Who Did Zach Pick in the Finale of The Bachelor?

The Bachelor has come to a close for another season, but was there a happy ending this time?

It’s been a difficult few years for Bachelors: Clayton was turned down by Susie at his final rose ceremony (they later reconciled and then broke up for good); Matt and Rachael broke up despite their current relationship despite a firestorm of controversy surrounding pictures of her at an antebellum party; and Peter dumped Hannah Ann to date Madison, but that didn’t work out either. Colton too? Let’s just act as though that never occurred. So, we had our hopes crossed that Zach Shallcross could make things right and restart The Bachelor. “On track” is a relative term in this franchise, of course.

Jesse Palmer, the show’s host, promised viewers that the three-hour finale on Monday would be “filled with shocking surprises, devastating heartbreak, and many, many tears.” And wouldn’t you know it, he was entirely correct.

However, even after introducing Kaity Biggar and Gabi Elnicki to his family in the first hour and enduring a problematic (but fortunately brief) audio outage on ABC, Zach didn’t seem completely certain as to which woman would be the one to remain with him in the end.

“To tell the truth,… Zach acknowledged in the middle of the run, “I’m so torn. “It’s the greatest choice I’ve ever made. And I’m not entirely sure where I’ll be in two days. But I’m so confident that everything will work out for the best. I genuinely believe that.

Zach did ultimately make a decision. However, he had to break some terrible news to Gabi before he could kneel down with the ring.

Zach remarked to Gabi on the beach, “What a trip you and I have been on. We have undoubtedly shared some of the wildest experiences. There are so many things about you that I adore and love, and all of our moments together have changed my existence. Being in love with you and getting to know you has improved me as a person. But…”

Gabi put a halt to him there. She didn’t want or need to hear anything else Zach had to say because she had a gut sense the day would go in this direction. Even so, he added, “I’m sorry. I’ve been falling in love with you. You should have a guy who always chooses you first.

Gabi had had enough at that moment. She fought back tears and quietly left the traumatic situation. She sobbed as she told Zach, wishing Kaity and him all the pleasure in the world, “I’ll find love somewhere, somehow.”

When she was driving by herself, she opened up much more. “That was f-ing embarrassing,” you say. Gabi said while breaking down in tears. “I’ve been led around for what the entire time? The fact that I f-ing knew is what really irritates me. My god, I knew! You should pay attention to what your intuition is telling you. … I’m just so f-ing unlovable for whatever cause. There must be a problem with me. Why is it difficult to adore me? Why am I always taken so wrong? I have no idea who will select me when.

After that tragic turn of events, Zach and Gabi confronted each other live on television, at which point she admitted that she felt abused by his choice to admit that they had slept together.

I handled things totally incorrectly, he said. “My thinking made the incorrect assumption that I had to inform everyone that I had broken my word. It actually caused you harm. Although there is nothing I can do to make that mistake right, I want you to know that hurting you in that way was the furthest thing from my mind. Although I was only attempting to be truthful, it didn’t matter because it hurt you more. I apologize again from the depths of my heart.

Then came Zach’s big moment with Kaity, which would have undoubtedly been a lot more romantic if we hadn’t just endured the world’s most uncomfortable relationship post-mortem in recent memory.

“Zach, when I first came here, I didn’t believe it could be me, that I could have a significant love, the kind of love you only read about in books or see in movies. Truth be told, I’ve never understood what true affection is. I’ve never known unrestricted affection. … When you entered my life, my barriers were so high that I was unable to see through them. Every time I’ve been with you, Zach, my barriers have come tumbling down. With every hug, every chuckle, and every “hello, hello.” I want to spend the remainder of my life with you because I am madly, deeply in love with you. If it’s not you, it’s not anyone, to be honest.

Although Kaity took a big risk there, we weren’t overly concerned because we already knew that Zach had picked her.

I could never have envisioned the love I feel for you, he said. “I adore you a lot. You are the face I want to see every morning because I adore you so much. I want to spend my entire existence with you and no one else. I want to stay with you eternally, Kaity. Right on schedule, Zach proposed to the lady he called “my world, my best friend” by getting down on one knee. And she concurred!

Then, in an instant, Zach’s quest for love was over. The Bachelorette, featuring Zach’s ex Charity Lawson, debuts on Monday, June 26 at 9 p.m. ET/PT on ABC, so Bachelor Nation, you don’t get a break this summer.