It’s been a whirlwind of a season, so of course, the finale episode provided nothing less than the drama-filled evening we expected.

Bachelor In Paradise has come to a close! Chris Harrison begins the episode by letting the contestants know that they have 3 options for their final night in Paradise: 1) they could leave single, 2) they could leave as a couple, or 3) they could stay the night & spend one final date in Paradise. After this announcement, we witness a string of break ups: first Jack Stone and Christen, then Dean and Danielle, Diggy and Dominique/Jaimi, and Robby and Amanda. Most notably, Dean confesses to DLo that he’s in love with Kristina, and he wants to pursue her. Amanda breaks it off with Robby because she’s having major second thoughts. That leaves Lacey and Daniel, Raven and Adam, and Taylor and Derek: all three of whom opted for the date & fantasy suite option. Lacey tells Daniel she’s falling in love with him and wants to be a couple. Daniel kind of reciprocates the sentiment, but not really.

RELATED | Bachelor In Paradise 4×07-08 Roundtable

Taylor talks about how sex is important to her, to which Derek agrees. They spend the night together. Then come Raven and Adam. Raven expresses her concern about spending the night with Adam. The episode then transitions in the studio portion of the show. Corinne and DeMario take the hotseat to announce that they have both moved on. Then Dean is put on the spot, and we find out that even post-show he’s been playing both Kristina and DLo. Next is Robby’s turn to get roasted: he and Amanda got together after the show, but he is accused of cheating on her. Next, it’s revealed that Daniel was not actually that into Lacey (shocker) and they are no longer together. Then we find out that Raven and Adam are a happy couple! And finally, to conclude the season, Derek proposes to Taylor and she accepts. Aw!

Let’s see what our Roundtable had to say about the season finale!

Kirsten (@kirstensaidwhat) – Reality TV enthusiast, crazy cat lady and live tweeter

Nicole (@Buffalogal) – Social Media Manager in the streets, TV binge-watcher in the sheets

Kathleen (@KatLikesUFOs) – Reality TV enthusiast with a high key addiction to all things Bach Nation and a penchant for snarky live tweeting

Sophie (@svershbow) – Book Publicist, Writer, Reality TV Enthusiast

Kaitlyn (@bachbrack) – Co-founder of Bach Bracket, an online fantasy league site for The Bachelor franchise

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1. We saw many established couples split up during the first half of this episode, including Jack Stone and Christen, Danielle and Dean, Diggy and Dominique/Jaimi, and Robby and Amanda. Which of these breakups surprised you most? Were you rooting for any of them in particular?

Kirsten (@kirstensaidwhat):  I was pretty surprised about Robby and Amanda, but then as she explained that she didn’t want to jump into things like last year, it did make sense and I was pretty impressed by the pragmatism. I was rooting for Diggy and Dominique, but the break-up does make sense since they didn’t have the time necessary to really build a strong connection, in addition to both still exploring other options over the last episode.

Nicole (@Buffalogal): Probably Robby and Amanda. They were both so pretty! Too pretty for each other I guess. I was really hoping for Jack Stone to find love. He actually grew on me during this show. Maybe he could be a future bachelor?

Kathleen (@KatLikesUFOs): Honestly: none of them. The Dominique/Diggy/Jaimi triangle barely got air time so it didn’t really seem like they were going anywhere. Dean obviously continued to flop so him and DLo defs weren’t gonna work. I was kind of pulling for Dominique and Diggy but I wasn’t super invested.

Sophie (@svershbow): I’m surprised that Robby and Amanda broke up quite so soon, but boy was it satisfying! The rest of them were definitely just in it for the free vacation (respect).

Kaitlyn (@bachbrack): Wasn’t surprised about any of these. Was clear Christen wasn’t into Jack. Dom was never that into Diggy – I was actually kind of surprised she gave him her rose instead of Fred. Diggy and Jaimi knew each other for like, 3 days. With Robby & Amanda, I gagged watching them interact the whole time, so watching him get shut down was a highlight of the episode. The only breakup that I was a little surprised by was Dean & D Lo. Not because I thought they’d be together forever, but just because I didn’t foresee Dean having such an emotional wave of regret over Kristina on the last day.

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2. Dean takes the stage with Chris Harrison during the studio portion of the episode, and we find out that he is STILL stringing along both Kristina and Danielle post-show. What do you make of this? How is this still happening?!

Kirsten (@kirstensaidwhat): I am SO annoyed with Dean. He goes from total douchebag to “woke bae” at seemingly random intervals and it’s very frustrating. D Lo and Kristina are better off without him – boy bye!

Nicole (@Buffalogal): Dean is immature. He has the world by the balls since becoming famous and is trying to take advantage. His tears mean nothing!

Kathleen (@KatLikesUFOs): Not surprising at all. Fuckboys gonna fuck around. He’s obviously very good at weaving stories together because I doubt either of them would hang around him if he wasn’t giving them at least a shred of hope that he would be exclusive with them. I just want him and his lack of eye contact off my TV now for a bit.

