Brad Womack made The Bachelor history by failing to present his final rose to either one of his final two suitors -- Jenni Croft or DeAnna Pappas -- during last night's The Bachelor eleventh-season finale broadcast on ABC.
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"This is one of the worst feelings in the whole world... When you tell someone how you feel about them and they kind of just reject your feelings," Jenni, a 27-year-old Phoenix Suns cheerleader from Wichita, KS, said following her elimination. "[That's] the reason why it's so hard for me to tell people how I feel."
In rejecting both DeAnna and Jenni, Brad joins The Bachelorette third-season star Jen Schefft as the only The Bachelor or The Bachelorette star to reject both of his or her final suitors (Jen rejected marriage proposals from both Jerry Ferris and John Paul Merritt in The Bachelorette's Spring 2005 third-season finale).
Needless to say, Brad also failed to propose marriage to either Jenni or DeAnna, marking the fourth time in five seasons and the sixth in its last eighth editions that The Bachelor ended without its bachelor proposing to his final bachelorette.
The Bachelor 11's pre-taped finale broadcast began at Brad's Malibu bachelor pad, where both DeAnna and Jenni had the opportunity to separately meet Brad's mom Pam; his identical twin brother Chad; and his older brother Wesley.
DeAnna was the first to arrive and have lunch with Brad's family. Pam thought Brad and DeAnna had an easy time showing their affection for each other. DeAnna then assured Pam that she was "hoping" for a marriage proposal from Brad and was looking for someone to start a family with.
"I would totally be crushed if I never get to see them again," said DeAnna about Brad's family. "Every day that goes by makes me fall in love with Brad more. I do feel like Brad and I could get married. I do feel like I could be his wife and that we could live happily ever after."
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"Are you in love with Brad?" asked Pam.
"I think that love is a huge thing," answered Jenni. "I'm falling in love with him. Every second I spend with him, I want more." Jenni said she'd welcome a marriage proposal if Brad offered.
"I'm ready to be a part of his family," said Jenni.
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Brad then consulted his mom as to what she thought, explaining he was worried about breaking hearts, possibly including his own. Pam revealed it was easier for her to talk with DeAnna, but was quick to add that might have just been a result of the fact that she met DeAnna fist. She said both are "sweet, wonderful women" and realized why he was having such a hard decision making a choice.
After both girls met with Brad's family, they each had one more chance to impress Brad during a final set of solo dates.
DeAnna chose to put everything on the table and cook a homemade lasagna dinner for Brad.
"I'll be crushed if he doesn't choose me," said DeAnna.
Brad gushed about DeAnna during their date, calling her everything he's ever looked for in a woman and an "incredible wife, an even better mother." DeAnna said the comments were reassuring since she was scared of being dumped. The two then talked a lot about a lot of things, and the situation became real to both of them.
"I am falling in love with you and I do see myself marrying you," DeAnna bluntly told Brad. She added she'd been confident throughout the entire competition until the moment she currently found herself in.
"Hopefully in the end it all works out the way that I want it to and the way that I hope it does," said DeAnna. "But I'm still scared."
The next day, Brad put DeAnna out of his mind so he could spend time with Jenni one last time before the impending Rose Ceremony -- and Jenni had something rather large she needed to get off her chest before the night was over.
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Jenni said she felt silly being so serious and proceeded to cry -- but then immediately regretted it and apologized to Brad profusely through tears. As she struggled to tell Brad how she felt, Jenni also whipped out a journal she'd been keeping and decided to read one of the entries to Brad.
"I'm falling in love with you and I want to share my life with you," Jenni finally told Brad, albeit while reading from the journal. However because she didn't want Brad to think it was "fake" because she was reading it, she also told him while looking him in the eyes.
"I love you. I love everything about you," she said. "I wanted to tell you the last time I saw you and I couldn't do it. I was so scared."
"After such an incredible night with Jenni, I don't want to think about the fact of telling either her or DeAnna goodbye, I just don't," said Brad.
However despite his personal preference, Brad still faced two big decisions the next day -- picking out an engagement ring and giving one of the women his final Rose Ceremony Rose.
