After outlasting dozens of other potential suitors, Bryan is one of the last men standing on Rachel Lindsay's season of The Bachelorette. Bryan coasted through the season on his charm and his miraculous ability to turn any topic of conversation into a compliment, but that may not be enough to win Rachel's heart. As the season has gone on, other men have opened up and allowed Rachel to get a glimpse of their emotional self while Bryan has just focused on finding new ways to give compliments. In my opinion, his inability to open up on a deeper level will be the one reason that Bryan won't win The Bachelorette.
This season of The Bachelorette has been Bryan's to lose since the very beginning. He and Rachel have had a strong chemistry since he first stepped out of the limo, and that attraction has been enough to keep a rose in his hand from week to week. Bryan's relationship with Rachel has been passionate, but her relationships with fellow finalists Eric and Peter have gone far beyond passion.
While Peter talks about his fear of proposing, Bryan is calling Rachel beautiful. While Eric talks about the difficulties of his youth, Bryan is telling Rachel her eyes look wonderful. Bryan succeeding at forming physical intimacy early on, but hasn't been able to strike the perfect mixture of physical and emotional intimacy that others have. If Bryan wanted to win The Bachelorette, he needed to start showing a deeper side of himself a few weeks ago.
Bryan is skilled at dating. He's got everything you could possibly want in a first, second, and third date. But The Bachelorette isn't just about being proficient at dating. You only have a limited amount of time to show that you are can not just date, but be in a full-fledged relationship. Eric, Peter, and even Dean managed to form strong, intimate bonds with Rachel during their time on the show. Bryan, however, seems to still be in the courtship phase of his relationship with Rachel. He's more interested in complimenting her than getting to know her, and that puts him well behind the other two final men this season — especially since Rachel is all about wanting to find a man who will propose and marry her.
Sure, Bryan is good-looking. Very good-looking. Look at that jawline. Of course Rachel fell for Bryan the moment she set eyes on him. Who wouldn't? He's a doctor that is basically chiseled from marble. There's no question that he deserves to be in the final three, especially when some of his competition consisted of controversial provocateur Lee and the man known only as "Whaboom!" However, there can only be one winner of The Bachelorette, and Eric and Peter are both much farther along in their relationships with Rachel. That isn't to say that Bryan and Rachel couldn't have a great relationship, it's just that the deeper parts of their relationship didn't happen fast enough for him to plausibly propose, if you ask me.
This doesn't mean that Bryan is hopeless when it comes to love. He's a prime candidate for a future Bachelor and could even return as a surprise contestant on Bachelor In Paradise. If he's not able to find love on television, chances are high he'll be able to find love offscreen. He's a medical professional with the face of an A-list actor. Learning from his experiences from The Bachelorette may help him turn future dates into relationships — but I think this one just isn't quite right for him.
