The finale of Katie Thurston's season of The Bachelorette is almost upon us, and the current mood seems a little similar to the build-up to last night's Olympics closing ceremony.
That is to say, it feels a little bit like the real excitement is behind us, and all that's left is a formality that will probably drag on way too long.
If you've been following along with this year's The Bachelorette spoilers, than you know that everything is playing out just as the experts predicted.
And even if you haven't, you probably have a pretty good idea of who she's going home with.
(Yes, from this point forward, we'll be discussing various theories about how Katie's season might conclude, so if you still want to be surprised by the events of tonight's episode, read no further!)
The feeling among many viewers is that when Greg Grippo quit the show, he basically handed the final rose to Blake Moynes.
Justin Glaze seems like a cool guy and all, and we hope his wildly expressive eyes will help him land a gig as the next Bachelor, but we're not sensing a super strong connection with Katie.
It almost feels more like Justin made it this far by never being at the bottom, instead of immediately rising to the top.
Of course, the biggest reason we think Blake will be the winner is that Reality Steve predicted as much over a month ago.
Steve's been right about everything else this season, so there's really no reason for us to begin doubting him now.
So yeah, it's feeling a bit like a Katie-Blake engagement is a foregone conclusion.
And that might be why ABC's promotional materials for the finale are selling the idea that Katie will wind up deciding to remain single.
The network just dropped a 15-second teaser which strongly suggests that Katie is still hung up on Greg.
What happens next?! đź’” #TheBacheloretteFinale pic.twitter.com/32CesA3uZl
— The Bachelorette (@BacheloretteABC) August 6, 2021
“Greg isn’t somebody I thought would leave like this,” Katie says at one point.
"With Katie still hung up on Greg, there's no point," Blake observes.
We then get a shot of Blake walking away from Katie in a suit (and a rugged Canadian like Blake wouldn't rock a suit unless it was a rose ceremony!) as an ominous voice-over from Moynes plays over the scene.
“I can’t give you what you came here for,” Blake says.
Is it possible that Katie chooses Blake and then he kicks her to the curb because she still had Greg on the brain?
We suppose, but Blake and Katie getting engaged still seems like the most likely outcome.
And that will raise problems of its own, as Katie is like the third woman that Blake has fallen in love with in the past year.
But hey, the heart wants what it wants.
And unfortunately, those desires are not always in line with the ratings goals for the ABC network's most popular reality show!
Maybe Michelle Young will maintain a bit more suspense!