‘The Bachelorette’ Finale: Charity Finds Her Happily Ever After

Katie Campione
·9 min read
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SPOILER ALERT! This post contains details from the Season 20 finale of ABC’s The Bachelorette.

Charity Lawson is officially engaged!

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Season 20 of The Bachelorette wrapped up on Monday night with a three-hour episode, including the After the Final Rose segment. Charity accepted a proposal from Dotun Olubeko, but not before saying an emotional goodbye to her runner up, Joey Graziadei.

You guessed it, that means that Charity ultimately decided not to give Aaron another chance, even after his surprise appearance in Fiji sent her into a bit of a spiral about whether she’d made the right decision by sending him home.

The finale kicks off right where we left off, with Aaron and Charity talking on the beach in Fiji. He’s really hoping that Charity will take him back. She’s not ready to make any promises, but she does ask him to stay in Fiji so that they can have dinner and talk some more. The pair share a kiss to seal their reconciliation (and thank goodness for the camera that panned in on her mom, who is sitting in the live studio audience, because she doesn’t look completely thrilled by this plot development).

That night, Aaron meets Charity at her hotel room. Their conversation only makes things more confusing for Charity, who says she came into the week confident about Joey and Dotun — but now, she’s reconsidering everything since she clearly still has feelings for Aaron. She sends him to his own room for the night while she processes what she’s feeling.

Before proposals, there’s one more rose ceremony. None of the men have any idea that Charity already sent Xavier home, and Dotun and Joey aren’t yet aware that Aaron is back in the mix. It’ll sure be a doozy for Dotun and Joey to find out they would have had the luxury of skipping this last rose ceremony altogether if it weren’t for Aaron’s hail mary attempt.

It ends up being largely for nothing though, because Charity doesn’t offer Aaron a rose. But, hey! It makes for good TV. Aaron isn’t thrilled to go home so quickly, but he seems to understand her honesty. To Charity’s credit, she contends that there simply wasn’t enough time for her and Aaron to form the connection she’s been able to form with Joey and Dotun…which is fair.

Now, it’s time for Aaron to talk about his heartbreak on stage during After the Final Rose. Host Jesse Palmer asks him how it felt to fly all the way to Fiji just to get rejected again, as if the answer isn’t very obvious. But, Aaron takes it in stride, saying he knew that he just didn’t want to give up and he was happy he even had the ability to chat with her one more time.

But it seems like he’s over it anyway, because he’s headed to the shores of Mexico for Bachelor in Paradise (watch a teaser for the new season here).

Back in Fiji, it’s time for Joey and Dotun to meet Charity’s family. Her parents and her sister are here, though her brother Nehemiah doesn’t make another appearance after his escapades during the premiere. Charity opens up to them about how she’s fallen in love with two people, which concerns her mom a bit. In a confessional, her mom says she worries that Charity isn’t decisive.

First up, the family is meeting Joey. He’s pretty nervous, but he makes a good first impression. Her mom notes how attentive he is, adding that it’s clear Charity and Joey have a connection. During his conversations, Joey seems very thoughtful with the way he answers their questions, and it’s clear that meeting the family is very important to him. And just like that…Joey gets the stamp of approval! In fact…Charity’s mom tells the cameras that she thinks he could be “the one” for her daughter.

Now, it’s time for the family to meet Dotun. After having such a good impression of Joey, Charity’s family isn’t really sold on Dotun. Both her mom and her sister tell her that they think she seemed happier with Joey, which throws Charity for a loop. She was clearly expecting her family to love Dotun, so it upsets her that they are unsure about him. But ultimately, her mom tells her to go with her gut and don’t deny the truth. In her mom’s mind, she can only truly be in love with one person.

To help her make her decision, Charity sits her family down to ask them for pros and cons about both Joey and Dotun. They’re hesitant to compare them, though, because they can see Charity is having a difficult time processing everything that’s been going on. No matter what, they want Charity to make her own decision. But Charity isn’t feeling confident about what to do at this point, and she’s begging her mom to give her a clear answer on who she thinks is a better fit. According to Charity, there isn’t a right or wrong answer. Her mom insists that she can’t give her the answer she’s looking for, because only Charity knows who is right for her. Charity leaves the conversation very upset.

