Hal Horowitz/Getty ImagesOriginal Bachelorette Trista Sutter is putting her reality-TV experience to use for us here at Watch With Kristin, blogging about Jillian Harris' quest for the perfect guy. Take it away, Trista...
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With last night's "After the Final Rose" reunion special, the fifth season of The Bachelorette finally came to a close. There were twists and turns galore, with revelations of hidden agendas, surprising departures and emotional returns of those who weren't ready to leave.
Although she couldn't have guessed she'd be part of the most dramatic season to date, I have little doubt that Jillian would change a thing. In the end, it appears she found what she was looking for: a best friend to share her life with. Ed literally swept her off her feet and hopefully will meet her at the end of a beautiful aisle someday soon.
The naysayers are ready and waiting to criticize every part of the process. But I for one hope they prove their critics wrong and show the world that Ryan and I aren't the exception to the rule. Love can be found in all sorts of crazy places...reality TV ranking right up there. It may not be the right avenue for everyone, but for those who choose to take the absurd ride and keep an open mind, true happiness can be found. I know that for a fact.
Chris starts the show on a positive note with unquestionable fan favorite Melissa Rycroft from last year's The Bachelor, and of course, Dancing With the Stars. Although I've only spoken with her a handful of times, I can say that she is just as sweet and genuine as she comes across on TV. She walked away from Jason with a broken heart, but found her fiancé, Tye, waiting to help her through it, and if anyone believes in everything happening for a reason, I bet it's her!
Kiptyn then joins Chris onstage, and you can't help but still feel sad for him. He started the show without ever experiencing a broken heart and left with the glare of cameras capturing his undeniable pain for the whole world to see. Talk about difficult Yes, that's the risk you take signing up for this show or even just putting yourself out there for love, period. But it still sucks to watch someone hurting...especially someone as cute as Kiptyn.
He gets to confront Jillian and even with a broken heart, he shows his true gentleman nature. They even have a moment of laughter when he jokes that he wasn't looking for the ring in his pocket that fated day, but instead his heart that was ripped from his chest! Laughing it off always helps, and I'm sure he is gradually finding that out. As I said last time, I have a feeling he will not be at a loss for dates and will surely find marital happiness someday.
Reid follows Kiptyn for his own chance at answers and arrives to an audience full of supporters. That's gotta feel good. They play the clip of his return, and you can tell that he is willing himself not to break down. When I went through the process, the time between the end of taping and the airing of the finale was three months. Based on Reid's still-raw emotions, it seems that that time frame was incredibly reduced.
He will heal eventually, but I'm sure it makes it that much more difficult to get over being that Jillian embraced him coming back and didn't automatically turn him around and say he had lost his chance. She even let him go so far as to get down on one knee. Good for her for living in that moment and then taking the time to make sure she was confident in her decision. But I do wonder if she could have saved him some heartache by not letting it get that far. I can't say that I know what she was going through because the feelings I had for Charlie didn't even come close to what I felt for Ryan, but as a viewer and a Reid fan, I just wonder. That's all.
Same as Kiptyn, it is clear that Reid will not have any trouble in the dating department, and he even got a date request live! Good for him for taking some time though. Rebound relationships aren't fair for anyone involved.
To end the show, Jillian finally gets to beam about her newfound happiness and show off her Neil Lane stunner! I'm sure she was the same way, but during that secret time, I couldn't help but wear my ring around my apartment and constantly hold my hand out to stare at the beautiful Harry Winston diamond Ryan had put on my finger. One day I forgot I had it on and left to run some errands. Once I realized, I was insanely worried I would get caught, so I switched it to my right hand and flipped it around, concealing it in my palm. Thank goodness no one cared about me and the paparazzi didn't wait at my door for a shot, or else I would've been taken to court for 5 million dollars I didn't have!
Sue me for being a hopeless romantic, but I love seeing the two lovebirds together. I know the track record for love lasting in these situations isn't the greatest, but I think their decision to have Jillian move in with Ed in Chicago is a smart first step. Second step is setting a date, and it seems that they are on the fast track. I agree with her—why take it slow when you know? No one can say that there is a magic number of days or weeks or months that make it the right time to get engaged or to walk down the aisle. If they decide to get married tomorrow, good for them! Ryan would've done that, but my childhood dreams of a white dress and a big party kinda won out. Sorry, baby!
They seem to be grateful for their love and ready to meet the future head-on. If they need any advice, I'd be happy to help out, but I have a feeling that since both of their parents are still married, they'll have all the help they'll need. Mankini shorts or not (and I would hope not), Jillian and Ed are primed to walk into the sunset, and we should all wish them many days of marital bliss.
Thanks for reading!
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You can follow Trista on Twitter at tristasutter or on her family website at www.ryansutter.com. And for our interview with Jillian Harris, click here.