Sophie (@svershbow): The fuckboy is still being a fuckboy? GASP!!! Seriously though, Dean is the worst kind of guy. The type that declares his love to you on Saturday but by Monday he’s hitting on your best friend. Women of America repeat after me: DO NOT SLEEP WITH DEAN!

Kaitlyn (@bachbrack): I want to say I don’t understand how this is still happening… but I get it. And so does every girl who has ever been unable to walk away from a charming f**ckboy. Tbh I think Kristina really, truly cared about Dean. And I honestly believe him when he says he cares about her. But he has too many of his own issues he needs to work out before he drags Kris into his mess. I feel like D Lo doesn’t really even care about Dean. It’s more about ‘winning’ the boy. We’ve seen no indication that their relationship has ever had more depth than a puddle.

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3. Amanda and Robby get into their breakup next. We find out that they tried pursuing each other outside the show, but ultimately couldn’t make it work. The Twins even accused Robby of cheating on Amanda. What do you think of this outcome?

Kirsten (@kirstensaidwhat): I mean… I’m not surprised by the allegations, Robby is the worst. I’m also not surprised at the twins bringing things up to cause drama since that seems to be their only move. But I’m glad we don’t have to deal with a Robby/Amanda relationship moving forward since they are such an uncomfy pairing in my opinion, but not looking forward to the occasional post about this drama popping up moving forward.

Nicole (@Buffalogal): Was initially surprised, but now…NOT. He sat there and talked about all the “opportunities” you get from being on the show. NO EXCUSES. He’s slimy.

Kathleen (@KatLikesUFOs): For the record: Robby DID make out with another woman. Reality Steve broke the news a while ago and clips and photos have been all over the internet, so dude is lying when he said he didn’t cheat on Amanda.

Amanda was right in what she said about Robby. He wants to play the field and isn’t ready for a serious relationship. And I’m not surprised whatsoever. I’m glad she broke it off because Amanda does not need to deal with that.

Sophie (@svershbow): Robbie DID cheat on Amanda! She tweeted the photo on Monday and is now my personal hero. We should erect statues to her. Honestly, anyone who defines their job as a “social media influencer” should be shut down immediately.

Kaitlyn (@bachbrack): Not surprised in the slightest. Something about Robby screams fame-hungry, and it seems like he just coupled up with Amanda to extend his reach as a “Social Media Influencer”. My personal favorite ending to this whole story is the tweet that Amanda posted the night of the finale, showing that Colorado photo they discussed wherein Robby is CLEARLY kissing another women. *cue eyeroll*

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4. During their fantasy suite date, Lacey and Daniel both confess that they’re falling for one another, but later we find out that they broke up. What do you think of the way they both handled the breakup?

Kirsten (@kirstensaidwhat): Daniel…. why. So gross. At the same time, I know it’s a show and we expect to hear all the gory details of these relationships, but Lacey bringing up all of that afterwards made me cringe. I felt so much second hand embarrassment for both of them. Daniel still trying to cover for himself was really gross too.

Nicole (@Buffalogal): Why Lacey ever fell for Daniel? Who knows. Because he gave her the time of day? Is she desperate? He had the personality of a rock. And was CREEPY. She’s better off. He’s still an idiot.

Kathleen (@KatLikesUFOs): Come through Lacey with the take no shit attitude! Being a petty as heck person, I was here for Lacey dragging Daniel on national tv. It was a highlight for me. Daniel acted like his typical douchebag self so non shocker there. This dude really could have used a PR rep to coach him cause that counter to Lacey’s points was god awful and definitely made him look worse than before.

Sophie (@svershbow): My heart goes out to Lacey who seems like a genuinely nice young woman looking for love. That being said, how could she not know that Daniel is full of shit!? He’s one of the creepiest dudes in the history of this franchise, and there’s still competition.

Still, I was shocked that he admitted to straight up lying to her face. That’s sociopathic, and I hope Chris Harrison officially bans him from this franchise for good.

Kaitlyn (@bachbrack): Lacey was clearly bitter, but IMO, she had every right to be. It seemed like she was actually into Daniel and he was just faking it for the cameras and “fame”. Daniel got called out, as he should have, and there’s not much you can do to come back from that. I’m predicting that his BIP days are over.

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5. Raven was, at first, very hesitant to spend fantasy suite time with Adam. It seemed like Adam was more into Raven than she was into him. In the end, Raven and Adam are still going strong as a couple, having traveled together post-season and now meeting each other’s families. What do you think of these two as a couple now? Do you see it working out long-term?

Kirsten (@kirstensaidwhat): Raven and Adam would follow the paradise trend of a completely average dude landing an amazing, beautiful woman. I wouldn’t be surprised if we were seeing that couple for a longgg time to come.

Nicole (@Buffalogal): I love them!!!!!!!! It seems all very real. They are both goofy, sincere, open and fun people. I wish them the best, and really do see it working out very well. It was all very organic. Def the best surprise of the show for sure!

