It’s all happening! After weeks spent juggling two dozen boyfriends and sobbing alone in airplane hangars, JoJo Fletcher picked between Jordan Rodgers and Robby Hayes for her final rose during The Bachelorette‘s season 12 finale on Monday, August 1. The monkeys of Thailand are just weeping with happiness right now. And they’re also weeping because ABC’s long-suffering cameramen literally won’t leave them alone, but that’s a tale for another time. (Come save them, PETA!)
So who did JoJo pick as her knight in shining armor: Robby the Coiffed Dreamboat; or Jordan, Dude Who Is Related to Aaron Rodgers But Doesn’t Want to Talk About It? Read our minute-by-minute recap of the finale and After the Final Rose special below! (And see all the highlights in Us Weekly Video‘s recap above!)
What a time to be alive, the future is now, Chris Harrison for President, etc. (And be sure to start at the beginning if you want to read it in chronological order.)
10:59 p.m. ET: She Has Her Ex’s Support!
Ben Higgins and Lauren Bushnell were in the audience, and the season 20 Bachelor encouraged the new couple to stay strong. He added that the negative rumors would presumably all blow over in a few months. Here’s hoping!
10:56 p.m. ET: They’re Moving in Together!
Jordan joined JoJo onstage, and she admitted that the rumors about Jordan’s intentions have made things “very difficult” at times.
In happier news, Jordan said they are doing better now and have been talking about getting married next year. They’ve even been throwing around wedding dates.
“We have a house in Dallas — we’re moving in right after this,” he added.
10:29 p.m. ET: Crying Herself to Sleep
After Robby left the stage, JoJo discussed the pain of dumping Robby. She also gushed about her ring: “It’s so pretty — I love it. It’s really sparkly.”
Suddenly, Chad Johnson stood up and lobbied to be the next Bachelor: “I made some mistakes. I’ve been through a lot this past year — I’ve lost my mom. … I think maybe I deserve to be the next Bachelor.” Sadly for the milk enthusiast, the crowd did not appear to agree with him.
Chris Harrison then asked JoJo about the fact that she and Jordan have had to endure painful gossip about her beau not appearing on the show for the right reasons.
“The tabloids and the rumors — they’ve been terrible,” JoJo admitted. “There’s been many nights that I’ve cried myself to sleep.”
10:20 p.m. ET: Robby Tears Up When JoJo Says She Loved Jordan More
Painful! JoJo joins Robby on stage, where she told Robby that she doesn’t regret telling him that she loved him, as she “loved the man that you are.”
“I did love you,” JoJo said before adding that her feelings for Jordan were just stronger. “I just couldn’t imagine ever saying goodbye to him.”
Because he’s apparently a glutton for punishment, Robby actually asked JoJo, “Do you ever still picture what a future would be like [for us]?” Ouch, dude — don’t ask questions that you don’t want the answer to!
JoJo demurred, saying that this was tough for her to answer. Finally she said, “I’m so happy right now.” She pointed out that she wanted Robby to find the kind of love that she had found with Jordan, and Robby replied that he was happy if she is.
10:08 p.m. ET: Robby Admits That He Thought Jordan Got Sent Home
Robby was the first guy to take the stage at the After the Final Rose, and he told Chris Harrison that he felt “blindsided” and “numbed” by the shock of getting rejected by JoJo in Thailand.
“I’m confused,” Robby said about how he feels now. “Not so much frustrated, not angry — disappointed.”
The former swimmer revealed that before he got dumped by JoJo, he actually thought Jordan was already out of the picture: “I was confident to the point that a couple days before, I had convinced myself that I was probably the only guy left in Thailand.”
10:00 p.m. ET: Jordan Pops the Question
Jordan and JoJo together forever! Aaron Rodgers‘ brother got down on one knee and popped the question to Bachelor Nation’s leading lady, and don’t worry: We’ve transcribed the moment.
Jordan: “I love you so much. I love you so much. I fell in love first with just us, just the person I could be right away with you. How comfortable and confident, and how you challenged me and continue to challenge me to be the best version of myself. And I love that. You made me believe that love doesn’t need to have script. There’s not one way to draw it up. Those moments like this, where I’m holding your hand and I’m looking into your eyes, I know I’m so unbelievably in love with you. You’re my best friend, you’re my soul mate. I’m gonna keep you safe, I’m gonna protect you, I’m gonna wake up every morning and choose you, over and over and over again until you tell me I can’t.”
