By: Rebecca Capozzi | Staff Writer and Treasurer
Do you hear that?! Weddings bells are ringing for Dale and Clare! Yes, the rumors are true! Dale and Clare left the show as an engaged couple! Although the proposal was the highlight of the episode, what led up to it was also very interesting.
The episode begins with the men doing what they have been doing best: complaining about Dale. They were saying how they feel like they are wasting their time being on the show because they know that all she does is think about Dale. Kenny said, “She doesn’t care to learn about anyone else in the house. Like, why am I here?” Unfortunately, many, if not all, of the men feel the exact same way. Even Chris Harrison noticed this, and decided to have a conversation with Clare.
Chris told Clare that he needs to know exactly what is going on so that he can figure out how to go on with the rest of the season. When he asked her about her feelings, she said “I am head over heels for Dale.” As he begins to ask more questions about her connection with Dale, she begins to cry and says, “I’ve waited so long for this.” This even brought Chris to tears.
The conversation got even more emotional when Clare started talking about her late father, and how Dale resembles him in so many ways. This warmed my heart, since I know how close Clare and her father were. Now I feel as though I can understand why she had such an instant connection with Dale; she felt her father in him.
After this emotional conversation, Chris suggests that Clare cancels the cocktail party and rose ceremony with the men so that she can spend the whole night with Dale. She agrees, and lets Chris leave so that he can go and grab Dale. When Chris announced to the men that the cocktail party and rose ceremony were canceled, they were visibly upset. When Chris pulled Dale aside to talk and Dale did not come back, the men became angry.
Dale and Clare’s date was nothing less of amazing. Both shared their experiences with their late parents (Dale lost his mom, Clare lost her dad), causing their connection to grow stronger. They went through very similar situations and experienced very similar pain, so they know what each other needs. They had a very nice conversation, even leading me to feel the love between them. Dale said, “I haven’t felt these emotions in years.” and Clare felt the exact same way. Clare then proceeds to tell Dale that she is falling in love with him, and he says that he feels the same way.
After Dale does not return to the house the night after his date, the men become very curious. While discussing whether or not they think Dale slept over at Clare’s place, a few of the men say “Clare wouldn’t do that this early in the game.” Well, she did! Dale slept at Clare’s place, resulting in the love between them to grow even more. In an interview, Clare said, “There is no doubt that this is my person.” So, because of this, she decides that it is the right time to break the news to the rest of the men. She tells them that she came here to find love and her person, and she knows that she found that with Dale. At first, the men were not supportive. Kenny said, “Can you apologize for the group?” and she proceeds to say that she should not have to apologize for love. I completely agree with this. I was also frustrated with the men, since they would have been so happy if they were in Dale’s situation.
Finally, a few of the men stood up and told Clare that they were proud of her and hoped that everything worked out between her and Dale. These were real men! Although they were definitely upset, they swallowed their pride and were respectful and supportive. I already had a lot of respect for the men in this group, but my respect grew for them. Well, most of them at least.
Anyway, now it’s proposal time! Chris made the important call to Neil Lane saying that he needed a ring today! Chris also visited Clare and told her that they were planning a proposal for that night. She was so excited and, of course, started crying. Then, Chris had to go to Dale and tell him the news. Chris said to Dale, “Clare is expecting a proposal tonight.” I honestly could not tell what exactly was going through Dale’s head at that very moment, but if I had to take a wild guess, he was thinking, “Uh oh. What did I get myself into?” I do not think this because he does not love Clare, I truly believe he does! However, he was definitely not planning on proposing to a woman after only 8 days of knowing her. I think he was slightly flipping out on the inside, which is completely understandable.
Right before Dale came out to see Clare at the proposal, Chris went up to Clare, gave her a huge hug and said, “We are so proud of you.” I felt like I was watching a father sending his daughter to get married. This made me super emotional, as I felt that Chris may be a kind of father figure for Clare. This moment truly warmed my heart.
Dale and Clare exchanged some beautiful words between each other about how they both connect so well and how they have never felt this way about anyone. Then, the moment we all have been waiting for finally happened! There was a beautiful proposal between Dale and Clare, and she said yes! Imagine if she said no? That would have been an insane plot twist.
Although I may not completely agree with how Clare handled her season, I truly do wish the best for Dale and Clare, and I am very interested to see what the future holds for them. I have been looking at their Instagram stories and posts, and they seem so happy together. I really hope that they continue to be that match made in heaven.
Onto the next bachelorette! At the end of the episode, the one and only Tayshia steps out of the limo, and is more than ready to meet the remaining men from Clare’s season. I have absolutely loved Tayshia ever since she was on Colton’s season of The Bachelor, so I am super excited to see where this journey takes her. I am also very curious to see how the men will be with changing bachelorettes mid-season. This has never happened before, so it is going to be very interesting to watch play out!
Cover Image: Wedding Rings and Bouquet by Dan Moyle on Flickr is licensed under Attribution 2.0 Generic (CC BY 2.0)
