'The Bachelorette' finale: Katie Thurston and Blake Moynes talk engagement
Bachelorette Katie Thurston is engaged to Blake Moynes.
The two appeared on "Good Morning America" Tuesday for their first interview since their engagement.
"I truly, actually did not think he was going to propose," Thurston admitted.
Thurston, a 30-year-old marketing manager from Renton, Washington, said she looked at Moynes' pants pocket as he approached her at the proposal site but didn't see a ring box. But Moynes did have a ring on him: The box was located in his back pocket because the pants were "too tight in the front."
Moynes said, "She just was everything that I thought she was going to be and just bold and confident and just made decisions," which he found "hot."
Thurston said the show's finale feels "like a weight has been lifted off our shoulders" as the two have had to keep their relationship under wraps since filming concluded.
As for whether or not the couple are already planning their wedding, Thurston said there's "no doubt" there will be one, but they're taking their time.
One thing's for certain, though: There likely won't be any roses in their nuptials. Moynes said "I'm done with 'em."
In the season 17 finale, Thurston exchanged "I love yous" with Moynes during their one-on-one date, after which Thurston broke up with finalist Justin Glaze, a 26-year-old investment sales consultant from Baltimore, Maryland.
The two spent the night in the fantasy suite and the next morning Thurston gushed about her time with Moynes, calling it the "best date of my life." She then declared, "My heart officially belongs to Blake."
After meeting Thurston's mother and aunt, Moynes -- a 30-year-old wildlife manager from Ontario, Canada -- proposed and Thurston happily accepted.
"I feel like we're dreaming and living out what's basically felt like a fairy tale. Since day one it's been a connection and an understanding that seemed too good to be true, but I knew," Moynes said. "I can't give you what you came here for because you deserve a lot more than that. You deserve the world and I'm excited to support you and be there for you every day moving forward."
Moynes, who appeared on a previous season of "The Bachelorette," was a latecomer to Thurston's season, but the two had a connection from the start. After Greg Grippo eliminated himself from competition in last week's episode, Thurston contemplated going home herself. Luckily for Moynes, she didn't.
"I always thought you showed up late but if there's anything I've learned during our journey together, it's that love shows up when it wants," she said. "You showed up exactly when you were meant to show up and I'll forever be thankful that you fought to be here."
She added, "The night that you said that you loved me changed my life forever because I knew in that moment I wanted to love you for the rest of my life. You and only you. You have made me the happiest woman alive and in a world of change, I want to be your constant."
Later, during the "After the Final Rose" special, Glaze told hosts Kaitlyn Bristowe and Tayshia Adams that he was "blindsided" by his breakup with Thurston and watching it played back hurt "just as much now as it did then." He believed she didn't give him a fair shot.
There was also a tense showdown between Thurston and Grippo during the "After the Final Rose" special. When responding to rumors she heard about him attending acting school, she claimed his "shy guy" persona was all an act and that he was actually a "confident, cocky boy" from New Jersey.
Defending his behavior following their hometown date, Grippo -- a 27-year-old marketing sales representative -- said, "I'm sorry, honestly if you feel like I was talking down to you..."
"Gaslighting is probably, I think, a better word," she fired back.
Thurston also revealed on "After the Final Rose" that her family found out the two were engaged along with viewers.
"The Bachelorette" season 18, featuring Michelle Young, is set to premiere Oct. 19, following "Bachelor in Paradise" season 7 kicking off Aug. 16 at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.
