Tonight’s epi began with a brief look back over the season and some of it’s highlights. As the season’s highlights progress, we get a PI of Brad stating that with Chantal, the connection has been electric, but the emotional side of her has been a rollercoaster. Then with Emily, she is one in a million, but her past intimidates him a bit.
As we catch up with Brad, he is standing outside on the balcony awaiting for his family to arrive. As he states and we soon see, he truely has missed his family and needs their help now more than ever. Brad is overcome with emotion when he finally see’s his mom Pam, his twin brother Chad and wife Dillon, other brother Wes and his wife Prima(SP?).
As Chantal arrives and is introduced into everyone, everyone seems to gel, yet there seems to be an emptiness..........maybe my feelings here but I feel that there is a bit of distance between Brad and Chantal.........not to mention the fact that we don’t see them kissing per se. During Chantal’s conversation with Chad and Wes, you can see the two of them being a little apprehensive, and I think a little taken aback by her admission of saying to Brad and the brother’s that she would marry Brad on the spot if she’s ready to get engaged, then she’s ready to get married...... During the brother’s conversation, Wes and Chad admit to Brad that they feel that Chantal is in love with him......which of course makes Brad happy. Brad also admits to the bro’s of how he would walk away again if he wasn’t feeling the way he was right then........ Then during Pam’s time with Chantal, Pam asked her how she could fall in love so quick........Chantal explained how she was married before, found out that she wasn’t happy and figured out what was missing. Through that and going into this experience, she promised herself to have an open heart and if she finds what she wants in Brad, then she will have her heart open already and just go with it. Pam confides in Chantal and says that she can see her in the real world fitting in. Pam admits that she feels that her family embraced Chantal and could see Chantal fitting in. During Pam’s conversation with Brad, Pam tells him that Chantal was very warm to her and as Brad stated, he had no concerns with Chantal meeting his family. Brad and his mom had a bit of a tender moment when Brad admitted to being so happy..........Pam agreed and said that it was in his eyes. In Chantal’s PI, she states how much in love she is with Brad and also of how in her heart of hearts, she feels she will be with him in the end..........
The next day was for Em’s turn. As Brad and the family were sitting around waiting for Emily to show, when the doorbell finally rang.........Brad jumped up and ran out to greet her. Emily shows up with a bouquet of flowers and ready for the Womack inquisition.........LOL. One thing I noticed right off the bat is that when Em was there with the parents, Brad couldn’t keep his hands off of Em.......When Chantal was there, there was an obvious distance between Chantal and Brad..........interesting......maybe the tides started turning in an obvious way at this point. Anyhow, as everyone sits down, Brad explains how when he went to Em’s hometown, he met her daughter.........As they went outside on the patio for some lunch, Wes broaches the subject as to how Ricki’s daughter would feel about Em and Ricki moving to Austin. Emily tells Brad’s family her background and you can see that it really has touched the family. The two bro’s took Emily aside to chat with her and during their conversation, Wes said that Em and her daughter would definitely have an open-armed welcome for the two of them waiting in Austin. During Wes’s PI, he also stated that he felt that Emily is one strong individual to go through what she has done and be as strong on the other side as she is. A very down to earth individual that is definitely in this process for the good of herself, her daughter and for Brad. Brad and the bro’s head off for a chat and they are trying to make him understand the changes that would happen in his life by having an instant family like he would have if he chose Emily...........At the end of their conversation, he definitely stated that he gets the warm fuzzies with the knowledge that he will instantly be a family man and is welcoming that change with open arms. In Chad’s PI, he stated of how he has never seen his brother light up when talking about Ricki.........at the end of the bro’s conversation, Brad stated how this woman and her daughter would make him very, very happy. Emily and Pam then take their time to have a quick chat about things and Pam states how she respects Emily for coming into this process with a daughter and being protective over her. As Emily tells Pam, seeing Brad with her daughter melted her heart and the fact that she is so over the moon in love with her and can see how both of their futures will be the better for having Brad in them. As Em said, Brad has been her angel on earth........of which you really can see Pam taken aback by those words....... Pam states in a PI, her favourite thing that Em said during their time together was that Em called Brad her angel.........Pam states that after all that Em has been through, she just wants things to work out for her. It was very obvious how close Emily and Brad’s family became during that visit...........when Em arrived, there were handshakes all around, by the time Em left, there were long and meaningful hugs, especially with Emily and Pam. As Brad said good bye and sent Emily on her way............he needs the thoughts from his family to help him make his decision.
