Showing posts with label The Bachelor. Show all posts
Showing posts with label The Bachelor. Show all posts

Wednesday, May 14, 2008

'Bachelor' star Matt Grant proposes to Shayne Lamas, rejects Chelsea

The Bachelor: London Calling star Matt Grant presented his final rose and a marriage proposal to Shayne Lamas -- and she accepted both during last night's finale broadcast of the ABC reality dating series' twelfth installment.

The 27-year-old British financier awarded his heart to the 22-year-old actress from Malibu, CA instead of Chelsea Wanstrath, a 24-year-old pharmaceutical sales representative from Durango, CO who became the final bachelorette to be rejected by The Bachelor's first-ever international star.

"This is the happiest day of my life," said Shayne at the broadcast's conclusion.

The Bachelor: London Calling's finale began with Matt in London meeting Chelsea before introducing her to his mother Trish, his father Tony, and his brother Simon.

"There hasn't been a straight forward journey for Chelsea and I," said Matt. "I've been questioning whether or not she's really into me."

Chelsea was excited to see Matt and be in London, since if he gave her the final rose she might be relocating there. She said she was "nervous" and "intimidated" to meet the family.

"My relationship with Matt has gotten so much more intense," said Chelsea. "The stakes are really high right now."

Chelsea gushed about Matt over dinner. Simon thought Chelsea was "charming" and "incredibly beautiful," while Trish thought she was "doing a very good selling job."

"But I don't know her well enough to know whether that was genuine or not," added Trish. "She's got to convince me hasn't she? Very difficult situation for her to be in."

Chelsea explained to Matt's mom she was falling more in love with him every minute but was having a hard time opening up to him.

"It's not something I wanted but it's so hard not to because you're deathly afraid this person is going to break your heart," said Chelsea. "But I need to make myself vulnerable and open."

Trish said she could see Matt and Chelsea have a "very good relationship" and her son acted like himself around her. Matt then talked to his mom about Chelsea, and she told him that Chelsea needed to be more vulnerable.

"I'm not prepared to pick somebody if I'm not sure they're feeling a 100% like I am," Matt told mom.

Chelsea then said goodbye to the family before Matt walked her out.

"It's safe to say that I feel like I could be a part of the Grant family," she said. "Everything went better than I could have ever planned."

The next day Matt met with Shayne, whom he said had an "uphill struggle" since Chelsea did so well the previous day. Matt and Shayne took a double-decker bus tour of London before going to his parents' house.

"The second the bus pulled up, I was nervous," said Shayne. "I am absolutely shaking in my boots, but I'm falling in love with their son, so I have absolutely nothing to hide."

Shayne immediately opined about being unable to go shopping while on the tour.

"When I first saw Shayne I thought, 'Wow, beach blonde hair...'" said Simon. "To be honest, I didn't think she was very 'Matt' at all."

Tony asked Shayne how old she was and she joked she was 12 before giving her real age. She then talked about her career as an actress and how it was tough for Matt to get used to it, and the family seemed to eventually open up.

"I feel like I gave Shayne a really hard time today," said Simon. "But to be fair, she came across really well."

He then told Shayne she "grew" on him during dinner and he was happy she opened up.

"In two days, you could be engaged to be married to him," Simon told her. "Does that freak you out?"

"No," she answered. "It freaks me out knowing that in two days I could lose him."

Trish told Shayne from the moment she met her she felt "at ease" before asking what she's looking for in a husband.

"Matthew's got a very difficult decision," said Trish. "I think he's very, very fond of both Shayne and Chelsea. I don't know which way he's going to go."

Shayne said goodbye to Matt's family.

"I really had a beautiful time meeting them," she said. "It was beyond my expectations. If it's not Matt and I at the end, I'm going to be crushed."

Matt then conversed with his family and said he feels the "most at ease" with Shayne but thought there might be "more passion" with Chelsea.

"My gut instinct was that Shayne was more sincere than Chelsea," said Trish, but Simon disagreed and said he could imagine his brother being more with Chelsea. Dad sided with mom that Shayne was the one for their son.

