‘The Bachelor’ Finale, Part 1: After Colton Jumped the Fence (RECAP)

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Spoiler Alert
ABC

[SPOILER ALERT: This recap features spoilers from the Season 23 Finale, Part 1 of The Bachelor.]

Last week’s episode of The Bachelor definitely left fans with more questions than answers. What happened after Colton jumped the fence? Is Cassie gone for good? What were Tayshia and Hannah G. doing while all of this was going on?

Now that the two-night season finale is underway, we finally have the answers to some of those questions… but exactly how things will play out is still a mystery until night two.

Colton’s Breakdown

When the camera crews (and Chris Harrison) couldn’t immediately find Colton, they ended up getting in cars to go looking. Finally, they found him walking down the street, and when the crew tried to talk to him, he didn’t want to talk, but they kept following him anyway. When Chris finally got him to talk, he broke down into tears and told him what happened with Cassie.

“I can’t do this. I’m done,” he said.

The next morning, Colton told Chris that he felt like he was losing Cassie because he was still with two other women, and the uncertainty of the situation was what was holding her back from fully committing to him. Now, it was time to follow his heart.

Saying Goodbye to Tayshia

If Colton was going to follow his heart back to Cassie, that meant it was time for the hard part: Letting Tayshia and Hannah G. go.

Tayshia was first, and she didn’t take it well. She asked Colton if they could talk without all the cameras around. They went behind closed doors, and she was heartbroken, which made sense, considering the connection she obviously felt for him. But they did end up parting on good terms, and Tayshia told Colton he was a “good guy.” Isn’t that all you can really ask for in this situation?

Then Tayshia sat down with Chris on the After The Final Rose special, which started airing Monday night as well, and had the chance to come face to face with Colton for the first time since their breakup. They both agreed that it was therapeutic to watch the season back, and that things didn’t work out between them because his feelings for someone else were so much stronger.

“I wish the best for you and I will not take anything that I’ve learned or that we’ve shared for granted and I cherish a lot of the memories that we made,” Tayshia told him. “I’m so proud of the woman that I’ve become because of this journey and because of you.”

And Then Ending Things With Hannah G.

Poor Hannah G. was the only one who didn’t get a fantasy suite date, and when Colton stopped by to break the news, she was both surprised and not surprised. On one hand, she said that she was used to being everyone’s support system only to have them drop her later, on the other hand, she felt such a connection to Colton that she couldn’t believe he was ending it all.

Colton couldn’t believe it, either — he actually broke down into tears, because he wasn’t sure if he was making the right decision by breaking up with someone so great. But ultimately, he wanted to take the risk because of how he felt about Cassie.

Talking to Chris, Hannah admitted that it was hard for her to relive her relationship with Colton as the show aired — and that she’s been dreading having to face Colton, even though she did want to get her “what ifs” answered. Hannah told Colton it really sucked to see him tell Cassie that he was thinking of her when he was with the other women, but at least the situation made her stronger.

And So It Continues…

Now that The Bachelor is over, Colton wants to follow his heart back to Cassie, and the next part of his journey is about to begin. In the preview for Tuesday night’s episode, it seemed like he went to a hotel room in Portugal — Cassie’s, maybe? But all will be revealed tomorrow night.

The Bachelor, Finale Part 2, Tuesday, 8/7c, ABC