The Bachelor’s season finale on Monday opened with a “previously on…” introduction that gave star Juan Pablo Galavis a heavy-handed villain edit, as well as pro-next-Bachelorette edit for Andi Dorfman, who broke up with him last week.

This week, the two remaining women – Clare Crawley and Nikki Ferrell – will each get the chance to meet with Juan Pablo’s family in St. Lucia. What unfolds between the introductions and the final rose ceremony will be the “most dramatic, surprising ending EVER on the show," Chris Harrison declares before the live studio audience in Los Angeles.

Clare Crawly & Nikki Ferrel Meet The Parents

First up to meet Juan Pablo in St. Lucia is Clare. She finds the prospect of meeting the family nerve-racking because she wants to show Juan Pablo that she has chemistry with them. Watching him with his daughter Camila, she finds the Bachelor even sexier, even though his family members warn her in myriad ways to pump the breaks.

According to Juan Pablo’s mom, he’s “hyperactive” and “rude,” to which Clare responds gleefully to Team Bachelor that everything she knew about him was reaffirmed by his mother. Juan Pablo’s cousin basically says the guy is a flake and asks Clare if she would be able to get him to stick around when things got tough in the relationship.

Nikki, relatively well-covered in a maxi dress, has already met Juan Pablo’s parents and Camila, but it’s the first time meeting his cousins and brother. Sitting amongst them, she gushes about the traveling they’ve done and how she’s been able to learn more about herself through the whole process. Like with Clare, in private conversation, Juan Pablo’s family members were keen to temper Nikki’s expectations.

Mr. Galavis told Nikki that his son “wasn’t an easy guy” and intimated that he thinks he knows everything and wants "wants he wants" – possibly to the exclusion of whatever she might want. Mrs. Galavis asks Nikki to state what she thinks a typical weekend would be like with Juan Pablo. After Nikki says stuff about going to the beach with Camila and playing board games with her later in the day, Juan Pablo’s mom reveals all he likes to do is wake up, eat breakfast and watch TV.

After watching both women’s interactions with Juan Pablo’s family – and both of their subsequent affirmations that everything looks like it’s going great and that they're both more certain than ever that he’s the right guy for them – Chris Harrison decides to check the live audience’s temperature. Some think the finale is headed for a train wreck of epic proportions, others think it’s going to end splendidly. Catherine Lowe, as Bachelor Nation’s current first lady, attempted to be as diplomatic as possible.

Final Dates In St. Lucia

Clare and Juan Pablo take a helicopter ride to a private location in St. Lucia. The trip gets off to a bad start when Juan Pablo allegedly says, “I love [expletive] you!” in their moment of semi-privacy instead of something more romantic. Clare is completely put off about the comment, and that he suggested he didn’t really know her. She doesn’t want to just be an object.

Later in the day, Clare invites him over to her private quarters for a chat. As soon as Juan Pablo gets to the door, he asks for a “besito.” No besitos for Juan Pablo just yet. Clare wants to talk about his comments in the helicopter. He seems confused about there being a problem. After failing to decipher his excuses, Clare presses him about whether or not he even wants to get to know her. He opens up to say that he can see himself with her. He’s not sure about getting engaged, but he feels great with her and could see them living in Sacramento and having kids quickly. Then, in probably his smoothest moment of the season, Juan Pablo takes out his phone and starts playing Josh Krajcik's "No Better Lovers" – the song they danced to on their first one-on-one.

Nikki’s expectations for her final date with Juan Pablo are high. She hopes that the emotionally unavailable bachelor will finally say “I love you” back. Actually, throughout their entire time together, it’s apparent that she’s just waiting for the words to roll off his tongue. She also wants to know if what his mom said about his couch potato proclivities was true. So, what will they do when they get back to reality? “I have a bed, a TV, we can watch whatever — movies, sports…,” said Juan Pablo, confirming his mother’s summation. “I'll watch baseball too. I'll be doing that by myself, probably."

In the evening, Juan Pablo heads over to Nikki’s hotel room, where she tries in vain to pry some words of deep feeling from the guy. She even gives him a letter in which she tells him once again that she loves him, and all the reasons why she wants to be with him. In the now typical Juan Pablo fashion, he answers with a “thank you” and a kiss. When he leaves the room, letter in hand, Nikki starts balling.

Final Rose Ceremony

Clare and Nikki both prepare for the Rose Ceremony, both believing that they’re the one Juan Pablo has chosen. Even though he’s been pretty hesitant to display some real emotion towards either of them, they both think they’re getting a proposal – and both would say “yes” if he got down on one knee.

