Nick Viall Dumps Rachel Lindsay, Bachelor Nation Still Puzzled
The Bachelor's penultimate Season 21 episode aired last night (March 6), wherein Bachelor Nation watched Nick Viall dump Rachel Lindsay. And even though everyone saw it coming — they couldn't not, as ABC chose to spill the news that Rachel will become the first-ever black Bachelorette weeks ahead of the breakup — many viewers still found themselves a little surprised. Or more accurately, puzzled as to where things went wrong.
Rachel, a favorite for the Final 3 from the jump, looks to be the total package. A beautiful lawyer with enviable upper arms, Rachel is the kind of woman you'd be super jealous of if she dated your ex-boyfriend, until you met her and she was too nice to hate. What's more, she seemed to elicit actual emotion from the deadened husk that is franchise fourth-timer Nick's heart: This is the same man who cried and cut three women loose in a February 6 episode, because Nick's the type who cries when he's dumping you.
But after Nick and Rachel's Fantasy Suite date, after Nick told Rachel he was falling for her and she had to endure hearing Nick joke "I might be white, but I’m still a minority," he dumped her, leaving Rachel tearful at the rose ceremony. As emotionally-unplugged as Nick's been this whole season, it still didn't quite compute. Now Nick's left with Vanessa, who he's already had way too many conflicts with for a not-yet-real relationship, and Raven, the plucky 25-year-old who's never had an orgasm (DO NOT GET MARRIED YET FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, RAVEN!) until, The Bachelor's producers would have you believe, she finally climaxed during her first-ever alone time with her communally-shared boyfriend as a camera crew milled about outside the door.
Check out reactions to Rachel Lindsay's elimination, including conspiracy theories that have ABC plotting to showcase future Bachelorette Rachel on The Bachelor with a clear plan to force Nick to dump her at the end, below.
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