On the weeks leading The Bachelor 2017 finale, Nick Viall first narrowed his choices down to two final women, Vanessa Grimaldi and Raven Gates. Rachel Lindsay was eliminated in Finland (she was among the final three women). The finale show was filmed in Rovaniemi. Rachel is the newest Bachelorette and was surprised on The Final Rose show when she met a few of the bachelors who would be competing for her heart.

Both of the final contenders for Nick’s heart met his family. Raven seemed to be a favorite among Nick’s family. They liked her innocence and felt that she would not knowingly hurt Nick. Nick’s mother, Mary, seemed to think that Raven was a little too eager. Nick’s father felt that Vanessa was Nick’s type, which was a bad thing, because the women that Nick typically was attracted to tended to break his heart.

The couples had one last date.Vanessa and Nick went horseback riding and met Santa Clause, and the Finnish Santa gave them a gift, a heart-shaped souvenir.

ABC/Terhi Tuovinen

After their conversations, Vanessa said that she didn’t want Nick to propose simply because he liked her slightly more than Raven. She also felt that some of her questions weren’t answered completely, since Nick gave her general answers instead of letting her think that he was going to choose her over Raven.

After their date, Raven really thought that Nick was about to propose to her. She felt extremely confident in their relationship, and she really thought that she was going to be Nick’s future bride. They went ice skating together and had a fun time, which solidified their relationship in her eyes.

Nick and Raven ice skating during The Bachelor 2017 Finale Photo by ABC/Terhi Tuovinen

So, Raven was stunned into silence when Nick told her that he had not selected her. He proposed to Vanessa, and she said “Yes,” of course.

Nick Viall proposed to Vanessa Grimaldi during The Bachelor 2017 finale episode, photo by ABC/Terhi Tuovinen

The Bachelor in Finland Finland Travel Destinations

The season finale episodes of The Bachelor were filmed in Rovaniemi and Saariselkä, in Lapland, Finland.Rovaniemi is the official hometown of Santa Claus! Lapland Hotels, the House of Lapland, and representatives from Lapland and Finland as  travel destinations worked together with The Bachelor producers to help the episodes there go as smoothly as possible.

“It was a tremendous pleasure to cooperate with such an internationally recognised brand.” said Hanna-Maaret Heikurainen of the marketing department of Lapland Hotels and Safari. “We feel both privileged and happy to showcase the unique charm of Lapland as well as our offering and expertise within hospitality and outdoor experiences.”

Appearing on the show has given us great visibility, it is a big win not only for us (Lapland Hotels & Lapland Safaris) but for Lapland as a destination.

We expect to see more honeymooners in Lapland in the near future.

What advice would Hannah give to destinations and accommodations that would like a shot at appearing on The Bachelor? “My advice would be to invest in building successful partnerships for a common goal. One of our main partners was House of Lapland,” she said. “But at the end I believe it all goes down to your unique offering and how you’re able to package it.”

Photo courtesy of the Lapland Material Bank

Snow Covered Trees photo by Sulo Norberg

Photo by Lapland Pictures / Arto Komulainen

Photo courtesy of the Lapland Material Bank

Photo of Nick Viall and Vanessa Grimaldi by ABC/Terhi Tuovinen

At the William Vale Hotel, Nick  Viall was surprised by the appearance of Andi Dorfman the bachelorette who broke up with him in Season 10.

Meanwhile his current bachelorettes arrived to the rose ceremony at the New York hotel. Vanessa Grimaldi was nervous, because she didn’t know how the other hometowns went, and her hometown visit didn’t exactly go smoothly. A few tears fell from Rachel Lindsay’s eyes, because she felt that she was falling in love with Nick; she was also afraid that she was going home.

Raven was finally ready to tell Nick how she felt, that she was falling in love with him. And Corinne Olympios felt that Nick knew her almost to the core, since he’d met her family. It made her sick to think that she might be going home.

During surprise their talk Nick reminded Andi that the last time she’d knocked on his door, she dumped him. So, Andi reminded him that he was going to dump 29 girls, but Nick came back with saying that it might be 30, because he wasn’t going to propose to someone just because she was the last girl left.

“I’m not going to get engaged just because I’m the Bachelor. “I’m not going to pick one just cause she’s the last one standing,” Nick told Andi.