Wes starts the family conversations off with looking at both women and discecting how things might go from the start: With Chantal, it could be some travelling and looking around before settling down........with Emily, Brad is jumping into a full blown family situation.............As Wes states: Fun loving on one hand, and a rooted down reality on the other. During the sister/law conversations, they are right, they would probably have more in common with Emily in the beginning because of Ricki, yet they do like Chantal as well. As Prima stated it, Chantal just wouldn’t get it in their world because of not being a mother and that’s the only reason....... During Brad and Pam’s conversation........Pam states how she felt that with Emily, Brad couldn’t keep his hands off of her and also calls Em the whole package. It was so obvious watching how much the family fell in love with Emily as well. As Brad states in a PI, he definitely needed his familie’s opinion, yet if he is to be honest with himself, he does still have feelings for both women.
Up Next...............Brad and Chantal’s last date
As Brad states in his PI, after his family met both women, they think that Emily will be the one.......yet I am here with Chantal as I still have feelings towards her and there is a lot on the line with her today. The two of them head out in a boat charter sightseeing for whales and sharks. Once they are out in the bay, they see sea lions and................ a great white shark. Brad tells her that is what they are doing today........swimming with the sharks. As more chum and bait gets added to the water, you can see how squeamish Chantal is getting.......As they both climb into the shark cage and go below the water, a monsterous shark shows up. As they come back up on the boat, Brad pops the cork on some champagne and they toast to conqueoring another fear. As Brad states in a PI, when he looks at Chantal, he see’s excitement.
As we are at Chantal’s room, Brad shows up and the once again toast to the day that they shared.....Chantal states in a PI of how she is over the moon in love with this guy and she doesn’t know what he’s going to do which scares her silly. They are sitting on the couch together, but it is obvious to me as I look back on it, there is definitely a distance between them that is very obvious since Anguilla. Chantal brings out the gift that she made for Brad..........a hand-drawn map of their destinations together thus far, also a letter from her that tells him what’s in her heart. You can tell the map touched him, but as he states in a PI, he is still feeling for Chantal, yet feels so much for Em.....
Up Next............Emily and Brad’s last date
As Brad is sitting there waiting for Emily to show up, he is mulling over his feelings in a PI and says that his date was great with Chantal........he also states how his family feels that Emily is the one that I need/would fit better with. As Emily and Brad board the heli for a tour over South Africa, they head out to Cape Point.........where the heli lands and they get a chance to get out and take in the sights around them. During their time in transit in the heli, we get a PI from Emily as to how she is definitely in love with Brad and has finally found the one that she could spend the rest of her life with. As they head out to their picnic area, we get a PI from Brad stating how far his relationship with Emily has come.....it started off really slow but is so confident about his feelings. They get back into the conversation of him becoming an instant father and she is really wanting to know if he is really UNDERSTANDING this........In a PI, Emily states how she is painfully insecure and really wants to make sure he understands how she feels about things.
Back at Emily’s, they sit down on the couch.........after several attempts at getting comfortable there, Brad brings up the subject of Ricki again. Brad states how he is wanting her to be open enough to actually be a real father to Ricki...........Emily takes it a step farther (maybe too far) but she really knows what Brad see’s things as. Brad states that he feels being a father is the unconditional love, the standing by the child, being a disciplinarian when needed, being there to help them when needed......Brad is trying to be real sincere, and serious.........IMO, Em seems to be pushing things, but on the other hand, it is her daughter that she’s worried about.........you got to expect a woman to be worried as that when there is a child involved. During Brad’s PI at the end of the visit, he says that there is two things that he could of told Em tonight........one was that he loved her, the other was how he wanted to be a dad.....he definitely feels shot down and the date was making him question everything.
Decision day...................
