In perhaps one of the least surprising twists in Bachelor Nation history, this week’s episode saw Bachelorette Clare Crawley leave the show with Dale Moss, the former NFL player who stole her heart the moment he stepped out of the limo.
What was unexpected, however, was Dale’s decision to go down on one knee and propose to Clare, after the couple had only known each other for the three weeks they had been on the TV show. It remains to be seen whether they live happily ever after, though not everyone in Bachelor Nation is expecting or even hoping that they will get their happy ending…
Quite A Day
Clare’s final episode on The Bachelorette was packed with drama, from her tearful conversation with host Chris Harrison to the moment when she told the rest of the guys that she was leaving the show with Dale, and finally, the unexpected proposal. As this Twitter user pointed out, this had been quite the 24 hours for Dale, who had probably started the day thinking he was on his way to winning the show at the end of the series and ended it with a brand new fiancée!
What’s Going On?
Twitter had a lot of love for the guys who had been dumped unceremoniously by Clare after just a few weeks on the show, pointing out that she never really gave any of them a chance after she first clapped eyes on Dale. One Twitter fan suggested that after Dale was pulled aside to join Clare for a one-on-one date, the curiosity of the remaining contestants might have just got the better of them, especially when Dale failed to return to his hotel room that night…
Second Thoughts
It’s safe to say the Bachelor Nation has not taken to Clare, and this tweet had some fun with the rushed nature of her final episode and the rather swift and surprising proposal.
Using a still from the show of Dale from their final interview, in which he seemed rather less enthusiastic than Clare, they joked that the former NFL star had only joined the series to become famous, and instead found himself having to get married after just one date with his fiancée.
Say That Again
And it wasn’t Dale who was taken by surprise when this week’s Bachelorette episode ended with him going down on one knee. Throughout the show, it seemed that Dale was being pressured into a proposal, both by the show’s producers and by the strength of Clare’s emotional needs. Even though it seemed as though a proposal was on the cards, this twitter fan was still surprised that Dale actually went through with the proposal, when it was pretty clear that he was uncertain about taking such an important step.
Out Of His Hands
Decisions about the proposal did seem to have been made without Dale even being in the room, let alone having his say, and the Bachelor Nation found plenty to laugh about in the conversation between Clare and Chris Harrison about the next steps for her relationship with Dale. Using a clip of a confused and concerned Justin Timberlake, this tweet suggested that Dale had been kept out of the loop when it came to the decisions that were made on this week’s show, and had the proposal thrust upon him at the last minute.
Counting The Weeks
This tweet employed a well-loved meme to illustrate the situation Dale found himself in this week.
The classic clip of a rather alarmed looking kid perfectly encapsulated what must have been going through Dale’s mind on his one-on-one date with Clare, when she started telling what she thought was a very romantic story about her parents getting engaged after knowing each other for three weeks – when the penny dropped that they had also known each other for three weeks, Dale must have realized what Clare was hinting at!
Predictable Outcome
The final proposal might have come as shock to everyone – including Dale – but the news that Clare was ending the show early having found her dream guy came as a surprise to no-one. One tweeter perfectly summed up the mood in the room when the other contestants were told by Clare that her journey was over, and she was dumping them for Dale, with this classic 1980s meme, emblazoned with the words “Disappointed but not surprised”. Kind of sums up Clare’s entire Bachelorette experience quite neatly, doesn’t it?
Time To Move On
Of course, the aim of The Bachelorette is for contestants to find love, but the viewers demand more entertainment with their romance. Clare and Dale not only broke the unofficial Bachelor Nation rules by falling for each other straight away, but they also happen to be a very dull and uninspiring couple. A point that was made brilliantly by one Twitter fan, who posted a clip of talk show host Wendy Williams asking her audience to “clap if they care” and getting only silence in reply. The sooner Clare and Dale ride off into the sunset, the better.
Second Chance
The rest of the Bachelorette contestants may have been disappointed to learn that Clare and Dale were getting engaged after just three weeks on the show, but some Twitter fans seem to think that things might just turn out for the better for them, with the arrival of new Bachelorette Tayshia Adams. Posting the iconic clip of Mariah Carey saying she doesn’t know Jennifer Lopez, this tweet seems to think that the men on the show will quickly get over their broken hearts when Tayshia arrives…
Hello Darkness
Perhaps the harshest tweet about Clare and Dale’s engagement was this subtle dig about their prospects for happiness, using a still from the end of The Graduate. In the movie, Benjamin (Dustin Hoffman) stops Elaine’s wedding and persuades her to run away with him, only for the movie to end with a slow shot of the two of them as they begin to realize the mistake that they have made. The Bachelorette producers may as well have had Clare and Dale dance to The Sound of Silence after their one-on-one date!