Bachelor in Paradise's debut season successfully ended with two couples each deciding to make their relationship work in the real world -- and saw one of them got engaged.
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Jackie Parr was unsure about Zack Kalter because they had only spent one real week together. Meanwhile, Michelle Money was fighting her head versus her heart because she worried too much and couldn't give in to how she was feeling about Cody Sattler. AshLee Frazier, however, was sure about her relationship with Graham Bunn, as was Sarah Herron and her man Robert Graham. Lacy Faddoul and Marcus Grodd were also very much in love.
Cody hoped Michelle would be with him because he could envision a future with her, but Graham still had questions about AshLee. Michelle wasn't going to let her best friend end up with AshLee if she wasn't the nice person she pretended to be on-camera, so because Michelle is very protective of him, she suggested Graham should dump her. Michelle insisted Graham needed to be with someone as sweet and compassionate as he is.
Michelle told Graham that AshLee wasn't being genuine and she was trying to put on a show. She said AshLee just wasn't right for him, that she treated things as a competition. She didn't want a woman to make Graham look like a fool and she didn't want him to buy what she was selling. Michelle told the cameras that her best friend "didn't do fake" and he "didn't do phony." She didn't think they'd work outside of the paradise environment and so he needed to break up with her.
"I'm definitely crazy about Graham. I'm far by the luckiest girl. I adore him; I'm falling for him. He's amazing. I want him happy, so I know that I can give that to him. I'm definitely ready to talk to Graham about the life we'd be sharing together, and I'm pretty confident we're on the same page. I mean, I see a spiritual, romantic, emotional connection with him. I do want to pursue this after leaving here," AshLee told the cameras.
Graham then sat down with AshLee and told her that he worried about things outside of the show. He said they had their "missteps" and it scared him. Ashlee suggested they didn't have to have an intense relationship outside of paradise but she still wanted to see what they could be like in the real world together. Ashlee insisted she wouldn't expect Graham to propose or anything like that. But Graham just wasn't having it.
"I just don't think I can continue on, and I'm sorry," Graham told her.
"I knew it. It was way too good to be true. This whole time I've been in my interviews saying how lucky I am, and it wasn't even about me," AshLee said.
Graham explained he had said the same things to cameras, but then AshLee called him out for being the one leaving. He explained they didn't have what it takes to last and wished he had done a better job of communicating his feelings to her sooner. Graham apologized for hurting her heart.
"I feel sad. I thought I'd feel a little more relief, but I feel sad. I don't really feel any relief right now," Graham said in a confessional. "I do feel 100% that it was right. It was the right thing to do for both of us, but it sucked. It's hard to say goodbye to the concept of loving someone -- that I am now left to keep looking for what we all want in life -- to be loved and to love someone."
The couple hugged goodbye and AshLee ran back to him crying, saying she didn't want things to end that way. He insisted they needed to break things off, and while AshLee was embarrassed, Graham thought she took their split "pretty well."
"I definitely tried to give him all I could. I'm walking away -- walking away hurt. I'm still the lucky one because he liked me," AshLee said after she left paradise.
RELATED LINK: 'THE BACHELOR' FRANCHISE COUPLES NOW"I did not want to leave paradise alone. I feel so sad right now just because I hurt AshLee and I'm leaving the same way I came in -- just more sad. Reflecting back on it, for me, paradise is lost," Graham said on his way out.
Tasos Hernandez and Christy Hansen didn't really have a chance to form a relationship, so they split even though they liked one another. Jackie said the timing wasn't great with Zack and he respected her opinion. Because they came into the process later, they decided to separate as well. Cody therefore worried about Michelle's decision because he was falling hard for her. Cody saw qualities in Michelle he wanted in a future wife, and he was afraid to leave heartbroken.
"I've been so up and down about my relationship with Cody... My situation with Cody is kind of the wild card and it's a little bit unstable," Michelle said in a confessional, adding that she'd be an idiot to walk away from Cody but she just wasn't really in the place with him that Lacy was in with Marcus or Sarah was in with Robert.
Michelle was freaking out because her feelings hadn't caught up to Cody's yet and she was still overwhelmed by his intensity and passion. She liked him but just wasn't sure if it was enough, especially since she didn't have a lot of time with him. As Michelle was trying to make her huge decision, she called her daughter to check in with her. Nine-year-old Brielle told Michelle that if they had a lot in common and she liked his personality, she should give the relationship a chance. Michelle said her daughter's "a wise soul" and all that mattered was whether Cody was good to her. She was touched as a mother and very proud of Brielle's "simple yet wonderful" feedback.
Michelle decided to take a leap of faith and find out what her next step with Cody might be.
Chris then met with the three remaining couples and said he respected those who left. He was hoping they had been honest with each other and themselves. Michelle told Chris that Cody was the best guy she ever met -- so genuine, honest and loving. Chris explained the next step would be an overnight date during which they must have "difficult, real, raw and honest conversations." Chris wanted them to think about how they'd transition into their normal lives after the show.
