OMG! Top 5 Moments From ‘After the Final Rose’

Lauren and Arie Luyendyk Jr.
Spoiler Alert
ABC/Paul Hebert
THE BACHELOR - LAUREN, ARIE LUYENDYK JR.

[SPOILER ALERT: This article contains spoilers from the Season 22 After the Final Rose special of The Bachelor.]

After Monday night’s shocking finale on The Bachelor, fans have been left with so many questions: How could Arie Luyendyk Jr. propose if he wasn’t 100% invested in a life with Becca?

Why did ABC decide it was cool to publicly humiliate Becca on live television as Arie broke her heart?

And is Arie back with Lauren?

ABC’s post-finale special, After the Final Rose, is usually meant for the happy couple to show off their love but this season feels tainted. How can Bachelor nation celebrate when there was so much turmoil and angst?

Here’s what happened this on After the Final Rose:

Arie Goes Running Back To Lauren

When Arie knocks on the her door in Virginia Beach, Lauren happily opens it and embraces him. She doesn’t even make him grovel. What is happening?

“It’s been the hardest month and a half without you,” Arie tells Lauren. Keep in mind…Becca is watching all of this on live television in front of an audience and Chris Harrison.

Lauren expresses her sadness for a fleeting moment but it’s obvious Arie’s had her heart this whole time. She even tells Arie that she hopes an engagement isn’t that far in the future despite everything.

The Squad Drags Arie

Bekah M., Tia, Seinne, Kendall and Caroline have been waiting for this moment all season long. The foursome confront Arie on the special and have A LOT to say.

Chris Harrison even has the audacity to ask Bekah M.—”What is it that angers you so much?” Well, obviously a lot. Hello! Are you watching this?

“I don’t think it’s something we should’ve seen,” Caroline adds in reference to Arie and Becca’s filmed breakup. The Internet agrees wholeheartedly.

Seinne proceeds to call out Arie for waiting to hear whether or not Lauren would take him back before breaking up with Becca. The manipulation!

The women ultimately feel sorry for Lauren because she’s blind to it all. And of course, Kendall trying to be the bigger person says, “I would love for them to have love.” Okay, sure.

Becca and Arie Are Face-To-Face

“I honestly didn’t know he reached out to Lauren until after the fact,” Becca reveals to Chris Harrison. Even if Arie didn’t literally cheat, this is surely emotional cheating because the poor girl thought he just reached out for closure.

“When did you know that you wanted to end things with me and get back with her?” Becca asks Arie.

He admits that he knew he made the wrong choice after his phone call with Lauren. If she had rejected Arie would he and Becca still be together?

Cue the eye roll and even goodhearted Kendall can’t take it.

When Chris Harrison asks Arie if he has any regrets he says, “I do regret proposing that day because I wasn’t fully ready.” Ouch.

Becca shockingly forgives him and gives her humblest wishes to the happy couple.

Jason and Molly Mesnick Weigh In

Jason’s initial advice was “try to do it privately” but he also admits that if we hadn’t seen what had happened, the curiosity would’ve been worse.

The couple discusses the hard time they had is not nearly as bad as the heat Arie and Lauren are facing due to social media. Valid point.

In the end, Molly says the experience she had was part of her journey. If she hadn’t gone through the process of losing Jason, having her heart broken, and getting back together, their love story might not exist.

I hate to admit it but hearing it from their perspective is more enlightening than I would have thought.

Couch Buddies

Lauren joins Arie on the couch and even though they’ve been through this incredible journey, their first live reunion is pretty tame.

“We’re just excited to just be a normal couple,” Lauren tells Chris Harrison. The couple relives their final moments in Peru—although they both agreed they wouldn’t watch the finale—as well as the moments that led up to him reaching out.

“He couldn’t have gone about it in a more respectful way,” Lauren adds. Ummm. Sliding into your DM’s on New Year’s Eve while he was still engaged isn’t exactly respectful.

We’re not as mad at Lauren because she truly didn’t do anything wrong. Arie’s the one with appalling behavior. He should’ve ended things with Becca if he had all this doubt.

“It doesn’t matter,” Arie says of the haters on social media.

Then, in a totally predictable moment Arie proposes to Lauren. His second proposal in a two-month span, I might add. Plus, Becca is still somewhere in the building.

Lauren be careful, girl. There’s a reason why this man has been single since Emily Maynard.

Plus, Bachelorette Becca

Yes! The moment we’ve been waiting for. Becca Kufrin is the new Bachelorette and she’s ready to find love.

“This is crazy!” Becca said. “I have some big shoes to fill, that’s for sure. I want to be the best damn Bachelorette I can be. So I’m so excited. I want to find love. I want to meet so many amazing guys. I’m just ready to do this!”

On to the next…