Before both men get down on one knee, she’ll have the opportunity to see them each one more time. First up is her last date with Joey.

Joey is excited to learn that he impressed Charity’s family. He says that his goal was not to tell them he loved Charity but to show it (very romantic). He then surprises Charity with some gifts, including the poem they had written for them during their one-on-one date in New Orleans. They share a few more kisses before they have to say goodbye. In a confessional, Joey says he’s fairly confident he’ll be leaving the show as an engaged man. Only time will tell.

Before we get to Charity’s final date with Dotun, it’s time to sneak in another Bachelor in Paradise announcement. Kat Izzo and Brooklyn Willie (both from Zach Shallcross’ season) are headed to the beach. ABC also aired a teaser for Season 9, which you can watch at that link.

Now we get to see Charity and Dotun reunite after the family meeting. Dotun tells Charity that he enjoyed getting to know her family, but he jokes he did notice her mom had one eyebrow up the entire time. He plays it off well, though, so either he isn’t concerned about her mom’s skepticism or he’s great at hiding it.

To refocus on the night ahead, Dotun brings out a gift, which turns out to be a bit of a scavenger hunt. He starts with his first visa, which he showed her during one of their first dates, followed by a s’more to remind them of their next date in the Pacific Northwest. Lastly, he gives her a heart locket with pictures of them inside, telling Charity that she is his “treasure.”

Before the night is over, Dotun tells Charity that he’s very nervous about her impending decision between him and Joey. He feels confident in their connection, but he can tell that making a choice is taking a toll on her. She says she still has a lot to think about before the proposals. All Dotun can do now is wait it out.

Finally, we’ve arrived at the proposals. But wait! Of course, the men have to meet with Neil Lane — who is excitedly watching his big moment on screen in the live studio audience — to pick out an engagement ring first. Now the big moment is here.

When the first van arrives…Joey steps out. Bachelor Nation should know what that means. He’s not the one. Joey very confidently and lovingly tells Charity that he’s felt honored to be a part of her story. Before he can get down on one knee, Charity stops him. She tells him that the love they share is rare, and she’s cherished getting to nurture it with him. Despite their love, Charity says she has found a love that’s deeper with someone else. She finishes her speech through tears, making sure that Joey knows she really does love him. Joey takes it like a champ, telling her that he only wants her to be happy — and this pain just brings her one step closer to her happily ever after. They share one last embrace as they say a final goodbye. At this point, they’re both crying as they walk to the van and Charity watches him drive away.

And now…there’s still an hour left in the telecast! Before we get to see Dotun get down on one knee, Charity and Joey reconnect in the studio for After the Final Rose. It’s pretty clear that it was hard for Joey to watch that scene back, as the camera pans to him and he has tears in his eyes. When Charity joins him on stage, she’s eager to see him and have another conversation.

She thanks him for his love and kindness throughout their journey, and Joey reiterates that he will always have love for Charity. He reassures her that he’s equally as grateful to her for every part of their relationship, even though it didn’t end as he’d hoped. A quick, but heartwarming reunion!

Back to Fiji we go, as there’s still a proposal to witness! Charity is ready to see Dotun get down on one knee, telling the cameras that she’s excited for a happy future with him. And Dotun is ready to propose! He says he’s spent most of his life feeling misunderstood…that is, until he met Charity. After Dotun’s speech, Charity reminds him of their date in Oceanside, which she says changed her life. She tears up as she tells him how excited she is to start a life with him. (Geez, who’s cutting the onions?!)

Without further ado, Dotun gets down on one knee and asks Charity to marry him. He can barely get the words out before Charity is jumping to say yes. And in turn, Charity offers Dotun the final rose!

Back at the studio, Dotun and Charity are ready to be introduced to the world as a couple. After a short and sweet happy couple interview with Jesse (where they reiterate alllll of their love and adoration for each other), there’s more news to be announced!

Surprise, surprise! Joey is going to be The Bachelor. And Charity isn’t done being on reality TV just yet. She’ll be sashaying into the upcoming season of Dancing with the Stars.

And lucky for Bachelor Nation, we won’t have to wait long for more. At this point, the franchise is basically airing year-round. The Golden Bachelor and Bachelor in Paradise both premiere in September.

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