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Bachelor After the Final Rose Recap: Juan Pablo Can’t Say “I Love You”

Juan Pablo Galavis
On Monday's After the Final Rose special, Juan Pablo reunited with his winner -- but still couldn't tell her he loves her

Warning: Major spoilers ahead! If you haven't seen the March 10 finale of The Bachelor, avert your eyes now.

Happily ever after doesn't look all that happy for Bachelor Juan Pablo Galavis and his chosen lady, Nikki Ferrell. The two were reunited in public for the first time since filming the finale on Monday's After the Final Rose special, and things got pretty awkward pretty quickly. Let's recap!

The ATFR special kicks off with Bachelor host Chris Harrison introducing Juan Pablo's runner-up, hairstylist Clare Crawley, who is as angry now as she was when Juan Pablo sent her packing in St. Lucia. Clare admits she should have left after the so-called helicopter incident in the finale, but says she "trusted that there was a man here that wanted what [she] wanted."

Related: PHOTOS: Meet Juan Pablo's bachelorettes

Not so much anymore, though. Clare is done with Juan Pablo's excuses and explanations — so much so that she declines to sit down with him in front of the live studio audience. "I don’t want to sit here on this couch and get fed any more BS," she explains, adding that she said all she needed to say in St. Lucia.

On that note, it's time to bring out Juan Pablo! The Venezuelan-born Bachelor is unapologetic about giving Clare the boot, telling Chris Harrison he stands by his choice. "I made the decision that was best for me," he says, "and it is what it is." Chris gives Juan Pablo a bit of a hard time about his treatment of Clare in the helicopter, but Juan Pablo refuses to take the bait, saying only that he has "nothing bad" to say about her, regardless of what she says about him.

Related: PHOTOS: Bachelor proposals, promise rings, and breakups

Maybe Nikki will be more talkative? Chris puts Juan Pablo's chosen lady in the hot seat next, and though she insists she's "very happy" with the Bachelor, she admits he has yet to tell her he loves her. "He hasn't ever said those words to you?" Chris asks her. "Does that worry you?"

Nikki insists it doesn't, but Chris doesn't seem convinced. Juan Pablo apparently has a "big surprise" planned, though — something he promised an "ABC executive" while in St. Lucia.

So is this "big surprise" a ring? An "I love you"? None of the above, actually. In fact, Juan Pablo says there is no surprise, and even goes so far as to declare that he and Nikki are "done with this show" for good. "We are so done," he says. 

Related: PHOTOS: Failed reality TV romances

Asked by Chris how he feels about Nikki, Juan Pablo avoids the L-word, saying only, "We feel great," which prompts Chris to ask again, "So you love her?"

"I'm not going to answer that question. People don't understand that this is real life…We are happy we had the opportunity," he says. "It's been tough…It hasn't been easy. What I'm feeling with Nikki is fantastic."

Fantastic might be an overstatement, but Nikki backs him up. "I just feel like, time will tell," she says. "This is a real relationship to us."

Tell Us: Do you think Juan Pablo and Nikki will go the distance?

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