The Bachelor Recap: Here’s Ho-Ho-Hoping She Says Yes (Season 21 Episode 11)

Love him or hate him, Nick Viall’s stint as The Bachelor has certainly made headlines. From dolphin-sharks to emotional intelligence (or lack-there-of), and even a bit of romance in between, it’s been an eventful few months.

On The Bachelor Season 21 Episode 11, the true star of the show, Chris Harrison, kicks things off in front of a live studio audience. And according to him, we’re in for the most dramatic finale ever. Hmm… we’ve never heard a promise like that before…

Raven Reunites with the Vialls

First up, Raven is meeting the family — again. Let’s not forget that on her first date with Nick, Raven spent more time with his sister than she did with him. 

The reunion goes well, and Nick’s dad gives Raven some high praise: she’s more mature than he “expected”. But what exactly did he expect from her? Hasn’t he been warned not to judge a book by it’s sweet sounding, tractor riding, heavily-made-up cover?

Vanessa’s Turn to Swim — or Sink

At the start of their day together, Nick and Vanessa share the most luke-warm greeting possible. Her top priority for the day is, of course, to find out if Nick has any doubts… mostly because she herself has 100 of them. 

When Vanessa admits to Nick’s mom that she’s just not sure she sees herself getting engaged at the end of this short time, Mommy Viall is visibly turned off. With a cold “Well I hope you get your answer”, she dismisses Vanessa from their already-tense conversation.

In a quick attempt to save herself, Vanessa assures Nick’s dad that she’s definitely falling in love. For some reason, this brings Papa Viall to tears… which brings Vanessa to tears. They share a hug while crying into one another’s shoulders, and audiences everywhere are left wondering whether parts of this tearful moment didn’t make the final edit. If not, we’ve got two very emotional people on our hands.

So What’s the Consensus?

When it comes time for Nick’s family to discuss and deliberate, no one has much of an opinion. No one but Mrs. Viall, that is, who — in a major curve ball — throws Raven under the bus! She thinks the southern cutie is too young and eager and said “I love you” too soon for her feelings to be genuine. Could his mother’s concern be enough to determine Nick’s final decision? 

In a brief cut to the live studio audience, 90% of the crowd admit they expect our bachelor to end up alone in the end. And based on their cheers and applause, these cynical fans are quite happy about the possibility. 

 Christmas in… March?

Vanessa and Nick’s final date is completely uneventful… until they meet Santa, that is. After a day of aimlessly riding horses through the Finnish snow, they stop at a quiet cabin where Kris Kringle himself comes to the door. His appearance is sweet (albeit random), until he gives them a wooden plaque intended to “promote fertility”. Vanessa shares this gift with the cameras with a genuine grin on her face, but is she not completely weirded-out on the inside? Because she should be.

During a private moment later in the evening, Nick tells Vanessa that what he’s searching for — but hasn’t found — is balance in a relationship. Since we know that this is the complete opposite of what Vanessa wants (as she never wants to leave Montreal or her family and refuses to change anything about her pre-bachelor life), it’s no surprise when she admits to the camera that something “doesn’t feel right.” Yes, Vanessa, that’s because you and Nick live in different countries, have very little in common, and have known each-other for just a few weeks.

Things grow even more tense as Nick and Vanessa continue to argue throughout their night together. Despite Nick’s best efforts to get through to a stubborn Vanessa (he doesn’t want to “de-ro.. un-ro… de-ro… make it less romantic!”), she refuses to let her guard down. 

 Puppies and Promises

It’s Raven’s turn to woo Nick one final time, and they spend the day skating along thin patches of ice in the snow outside. (Apparently we were out of creative ideas this week and decided to replicate every part of Raven’s first one-on-one date…) Luckily, she’s as good at ice skating as she was at rollerblading. 

When they finally sit down to talk about Raven’s experience with Nick’s family, she makes a point to mention how much she enjoyed his mother. Too bad this feeling wasn’t reciprocated… I’m guessing this episode — and Nick’s mother’s attack on her maturity, in particular — will be a difficult one for Raven to watch at home. 

The awkwardness of this knowledge is immediately forgotten, however, when Nick brings out two adorable husky puppies!  It’s like he knew viewers would need a distraction from resenting his mommy.

Their night together is the polar opposite of Nick’s prior evening with Vanessa. He tells Raven that he’s “never felt unsure” while with her. Basically, he knows she’s obsessed with him and she has thus been a safe option to keep around throughout the season. Raven, who is unable to read between the lines, tells Nick he’s “so sweet.” She somehow deduces that Nick loves her as much as she loves him, and she’s thrilled about it.  According to Raven, something like this “shouldn’t happen to a girl from Hoxie, Arkansas.” Perhaps someone should remind her that Nick is not a celebrity — just a reality star who’s been dumped on national television twice.

The End

As the week draws to an end, Nick is reunited with his true Bachelor franchise love: Neil Lane. He claims that selecting a ring is the “second hardest thing” he’ll have to do today… So which takes third-place? Proposing to someone who could theoretically turn you down and humiliate you on TV again, or dumping a woman who claims to be madly in love with you.

In the end, that unlucky dumpee is revealed to be Raven, who arrives at the final rose ceremony first (and we all know what that means). She pours her heart out to Nick — who stands by and lets her — until it becomes unignorably clear in his face that heartbreak is coming her way.

Nick is, shockingly, unable to squeeze out a coherent sentence while explaining why Raven isn’t the one. His one clear statement? “I’m not in love.” Harsh.

And so the lucky lady to be offered Nick’s final rose is inevitably Vanessa, who arrives in a fur coat worthy of Cruella de Vil. Nick, who can’t control his sobs, is eventually able to express his love for her, and Vanessa couldn’t look happier. Apparently, fourth time’s the charm, because she says yes! That’s right, Bachelor Nation, Nick Viall is no longer the series’ designated runner-up (though he remains so forever in our hearts).

So what did you think of the season as a whole? Are you happy for Nick and Vanessa, or do you wish he ended up with someone else? Let us know in the comments, and be sure to return for more recaps when The Bachelorette premieres on Monday, March 22nd at 9/8c on ABC.