The morning of the rose ceremony finds Brad waking up and questioning his feelings for each of the women and what he finds attractive in each, and ultimately what he wants when he evaluates things at the end of the day. With Emily, she is the quintessential southern belle, a woman that is beautiful, engaging, and with Emily, he wants to be the family man, the provider, but he doesn’t know if Emily is ready for someone to take that step with her.......... With Chantal, he sees a life full of excitement, he felt comfortable, is himself, a lot of laughter, intense passion, and he pictures a damn good life with Chantal.
Chantal: Brad is the one of a kind guy, he’s sweet, he’s fun, he’s all those things wrapped up into one, When she looks at him, there is no one else for her.
Emily: She’s definitely in love with Brad, been real hard for her to open up, for her to be at this point when she thought she’d never be there and love someone like this again, is really hard on her and she really hopes that she doesn’t end up heartbroken in the end.
Brad carries on to say that the last time he did this, he was no where as invested emotionally as he is now. He’s completely exhausted from all of the emotions and he has to decide between two incredible women. He is really hoping that he doesn’t shut down again. Brad carries on to say that he has used up every second that he has been given in this process and has fallen madly in love.........when you know, you know..............
Neil Lane shows up with the assorted rings for Brad to ponder over. As Brad is pondering over the rings, he realizes that this is the first time that he’s done this with intent. He is going to ask someone to be his wife........... As he chooses the ring he wants, he goes into a small explanation to Neil about the history of Brad on the show, and you can see the tension in his eyes. This ring choosing has really sunk in. As he states, he knows that he is making the right decision.........it is the best gutt feeling that he’s ever had in his life. As both women are getting dressed and letting out their fears of what will happen, whether they end up with Brad or have to go back to their life alone. We see Brad dressed and heading off to the Rose Ceremony site. First Chantal leaves the hotel and describes how she is feeling, then Emily does the same.......
Chantal arrives first.................
As Chris meets her at the limo and walks her through the winery and out the other side to where Brad is waiting for her, Brad makes his speech and it is obvious that Chantal is taking it hard. I think we all know how that speech will go as we’ve seen similar speeches over and over through the history of this show........ After they have had their private time, Brad walks her back up to the limo and closes the door. As the limo takes off, we see Chantal broken hearted......I have always hated this part, no matter who is in that limo!
Up Next............Emily and the proposal
As Emily pulls up in the limo and Chris walks her to the back of the winery......you can see how nervous she is. Meanwhile standing up there waiting for her, Brad is smiling away. As Emily walks to Brad, you can tell he is taken aback after seeing her. After getting his breath back, he sets in for the speech that he had been practicing.......He carries on to say that he has waited 38 years to find the woman that he wanted to take a chance on and try to make things work.........all it took was coming here to find you. You are more than a leap of faith, you are my IT Em, the once in a lifetime one........He asks to be allowed to be her protector, best friend and her forever. He then tells her that he loves her, truely loves her and wants to be there forever. He then kneels and proposes to her of which she gladly accepts. After the formalities are done, we are shown a montage of their “relationship” portrayed to the song “Marry Me”.
For the After the Final Rose section of their story, it is a pretty typical one........Chantal is brought out, and her story is told in a montage, then Brad is brought out to confront her and any questions she has. He kinda fumbled his way through it as you can tell he didn’t really want to either do it or was having problems understanding the questions that Chantal rose. Brad finally realized that Chantal is still having a hard time with this to the point that she felt used. She really wanted to know the truth...........at the end, we were told that Chantal is dating someone right now and is carrying on with her life on her own.
Then Brad and Chris talked briefly about how things have been since the days in SA. Brad admits that there have been some rocky roads for the two of them since the finale. As Brad states, he feels more strongly to Emily than he did on the finale day.....she is the most kind, genuine human being than he has ever known. Chris and Brad then let the cat out of the bag regarding the possibility of actually having the AFTR Ceremony back in Anguilla and transforming it into a marriage ceremony on the spot. As Chris says, obviously that isn’t happening today, but then Brad says that it has been a rollercoaster for the last few months with all the tabloid stuff and all the other crap that comes with this show. Brad admits that he can take things out on her, as she is doing with him because of the demands of remaining quiet, they don’t see each other much and it does put a tremendous strain on the relationship........as Brad stated, sweet little Emily can be real tough! Chris goes on to say that even through the tough patch that they are currently facing........in Brad’s mind does he still feel engaged to this woman. Of course Brad answers yes.