"What you've got to realize is the final decision is yours," said Mom.

Next it was off to Barbados for a final date with each of the girls before the final Rose Ceremony. Matt took Chelsea on a helicopter ride around the coast of Barbados and they subsequently settled on a sandy beach for a picnic.

"I think you and I leaving this place would have a great future together," Chelsea told him before he held her in the surf and they kissed.

Chelsea wanted to share a piece of her heart with Matt on their last night before the Rose Ceremony, and she gave him a California survival kit that contained items representative of their future together. She explained she gave Matt the "Chelsea brochure" throughout their six weeks together that was metaphorical on two sides -- it showed different sides of her and also took a while to unfold.

"My whole thing is... so I'm falling in love with you. Absolutely, 100%" she told Matt. "But I don't feel like you can truly love somebody unless they have the capacity of loving you back."

"I'm falling in love with you as well," he replied. "You know that."

They then kissed and she urged him not have fun with Shayne the next day.

"Without a doubt I'm falling in love with Chelsea," said Matt. "She's everything I ever wanted. She's incredible, she's absolutely incredible. I hope we can get through this together."

The next day Matt met with Shayne for their final date before the Rose Ceremony. Matt said he has "so much fun" with Shayne and described her as a "monkey" when they cuddle.

"Today is very serious," said Shayne. "I will definitely show my feelings today and why I want to be with him for the rest of my life."

The two then went parasailing and Shayne took time to reflect.

"I want Matt forever. I love him," she said in a confessional. "I'm just ready."

That night she gave him a gift -- photos of her spelling out "I love you" in beach sand. Matt thought the gift was "so sweet" and said it melted his heart.

"I knew that was so hard for her to do," said Matt on the gesture. "How big a jump she has taken. I was really touched."

Matt then told Shayne he's "falling in love" with her, and she said the same about him.

"I haven't made my decision yet," said Matt as he said goodbye to Shayne for the night. "I'm coming out of today completely confused and perplexed at what decision I'm going to make. I never regret, so I know when I do make it, that is it. Now I've got to make it."

The morning of the final Rose Ceremony, Matt looked at some "amazing" Tacori engagement rings and found one he was wowed by.

"I've never been this nervous, I've never been this apprehensive," he said. "I never thought I'd fall in love with two women... I never thought I would so emotionally attached to two people. I'm going to have to say goodbye to one of them at the end, and regardless of what decision I make, somebody is going to get hurt. I just thought to myself who out of these two women can I see as a life-long partner. It was quite clear to me."

The Bachelor: London Calling's final Rose Ceremony then commenced in Barbados, and Chelsea was the first girl to exit the limousine and approach Matt.

"There's still a chance I could get my heart broken," she said. "I'm really, really hoping that Matt chooses me... At the end of all this I would be so thrilled and so honored to have Matt propose to me. I just don't see myself without him. I really don't."

Matt greeted Chelsea with a kiss and explained he never thought he would meet someone like her and he found himself falling for her when they went on the group date to Las Vegas. Since then, he said they got "so close" and "shard some amazing times." But...

"I've come here to find my life-long partner, as I know you have as well," he told her. "And when I think about that long and hard, I'm thinking I can't give you everything that you need. My only buts with you are the fact that it has taken us a long time. It's been a tough journey, and at times, I've felt so much for you. This doesn't take away from the fact that I found myself falling in love with you."

Chelsea cried and said she had no regrets about her experience.

"I just find it so hard to think that I would have fallen for someone unless they were falling for me..." she told Matt.

"I was falling for you," he replied.

"I felt like I got the reassurance and the okay from you to open up. I was genuine about everything I said because it took me longer..." she said. "Know that although it took me a while, I've met everything I've said. I guess I was just too late..."

"At times I thought you were the one. Many times," he said before wishing Chelsea the best and sending her on her way.

"I don't understand!" an increasingly upset Chelsea blurted out to Matt about Shayne. "To me she was the falsest person here!"

"You know what? She isn't," Matt answered sharply. "The individual that I know is fairly different from the individual you know."