"To say it's a big day is a mild understatement," said Brad. "It's huge."
Brad said he could see both DeAnna and Jenni being his wife and found himself in quite the quandary.
"I never in a million years thought it's be this tough," said Brad. "But I know exactly what I'm going to do today and I am so confident in that decision. I have to follow my heart."
 The Bachelor star Brad Womack informs Jenni Croft of his final Rose Ceremony decision (Photo credit ABC/Craig Sjodin) |
"I hate to say this," said Brad. "But I want something more that I can't find with us. I never thought I'd tell you goodbye -- I truly didn't -- and here I am telling you goodbye. It breaks my heart to have to tell you that."
Brad begged Jenni -- whom he presented his first impression rose to during The Bachelor 11's premiere broadcast -- to look at him as he tried to explain how much the decision was hurting him.
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Brad told Jenni not to feel embarrassed, gave her a hug and held her as she cried. He eventually walked her out to the waiting limo, where she whispered in his ear, "I hope you end up truly happy."
"I honestly don't know what went wrong," Jenni said once she was back inside her limo. "My dad told me before I came here, 'There's one person in this life for you and you'll find him.' Obviously it's not Brad... I know there's someone waiting for me. I know that there is."
After Jenni left, it was DeAnna's turn to meet with Brad. As she exited the limousine, DeAnna -- similar to Jenni -- also said she'd be the "happiest person in the world" if Brad were to pop the question. Brad complimented DeAnna's beauty and said he'd never met a woman so strong and independent.
"Remember when you told me that marriage for you is one time and one time only?" Brad asked DeAnna, who nodded in eager anticipation. "I feel the same exact way, and I just said goodbye to Jenni."
However instead of then telling DeAnna that she was the girl for him, Brad unexpectedly hit the pause button.
"Okay, hold on real quick," Brad told a confused DeAnna.
Then, after wandering around the yard nervously adjusting his tie and wringing his hands, Brad returned to the final Rose Ceremony altar and revealed his decision to a confused DeAnna.
"We always promised each other we'd be completely honest right, no matter how much it could hurt?" Brad asked DeAnna. "I look at you and I see so many things I never thought I would have in my entire life and I'm trying to tell you that I have so, so many feelings for you. And I want so badly to be so confident to pick you up and twirl you around and give you a diamond ring and spend my life with you. But I can't look you in your eye and tell you that I love you. I can't. I can't give you a promise that I can't keep, I refuse to do that... I have to tell you goodbye."
 The Bachelor star Brad Womack informs DeAnna Pappas of his final Rose Ceremony decision (Photo credit ABC/Craig Sjodin) |
"I don't understand," DeAnna -- exhibiting some of the "strong and independent" side that Brad had just complimented -- told Brad. "I just don't understand how you could say goodbye to me. I guess that's maybe because my feelings are different."
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"That word 'love' means so much to me, I refuse to give you any false promise because I do care about you so much" Brad told DeAnna.
Understandably, Brad's "clarification" seemed to further confuse DeAnna.
"It just doesn't sound right to say that you do care about someone so much, but you're willing to watch them walk away" said DeAnna.
"I would never want to hurt you," said Brad.
"I'm hurting right now," answered DeAnna. "I think the difference is I came here sure, and you're not."
"Do you know how much I care about you?" Brad asked DeAnna.
"No I don't. No I don't," said DeAnna. "I thought I did, up until I got here today. Until just now. I thought I had it all figured out. This would explain why I never wear my heart on my sleeve."
Brad pleaded with DeAnna not to say something like that before she asked him one last question.
"What happens when you regret your decision?" she wondered.
"I don't know," answered Brad.
"To be so hurt and mad all at the same time," said DeAnna once she was back in her limo. "Half of me is looking at him like I don't give a f**k what he says, than the other half just could not understand. I definitely didn't think he'd be the next person to break my heart. Stupid me."
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ABC will air a special The Bachelor: After the Final Rose broadcast in which Brad will explain his decision and Jenni and DeAnna get a chance to get some additional answers from Brad on Tuesday, November 20 at 10PM ET/PT.
(Photos credit ABC/Craig Sjodin) About The Author: Christopher Rocchio
