The final rose ceremony in The Bachelor aired March 12th, 2012 and faithful viewers were praying for the end of the season rather than hoping the show would continue to air. The last two women were the one girl least suited for Ben and the one who was the worst choice on the show. Since Ben Flajnik already sent his perfect wives Kacie B and Nicky home, Lindzi and Courtney were the only girls left. Here’s a very candid review of the show. the drama of the season, and the characters we’ve come to know (and not love) on the reality television show. Why was the final rose ceremony #winning the biggest loser? Because eco-friendly farmer (sustainable agriculture enthusiast) Ben was and is truly a Bachelor joke.
As I sit here resisting the urge to write, “Ben is a douche” I find myself conflicted. I want to tell him he’s been a jackass for dragging Courtney through till the final round and sending other great women home, but I doubt he’d care. Actually, I think he’s as phony as she is and that he already knows the other girls were 100% right about her. I think he sent the nice girls home specifically because he knows he a selfish, manipulative, dishonest beau. He’s on the show to promote his winery, not to get involved in a serious relationship with a girl.
Watching him introduce his sister Julia and his mom Barbara to Lindzi, it was really clear she is in love with Ben. The girl who got the first impression rose for riding up on the horse looked so nervous sitting chatting with his family. Each time she dropped her fork, you could tell the meeting was going South. Telling his mother that she is in love with her son had to have been the most difficult thing in the world for the sweet girl. She really does not want to lose — not because someone else will win, but because letting him go will most likely be incredibly hard on her.
Julia let Lindzi know that Ben wants to get to know her better — at this stage in the show, all he seems to have done is created an artificial excuse to send Lindzi home. His sister admitted that Ben had been the biggest skeptic. When she put her on the spot about Courtney’s relationship with other girls, she handled herself diplomatically — but because she would not tell her what Courtney was really doing behind the scenes while filming the show, it left Julia with the wrong impression of Courtney — but the right impression of Lindzi. Giving Ben a recap, “Jule” let him know that if he decided to date her, she’d be an amazing girl from her whiney wine maker brother.
His mom said Lindzi was the total package and that she truly believes she’s in love with Ben. Hearing that Courtney was the model [who spent the whole show mocking the other girls and manipulating Ben] did not make his mother or his sister comfortable… but old buddy Ben asked them to keep an open mind about meeting her. Yeah. Just as open as Courtney Robertson’s knees had been to him for the whole show. I was left thinking, “How can he tell his mom and his sister — or any other girl he might propose to — that Courtney had been servicing him the entire show?” Bottom line, heading into the final rose ceremony, Ben painted himself into an ugly little corner because he followed his ego rather than the heart throughout the show. He’s pledged his allegiance to the most attractive but least desirable girl, pretending to be her chivalrous knight. Sadly, he would have been better off dating Vienna Girardi than THAT girl.
Because his family is all women, Ben has to choose between his relatives and the model. Julia was spot on saying that if women were intimidated by Courtney’s beauty, it was one thing… but if Courtney was [essentially] manipulative or instigating that she could ruin the close-knit family vibe for sure. Claiming that Courtney could put his concerns at rest by faking out his mom and sister (essentially), she did her dead level best to blame all the house problems on the other women to his mom and sister’s face, then tried to blame his mom and sister for making her uncomfortable when meeting them. Sewing the seeds of mistrust between Ben and his family, she tried to blame the fact that she is a model on the women in his family not liking her. Her unstated implication was that because Ben’s sister and mom are not pretty, they hate her. Fake, fake, FAKE was the word I kept wanting to scream out.
Listening to Courtney say that Ben makes her laugh so hard that her cheeks hurt was a load of crap. Her cheeks hurt because she spent so many hours fake smiling.
Julia saying that her first impression of Courtney was that she, “… is shocked” was flabbergasting. Telling her brother that she’s very sweet and will fit great into the family was revolting — knowing how embarrassed the family will be once they find out about all that was left out. His mother noting that Ben was really in love with Courtney and that she only wants him to be happy was so touching and sweet. Imagine how hurt she will be having to watch Ben and Courtney together in the future. If they do marry and have kids, grammie won’t be included in a meaningful way (most likely) and sister (who is outspoken and states pretty much what is on her mind) will most likely tell Courtney to go jump in a lake before the couple even walks down the aisle is my best guess.
Duped, his family pushed him towards proposing to Courtney Robertson. Trying to play mom-dad, his mother Barbara did her best to be supportive. Watching, you got that sinking feeling in the pit of your stomach. If you cared at all about the outcome, it would have been easy to throw up in your mouth a little bit. Seeing Courtney make trout lips at him while she made it his fault that he’s questioned whether or not she’s truly been honest with him was dreadful, but his mother’s claim that Courtney had been self-supporting through her career kept echoing. As a journalist, I could not ignore the very real fact that rumors this girl has been sleeping with wealthy men for years — her patrons — so she would not have to get a real job will surely kill his mother’s impression once she sees the light about his girl.
How sad the producers of the show would allow someone like Courtney Robertson on the show! How much sadder that Ben Flajnik was supposed to be the most eligible bachelor with the most to offer an American girl…
Lindzi Cox saying, “Today is my last day with Ben…” caused an echo. Ben Flajnik taking her for a horse and carriage ride seemed a fitting adventure for her final day. Hurling herself down a hill by the Matterhorn skiing for the first time was less traumatic than meeting her family… but not nearly as much of a risk as giving her heart to the Bachelor (because battling Courtney, she’s been set up to fail from the get go). But him telling her that he could see a future with her that includes family, kids, and everything else seemed cruel — knowing he had already cleared proposing to Courtney with his mother and sister. Thinking she can trust Ben was her worst mistake (if she was being truly honest talking to the camera). One hopes she was lying about having feelings for him and just playing along for the sake for the game show so she won’t end up so hurt.
