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‘Ben & Lauren’ Recap: Ben Higgins Tearfully Calls Off the Wedding, Lauren Bushnell Feels ‘Blindsided’

The most dramatic couples counseling ever! Ben Higgins stunned Lauren Bushnell by tearfully pulling the plug on their wedding plans on the Tuesday, November 15, episode of Ben & Lauren: Happily Ever After?

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No Need to Save the Date

The Freeform relationship series’ two-hour installment kicked off with the Bachelor season 20 lovebirds joining pals Emily and Haley Ferguson, along with fellow engaged pair Lace Morris and Grant Kemp, for group therapy. During the counseling session, Ben revealed to Lauren that while he still wants to marry her eventually, he wants them to scuttle the preparation they had been doing to hold a wedding ceremony in the near future. 

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Lauren asked, “So you’re saying the wedding is off?” The former Bachelor replied, “Yeah, I am. The wedding’s off.… I think this thing sped up real fast, and we haven’t had a second to breathe.”

His fiancée appeared genuinely shocked at the turn of events. After Ben told her that they “just haven’t done anything,” Lauren fired back, “When you say that we just haven’t done anything, it hurts because I’ve moved to Denver and had to switch jobs, and I left my life in L.A. to come and do the life with you.”

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She added to the camera, “I have no idea what just happened. I feel completely blindsided.”

What Would Chris Harrison Do?

The pair made the news official by meeting with the franchise’s voice of reason, Chris Harrison, who had previously offered them a chance to air their wedding as part of a televised special. Upon hearing of Ben’s decision, the Bachelor host told them, “I’m sorry to hear the wedding’s off, but I just want what’s best for you.”

Things didn’t get much better from there. The couple picked up a new set of wheels for their road trip to Las Vegas for the iHeartRadio Music Festival, with Ben regaling his fiancée with a story about his previous testicle trouble. Once they were at the concert, Ben wanted to dance on stage with Lauren, but she refused, saying it seemed awkward to have so many people watching them.

Relationship Role Models?

On the ride home, Lauren told Ben she didn’t appreciate that they had to make it seem on the red carpet that they were closer to tying the knot than they actually are. “I feel like Ben and I are miles apart, but we still have to pretend like we’re on the same page,” she told the camera.

The episode ended with the pair chatting with a long-married couple and realizing that there is no such thing as a perfect relationship. Whether this provides lasting solace for Ben and Lauren remains to be seen.

Tell Us: Was Ben right to take the focus away from the wedding ceremony? Or does this seem like a bad omen?

Ben & Lauren: Happily Ever After? airs on Freeform Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET.

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