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We call them strong
Those who can face this world alone
Who seem to get by on their own
Those who will never take the fall.

We call them weak
Who are unable to resist
The slightest chance love might exist
And for that forsake it all.

— Garth Brooks, “Standing Outside the Fire”

Was The Bachelor finale staged?

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Did Jason Mesnick always plan on choosing Molly Malaney as his wife, only to be told by ABC producers that maximum drama would be achieved if he first handed Melissa Rycroft the final rose, only to dump her on national TV for Molly?

We don’t know. We’ll likely never know.

But we do know this: Molly Malaney is a brave soul, one that followed her heart and is now waking up every morning next to the man she loves. How many people out there would give anything to say the same thing about themselves?

Our site has received record traffic and a record-number of comments following this week’s roller coaster week of reality TV.

We appreciate it. We sincerely thank everyone that has taken the time to read the latest news on The Bachelor and share his/her opinion on such a stunning turn of events. Keep the responses coming!

Sometimes, though, members of our staff also feel the need to speak out. This is one of those times.

 
Go ahead and make fun of Molly’s dress if you want, scoff at her behavior on the show if you wish… but many readers have referred to her as “weak” for not turning Jason down on the spot Monday night.

To paraphrase the popular country singer mentioned above: weak?!?

Is there no better example of strength than putting yourself out there, opening up, allowing your world to be shattered (in Molly’s case, for the second time by the same man!) completely because something inside believes you’ve found your one true love?

It’s easy to sit on our sofas and judge – but how many of us are doing so alone, regretting a missed opportunity where maybe, just maybe, our lives would have taken a happier, more complete turn if we’d chosen the difficult, less popular path?

That’s what Molly did. Will it work out? That’s not the point.

Years from now – whether she and Jason are attending Ty’s college graduation together or broke up a long time ago – Molly should look back on this life-altering decision with pride. She stood firm. She followed her heart, even when every voice in her head may have been telling her not to.

We’ve never met Molly Malaney (and we wouldn’t have worn that dress on the finale), but we admire her for taking a chance on something far more important than ratings or popularity: love.