Kathleen (@KatLikesUFOs): I’m really meh on them. To me they are sooooo random, like I genuinely do NOT get it. I like them both separately but they don’t seem like a couple that will make it long term. It still seems like he likes her way more than she likes him. But what the hell do I know! They may end up engaged and then get married at some point.

Sophie (@svershbow): I am shipping Adam and Raven so hard. Their segment was super heartwarming and I think they have a real shot at making it out in the real world.  Cannot wait for Raven to meet Adam’s Jewish mother, who I’m sure is DELIGHTFUL.

Kaitlyn (@bachbrack): At first, I really didn’t see the two of them working out, but I actually think they’re adorable now! We’ve been seeing sprinkles of them spending time together outside of the show for weeks, and it seems like they’re committed to spending time together out of the spotlight. It’s definitely promising.

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6. Last but not least: Taylor and Derek. They were the strongest couple of the season, and in the end, they got engaged during the finale. Any final thoughts on them as a couple? Are you excited to potentially watch a Taylor+Derek wedding next season?

Kirsten (@kirstensaidwhat): Are we supposed to be surprised by this engagement? They seem genuine, and at this live finale portion Taylor actually seemed likeable for the first time ever. And honestly, seeing even Corinne look happy for the couple made me a little emotional. Fine, they’re cute. But I don’t need to see anything else from them.

Nicole (@Buffalogal): I’m honestly concerned because she is YOUNG. Mature, but young. And it all came on really huge and fast. Sometimes it’s hard to make that last in the real world. But I wish them the best, as they seem pretty good at talking through most things.

Kathleen (@KatLikesUFOs): Due to some stuff that happened pre-Paradise that was leaked about Derek, (and the fact I’m petty AF) I’m still pretty low on him. I’m really happy Taylor is happy and got a redemption edit so I will suck that up a wee bit on her behalf. Annnnnd I’ll probs fast forward through their wedding sequence next season…

Sophie (@svershbow): Derek and Taylor make me cringe. Sorry, it’s just the truth. Curious to see if they actually make it down the aisle. She is crazy young, and I wouldn’t be surprised if they split in the next couple of months. Still, mazel to the happy couple and all that.

Kaitlyn (@bachbrack): Six words I never thought I would say: Derek and Taylor saved this season. To say the least, Taylor was not my favorite during Nick’s season, and although I don’t think it was 100% unfair editing, they definitely showed one side of her.

I absolutely love them as a couple. Derek loves who she is and she loves who Derek is and now we can all agree: love is real. I would 100% love to see a Taylor+Derek wedding.

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7. What are your parting thoughts for this season of Bachelor In Paradise? Is there a particular storyline you wish was explored further/less?

Kirsten (@kirstensaidwhat): I’m so glad this season is over! The whole thing had a bit of a dark cloud over it, and in the words of Corinne, “the cloud has cleared!” Hopefully the franchise can move on a little more thoughtful, and we don’t have any situation like this happening again. I’m glad we got some cute couples out of this,  and that we did open an important dialogue on consent. I hope that the viewers can take this in and move forward as more informed and better equipped to deal with those sorts of discussions moving forward. The only things I wish we had seen more of are actual fun moments and not so much the ~drama~ of the situation that caused the production shut down. Also less scallop fingers… nothing wrong with leftovers!

Nicole (@Buffalogal): No more interrupting the season with weddings please. Just cast better. The cast was very meh. And a lot of the story seemed forced at times. Bachelor franchise def needs a break until January.

Kathleen (@KatLikesUFOs): Overall: I’m just glad this let down of a season is over and I only have a few more weeks until Bachelor Canada comes back on cause I need a break from the US franchise for a bit.

Sophie (@svershbow): This season of Bachelor in Paradise was horrible before it even began. The Demario/Corinne drama soured the entire season, which was a total snoozefest. Hopefully we’ll get some good crazies in 2018 to make next summer’s group a lot more interested. Oh, and Alexis for President!

Kaitlyn (@bachbrack): I don’t know that anyone would call this season good. It’s like all the right ingredients were there, but the cake just didn’t bake long enough, which we all know, is exactly what happened. The in studio filler every Tuesday got old real quick and the lack of rose ceremonies made for almost no buildup and anticipation during the episodes.

Less: the twins. More: Wells and Danielle M.

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Final Verdict: The sun has set in Paradise, and two couples have made it out in tact.

Paradise certainly had its ups and downs this season. It’s fairly clear that the Corinne/DeMario controversy (and the ensuing production shutdown) caused a ripple effect throughout the rest of the season. The downtime made couples blossom and fizzle out—and unfortunately none of it was caught on tape, meaning editors had to work overtime to connect the missing dots when filming renewed. Also, it seemed like producers were hell-bent on injecting as much talk of the controversy as possible into the season. While discussing consent issues and problems of sexual assault are productive, it didn’t seem necessary to harp on them every single week. It really dampened the lighthearted nature of the show, and we can’t help but wish we had seen more fun times.

All in all, it’s nice to know that Raven & Adam, and Taylor & Derek were able to find love despite the gloomy undertones of the season. Onto The Bachelor!