Three couples got engaged during the Bachelor in Paradise season seven finale, but it was the final proposal that brought more than its share of drama.
On Tuesday, Oct. 5, viewers saw Kenny Braasch put a ring on Mari Pepin's finger, followed by Maurissa Gunn accepting a proposal from Riley Christian. Then, it was "Grocery Store" Joe Amabile's turn to profess his love for Serena Pitt following their delightful time in the fantasy suite. "I'm ready to get engaged to Serena right now," he told the camera.
However, things are never quite that simple in Paradise. Suddenly, Joe's ex Kendall Long reemerged on the beach after having voluntarily left a few weeks ago due to the pain she felt while watching Joe and Serena bond.
As Joe stood alone on the beach awaiting Serena's arrival, Kendall approached him. "Probably not what you were expecting," she quipped. Joe replied, "Ah, no, it wasn't."
She went on to explain that she had initially decided to participate this season in order to beyond her previous Paradise relationship with Joe that began on season five in 2018, but seeing him again where they once fell in love proved too difficult to move past.
"I came down on this beach and completely was surprised by how it made me feel and by how overwhelming it was," Kendall told him. "I ended up coming here to fully let you go, and you know, this beach has so many memories. And they're amazing, and I've loved every moment we've had, and you're an amazing person."
She explained that she wasn't here to make a final plea for Joe's heart but instead offered her blessing for Joe and Serena's relationship. "I'm really excited for you and Serena, and I felt like I couldn't leave this beach without fully expressing that to you," Kendall said magnanimously.
This led Joe to share, "Obviously, I'll always care about you, and nothing was fake with us. We didn't break up at the time because we weren't in love." Kendall agreed and told him, "We tried. It wasn't for a lack of love, and that's the hardest thing... There's always a part of me that will love you."
Kendall left the beach just after Joe reminded her that she's a "catch," and moments later, Serena joined him along the water. After Serena expressed her love for him, Joe pointed out that he and Kendall had just chatted.
"You're lying," a stunned Serena replied. However, Joe was as certain as ever to start his life with his new love. "If anything, it just made me more confident in how much that I do love you," he said.
Joe proposed, and then Serena held up her ring while shouting to the others on the beach, "Look what I got!" She added, "The two most logical people on this beach just followed their hearts and got engaged."
At the end of the episode, the show updated viewers on some of the popular couples. Despite splitting up, Becca Kufrin and Thomas Jacobs got back together after cameras stopped rolling, as did Noah Erb and Abigail Heringer. In fact, as the finale finished airing, Abigail posted adorable footage to Instagram of herself with Noah, adding the caption, "I love you @noah_erb."
Click here to read about the couples who called it quits during the finale, including Aaron Clancy and Tia Booth. And keep scrolling to revisit all the individuals who didn't quite make it to this year's final episode.