Have we all recovered from Colton Underwood's fence jump yet?
It was one of the most dramatic moments in “Bachelor” franchise history. (Really!) A distraught Underwood, having had his heart broken by a contestant yet again, stormed off and took a leap of faith — or, at least, a leap away from the production crew.
The fence jump sets up what could be a potentially awkward finale this week. But, as longtime fans know, that would be par for the course for this franchise.
Below, we revisit uncomfortable moments in past “Bachelor” and “Bachelorette” finales.
Brad Womack chooses no one, 2007 “Bachelor” season
Womack could have picked DeAnna Pappas. He could have picked Jenni Croft. Instead, he picked neither.
That’s not how “The Bachelor” is supposed to go, is it?
Of course not. So Womack returned to the show in early 2011 and found love with Emily Maynard, proposing to her in the finale.
Alas, they announced the end of their relationship that June.
The Jason Mesnick/Melissa Rycroft/Molly Malaney love triangle, 2009 “Bachelor” season
The quick version of what happened: Mesnick got engaged to one woman, then changed his mind and decided he wanted to be with the other woman.
Mesnick called off his romance with Rycroft on “After the Final Rose.” “Since this all ended, things have been different. Over these last few weeks I haven’t been able to stop thinking about Molly,” he told host Chris Harrison.
Rycroft was understandably upset with Mesnick. “I wish more than anything that last day you would have just let me go instead of doing this to me. I am so mad at you,” she said through tears.
Fortunately, Rycroft was able to bounce back quickly. She’s now a happily married mom of three and has had a successful TV career.
Mesnick got his happily ever after with Malaney; they recently celebrated their ninth wedding anniversary. They have a daughter together. (Mesnick has a son from a previous relationship.)
Jake Pavelka and Vienna Girardi’s intense breakup, 2010 “Bachelor” season
This was hardly an amicable split — and it all played out months after the conclusion of Pavelka and Girardi's season.
Pavelka and Girardi sat down with Harrison for a televised interview that aired in July 2010. They bickered, they raised their voices, tears were shed. Emotions were so raw that Girardi stormed off the set.
“You are the meanest person I’ve ever met in my life!” she cried.
The two ended up on the now-defunct spinoff “Bachelor Pad” in 2011. Not surprisingly, it was not a warm and fuzzy reunion.
Juan Pablo Galavis won’t tell Nikki Ferrell he loves her, 2014 “Bachelor” season
Galavis chose Ferrell but didn’t propose to her. He couldn’t even bring himself to tell her, “I love you.” He did say, “I like you ... a lot,” which is ... something.
They tried to work out their issues on the reality series “Couples Therapy,” to no avail. By late October 2014, word got out that they had split.
Nick Viall wants to know why Andi Dorfman made love with him, 2014 “Bachelorette” season
Viall felt blindsided when Dorfman picked Josh Murray instead of him. He was still searching for answers when he sat face-to-face with Dorfman on “After the Final Rose.” Regardless, it may not have been the best time to share the intimate details of their fantasy-suite date with the world.
“Knowing how in love with you I was, if you weren’t in love with me I’m just not sure why you made love with me,” he commented.
Dorfman quickly put Viall in his place, saying, “I think that’s kind of below the belt. That’s something that should be private and kept private.”
That’s all water under the bridge now. The two hashed things out when Viall was the Bachelor in 2017, and he apologized.
Peter Kraus won’t propose to Rachel Lindsay, 2017 “Bachelorette” season
Lindsay wanted Kraus to make a commitment, but he was reluctant to pop the question. Hey, if he wasn’t ready, he wasn’t ready. But his choice of words left something to be desired.
“I want somebody who knows what they want to do,” Lindsay told Kraus.
“Great! Then go find somebody to have a mediocre life with,” he shot back.
It was said in the heat of the moment, and it didn’t change the fact that most of “Bachelor” Nation loved the guy. And Lindsay loved him, too — just not enough to gamble on an uncertain future with him.
She instead accepted a proposal from Bryan Abasolo; two years later, they’re still together.
The Arie Luyendyk Jr./Becca Kufrin/Lauren Burnham love triangle, 2018 “Bachelor” season
In a move that gave us intense Jason Mesnick flashbacks, Luyendyk broke things off with the woman he proposed to, Kufrin, and reunited with the runner-up, Burnham. Luyendyk and Burnham tied the knot in Hawaii in January and are expecting a baby girl later this year.
Things turned out just fine for Kufrin, who went on to star on “The Bachelorette” and is now engaged to Garrett Yrigoyen.
