The Bachelorette Season 13 Finale: Rachel Lindsay Picks Bryan Abasolo

This season of “The Bachelorette” featured a first for the hit reality TV show as Rachel Lindsay was cast as the first black “Bachelorette.” This may have been a first for the franchise—but it ultimately ended like the seasons before.

Rachel finally ended her intense journey for love Monday night on ABC. This season of “The Bachelorette” had been full of torrential amounts of emotions, drama, cheating rumors and perhaps one of the most interesting episodes of the reality show.

Before the end of the show, it was down to three gentlemen vying for Rachel’s hand in marriage: chiropractor Bryan Abasolo, gym trainer Eric Bigger and entrepreneur Peter Kraus. The show went on an alternating take of live footage and taped scenes of the actual competition for Rachel.

But in the end, it was Bryan whom Rachel chose. The couple is now engaged.

Rachel Painfully Parts With Eric Bigger

Eric Bigger and Rachel Lindsay in The Bachelorette (2003). Photo via ABC

After a couple of overnight dates with Eric, Rachel reluctantly had to let him go. “I’ll always love you,” says Eric to Rachel. “That’s just the truth.” The two met up during the live portion of “The Bachelorette.” Eric then went on to say how his heart was broken before the start of the show. But when Rachel came along, he figured that it was actually her that he needed to complete his life. “I just want to say thank you for giving me that and allowing me to receive love from you because now I’m a man,” Eric said.

Letting Go of Peter Kraus

Rachel Lindsay and Peter Kraus in The Bachelorette (2003). Photo via The Bachelorette Official Instagram

Peter and Rachel had a little bit of a clash before they finally split up. Rachel was hell bent on being engaged, but Peter was always keen to avoid asking the question. When they met up again for the last time, Peter explained why he wasn’t able to ask the big question to Rachel.

“While things didn’t end the way that I hoped, I have you to thank for the feelings I did have,” he told Lindsay. “I wish you nothing but the best and I really just want happiness for you, that’s all.”

Rachel Lindsay Says Yes To Bryan Abasolo on The Bachelorette

The final rose was left for Bryan, whose proposal was the one that Rachel said yes to. He then went on to say how much has changed in his life since Rachel came in. “I am the best version of myself when I am with you,” he told Lindsay before kneeling down. “You are so easy and effortless to love, and I just want to love you the rest of my life.”

He then proposed the second time during the live portion of the show.

Ahead of “The Bachelorette” Season 13, Rachel revealed in an interview with Variety that she accepted a proposal at the end of her season in the show. “I am very much so in love and very much so engaged,” Rachel said.

Rachel Lindsay and Bryan Abasolo in The Bachelorette (2003). Photo via The Bachelorette Official Instagram

Rachel Lindsay is a 32-year-old lawyer from Dallas, Texas who made history in “The Bachelorette” as the first ever African-American to be cast as the lead of the show. At one point during the season, she had an emotional breakdown because of the weight of her responsibility as the first. “The pressures I feel about being a black woman and what that is and how… I don’t even want to talk about it,” Lindsay said. “I get pressure from so many different ways being in this position.”

But despite this, she is now happily engaged and said, “It feels good to have him [Bryan] with me and by my side.”