This last season of The Bachelor — Season 20, with Indiana-born software sales dude Ben Higgins — was one of the most predictable in recent memory. Not because of the dates or the drama or anything like that, but because it was so obvious who Ben liked right from the onset. Even if you didn’t check out spoilers from Reality Steve, Ben does not have much of a poker face. Sure, he went on a bunch of dates with a bunch of women, but it was apparent that Ben only had eyes for flight attendant Lauren Bushnell, which was evident in The Bachelor finale, which held clues that Lauren B. would win.
I will day, that one interesting part of this season of The Bachelor is that Ben had told both Lauren and JoJo Fletcher that he loved them. Isn’t that like, Things Not To Do On The Bachelor 101? That was the only moment that shook my faith in Ben’s feelings for Lauren. Normally, when you’re in love with one woman, you don’t tell a different one that you love her, too. Luckily, Ben really came through in the finale. In the very last episode of The Bachelor Season 20, there was a moment during which you could tell Ben was ready to sweep Lauren off her feet and take her down the aisle. Crisis averted or what?
Ben Couldn’t Talk About His Future With JoJo
On their last one-on-one date, JoJo and Ben were at some waterfall or watering hole or something (all Bachelor dates look the same to me at this point, location wise), and JoJo, enamored by the fact that Ben said he loved her, was talking about how they would work out their future together. She was going on and on about how she would do anything to make a relationship work, including moving from her hometown of Dallas, Texas. After JoJo finally stopped filling the silence in the air, she looked to Ben for reassurance or at least an indication that he was still alive. Ben… well, Ben had nothing. He was like a blank-eyed Teddy Ruxpin doll without a cassette tape. Ben had no problems talking to Lauren about her family and their potential future, and it was in this moment with JoJo in the finale that you could slowly see him sliding backwards into a car where producers could take him to safety.
Bonus: When Ben Had An Emotional Breakdown During His Date With Lauren
That date with JoJo was really that first and biggest hint that they weren't meant to be. But, the moment I knew Ben and Lauren were meant to be? On Ben and Lauren’s last date, Ben was really freaking out. Like, really. On the beach, he said, "I knew I loved you right away, and I didn't even know why. And it freaks me out, and it's weird, and it's crazy, and it's good, and it's life.”
Ben Higgins, everyone — not that eloquent when having an emotional crisis. Why is this a sign that Lauren would be the winner? Because I, too, become a bumbling idiot when I need to express a feeling. That speech, if we could call it that, showed that Ben needed to tell Lauren how much he felt for her, and he couldn’t find the words. Juxtapose that to his time with JoJo when he couldn’t find the words? It’s because he had no words (and no real feelings) for JoJo, so he didn't really even try to say anything.
In the end, Lauren got the rose and the ring, and JoJo got the role as the next Bachelorette . To be honest, I think they both made out okay from The Bachelor Season 20, so long as Ben doesn’t have to give either of them any more speeches.
Images: Fred Lee/ABC