Chris brings out Emily and it is obvious that there is still a lot of feelings towards the other one. The looks that they share, the little had grabs, lots of different signs that they are actually close to each other versus playing the part.........IMO anyways. When asked by Chris, yes, she admits that not everything has been all roses, but she is really confident in how she feels about him, that she loves him, and that she really feels that they are a couple. When Chris asked if she was ready to get married right now, she said no..........this took the crowd by surprise..........Why it would takes me by surprise. Sheesh, they just “came out publically” and the crowd is surprised that she isn’t ready to go to the alter at this second. Gimme a break! I think it is great that she wants to try to do a few real life things first......with a kid, that makes the most sense to me. Then when asked if she could move to Austin today, she replies no..........again this takes the crowd aback.........come on, the lady is first out in public with the guy after several months of keeping things private, she has a child to think of, and she really wants to make sure things are right. Now IMO, I can see them doing a lot of visits in real short period of time and if they all work out right, then of course, I can see her making that move. Just give them a chance folks...........sheesh!! As Emily states..........She knew it wouldn’t be the let’s watch Emily and Brad fall in love show, but she really didn’t think he would give them so much material to work with..........this of course gets a laugh out of the crowd.
Chris trying to play the physiatrist position tonight is trying to find out why Emily is having such a hard time with this and what drives her to sabotage her own engagement?? When Emily admits that she’s been down the road of love before and lost it, it worries her that she’ll loose it again. This is one of the obstacles that has been plaguing her while watching the season. Then Brad seriously looks at her and says that she won’t loose his love, not ever! They both admitted to having tempers and having fights about what is “reality tv” and what is actually “their reality”. IMO, It really seems that a lot of the problems are arising out of Emily’s insecurities as to the strength of Brad’s commitment to her, of his faithfulness to her during the filming, and where their strengths are now in the relationship. Bottom line, they both admit that they have been alone for a while now, that they both don’t really want to “give in” during an argument or fight, and the only really regret that Brad can come up with other than the forementioned, is that he regrets if he has come across to her in any other format than absolute love. Chris then asks Emily that in her heart of hearts, can she really see herself getting married to Brad?? As Emily states, she loves him a lot, has never felt like this for anyone else before, can’t really see herself living life without him so yea, she will marry him one day.
This is when Trista/Ryan, Jason/Molly, and Ali/Roberto are brought out to tell the new couple of the stresses that will happen, of how to try to find ways around things and to trust in each other. Molly is the first one to really speak up and says that it is hard to ignore the blogs, to not see what is written of them, but the main thing is to concentrate on what they have together, to concentrate on Ricki and to move forward from there. Ryan and Trista then got in on it when Ryan said that in actual fact, a way to think about this process is to say that someone set you up with the best guy possible......you just got to go through a little crap along the way. Stick it out, find out what works for you and make the spark and connection work for you. Trista was saying the same thing. She brought in the fact that yes, they met on a reality show, but it is what they did with the relationship after the show is what counts the most. Both Roberto and Ryan came up with some great advice.........Roberto said that in a way, you have to put your relationship under the glass and protect what is sacred to the two of you then work at things from there. Meanwhile Ryan is saying that during this process, you were on a cruise ship and everything was taken care of, now you are being thrown into a life raft and forced out onto the stormy seas.........you can see that island just ahead, but now is the time that you need to stick together to make it there..........that is where he and Trista stood strong together. Other couples haven’t as they let the outside forces tear them down.
After the couples left the stage, Chris played the proposal for the new couple as this will be the first time they have seen it. You can tell that it is hitting both of them watching it again. At the end of their viewing their engagement, Brad once again places the ring on her finger and re-iterates how much he loves her and she with him.
Well, that is the end of tonight’s finale. Hope you all enjoyed as much as I did. I am including a montage at the end of their love story in pictures..........hope you all enjoy.
