking towards Jake. The pilot got right to the point. “We have had such an amazing time together…I love that we have the same values, the same temperament,” he said as they both teared up, knowing it was the end. “You’re perfect,” he said as she shook her head in disbelief. “I don’t know what it is, but something just doesn’t feel right. I don’t know why. Where did we miss each other?” Tenley countered: “I don’t know what to say. I took this very seriously…I want you to be completely honest with yourself so I appreciate it as much as it hurts…thank you for showing me what I could have.”
After a prolonged goodbye, Jake had to move on. “I had her on this pedestal and I felt like I had to at a certain way,” he explained about his decision.
Soon, Vienna was off to meet her future. “Jake is my soulmate,’ she said in a voiceover. “I’ve fallen in love with this guy and I’ve given him my heart. I’ve found my place in life and that place is with Jake.” After exchanging some last-minute sentiments, Jake gave Vienna back her promise ring causing her to tear up since she thought she was being dumped. “Vienna, I love you,” he told her before dropping to his knee. “Vienna, I love you with everything I am. Vienna, will you marry me.”