Because in this case, there was no drama: Two grown adults, both of whom have been through struggles and heartbreak, realized that they wanted to be together. And that was it! “Bachelorette” star Tayshia Adams and the contestant she chose, Zac Clark, got engaged. Their conversations were so serious, and the proposal was so heartfelt, that it was almost easy to forget that Tayshia started off with 20 men and narrowed down the field week by week — via producer-contrived situations and various degrading competitions — until she found the man she wanted to marry.
In past years, we admit, a turmoil-free proposal might have been considered boring. Maybe we would have yearned for the madness of previous seasons, such as when Hannah Brown found out from a People magazine article that her new fiance had a girlfriend, or the time Arie Luyendyk ruthlessly dumped his winner for the runner-up. It is, after all, reality TV.
But in the soul-crushing chaos of 2020, witnessing a genuine happy moment between two strangers was ... well, honestly, quite moving. As one viewer wrote on Twitter, echoing others (and our own thoughts): “Can’t tell if I’m crying because this is the best proposal in ‘Bachelorette’ history or because 2020 has left me a sad, broken person.”
Anyway, at first, it looked like “The Bachelorette” was up to its old tricks. In the beginning of the two-hour episode, Tayshia welcomed back Ben Smith, a contestant she recently eliminated because he couldn’t articulate his feelings. But Ben came back, this time armed with an “I’m in love with you.” Tayshia, rather unprecedentedly, gave him another shot, while sending home finalist Ivan Hall, telling him that their different religious beliefs were a dealbreaker. (These differences were never explained.)
So the final two were Ben, a 29-year-old Army veteran from California, and Zac, a 36-year-old addiction specialist from New Jersey. Even with Ben’s surprising return, it didn’t seem like he really had a chance. Earlier in the season, 30-year-old Tayshia explained that she usually dated men younger than Zac, but she was attracted to “the way he carried himself” and was intrigued to learn more.
Tayshia and Zac bonded over their past hardships, as they are both divorced: Tayshia explained her marriage ended because her ex-husband cheated on her, while Zac told the story of how his wife left him after he was arrested and got a DUI (he started drinking heavily and using drugs following surgery for a brain tumor). He wound up going to rehab for four months; he is now nine years sober and sits on the board of a rehab center.
In the finale, after Zac met her family (he won approval from her parents and siblings), he and Tayshia had one final date. Tayshia confessed that she was anxious thinking about the future and all the challenges they could face. “When things get hard, it’s much easier to say goodbye and walk away,” she said.
But Zac managed to calm her fears. “My sobriety, my recovery, whatever you want to call it, is the most important thing in my life. And the reason for that is because it allows me to not run away,” he said. “So to hear you say your fear is that things will change or that I’ll run, or whatever it is, breaks my heart. Because if I were given the opportunity to propose to you, I am not doing that unless I’m committing to you.”
After that, Tayshia bid farewell to Ben. Of course, when it was time for Zac to lay it all out on the line in the final scene, he had no way of knowing that he was the only contestant left. What followed was one of the most emotional proposals the show has ever seen, despite the fact that unlike previous years that wrap up in scenic locales, they were near the grounds of a La Quinta resort in Palm Springs, where the entire season took place because of coronavirus pandemic restrictions.
His voice slightly shaking, Zac told Tayshia that when he met her, he realized “nothing has ever felt so right in my entire life.”
“I love you, Tayshia,” he declared. “I love you 'cause you’re a fighter. I love you 'cause you’re a strong, independent woman. You make everyone around you better. I love you 'cause you believe in me. I love you 'cause you’re a total dork.” (She laughed at this.) “And I love you because you drive me absolutely wild. I love everything about you.”
Tayshia responded by telling Zac that when she arrived on the show, she didn’t even know if true love was possible. “When I first met you, I thought to myself, ‘He’s different.’ That man is kind, he shows gratitude, and has the biggest smile. He has been through a lot but has never given up. But also has learned how to read me better than anyone really has and knows how to comfort me when I’m down,” she said.
“I know that I told you that I love you,” Tayshia continued, then took an unnecessarily long pause. “Sorry,” she said softly, with tears in her eyes. Zac looked terrified until Tayshia got back on track. “But it’s more than that. It’s this wild, wild love that I have tried to come up with so many reasons to not believe. And you have truly just made me believe that there doesn’t need to be flaws, and that I deserve a love with a man that won’t run away.”
“I love you, Zac Clark,” she announced. “And I’ll do absolutely anything to keep that huge smile on your face. Because you do everything to keep a huge smile on mine.”
At this point, Zac was so choked up he could barely speak, as he described the moment of their “hometown” date, when his family came to the La Quinta to meet Tayshia. “You gave them the best gift you could ever give them. They haven’t seen me that happy in years. You did that. That’s when I knew. That’s when they knew,” he said tearfully.
“I can’t picture another day, another moment without you in my life. And if you’ll let me, I’m gonna choose you right now,” he went on. “I’m gonna choose you tomorrow morning. I’m gonna choose you next week and next year. I’m gonna choose you forever. 'Cause I love you.”
Then Zac got down on one knee, and Tayshia started crying and laughing, and she said yes, and there was jumping and dancing and screams all around. “Best day of my life,” Zac said triumphantly. “This is my fiancee!” Then they hopped in a cardboard taxi, a throwback from a previous date, and cheerfully bounced away. And although the traditional “After the Final Rose” special was scrapped, Tayshia and Zac confirmed to People magazine that yes, they are still engaged. (Hey, it’s “The Bachelorette,” you really never know.)
This was also essentially the second finale of the season: Tayshia arrived a few weeks into the show as a replacement for Clare Crawley, who fell in love with one of her contestants so early that she didn’t want to continue. And although Clare’s final episode was chaotic, and admittedly riveting viewing, this one was so much more rewarding. Because we actually got to see pure joy. In the year 2020.
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