First to walk off the boat towards the bachelor is Clare, meaning Juan Pablo intends to break her heart. When she gets to him, she speaks first, gushing about him and their whirlwind romance. When Juan Pablo starts to speak, he tells Clare he appreciates her and enjoyed their ups and downs, but that he has to say goodbye to her. He goes for the breakup hug, but gets rebuffed.

Clare is livid, having thought she was shoe-in for the final rose. “I lost respect for you. I thought I knew what kind of man you were!” she yells at Juan Pablo. “I would never want my children to have a father like you.” She keeps the tears in until she gets to Chris Harrison. Juan Pablo, meanwhile, feels like he just dodged a bullet. “I’m glad I didn’t pick her… oof,” he says to no one in particular.

Before Nikki gets off the boat, Juan Pablo is shown twirling the infamous Neil Lane diamond engagement ring in his fingers. Nikki, in voiceover, is talking about the euphoric moment that awaits her when Juan Pablo proposes. Instead of getting a ring, she has to listen to Juan Pablo tell her that he has one, but she doesn’t get it – and it’s because her dad told him that he better be 100% sure before he pops the question. “I like you a lot,” he says, and then offers Nikki the final rose.

Nikki’s face crushes in 15 different ways during Juan Pablo’s underwhelming monologue and engagement tease. However, she does accept the rose. After she takes the rose, Juan Pablo makes a comment about her not getting cranky because of the heat just yet and then the long-awaited Rose Ceremony ends with Nikki getting a little boop on the nose.

After The Final Rose

Following the Final Rose Ceremony a few months ago, The Bachelor is live from LA. The first person Chris Harrison calls up to the hot seat is Clare Crawley. She admits that she really thought she was going to be engaged by the end of the day and found herself ultimately really disappointed in Juan Pablo. She also admits that she should have left after the helicopter incident, when her intuition was telling her to get out of there. Although the runner-up generally gets a chance to talk to the bachelor, Clare says she already has her closure.

Juan Pablo is next up, and walks his way to the stage without getting too much applause from the audience. Like during the Women Tell All special, Juan Pablo isn’t about to admit to having any regrets. He made decisions in the moment based on what he thought was best. As for Clare, he knew she would be disappointed, but he made the choice for a reason. He doesn’t seem to remember the helicopter conversation Harrison wants him to talk about. When Harrison cuts him off when he starts talking about the things people say about him on Twitter, an annoyed Juan Pablo asks, “Can I talk?”

When Nikki comes out, all the women in the audience are trying to check to see if she’s rocking an engagement ring. She’s not, nor has she heard Juan Pablo tell her that he loves her. Nikki believes he shows her how much he cares, and states that they’re happy together. When Harrison presses her, she says, “He wouldn’t be here if he didn’t care about me. I’m not going to force it. It’s on his time. I’m happy in a relationship and I know he is too. And I think that should matter more than anything.”

Eventually, Juan Pablo comes out to join her, and he reiterates what Nikki said, adding, “This is real life.” Basically, he wants to be done with the show and out of the public eye. He appreciated the opportunity, but as a couple, they’re done with it. Harrison, clearly feeling that the show isn’t what the viewers had paid for, tries to stir up some drama between the couple – repeatedly asking Nikki if she’s OK with him not saying, “I love you.” Before segueing into the Bachelorette announcement, Harrison bitterly says, “We can see they’re clearly engaged and in love.”

So, who is the next Bachelorette star? Assistant DA Andi Dorfman, who ditched Juan Pablo after their Fantasy Suite date. When she takes the stage next to Harrison, the host asks her, “You know this is going to be on TV right?” and adds, “Don’t be afraid to share your emotions. People are going to want to go on this journey with you. And if you fall in love, don’t be afraid to say that.”

– Chelsea Regan

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For More 'The Bachelor' News:

'The Bachelor'€™ Recap: Sharleen Joynt & Andi Dorfman Speak Out About Juan Pablo Galavis In '˜Women Tell All'™ Special

Andi Dorfman Rumored To Be Next '€˜Bachelorette'€™ Star

'€˜The Bachelor'€™ Recap: Andi Dorfman Makes Dramatic Exit, Nikki Ferrell & Clare Crawley Head To Finals

'The Bachelor' Recap: Juan Pablo Says Goodbye To Renee After Home Visits

'˜The Bachelor'€™ Recap: Juan Pablo Introduces Nikki To His Daughter; Sharleen Chooses To Say Goodbye

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