Fall TV Blog

Jillian hopped to the Big Island of Hawaii with her final two and Bachelorette fans finally got the moment they’ve been waiting for when she picked Ed and he proposed with a $60,000 Neil Lane diamond ring. But first, she had to get rid of Kiptyn — and Reid!

Meet the Parents: Ed was the first to interact with the potential in-laws. Cousin Tori looked at Ed like he had cancer when he explained his leave of absence. Mom grilled him with 66 questions but said he gave “really good answers.” He asked dad for permission to propose and his dad said if Ed was the last man standing, he’d be “doing somersaults.” Then, Ed was forced into a coconut bra to hula.

Kiptyn was next and like a slick politician he had all the right answers. Jillian’s mom thought he “was more like Jillian and a free spirit.” But when dad asked if he loved her, he hesitated. “I’m getting there a lot quicker than I thought I would but I would never propose without being sure.” Mom and Tori seemed to lean toward Kip although Jillian got giggly when dad told her about his conversation with Ed. She didn’t sound as sure when telling Tori about Ed’s fantasy-suite failure.

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In choosing a ring for Jillian Harris, Chicago computer consultant Ed Swiderski had the luxury of getting expert advice from jeweler Neil Lane.

“I don’t know anything about diamonds,” Swiderski confessed to PEOPLE. “There were about six or seven rings and one of them just stood out. Neil was like, ‘I made a couple of these especially for Jill,’ thinking about her when he made them. I looked at one and it was so incredible.”

The one Swiderski chose — and proposed to Jillian with — is a $60,000 platinum ring set with a 2.05-carat pear-shaped center diamond with six baguette-cut diamonds to accent the center stone and 94 round-cut diamonds to give it a contemporary look. (more…)

Canadian beauty Jillian Harris finally found what she was looking for — a lover and a best friend — when she giddily accepted a proposal from Chicago computer software consultant Ed Swiderski on the season finale of The Bachelorette Monday night.

After Harris had assured him that he was indeed the one (“There’s no doubt in my mind that I’m madly in love with you,” she enthused), 30-year-old Swiderski got down on one knee and placed a $60,000 Neil Lane platinum and diamond ring on Harris’s finger.

The mild-mannered Swiderski piqued Harris’s interest early on in the series. He left in week five after feeling pressure from his job, causing Harris to sob uncontrollably. Then, confessing to Harris, 29, a restaurant designer, that he couldn’t stop thinking about her, he returned.

As the season continued, Harris was concerned that neither she nor Swiderski had met each other’s families. Hoping to allay her doubts, Swiderski flew his parents to Hawaii, the couple’s final romantic destination, for a meet-and-greet. (more…)

After months of dating and drama, it’s almost time for Jillian Harris, 29, to make her final decision and chose either Ed or Kiptyn on the The Bachelorette finale, which promises an “unexpected confession” and the possible return of Reid, who was seen with a ring in a promo for Monday’s episode.

“I had good chemistry with Reid and was falling for him,” Jillian says of the 30-year-old realtor from Philadelphia. “But he never said anything that indicated that I could be the one.”

Asked about Kiptyn, a 31-year-old business developer from Encinitas, Calif., Harris said, “He volunteers. He’s smart. He’s eloquent. He has a huge heart … Did I say he’s good-looking already?”

On the other hand there’s Ed, a 29-year-old technology consultant from Chicago, who left the show but came back for Jillian. “There was a lot of passion and emotional chemistry,” she says.

Mario Perez/ABC(2); Kevin Foley/ABC

Before America finds out if The Bachelorette’s Jillian Harris has a fiancé on Monday’s season finale (8 p.m. ET on ABC), the Canadian cutie spoke with PEOPLE about why she didn’t pick Reid, her final two, Ed and Kiptyn, and who would make the best Bachelor of the bunch. –Carrie Bell

Why isn’t Reid in the final two?
When it got down to the final three, I needed more time. I had to make a choice and no matter whom I let go, I would have been broken hearted. I had good chemistry with Reid and was falling for him, but he never said anything that indicated that I could be the one … He was too uncertain.

What are the pros and cons of Kiptyn?
Look at him. He has a nine-pack. He volunteers. He’s smart. He’s eloquent. He has a huge heart. He lives in San Diego. He’s athletic. Did I say he’s good-looking already? He likes adventure. I can see myself in his life easily. A con might be that I was always worried that he’d be too passive in the relationship. I also had to push him more to get him to tell me how he was feeling. He was slower to say he was crazy about me. I don’t need anybody to say, “I will propose to you,” or “I will marry you.” That can come later down the road. But I need them to say, “I don’t want to lose you. I need you in my life.”

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As promised, the ‘Men Tell All’ special was explosive (and not just because the flatulence in the blooper reel). But even with an expanded two-hour show, plenty of action was trimmed from the episode. PEOPLE attended the July 11 taping to bring you the best of the rest and catch up with the season’s favorite suitors. – Carrie Bell

• Jake took an even lengthier beating from the other guys than what was aired. “I got my butt handed to me out there but I still don’t regret anything I did on the show,” he told PEOPLE after the show. Sasha accused the pilot of coming off as “canned” and like an “actor.” The comment wasn’t entirely out of left field. “I was the young Walker Texas Ranger in a flashback, the 20-year-old Chuck Norris,” Jake said. “That was a special time in my life but my acting days are behind me. I was only playing me in the house despite what the others may think.”

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Hey Guys!

Whoa — what a change of mood on here this week! Lots of good comments (thank you!) but so many negative ones again! Since this is the only place I can defend myself, I am going to take that opportunity now and hopefully connect with a few of you.

There are many other places on the Internet to call me an idiot and call down my decisions. For those who are supporting my journey, thank you so much! I love you all and can’t wait for you to see the outcome! For those of you who continue to say hurtful things here, please understand that I am a human just like you with a heart and feelings. Yes, I struggled with a lot of decisions this season. Again, I admit that I’m human. But I still stand by my statement that I am VERY HAPPY. I have had two months living with ALL my decisions and am STILL VERY HAPPY with ALL of them. That is what matters right? I feel that everyone is entitled to their opinions, but I do wish some would be a little easy on the words.

If I have eliminated someone who you loved, I am sorry … I wish I could have kept every wonderful guy from the show but I am only looking for ONE man to make ME happy. I DO have an excellent judge of character and I do know what I am looking for in a unique individual to go through life with me. (more…)

According to Bachelorette host Chris Harrison, Monday’s expanded “Men Tell All” special promises to be the most — you’ll never guess — dramatic reunion in Bachelorette history.

“I wasn’t expecting much from these guys because usually by the time we do the reunion show, the guys have said their piece and they’re done. They don’t usually hold on to anger like the women do,” Harrison tells PEOPLE. “It got out of hand in a hurry. They got aggressive from the moment we started rolling and it became like high school or a fraternity house.”

Harrison was most surprised by where some of the heat came from. “I expected Dave and Juan to fight. I expected some people to have harsh things to say to Jake about him going to Austin,” Harrison says. “It was the other characters like Sasha, Robby, Mark and Brian that jumped in that took me by surprise.” (more…)

“There’s an old saying here in Texas,” says ex-Bachelorette contender Wes Hayden. “Believe nothing you hear and half of what you see … On that show, I wouldn’t believe anything.”

After the July 6 episode, which showed the Austin singer apparently confessing to having a girlfriend and other villainous acts after getting the boot from Jillian Harris, Wes is dealing with the fallout — and contending that what people saw was not the real Wes. And after PEOPLE spoke to accused girlfriend Laurel Kagay, Wes and his ex, who he says “was 100 percent telling the truth,” have been bombarded by angry calls and emails.

“We haven’t been together since last July or August,” he says. “She’s going through hell right now. People are calling her a bitch and a whore and are telling people to boycott her business, which she’s worked hard to do for years and years. She’s finally successful, and now she’s getting phone calls at all hours of the night.”

Last weekend in San Antonio, Wes says, “a girl walked up and said, ‘You’re such an ass.’” He replied, “Look, it’s a TV show. That’s it. I don’t know what else to tell you.” (more…)

It’s fitting that aloha means hello and goodbye as The Bachelorette’s Jillian Harris arrived in Maui to send one of her suitors away with what Jillian called a “heart-wrenching goodbye.”

Leap of Faith: After some seaside soul-searching and sand writing, Jillian drove Kiptyn to a ropes course to test trust issues. She was made him go first and only completed it herself after he promised kisses every step of the way. Although he moved like “baby giraffe learning to use his legs,” he motivated her when it came time to take the leap of faith. Later, Kip met her for dinner and dialogue about his defects. He admitted he has had “one foot in and one out in relationships.” She allowed him to stay in the fantasy suite anyway. After some heavy petting, Kip slid the shutters closed.

Failure to Communicate: After a round of beach ball, Reid spotted a helicopter coming for him and Jillian. “Being up above Hawaii with Jillian was like being in heaven,” he said before going white when the pilot said he performed aerial weddings. While there was significant smooching and joking, Jillian was determined to get to the bottom of Reid’s feelings and fired questions about proposals, relocating and love at the “cuddly, warm guy [she] relates to the most.” He fumbled. At one point, he likened his communication skills to those of a 4-year-old and relied on a show of hands to describe how much he liked her. “It’s hard to throw out the L word,” he said. Of course, it didn’t stop her from inviting him to spend the night soak in the tub. (more…)