Chelsea then said goodbye and was whisked away.

"It's the hardest thing," said Chelsea from the back of the limousine. "You feel like you just admitted to yourself how much you love somebody and want to spend a future with him and my relationships have been let down after let down after let down. It bothers me that I was so sincere and I feel like I was maybe too honest with him... He's a fool. He is a fool."

Matt said the only way he was able to get through rejecting Chelsea was knowing that he had meeting Shayne to look forward to, and he was excited at the prospects of proposing.

"I know that she will always be there for me," he said.

As she prepared to meet Matt, Shayne said she was "nervous and sad and scared and very anxious and a little worried."

"What an amazing way to fall in love, "she said. "Matt holds every single quality that I want in a husband and somebody that I want to spend the rest of my life with. I've given Matt everything I could and if I lose him I would be heartbroken."

Once Shayne arrived, Matt explained he first thought Shayne was "too good to be true" and eventually learned she was there to "find someone for life."

"I know when I look in those beautiful brown eyes that you'd always be there for me," he said. "I hope that you know that I'll always be there for you. I don't have much more to say..."

Matt then got on bended knee.

"Give me your hand," he asked. "Shayne Lamas. I love you..."

"I love you!" she replied.

"I have something for you," he said. "Monkey... Will you marry me?"

"Yes" she answered. "Matt, I love you!"

The two hugged.

"Okay, I have one thing to tell you," said Shayne. "I will marry you under one condition -- that you will never look at another woman for the rest of our lives. Because you have looked at way too many during our relationship."

"I promise you," he said.

Matt then presented Shayne the final rose.

Matt's proposal to Shayne and her acceptance of it marked only the second time in its last six seasons and just the third time in its last nine editions that a The Bachelor edition ended with its bachelor proposing to his final bachelorette.

Tuesday, September 25, 2007

The Bachelor' star Brad Womack narrows the field to 15 bachelorettes

The 25 women attempting to woo Brad Womack got their first chance during last night's premiere broadcast of The Bachelor's eleventh installment. But when it was over, the 34-year-old Austin, TX bar owner sent 10 packing in his journey to find true love via the long-running ABC reality dating series.

"Tonight was the biggest whirlwind of my entire life," said Brad. "I'm realizing that my decision will affect the rest of my life."

The 10 bachelorettes Brad ousted at the onset of The Bachelor 11 were Jessica, a 27-year-old news anchor from Lady Lake, FL; Juli, a 24-year-old law student from Chicago, IL; Kim, a 31-year-old realtor from Woodbridge, CT; Lori, a 33-year-old biology teacher from Annapolis, MD; Melissa, a 28-year-old event planner from Westchester, NY; Morgan, a 24-year-old graduate student from Tempe, AZ; Natalie, a 25-year-old law student from Duncanville, TX; Rigina, a 31-year-old account representative from San Diego, CA; Susan, a 35-year-old project analyst from St. Charles, IL; and Tauni, a 31-year-old emergency room nurse from St. Louis Park, MN.

"Nobody goes through this whole entire process to go home the first night. I don't what else I could have done differently. I tried to be myself," said Tauni. "I came here looking for my happily ever after. I'd love to find the love of my life and to be happily in love and married. It will happen... just not this time."

The Bachelor 11 began with the with the 25 suitors meeting Brad at his Malibu "bachelor pad" for a cocktail party that -- similar to previous installments of the show -- lasted until the next morning. Once all of the women introduced themselves to The Bachelor 11's star and host Chris Harrison hammered home the point to viewers that Brad is the "sexiest Bachelor ever," he tried to spend a little one-on-one time with each girl.

Each of the bachelorettes took a different approach in attempting to make Brad remember her for The Bachelor 11's first Rose Ceremony.

Kristy, a 29-year-old acupuncturist from Chicago, IL, examined Brad's tongue and diagnosed that he was "under some stress." Hillary, a 27-year-old registered nurse from Philadelphia, PA, gushed about the broken nose she recently suffered while Erin, a 25-year-old publishing sales executive from Tampa, FL, did one better by explaining how she suffered a broken face twice. Jessica decided to put her skills as an anchorwoman to the test to ask Brad the "hard questions."