JoJo: “Jordan I love you so much. I’ve been waiting to tell you that I love you. I love you so much. I didn’t want you to get down on one knee until you knew that.”
Jordan: “It’s real. It’s been real. I love you so much I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Joelle Anna Fletcher, will you marry me?”
Pssst: She said yes.
The end, bye forever. Or in the words of Jordan, it’s been real!
9:51 p.m. ET: JoJo Breaks Robby’s Heart into a Thousand Rose Petals
Oh dang, guys. Robby got out of the first car, and you know what that means: Boyfriend is a goner. Poor Robby got through an entire romantic speech before JoJo tearfully cut him off, saying, “Robby, wait — I can’t let you get down on one knee. I can’t let you do that. I can’t let you do that because I don’t wanna take that moment from you. Robby, I woke up this morning wanting it to be you. Every day I’ve been wanting it to be you. I fell in love with you, but for some reason my heart is somewhere else. You have made me feel the type of love that I’ve always dreamt of feeling, the type of love that I honestly didn’t believe existed.”
Robbie started crying while JoJo tried to comfort him, and he mournfully said “as long as you’re happy” while the waves crashed toward him. A true metaphor for his life crashing into pieces. And if you’re wondering what he said in the car ride back to the airport, he was too busy sobbing into a hankie. But he did manage to get this out: “I’d been waiting for her to say she loves me, and then she did, and she wouldn’t let me get down on one knee. In what world is that OK?”
In the world of Bachelor Nation, friend.
9:37 p.m. ET: JoJo Cries Some More, Robby and Jordan Ring Shop
Everything’s happening, guys! Robby’s showering on camera and toweling himself seductively! Jordan’s putting on tiny striped socks! In other words, these dudes are ready to rumble, by which we mean walk down the aisle to a tropical altar where either happiness or despair awaits. Also, Jordan totally called up JoJo’s dad and asked for permission, so thank god. Double also, both these dudes left JoJo romantic notes pre-proposal, and she started weeping and flailing. Again.
Of course, in order to propose to JoJo, Robby and Jordan had to meet with ABC devotee Neil Lane, who gifted them rings that they definitely didn’t pay for. Sadly, one of these rings is about to be returned because JoJo woke up finding “clarity,” which means either Robby or Jordan is about to take a train to Lonelyville, population: them.
9:24 p.m. ET: Robby Redeems Himself
Things were slightly less awkward/horrible/terrible during the nighttime portion of JoJo and Jordan’s date because Jordan finally got himself together. Poor JoJo told Jordan she feared he didn’t want to get married, but he had a flawless answer. “I wanna be on one knee once in my life, and that means so much to me,” he said. “From day one, I talked [about] what my parent’s marriage and their love means to me. Do you believe that? I will be on a knee and prove that to you, that you are gonna be the one for the rest of my life. That’s what that means, I promise.”
BRB, crying.
9:11 p.m. ET: Jordan Disappoints JoJo, Makes Her Question the Future
Guys, JoJo’s date with Jordan did not go well. After making out on a ship and paddling through a sinister cave, JoJo confronted Bae 2.0 about not asking her dad for her hand, saying she was “disappointed” and “bummed out.”
Jordan’s answer? “I didn’t feel comfortable with, for one, them not having met Robby,” he explained. “I don’t know if it’s me. There’s two of us left! I want you to know that it’s exactly what you want, and I want you to know it’s right, and I want your family to know that that’s what you want. And then, I would be comfortable asking your dad.”
JoJo asked Jordan if he would be comfortable popping the question without her dad’s permission, and his response wasn’t exactly promising: “I don’t know.”
8:57 p.m. ET: Will JoJo Say “I Love You”?
Look, it’s not yet clear who JoJo’s gonna pick, but Robby obviously thinks he has this thing in the bag. The man exuded confidence during the nighttime portion of his date, wherein he gave JoJo a bunch of sweet gifts. And by that we mean some loose, random, unframed photographs that some intern had clearly printed out in a hotel copy room mere moments before.
“It hasn’t been until the love that he has for me that I really did realize what I truly deserve and what my worth is,” JoJo told cameras after the sweet moment. “That’s the type of love I know I’ve been waiting for. I see a lifetime with him.”
Cute, but Robby seemed sort of bummed that JoJo didn’t say “I love you.” Evidently, he didn’t watch Ben’s season because we all know how that ends.
