ABC
Could we be any more excited for The Bachelor season 24 finale Monday, March 9? Peter Weber is going on his final dates with Hannah Ann Sluss and Madison Prewett and we are finally going to learn which woman his mom is crying about when she bets him to “bring her home to us.”
UPDATE: This recap is from Monday night. If you’re looking for Tuesday night’s recap and spoilers, check here.
The ABC episode description teases, “When Peter introduces the women to his family, their encounters set off an inescapable chain of emotional events that escalate beyond anything Peter could have imagined.”
It also says that “events spiral out of [Peter’s] control” and he’s worried his dream of happily ever after “will turn into his worst nightmare.”
You guys! This sounds amazing! Follow along here with our live recap, but be warned of spoilers. Do not read if you don’t want to be spoiled and can’t watch the finale live.
All times Eastern.
8:00 — Here we go, guys. Who’s ready for this to be a completely bonkerballs finale? We will not accept anything less!
What could be more important than #TheBachelor finale?! Night one starts NOW! RT if you’re watching. 🌹
8:02 — Peter, your heart is not “literally split between two women” because if that were true, this would be a verrrrry different show. It would probably be airing on Investigation Discovery.
8:08 — We open in Alice Springs, Australia, with Peter seeing his family for the first time in weeks. His adorable mom starts crying as soon as she sees him. Man, talk about falling into great in-laws. Anyway, he tells his family about Madison and Hannah Ann and his mom immediately wants to know who has said “I love you.” Peter is upfront with them about Madi’s reservations regarding him sleeping with the other girls, but he says she’s the first person he fell in love with. His parents are concerned that her reservations about sex only came out right at the end of the show. Hmmm. That’s not entirely fair — not only would that maybe not be an issue until Fantasy Suites, but also, the show probably made her keep quiet for maximum drama, so cut her a break.
8:16 — Hannah Ann gets the first date and she is super nervous. Also, she looks amazing in that yellow dress. She gives incredibly good parent, talking about what a good person Peter is and how she had feelings for Peter from night one. Peter’s mom Barbara says that he and Hannah Ann remind her of herself and her husband when they first met, which is quite a bold statement.
8:20 — During some alone time, Peter’s dad says that it seems like Hannah Ann is 100 percent in it. He asks Peter if there’s anything lacking in their relationship and he says no, but his heart is with two people right now. Not literally, though. But he does confide in his dad that he needs to talk to Madison and try to figure this out. He says one girl is making it easier on him and one is making it not so easy. Yeah, that’s tough.
8:30 — Madison arrives and she is kind of mad that Peter didn’t seem to take her seriously when she talked about the Fantasy Suite stuff. Regular readers know that I’m Team Madison here. She was honest with him and Peter chose to do what he wanted to do. And all of that is FINE. But that should maybe tell Madison how Peter truly feels about her. She confesses that she’s hanging on by a thread right now and my heart just goes out to her.
8:35 — Look, I’m a sex-positive person and I firmly believe it’s better to have sex before you get married. But not everyone is like that and that’s OK. We don’t all have to be the same! Stop shaming Madison and painting her to be some kind of unreasonable harpy. I don’t like that.
Only time will tell ⏰🌹 #TheBachelor
8:42 — They keep talking and it’s clear Madison is so hurt, but she also loves Peter and wants to try to make things work. He very smartly brings up an anecdote she obviously shared with him earlier in the show about losing a tooth in a basketball game and coming back in to fight because her dad said they needed her. Very smart. That shows he listens, it plays into her pride, and it mentions her dad, whom she obviously adores. They manage to start laughing together and it’s really very sweet. I just think Peter and Madi are so much better together than Peter and Hannah Ann.
8:50 — Madi re-meets Peter’s family. Kudos to everyone for being upfront about the tension. Peter’s parents don’t hesitate to ask about their problem and Madison doesn’t beat around the bush about her feelings regarding Peter having sex with other women. Wow. And then in a one-on-one conversation, Madison is honest with Peter’s dad about her faith and how important that is, plus how she genuinely wants what is best for Peter. You guys! I am crying. That all must have felt so uncomfortable and everyone handled it very well.
8:55 — What is not handled quite as well is Peter’s mom joining the camp of people acting like Madison “forbade” Peter from having sex with other people. No, she did not, and good for Madison for standing up for herself to Peter’s mom. Madison has every right to be honest with Peter and Peter can then choose to do with that information what he will. Calling Madison an “sweet girl” but saying Hannah Ann is “an angel on Earth” is a bit much.
9:05 — Peter’s parents are worried that he’ll risk what he has with Hannah Ann for a “maybe” with Madison. They feel like this is such an easy call. But hey, parents — if your son is agonizing over this, maybe it’s not as cut and dried as you think it is. Also, nobody is “perfect.” And maybe this is a big indication that Madi is the one for him. If she wasn’t, this would be easy. This would be Hannah Ann, easy peasy. But this is clearly tearing Peter apart, which means I think he loves Madison more and wants to make it work with her.
9:15 — Madison gets the first date. They fly a helicopter to the top of Uluru, the sacred sandstone rock formation that is one of Australia’s most well-known sites. It’s beautiful, but really they’re both just focused on how hard it was with Peter’s family.
9:22 — Later, Madison says that even though they might want this to work so badly, that want may be getting in the way of them seeing that they can’t give each other what they each need. It is such a mature, self-aware thing to say and it just makes me love Madison all the more.
9:30 — Madi and Peter hug and cry and hug and cry. And it really feels like when she drives off, she’s just gone. Like, she’s heading home.
9:35 — You guys, it is 9:35 p.m. and we haven’t even seen Neil Lane yet! What is happening?!
@ people who don’t watch #TheBachelor
9:40 — Chris Harrison rocking some scruff and calling Peter “bud” is so fatherly and wonderful, I can hardly stand it. Also, it is truly sad the way Peter cries and says he’s not sure if he can get over Madison leaving.
9:44 — What is also truly sad is that Peter’s date with Hannah Ann takes them to a sanctuary for orphaned kangaroos and all I can think about is the devastation in Australia and now I’m crying. But also, I don’t see Peter’s intensity with Hannah Ann at all. It is not even close to being on the level with his connection with Madison.
9:55 — Peter goes to see Hannah Ann at the hotel the next day and tells her that his heart is being pulled in two directions. She appreciates his honesty but says that it really hurts that she’s so sure about him and he doesn’t feel that way in return.
9:59 — Before we end for the night, Harrison tells us that we haven’t seen the last of Madison, we haven’t heard the last from Peter’s mom, and it will all play out live tomorrow night on After the Final Rose.
Tune in Monday, March 9 and Tuesday, March 10 at 8 p.m. ET/PT on ABC to watch what host Chris Harrison told Heavy is a “gut-wrenching” finale.
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