Did Mel Propose To Peg Or Cindy? Read Recap

It’s finale time on “The Golden Bachelor,” which typically means we’re getting a marriage proposal at the final rose ceremony. Yeah, about that…

Mel is down to his final two women, Peg and Cindy, but so far, he’s steered clear of giving them any kind of reassurance beyond “I like you a lot.” The two-hour finale begins with host Jesse Palmer catching up with happy Bachelor Nation couples in the live studio audience… which feels like an attempt to put a happy spin on what might be a less than happy ending.

We pick up in Antigua, where Mel is sharing a romantic dinner date with Cindy, but she’s a little put out because all he’ll tell her is their relationship “would have to develop over time,” and as far as the future goes: “Who knows?” Cindy still thinks they’re well-suited for each other, “but time is a-tickin’.” After she presses him more to spell out his feelings, he flat-out admits he’s not ready to propose to her, and he’d rather wait two years (!) to let things play out. Cindy is dumbstruck: “That’s a different outcome than I considered.”

Cindy likes Mel, but “I kind of want my guy to feel like he got struck by lightning and can’t live without me.” She comes to a realization: “I’m not interested in being put on hold. He is just not my person.” She tells Mel: “I’m sorry… It’s not what I want.” She says goodbye to him and walks off, shedding a few tears on the way out: “It hurts really bad. From day one, I told everyone that’s my guy.” Mel is left sitting there miserable as — in an ironic touch — fireworks go off all around him.

Jesse joins him to offer his condolences, and Mel says he’s “shocked” that “she quit.” He’s adamant, though: “I don’t make my decisions on leaps of faith.” Jesse asks him if he was falling in love with Cindy, and all he can offer is “Maybe.” (Yeesh.) Mel insists that she quit on him: “She wasn’t in it for the long run.” On the live show, Cindy tells Jesse she’s at peace with how things ended: “Mel was not in it for a relationship in the way that I was.” More than anything, she says, she’s learned from this experience that she shouldn’t need to convince a man to love her. Damn right!

Cindy then has to suffer through an awkward live reunion with Mel, where he continues to blame her for leaving early: “You wanted the commitment before the process.” The strong applause from the audience when Cindy speaks, though, tells us everything we need to know: She’s better off.

That leaves Mel with just Peg left to receive his final rose. But is he even ready to commit to her? (And how thrilled must she be to be Mel’s choice by default?) Mel comes knocking on her door to tell her that Cindy left, but he assures her: “I still want me and you.” Peg is a little nervous, though, that Mel couldn’t give Cindy a straight answer about a commitment. And rightfully so!

But Peg’s first meeting with Mel’s sons goes great, and when the big day arrives, Mel decides to turn off his analytical brain for once: “I’m ready to listen to my heart… and that’s because of Peg.” At the final rose ceremony, Mel presents her with a ring… but he doesn’t ask her to marry her, instead asking her to “give us time to figure out together what our future holds.” Peg happily accepts the ring — and the final rose. So congratulations to the not-engaged couple! 

Mel and Peg join Jesse on the live show, and though they seem happy, when Peg says of Mel, “He doesn’t have integrity, he is integrity,” the audience can only muster up tepid applause. Jesse prods them about their level of commitment, and Peg deflects any talk of an engagement: “That’s a love story that we get to write.” But they do say they’re in love with each other, so that’s a step up from “I like you a lot,” we guess. Jesse quickly closes the book on these two so we can move on to interview a shiny new object: our new Bachelorette, Taylor Frankie Paul, straight from “The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives.” But if you look closely, after Gerry’s ugly split in Season 1 and now this less-than-storybook ending, “The Golden Bachelor” might be getting a little tarnished. 

It’s your turn, Bachelor Nation: Vote in our poll for who Mel should’ve ended up with, and hit the comments to share your post-finale thoughts.