8:47 p.m. ET: JoJo Dreams of a Future with Robbie, Makes Out on Beach
Monkey Update: ABC’s cameramen spent some quality time filming a random monkey perched atop a motorcycle. Not sure what metaphor we’re supposed to be picking up on here, but it’s clear that, like this monkey, JoJo is confused. The good news is that there are still two dates left, and she started things off by taking Robby to the beach so they could seductively take off their clothes. It was a beautiful moment made more amazing thanks to an oceanic makeout session and the fact that Robby told JoJo his vision of the future. Direct quote: “I see us just sitting on the most comfortable living room sofa.” #SAME
So, JoJo’s gonna just pick Robby, right? Right? Honestly, who knows, but this segment did end with JoJo straddling her man on the beach, which certainly means love.
8:38 p.m. ET: JoJo Learns the Truth About Jordan’s Convo with Her Parents
So, um, JoJo’s family are clearly Team Robby. To quote her mom: “I love him … not that I don’t like Jordan, but I think Robby’s more husband material for you.” JoJo seemed pretty defensive of Jordan, but was completely horrified to find out that he he didn’t ask her parents for permission.
“In my overnight with Jordan, he talked about how important that was,” JoJo told the cameras. “That’s a very clear thing that you ask someone’s father, and I don’t know why he didn’t do that.”
Naturally, she ended up sobbing while talking to her parents about her feels. “If I ended up with Jordan, and if things ever did get tough, and it didn’t work out, I’d always regret not going for Robby,” she wept. “And if I went with Robby, I’d always wonder what if that was the life that I was meant for.”
OMG, this is so relatable!
8:26 p.m. ET: Robby Gets Permission from JoJo’s Parents
Robby wore what appeared to be formal shorts while meeting JoJo’s family, so yeah. Do with that information what you will? But creative taste in pants aside, Robby hit it out of the park with JoJo’s parents, and everyone seemed to like him way better than Jordan. In the words of JoJo’s brother: “You’re not picking a New Year’s Eve date.”
Also, Robby did what Jordan couldn’t: He asked JoJo’s parents for her hand in marriage, saying, “I would be honored to be a part of your family.” Mr and Mrs. Fletcher seemed pretty stoked on the idea, but bad news: JoJo’s still super confused about who to marry ’cause auuughhhh her life is really hard, guys.
8:13 p.m. ET: Jordan Doesn’t Ask JoJo’s Dad for Her Hand!
Ugh, JoJo’s still in love with both Robby and Jordan, and there are only two hours left in this episode. How is she going to decide?! HOW?! Apparently, by frolicking on the beach and talking to her family, who flew to Thailand for a boyfriend-bonding session. First up? Jordan, who felt the need to say “yeah, you are” when JoJo announced that she was “sticky.” Welp, there goes lunch.
Anyway, Jordan was just as charming as usual, but JoJo’s mom worried he was a “playboy.” She even told JoJo that “you guys are too much alike.” Noted, but why is no one asking life’s most important question: WHAT IS THE DEAL WITH AARON RODGERS, AND WHY DOES HE HATE HIS FAMILY?
Also important: Jordan failed to ask JoJo’s dad for her hand in marriage, which we assume will devastate JoJo later in this episode, based on her cooing, “He wouldn’t propose to me unless he knew that he had my father’s permission. So I’m pretty confident that Jordan asked.”
7:55 p.m. ET: It’s all happening! After weeks spent juggling two dozen boyfriends and sobbing alone in airplane hangars, JoJo Fletcher picked between Jordan Rodgers and Robby Hayes for her final rose during The Bachelorette’s season 12 finale on Monday, August 1. The monkeys of Thailand are just weeping with happiness right now. And they’re also weeping because ABC’s long-suffering cameramen literally won’t leave them alone, but that’s a tale for another time. (Come save them, PETA!)
So who did JoJo pick as her knight in shining armor: Robby the Coiffed Dreamboat; or Jordan, Dude Who Is Related to Aaron Rodgers But Doesn’t Want to Talk About It? We’re live-recapping The Bachelorette finale to find out, so stay tuned!
What a time to be alive, the future is now, Chris Harrison for President, etc.
Click here to see a preview clip of Jordan revealing his mixed feelings while picking out JoJo’s engagement ring. And refresh this post throughout the episode for up-to-the-minute updates!
Tell Us: Do you think JoJo and her final guy will make it down the aisle?
The Bachelorette‘s season 12 finale airs on ABC Monday, August 1, at 8 p.m. ET. Bachelor in Paradise premieres on ABC Tuesday, August 2, at 8 p.m. ET.
