The Bachelor

This week, Colton Underwood came out as gay, stunning some (but not all) fans of The Bachelor and The Bachelorette.

Though he has been a divisive figure with good reason, he did receive a lot of well wishes from Bachelor Nation overall.

Last month, there were definite hints that Matt James was considering reconciliation with Rachael Kirkconnell.

The Bachelor stars were clearly head over heels for each other before Rachael's racism scandal was exposed.

Another member of Bachelor Nation is facing yet another social media scandal.

In the wake of Rachael Kirkconnell basically upending this entire past season of The Bachelor -- due to actions she herself admitted were "racist and wrong" -- Taylor Nolan is now coming under scrutiny.

It may not have been the most dramatic season finale ever, but Matt James' last episode as The Bachelor certainly yielded some surprising twists and turns.

For starters, we learned that Matt and Rachael Kirkconnell have broken up, a development that received a very mixed response from the denizens of Bachelor Nation.

In case you have somehow, in some inconceivable way, been living under a rock and missed the ongoing news:

Chris Harrison is out as the host of The Bachelor and The Bachelorette, following a dumpster fire of a season.

Rachel Lindsay is here to keep it real.

She's here to not beat around a single bush.

Matt James was unwilling to hug Rachael Kirkconnell this past Monday on ABC's After the Final Rose special.

And yet:

Chris Harrison has said a lot ever since announcing his leave from The Bachelor and The Bachelorette.

But now it sounds like the host is set to let someone else do the talking.

Matt James is receiving support from an unlikely source:

The girlfriend is recently dumped.

The focus of this season of The Bachelor was Rachael Kirkconnell's racism scandal.

After The Final Rose had a thorough, necessary, and at times uncomfortable discussion about racism.

You didn't think Rachel Lindsay would have nothing to say about how The Bachelor Season 25 ended, did you?

The first-ever Black lead of The Bachelorette was front and center over the past several weeks, having been the person to interview Chris Harrison in February... back when he stuck his foot way deep into his mouth when asked about Rachael Kirkconnell.

Rachael Kirkconnell had her past exposed on this season of The Bachelor.

Now, however, she's trying to look toward the future.

Following Monday night's Bachelor finale and After the Final Rose special, we know this much about Matt James:

He is not dating Rachael Kirkconnell.

Well, for better or worse, it was an After the Final Rose special unlike any that we've seen before.

Some viewers complained about the awkward silences, of which there several.

The Bachelorette will look very different in 2021.

First, as previously announced, Chris Harrison will not serve as host when the series returns with new episodes.

In the end -- following an unpredictable season that concluded with the temporary ousting of the only host the show has ever known -- The Bachelor ended in the most predictable fashion imaginable.

Matt James chose the woman everyone knew he would choose, almost since Day One.

We apologize for the spoiler in the headline of this article, but some matters are bigger than The Bachelor, and in order to discuss them properly, we need to delve into the "secrets" that have actually been public knowledge for several weeks now.

So yes, Rachael Kirkconnell will receive Matt's final rose during tonight's finale of The Bachelor.

Look out, Chris Harrison.

Emmanuel Acho may be coming for your job.