No one understands "Bachelor in Paradise" better than former cast member Krystal Nielson, who met her now-husband, Chris Randone, during production of the show last summer. Every Wednesday, Nielson will recap "Bachelor in Paradise" for "Good Morning America," weighing in on her favorite couples and all the jaw-dropping drama. Her latest (and last!) entry is below.
(MORE: Peter Weber dishes on what to expect from his 'Bachelor' season)Summer is officially over and the beaches of Paradise are now closed until next summer!
Last night, we saw the finale of season six of "Bachelor in Paradise" where we got to celebrate engagements, breakups and of course ... more drama.
"I’m not there yet." - Clay
The episode kicked off with Nicole and Clay in the fantasy suite. While this has been one of the most established relationships this season, Clay tells Nicole that he’s happy to stay the night with her but is not ready for an engagement. Clay then decides that he wants to take the night to sleep on things and leaves Nicole alone in the romantic suite meant to solidify their relationship.
When they walk down to the beach for their final moments in Paradise, Nicole pours out her heart and then asks, "I just need you to answer me this one question, yes or no, Clay ... do you love me?"
Clay admits that he is "not there yet" and knows that she "wants and deserves more."
Clay asks Nicole if they can continue to take things slow and leave Paradise to date in the real world, but Nicole refuses because she wants an engagement.
"I deserve a love so deep that the ocean would be jealous."- Nicole
Clay dated Angela for eight months before saying, "I love you," so of course, he will not be ready for an engagement after only three weeks!
What really surprised me was that Nicole didn’t want to continue dating after Paradise. If Nicole feels as strongly for Clay as she says, then she should be more patient with him like we’ve seen with Kristian and Demi.
Love is patient, and when you force it, it crumbles ... as we witnessed with Clay and Nicole.
Lesson learned, now let' s move on!
Next, on the beach, we saw the following couples get down on one knee and commit their hearts to their loved ones:
Chris and Katie
Dylan and Hannah
Demi and Kristian
The couple that surprised me the most was Chris and Katie because we’ve seen so many reservations and red flags in their relationship, which makes me feel that they are forcing this.
There’s a lot of pressure to accelerate your relationship and I think that Katie is hopeful but this girl needs to listen to her gut ... the first time! If there are red flags now, they will only get worse.
"I've never had to fight so hard for something that I wanted so much ... but I didn’t give up." - Dylan
Okay, this couple is just the absolute cutest and I can’t wait for them to make babies. That’s all.
I am so proud of how vulnerable this couple has been to let the world into their relationship and evolution. I admire Demi for being brave enough to explore who she is, speaking from experience here, that is tough but necessary work.
As the saying goes, the truth will set you free and I am so here to celebrate that love can come in many packages, but it’s not about how it looks that matters, it’s how it makes you feel.
After the engagements, we jumped right into part two of the three-hour finale, "Reunion," where we got to see what everyone's been up to since filming wrapped.
Here are some of the most memorable moments.
It was a battle of the egos at Reunion over who would apologize first ... Jordan or Christian. Unfortunately, neither did.
I was really surprised that Jordan and Christian could come back on set after breaking out into a physical altercation this summer. Granted, two large male bodyguards were standing by them. It felt like a fight would break out at any given moment. I was there for the "Reunion" taping and this fight went on FOREVERRRR. It’s unfortunate that they could not find a resolution because carrying around anger is heavy on the heart.
Demi said it best, "act civilized guys, this is a TV show."
"We have never seen someone fall so far from grace ... so far, so fast." - Chris Harrison
Wow, this was so uncomfortable to watch. I was wondering if Blake could redeem himself after an intense season of beatings for past transgressions ... But that was not the case.
Blake admitted that he knew that he was going to "take a few bumps and bruises" for that unforgettable weekend at Stagecoach, but he had no idea it would escalate to the level it did.
Caelynn shared that while she and Blake would be "honest" about their relationship if it came up, "the reason I was so upset was because I felt like I was being ignored on the beach." Rule of thumb to all men: women DO NOT want to be ignored.
Several castmates attacked Blake for his premeditated trip to Birmingham to see Hannah just days before filming, as well for posting intimate text messages between him and Caelynn that only showed him in a positive light.
Blake tried to own up, but the impact of his actions had been too heavy, and he missed out on one important element ...
"I can’t believe he didn’t apologize [about the text messages]." - Caelynn
"I fell in love with potential that may never come into fruition but I'm praying that it does." - Katie
Katie comes on stage to chat with Chris Harrison ... alone ... which is never a good sign. Katie broke down and revealed that she has never felt "so alone in a relationship" because of Chris’s inability to express his emotions and feelings to her.
They ultimately agreed that Chris will change and be more open about his feelings only to then see them walk offstage and get into an argument where Chris refuses to speak to Katie about how upset he is.
They part ways without a resolution only to leave Katie further frustrated with the lack of communication.
While this couple is still together, I hope that they take a beat to stay off social media and focus on developing a positive way where Chris feels safe enough to be vulnerable and express himself.
These relationships require serious effort and you have to put your time and energy into it to make it work!
As Demi and Kristina sat on stage for the first time to announce and celebrate their engagement, I couldn't help but feel so emotional for the journey this couple allowed us to be a part of.
"Demi is the queer queen we didn’t know we needed."- Chris Harrison
Kristian pulled Demi on stage to pour out all the reasons she loves her: her hair, her laugh, her smile and her incredible courage to be herself, always. Then she gets down on one knee and pulls out a gorgeous Neil Lane diamond ring.
YASSSSSS.
To Demi and Kristian: thank you for being brave enough to explore your hearts and letting us see such a patient and nurturing love. It will inspire a lot of lives to have the courage to follow their hearts and I can’t wait to see what’s next for you!
Pilot Pete!!!!!!!!!!!
I’ve known from the beginning that Pete would be our next lead because he is just too adorable and eligible. Above all, he has successful role-models for love (his parents) and I’m selfishly STOKED that he is over the age of 25 so that we can have more serious conversations this January.
For all of Peters girls, here’s a bit of advice:
"Stay off Instagram ... or don’t go to Stagecoach." - Jordan
This season has been more than any producer could ever wish for: incredible moments of vulnerability, exposure and a storm of tears. While many broken hearts left the sandy beaches of Sayulita, the couples that were honest, vulnerable and fearless in their pursuit of love triumphed.
Thank you all for joining me for our weekly "Bachelor in Paradise" Recaps! It’s been an absolute pleasure!
Follow me on Instagram to keep up with my healthy living tips and married life!
Xx, Krystal