If he proposed to her, Lindzi would eventually find out he’d been sleeping with Courtney throughout the duration of the show. That would most likely kill any feelings of shared trust or intimacy between she and Ben if they ever did become an item. For that reason, Courtney really was Ben’s only choice to make — as she’d be the only person left who would be interested in him after viewing the show.
Heading into their final date night, Lindzi felt confident that she could spend the rest of the night with him — because he is so “sincere”. That poor girl… she’s not faking. Saying she came into this with walls up, she said it was hard to put herself out there. Saying that at the end of the day, her sense of humor really does help get her through life. Saying what he ultimately wants in a relationship was someone he’s comfortable with, Ben just kept looking at her like he wanted to get in her pants then never speak to her again.
She told Ben she’s in love with him and wants to be his fiancee — his reply? “That’s good!” He told her his goal all along was top see her open up. He says the way he looks at this woman, he wants to tell her he loves her but because the next day would be his final day with Courtney he can’t. Apparently, that would not be fair. Ummm… if he really loved Lindzi, wouldn’t it be the right thing to do? Show contract binder or no-show, the answer would have been yes.
Knowing he took Lindzi for a stink old carriage ride as their last date, then took Courtney in a helicopter to a lake at the top of the mountains for a gorgeous cookout was nothing short of irritating. But, on a plus note, one was suspicious of her real thoughts while Ben was so excited flying over the Alps. You could almost her internal monologue playing, complaining there was no place to shop and wondering what was so special about looking at a bunch of big rocks.
Courtney played the game brilliantly, in that the further alone it went, the more she play acted like she was a soap opera queen who was filming scenes about being in love. Ben, in his defense, was probably being himself while acting like a goofy kid. The trouble was, she’s play acted her way through so she could win.
That’s why it was so absurd to watch her put him on the defensive about questioning her about what happened with the girls, even though he asked so painfully few questions. Watching Courtney pull the water works again while claiming her heart hurts just thinking about Ben doing to her what Ashley Hebert did to him (dumping him on the final day) was laughable. Her concern was not about losing Ben — it was about having her dignity as a #winning competitor impugned. Watching Robertson with her phony face and fish lips contort to impress Ben was one thing, but having her try to con American viewers with her pretend vulnerability act was nothing short of detestable.
The final day there was no question for Ben. He was 100% ready to propose. Noting that he’d already picked out an engagement ring for Ashley before his proposal was turned down, he realized that there was only one girl in his mind picking out the $100k diamond. The jeweler was all smiles, but dang… how sad that must be to sell wedding rings to a person you know won’t ever get married or to a person likely to end his relationship in divorce.
When the girls dressed up to be taken to the top of a mountain by helicopter, poor Lindzi looked so much like a fairy tale character in her green cape. Courtney dressed in a black evening gown wearing long black gloves made her look like the wicked step mother. It made me happy to know he does not already have other kids.
My partner remarked that he felt so bad for Lindzi that he was hoping that Courtney’s helicopter would crash so things would all work out for the lost girl. But Ben, he was hell-bent on being the biggest loser. Saying that he’d finally found someone who loved him as much as he loved her was spot on, as it seems so likely he really does not care about Robertson — only about landing a model. Just like she’s interested in him for the status and his family money, he’s interested in being with her because in the fake upper crust of society, she’s a trophy girl.
Ultimately the way Ben handled rejecting his cast off was harsh. He did everything shy of saying, “Welcome to Dumpsville, baby — population YOU.”
When Chris Harrison escorted her up to the sacrificial alter, the whole scene was sad. Wishing her good luck but knowing that she was about to get her heart-broken, the show host looked visibly disgusted with his own part in creating the situation. She started running her mouth about how much she loves him and he shut her down. He lied and told her she was exactly what he wanted in a wife and that he had fallen in love with her but it was not for a lifetime; he dumped her and told her he’d found real love with another girl.
Poor Lindzi looked like she wanted to hurl.
Hearing her say she was mad at herself for not giving him what he needed was tragic. Hearing her tell him if things don’t work out with Courtney Robertson he can call her was humiliating. One wanted to scream over the mountain tops that he’d picked the wrong girl, but not yell nearly as loudly as you wanted to tell Lindzi Cox to change her phone number and forget Ben Flajnik — he’s clearly the biggest loser on the show.
Proposing to Courtney Robertson was proof positive the Ben Flajnik was truly never on the show to find a nice girl.
Now, all we have to look forward to is watching fake Emily next as The Bachelorette?
ABC producers really disappointed all the people who truly believed that the contestants on the reality show were all well screened and there for the right reasons. Ben Flajnik proposed to Bentley Williams… gross.
The only ONLY great part of the show was after the final rose ceremony, realizing that Ben and Courtney were already having problems. Chris Harrison looked tickled to finally be able to say that Courtney was absolutely two-faced and totally mean to the other girls. And, of course, watching Ben propose to Courtney a second time on the After The Final Rose show so he would not lose face in front of a blissfully happy Ashley H. and her fiance JP.
Will the celebrity couple ever make it to the altar? We hope not, but story developing…