What Just Happened With The Bachelorette Rose Ceremony & Upcoming Finale?

Nothing about Gabby Windey and Rachel Recchia’s Bachelorette season has been typical — from the canceled rose ceremony, to the teams twist — so why would it end with anything less than chaos? During the second night of this season’s Fantasy Suites, Rachel and Zach Shallcross had a particularly rocky date — during which Rachel questioned if Zach was old enough to commit to an engagement (she’s 26 and he’s 25, BTW). “Rachel’s concern came out of nowhere ... she was putting on a front,” he said in a confessional. “That scares me. That scares me a lot.”

Right before the final rose ceremony, Zach approached Rachel to have a private conversation about how she made him feel — which he described as “completely lost.” But before we could actually see that conversation go down, The Bachelorette cut to an empty Warner Bros. soundstage — and an apologetic Jesse Palmer. “I know you’re all very anxious and eager to find out what happens next,” he said. “But unfortunately, you’re not gonna see that tonight. And I’m very, very sorry for that. Things have just been so emotional — they’ve been so dramatic for both Gabby and Rachel, that we felt it was right to take a moment and to prepare ourselves for the shocking events that are about to take place.”

Jesse promised that “the most emotional finale in Bachelorette history” would commence next week. “You will all bear witness to the crazy controversy that’s about to ensue,” he said. “So take some time, get yourselves ready, and prepare yourselves for the most shocking finale of all time.” It’s all very solemn — and a little terrifying!

So, what comes next? There are two episodes of The Bachelorette left, and they will air on consecutive Tuesdays — Sept. 13 and Sept. 20. Both will comprise the live After the Final Rose special (aka, The Bachelorette finale) but just like with past seasons, you can likely expect to see the pre-taped remainder of each Bachelorette’s journey between the live segments.

If you’re one for Bachelorette spoilers, you can check out what Reality Steve said about the final men in Mexico — or revisit clues that pointed to the potential pairings all along. However, it’s worth keeping in mind that the live portion of After the Final Rose hasn’t happened yet, obviously — and as we know from Clayton’s season finale just six short months ago, a lot can change after filming officially wraps.