Raven Gates was jilted by The Bachelor star Nick Viall when he selected Vanessa Grimaldi and proposed marriage to her instead at the conclusion of his televised search to find love.
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During The Bachelor's Season 21 finale Monday night on ABC, Nick proved the fourth time is the charm and got down on one knee to ask Vanessa's hand in marriage. The 29-year-old special education teacher from Montreal, Quebec, Canada couldn't have been more thrilled to accept Nick's proposal in Rovaniemi, Finland.
But with Nick's decision came heartbreak for the runner-up, Raven, a 25-year-old clothing boutique owner from Arkansas. Nick can definitely relate to Raven since he finished as the runner-up twice before on both Andi Dorfman and Kaitlyn Bristowe's seasons of The Bachelorette.
On Tuesday, Raven talked to Reality TV World about Nick's final choice that crushed her heart. Below is what she had to say.
Reality TV World: Usually runners-up on the show ask the lead on After the Final Rose what went wrong in their relationship or what was missing, but you didn't ask Nick for such closure. Do you therefore have any idea why Nick chose Vanessa when he had made it clear you have all the qualities he's looking for in a future wife?
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Raven Gates: Yeah, any time you're rejected, I think you always ask after what happened or what you could've done differently or what was missing. But also, watching it back, I just know that I had a completely different relationship with Nick than him and Vanessa had. And so, it was two things that you can't compare.
It was ultimately what he wanted and what he was looking for, and so it wasn't that I feel like I had anything missing. I just feel like he chose a different type of relationship he wanted to be in.
And so, maybe that's one of the reasons why I was able to compose myself after the break-up, because I just didn't question who I was or what I had to offer. I knew what we had as a couple, and so, I just don't think I can compare because they were both such different relationships, if that makes sense.
Reality TV World: Raven, I think a lot of fans are wondering why Nick let you give your speech at the final Rose Ceremony before he rejected you given he's been in that difficult situation before with Kaitlyn. So can you talk about that a little bit? Did you feel disrespected or offended at all by the way he chose not to let you go before the Rose Ceremony, like he did for Kristina Schulman?
Raven Gates: That was a question I had for him that was in the back of my mind that I didn't get to ask him yesterday, but I did wonder why he didn't give me that courtesy -- the same courtesy -- from the Kaitlyn and Andi aspect.
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But I also understand that he knows me well enough that he knows that I love to say what I'm feeling and I love to leave it all out on the table. And so, I really think he was just giving me that opportunity.
But I did have that question for him, so I am curious about it. But I felt like I already knew the answer, that he'd say he wanted me to lay it all out on the table, and that's ultimately what I would have wanted.
Reality TV World: Nick told you that he decided what his heart was telling him on the morning of the final Rose Ceremony. What's your reaction to that? You would think he wouldn't be so torn in the final moments of his journey if he only truly loved one woman, Vanessa.
Raven Gates: Uh huh! Yeah, that is a question I guess I could ask him. He was so honest and transparent, so I already knew he was having that struggle. He told me, "I have no idea what I'm going to do."
And he may have not let his guard down completely and absolutely 100 percent to fall in love with one of us until that moment -- I'm not sure. But I don't know. It's not that I'm shocked that he said it, because he said it a lot, so, I don't know. It is a question I could ask him. I really just don't have the clarity on that.
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Reality TV World: You were so confident going into the final Rose Ceremony that Nick was going to choose you and propose to you, while Vanessa was actually the one crying with insecurities on her last date with Nick. I know you wanted to maintain optimism about your relationship, but why were you so confident? Did Nick say or do anything to make you feel that way?
Raven Gates: He didn't do anything special for me that he didn't do for Vanessa. But I think with us both, he allowed us to be our true selves, and he always gave us such an easy time to fall in love with him that I think I just felt so comfortable and confident.
I think that's where that confidence came in that day. Because he always let me feel confident and secure without knowing me, in just kind of letting me be who I was. I don't know, it's really hard to explain.
But at the end of it, he didn't do anything special for me that he didn't do for Vanessa obviously. I think under all that pressure, you don't really know how you're going to react, and I think Vanessa and I reacted differently.
Check back with Reality TV World soon for much more from Raven Gates' post-The Bachelor interview with reporters.
About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski