Joining Kaitlyn Bristowe, Emily Maynard, JoJo Fletcher, Rachel Lindsay and -- dare we say -- Trista Sutter, Alabama’s own Hannah Brown officially etched her place in “The Bachelorette” hall of fame during Tuesday night’s finale.
Like most couples in the franchise’s storied history, things ended almost as soon as they got started. But it’s about how Hannah bounced back and reinforced the resolve we saw from her all season long that land her among the most likable leads we’ve seen, and not just because she’s a hometown girl.
We picked up where we left off in Greece, ready for a pair of proposals, one of which Hannah would except.
With Tyler, she said she feels secure and that he’d provide them a happy life together. With Jed, she found...honesty, and “that’s what you want in a life partner.” Honesty, though? Jed? More on that later.
Unsure of her decision, Hannah stopped the car on the way, got out and tripped and fell in the street as a single producer came to her aide, which she refused. To be fair, I feel like if Hannah was actually injured, an army of producers, paramedics and the local national guard would have immediately bolted in her direction to correct this mistake. But kudos to that one guy, I guess?
Bad news: Fan favorite Tyler arrives first. Never a good sign. Of course, he waxes poetic and professes his undying love to her moments before she cut him off to dump him at the last second with a single, gut-wrenching “Tyler...”
“This isn’t it," he said, as she cut things off. “It feels like a million uppercuts to the gut.”
The former Wake Forest QB welled up a bit and expressed his disappointment, but he showed plenty of grace, even offering nothing but support and positive vibes for Hannah and Jed. This man is “Bachelor”-bound, right?
“As hard as that was, today I have clarity,” Hannah said, noting she’d prayed for peace ahead of the big moment.
When Chris Harrison said the studio and television audience would cringe, he only could have ever been referring to the moment Jed stepped out of the van while holding...his guitar. Yes, he played a song. No, it was not the dog jingle. Yes, we would have preferred that.
“I don’t have a song, but I’d like to say some stuff,” she said. “I’ve been praying for this moment for a long time. I’ve been praying for you.”
Jed proposed. She said yes.
“Oh, there’s one more thing we have to do,” Hannah said, looking down at the final rose, and not the guitar everyone hoped she meant to smash instead, Belushi-in-"Animal House"-style.
We then catch up with Hannah, who has caught up with the infamous “People” story, in which a woman claiming to be Jed’s girlfriend dishes on how he joined “The Bachelorette” under dishonest circumstances.
Hannah said she spent the week "screaming, crying, falling to my knees not knowing what to do.”
Then Jed had to, as Chris Harrison put it, face the music. He stumbled through an explanation, rife with duds that convinced no one, let alone Hannah.
"We got a cabin for free!” -- Jed on why he went on a trip with his girlfriend shortly before the show
“I had been drinking. I told her that I loved her.” -- Jed on why he told a woman he loved her
“I won.” -- Jed, according to Hannah, on finishing the show as Hannah’s fiancee.
Then it wasn’t Hannah’s turn. “That’s not what I said yes to," she said, as she took off her engagement ring and placed it on a table, ending their brief engagement.
We return to the studio for “After the Final Rose,” where Harrison invites Hannah out for the immediate aftermath of a considerably dramatic season.
“I’ve sobbed on the floor. I’ve felt like...my whole life caved in and everything I thought was true and real wasn’t. I have been mad as hell," Hannah said, before breaking the big news. “I am not with Jed anymore,” she said, met with thunderous applause. Harrison revealed they broke up over the phone.
Jed appeared (to crickets) and apologized again. Hannah accepted and wished him the best. Time to move on.
Before Harrison officially moved on to “Bachelor in Paradise” season, he brought out Tyler for one final segment, where he could wrap a bow on finishing “second place” and find some closure with Hannah, but the Bachelorette added a twist, actually asking out her runner-up out for a drink.
So does this mean Tyler is not the next Bachelor? Time will well. Let’s not jump the gun without properly assessing this finale and Hannah’s place among her “Bachelorette” predecessors.
The Tuscaloosa native drew some skeptics during her first live appearance as the lead, stumbling through sentences during an admittedly awkward segment and making folks perhaps unfairly wonder how she’d do for an entire season.
We quickly learned she was great. From night one to “After the Final Rose,” Hannah proved an assertive and lovable lead, strong-willed in her decision-making, especially when she finally got the information she needed to make final calls on clowns like Luke and Jed.
Her season had multiple moments that proved important lessons for young women and men about gender politics, women’s rights, faith, Southern stereotypes and more.
Things didn’t work out in the end, as they often don’t in “Bachelor” world, but we wouldn’t trade Hannah for anyone else after a thoroughly entertaining season, anchored by an Alabama native from whom we hope to see more down the road. And as former Bachelor Nick Viall put it last night, we wouldn’t mind an encore.
Hannah appeared on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” (above) after the finale Tuesday night and then Good Morning America Wednesday morning (below).