"The girl right now that stands out in my mind is Jenni," said Brad, talking about the 27-year-old Phoenix Suns cheerleader from Wichita, KS. "It's because of her laugh. Everything I say she laughs at! It could be a bad thing maybe, but I think she's just truly happy."

Michele, a 30-year-old realtor from South Brunswick, NJ, tried to put Jenni on the spot by having her showoff some of her cheerleader moves for Brad. However the move backfired when he actually enjoyed it.

"I'm kind of annoyed. I feel that I kind of put Jenni on the pedestal by telling her to dance, and [Brad] loved it," regretted Michele.

Lindsey, a 25-year-old model who currently resides in Livania, MI but is originally from Texas presented Brad with a yellow rose and sang "The Yellow Rose of Texas" for him. It wasn't the best rendition of the song, but it was a better approach then what some of the other girls tried. Tauni flaunted her butt in the Bachelor's face; Juli contorted herself into an unflattering human pretzel; and Morgan revealed she had webbed toes.

But it was Melissa who stole the show, imbibing way too much of the ABC-supplied alcohol for the evening. When one of her breast enhancers fell out of her dress, she went on a mission to find it, which amused the other suitors who had recovered it but didn't give it back. Melissa eventually found herself in conversation with Brad, but stumbled badly over her words and couldn't stop describing him as "sweet" or "sweetness."

"Our conversation just unfortunately seemed to be going nowhere," said Brad with a laugh. "I hate to say that, but I think she was enjoying her glass of wine a little more than she was enjoying me."

Mallory, a 24-year-old nanny who currently resides in Honolulu, HI, also stole the show but it was in a much more endearing way than Melissa, as she stripped down to a bikini and jumped in the backyard pool. Brad said he had "no idea" what Mallory was doing in the pool, but quickly added he "wanted to jump in and join her." She told him she thought he should remove his pants. Like a gentleman, Brad declined.

"When I went in the pool I got to have the one-on-one time that I hadn't had," explained Mallory. "If the girls were upset, then they can be upset. I don't care if they're jealous."

Brad than felt he had seen enough and decided to give the "first impression rose" to Jenni, which meant she was safe from the first elimination. Solisa, a 25-year-old aesthetician from Georgetown, TX, was "disappointed" and Lindsey said it "sucks."

"I seriously was not expecting it at all, not even one little bit," said Jenni. "But I'm so excited and I felt so happy."

"I gave Jenni the first impression rose," said Brad. "So many women have struck a chord with me tonight and I'm a little blown away. I'm thinking not only do I believe I can find a wife, I will find my wife."

Brad and the bachelorettes than participated in The Bachelor 11's first Rose Ceremony.

"First of all I'm very confused. I'm very nervous," said Brad. "I am here to find a wife, so if I send the wrong one home tonight, I'll regret it for the rest of my life."

The 15 women who received roses and remained in the running for Brad's heart were Bettina, a 27-year-old realtor from Washington, DC; DeAnna, a 25-year-old realtor from Neunan, GA; Erin; Estefania, a 26-year-old executive assistant from Atlanta, GA; Hillary; Jade, a 24-year-old boutique sales from Nashville, TN; Jenni; Kristy; Lindsey; Mallory; McCarten, a 26-year-old account manager from San Diego, CA; Michele; Sarah, a 23-year-old bar manager from O'Fallon, IL; Sheena, a 23-year-old Internet marketing executive from Walnut Creek, CA; and Solisa.

"I really did honestly think like 'sweetness.' I just thought he was sweet," explained Melissa, who appeared to have sobered up a bit since the sun had risen. "I don't know what went wrong. I had one-on-one time with him. I was myself. I smile, which usually gets guys pretty good... and nothing. I totally didn't think I'd be a reject, but I am. I totally didn't think I'd be cast off in the first episode... I thought when it was happening that it was happening for a reason and now I'm like, 'What the hell is this s**t?!'"