Michelle was looking for sparks with Cody on their date, something that could really last. Meanwhile, Sarah was excited to share an overnight with Robert with no pressure or cameras. Sarah felt great about falling in love "with the hottest guy." She felt something was pulling them together and couldn't wait for him to get to know her off-camera. She hoped he'd dig deep into her heart and mind.
Marcus told Lacy he couldn't imagine life without her and she said he completed her.
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"I feel the exact same way," he assured her.
"I love you," Lacy finally told him.
Lacy had no hesitation and was convinced Marcus was "the one." She was sold on him and he owned her "whole heart."
On their date, Cody and Michelle determined they should take things slow, but Cody still knew he wanted her to be his wife one day. Michelle wanted to talk to Cody all night about her life back home with her daughter. She took advantage of every second she had with him, and she also bluntly told him that he wasn't "getting laid." However, she later made jokes about the size of his penis and admitted they had great sex.
After her night with Cody, Michelle told the cameras she's "very sore" yet "very satisfied." She said he's amazing and she was no longer confused. Michelle announced to the group, "I have a boyfriend!"
A blushing Cody said he crossed some things off his bucket list with Michelle. Sarah noticed that both Cody and Michelle were beaming from ear to ear and they seemed crazy about each other. Sarah also saw how Marcus and Lacy were all "lovey dovey" with one another. It made her realize that something was "off" with Robert.
Sarah hoped to stay awake all night to get to know one another in their fantasy suite, but Robert was ready for bed almost immediately. He also had his jeans on under the covers and didn't want to be physical with Sarah. She didn't understand why he wasn't ecstatic about her. She felt rejected and wanted to leave paradise in love. But after their overnight date, she didn't feel that way. Sarah told the group it didn't feel good to be "100% in with someone who's iffy."
Sarah's relationship with Robert wasn't where she wanted it to be. She wanted to talk all night and feel in love. Sarah admitted in a confessional she tried to unbuckle Robert's pants and he stopped her. Besides kissing, Sarah wasn't able to touch him and he didn't want to touch her. She said they didn't even snuggle.
Sarah then confronted Robert on the beach back at the villa, saying they didn't connect on the emotional level she was looking for. Robert seemed surprised, and when asked why he went straight to bed, Robert didn't understand. He thought they had a great time. Sarah cried and Robert said he was falling in love with her. Still, Sarah felt "not loved" and hoped to find a man who would lie awake in bed with her all night just to talk. Sarah said she wasn't getting what she needed out of her relationship with Robert and she wouldn't feel right to continue on with him. Robert explained he read everything wrong and then apologized.
Robert was really upset and decided to take off. Sarah was conflicted and worried about whether she had made the right choice, but she couldn't help feeling like Robert just treated her like a friend when they finally got a moment alone behind closed doors.
"I feel really sad right now. Robert didn't see it coming and he didn't expect this from me, and he has made me feel great... I was excited for bringing a relationship home, and 24 hours ago, that's how I thought I was leaving paradise. I'm sad about breaking things off with Robert and I'm sad about leaving him. Even though I was sitting there ending it with him, it was like, I didn't want him to walk away. It was incredibly, incredibly hard... Now I'm wondering if I let one weird night go to my head," Sarah said after leaving paradise.
"I liked taking it slow with Sarah and I liked building a relationship with her. I felt really good about where we were at, but I kept using the phrase, 'I like you,' because I'm a little scared. It's hard for me to tell people I love them and put myself out there like that, but I gave it my best shot. I guess it just wasn't enough," Robert told the cameras in tears.
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At the final Rose Ceremony, Cody offered his rose to Michelle, telling her that he was crazy about her and wanted to meet her daughter. She swept him off his feet and he was in love with her. She accepted his final rose and then gave him her final rose as well. He made her feel loved and she was grateful he was so patient with her. She was also thrilled Cody was ready to uproot his life and move to Utah for her.
It then became time for Marcus and Lacy to exchange roses.
Marcus asked for a second alone with Lacy first. He brought her by the ocean to talk and told her how amazing everything had been.
"Being here, meeting you, was truly the best gift that I have ever received. I thought I knew what love was before. Coming here to paradise and meeting you just opened me up to a new perspective on love. I realized what true love was and I've never looked back since. Being around you and holding you and kissing you -- feeling truly loved by you -- has been some of the most memorable times of my life, and I want to continue that with you forever. All I want to do is make you the happiest girl in the he world and be by your side no matter what. So Lacy, will you marry me?" Marcus asked her.
"I will!" Lacy replied in disbelief. "I love you!"
The couple reiterated their love for one another and exchanged roses. Marcus said Lacy had made him a better man, while Lacy had found the man of her dreams and couldn't help but be emotional.
"You make me feel like paradise," Lacy told Marcus.
"Baby, I love you," Marcus told his new fiancee.
The finale's conclusion featured an update on most of this season's cast members. Cody and Michelle are still together and in love. He's moving to Utah and has met Brielle. Marcus and Lacy are planning a spring wedding and she'll be moving to Dallas. Sarah, Robert, Clare Crawley, AshLee, and Graham are still looking for love. Michelle Kujawa and the production worker have broken up. Chris Bukowski and Elise Mosca split after only two weeks together.
About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski
