'The Bachelor' ends in cliffhanger with bachelorettes' fates unknown

The Bachelor star Chris Soules' love journey hit a speed bump during Monday night's broadcast, which ended on a cliffhanger.


The Bachelor's fifth nineteenth-season episode ended with the fates of his eleven remaining bachelorettes unknown as Kelsey Poe, a 28-year-old guidance counselor from Austin, TX, appeared to suffer a panic attack and collapse before the Rose Ceremony was set to begin in New Mexico.

Kelsey appeared to suffer the attack after Chris decided to cancel the usual pre-Rose Ceremony cocktail party, resulting in the bachelorette -- who had previously been extremely confident she would be receiving a rose at the ceremony -- suddenly worried The Bachelor star would be sending her home.

Kelsey's confidence had come after she decided to visit Chris in his hotel suite earlier in the day and share her tragic story that she was a young widow whose husband had died suddenly due to a heart problem.

"Today was tough... Kelsey and I had an emotional conversation -- a tough conversation -- today that kind of hit home with this whole process.  I thought about some things today... I'm sorry, I need to take a second," Chris revealed to the women before he stepped outside to compose himself.


The development had left the bachelorettes bewildered and skeptical of Kelsey's motives.

"All of the sudden the cocktail party started revolving around Kelsey because Kelsey was probably going home tonight and she went to Chris' room and she told her story and now someone else is going home.  And like she did that.  She did that on purpose.," Carly Waddell said.

"She said she had planned on telling us at the cocktail party, but for some reason I don't think she would of [if Chris hadn't]," Whitney Bischoff added.  "She's not always very nice."

"I wanted to protect you guys from that awkward situation, and I had to honor my story and honor [my husband] Sanderson -- it just had to be in a place where it could be uninterrupted," Kelsey told the women after Chris departed the room.

Kelsey then proceeded to tearfully make it clear she believed she would be getting a rose and would miss the women who would soon be eliminated.


"This is clearly very difficult for him... he knows what he needs to do and I don't know what the delay is... he already has his decision made up," she told the rest of the women.

"When I talked to him today, one of the things that we touched on was just time... and it means I have to say goodbye to people.  And I'm not going," she added before catching herself. "[I mean] I don't know if I'm going, but saying goodbye is hard."

The Bachelor host Chris Harrison then addressed the women and informed them that Chris -- who had yet to return -- had decided to cancel the cocktail party and just proceed to the Rose Ceremony.

"He knows what he's going to do here tonight, his mind is made up," The Bachelor host said.  "So his decision [is] there's not going to be a cocktail party tonight."

Kelsey then appeared to suffer a panic attack during an off-screen visit to the restroom -- resulting in the The Bachelor episode concluding with medical personnel treating her as she lay sprawled and moaning.


Earlier in The Bachelor episode, Chris had gone on three dates with the women -- two one-on-one dates and a group date.

Carly, a 29-year-old cruise ship singer from Arlington, TX, had received the first one-on-one date, which had featured Carly and Chris sharing a highly sensual and intimate experience with a "love and intimacy mentor."  Afterward, the pair enjoyed a private evening of drinks and desserts by a fireplace that ended with Chris presenting Carly with a rose.

Chris then had a group date with nine women: Jade Roper, a 28-year-old cosmetics developer from Los Angeles, CA; Megan Bell, a 23-year-old makeup artist from Nashville, TN; Kaitlyn Bristowe, a 29-year-old dance instructor from Vancouver, BC;  Mackenzie Deonigi, a 21-year-old dental assistant from Maple Valley, WA;  Becca Tilley, a 25-year-old chiropractic assistant from San Diego, CA; Samantha Steffen, a 27-year-old fashion designer from Los Angeles, CA; Ashley Iaconetti, a 26-year-old nanny from Wayne, NJ; Whitney; and Kelsey.

After an afternoon whitewater rafting excursion, the group enjoyed an evening cocktail party that was unexpectedly crashed by Jordan Branch, a bachelorette Chris had eliminated earlier in the season at his second Rose Ceremony. Whitney received the rose at the date's conclusion, resulting in more tension among the women -- who had already been upset about Jordan's sudden appearance on the date.

Branch, a 24-year-old student from Windsor, CO, asked Chris for a second chance and he allowed her to join the group date for a period of time before ultimately deciding against allowing her to rejoin the competition for his heart.


Britt Nilsson, a 27-year-old waitress from Hollywood, CA, received the second one-on-one date.  After surprising her by waking her up at 4:30AM, Chris took Britt on a hot air balloon ride as the sun rose.  Afterward, the pair returned to Chris' hotel suite, where he presented her with the date's rose before they made out and enjoyed a couple of hours of "nap time" away from the show's cameras.






About The Author: Steven Rogers