Double the Bachelorettes, double the bling!
After a surprise twist in season 16, Tayshia Adams finally found the man (and the rock) of her dreams. Zac Clark popped the question to the reality star on Tuesday's finale of The Bachelorette—and she said yes! The hunk then slipped a 3.25-carat diamond ring designed by Neil Lane on her finger as they got their happily ever after, ABC style.
The ring features an emerald cut diamond surrounded by a halo of 27 round diamonds, plus 67 more diamonds around the edge and band.
Just prior to Zac's proposal, Tayshia told him, "That first night when I got here, I was extremely excited about the possibility of finding love, but also very nervous and scared, because I didn't know if finding true love was possible. When I first met you, I thought to myself, 'He's different, and that man is kind. He shows gratitude, and has the biggest smile. He has been through a lot, but has never given up, But also has learned how to read me better than really anyone ever has, and knows how to comfort me when I'm down.' There was one point in my life when I thought I would never get married, because of all the pain and the heartbreak I had been through, and I hit absolute rock bottom. And I know that I told you that I love you, but... It's more than that."
Zac popped the question, Tayshia accepted and the lovebirds rode off in the New York City-inspired cardboard taxi that made an appearance on their "hometown" date.
Tayshia initially revealed that she was planning to end up with Brendan Morais, but after they went ring shopping, the roofer said he wasn't ready to get re-married after his divorce from his high school sweetheart. He didn't want her to be with a partner that was not "whole."
On the Bachelor Happy Hour podcast on Dec. 22, Brendan explained why he self-eliminated. "Going into this crazy experience and journey I didn't know what to expect and I didn't know if this would work for me," he said. "I know I want a wife and children, but knowing and being completely ready was something that I discovered—there was a little gap there... There was a little gap that I need to close at some point and I need to figure that out for myself."
Tayshia, who Bachelor Nation first met on Colton Underwood's season, had narrowed it down to her final four guys last week: Zac, Ben Smith, Ivan Hall and Brendan. She then sent fitness master Ben packing following the hometown dates that were "very emotional" for the 30-year-old star. Ben ultimately returned to profess his love for Tayshia, and she invited him to meet her family. It was too little, too late for Tayshia, who sent Ben packing a second time following her final date with Zac.
On Dec. 19, she opened up on Instagram about this chapter of her life, heading into the finale.
"I woke up this morning feeling extra grateful. Grateful for my past as it has led me to the now. Grateful for the opportunities that have come into my life over the past several months, allowing endless possibilities," she wrote.
Tayshia added, "Most of all, I am grateful that I have had the chance to show my true authentic self, and share my heart, with all of you as you've watched my journey unfold."
Of course, it was the second engagement to come out of this season of The Bachelorette, which was filmed during the pandemic. Back in week four, Neil Lane provided former football pro Dale Moss with a gorgeous ring (which centered on 148 diamonds totaling 4.5 carats) that he used to propose to original leading lady Clare Crawley.
Host Chris Harrison broke down what happened when Clare rode off into the sunset with Dale much earlier than expected. "At the end of the day, Clare came here to find love," Chris told E! News when it all went down. "She made no bones about it she was here to sincerely find the love of her life. If she did that in 10 weeks, great. If she did that in 10 days, great. The goal is for me to help her find love. If she does it early, I've done an even better job and I feel like that should go on my record."
Turns out that Tayshia has also found the real thing in quarantine. See her sparkler above.