Andi asked him if he was happy with the final four, and he said, “Yes.” She asked him if he was going to have sex with the women during the Fantasy Suite dates. Nick told Andi that he was torn. He was physically attracted to them, but he really wanted the process and relationship to work.

Andi advised him that if he sees a potential for “that girl” to be standing there at the end and he sees himself getting down on one knee that lends itself — if they both agree — for him to take it to the next level. “You’re entitled to do whatever you want,” she said.”You have three girls that you respect and care about, that are dating you, that you’re dating. You met their families. They professed how much they like you or love you. You’re and adult, I think you have every right to get as intimate as the two of you want in each relationship.”

She told him that the only reason he should not “go there” is if he doesn’t see himself having a future with them.”

Nick admitted that it was weird to get Fantasy Suite advice from Andi, but he also that he regretted when he said what he said it brought Andi heartache and pain. After her season, he asked her rhetorically why did she sleep with him when she knew that was going to eliminate. He felt bad that his words had repercussions for Andi (one reason being that the world knew for certain that they’d slept together.”

Andi said that she didn’t want that situation to hold him back from anything in his season at The Bachelor. “This is your one chance, don’t let something you said two years ago…”
They said goodbye and  wished each other well.

With three roses on the table, Corinne was the odd one out. Raven, Vanessa, and Rachel all received roses. Nick told Corinne that he was going to “miss the hell out of her” and Corinne wished him good luck. In the limo she cried and said that she felt that her heart was not going to be repaired. She questioned why she couldn’t have a normal relationship. She said that she was done, trying to show men how much she loved, worshiped and supported them. She was done trying to impress men. After her little private rant, she went to sleep.

The group flew off to Finland and Raven had the first date with Nick. The couple  shared a helicopter tour of Urho Kekkonen National Park in Lapland, Finland.

Photo by Daniel Ernst

Later that night they played darts at Local Pub Panimo at the Saariselkä Inn. She said that Nick has a way of making her feel special and she could see herself with Nick. Nick said that being with her makes him feel excited and crazy in a fun way. He said that everytime he’s with her he falls harder and harder for her.

Raven wanted to know how things went with her parents and Nick told her that they were very welcoming. Raven said that she was very close to her father and liked that Nick was there when she found out that he was cancer free. Raven said it was a big turn off for her if a guy was not close to his mother, and Nick said that although he’s very close to his mother, he chooses women who are not like her. He likes women with a little “edge.” He wants a woman who challenges him and keeps him on his toes. Then they talked about domestic duties, jokingly. Raven told Nick and the world that she can’t cook, and Nick asked her if she could fold clothes. She owns a clothing store. He volunteered to cook and iron. Raven offered to introduce him to a steamer.

They talked about the Fantasy Suite. Raven was concerned about having sex with Nick and telling him that she loved him. She was afraid that it wouldn’t be reciprocated. She told the cameras that she’d only had sex with one person and she didn’t have an orgasm with him. She dated him for two years.

They went to beautifully decorated cabin for drinks. That’s when Raven told Nick that she was a big skeptic when she first joined the show, but she started to have deeper feelings for him. She said it was a comforting feeling that she’d never felt. She said it was easy to see him as a partner and with every step of the way he made it easy for her to love him. She said that it would be the worst thing to not tell him.

Nick called it one of the best professions of love that he’d heard. Nick kissed her and Raven believed that he loved her, too. Next, the Fantasy Suite card came out and Raven said that it was more meaningful for her since she had only been with one guy. She reminded him that she’d only been with one person and she hadn’t had an orgasm before. Nick turned red and was at a lost for words.

Nick said that not sleeping with them might give him a clear head.
Next week, will be three-hours of The Bachelor. Rachel hadn’t told Nick that she loved him. Vanessa might have had some misgivings. The women’s tell-all episode is after the show. The drama between Taylor and Corinne continues.

The Bachelor Travel Destination Focus Accommodation: Lapland Hotels Riekonlinna

Lapland Hotels Riekonlinn was the filming destination for the episode that aired on February 27, 2017. The hotel, located in Saariselkä, is only one of the Finland accommodation options, from Lapland Hotels, and Lapland is anticipating a new Lapland Hotel in Helsinki in 2018.

As for Lapland Hotels Riekonlinn is concerned, the hotel has honeymoon packages for about $3,674  per couple for a two night package in the summer months and autumn months and $4,033 per couple for a two nigh package in the winter.

The Bachelor Travel Destination Focus: Finland

Photo by Marku Kiili /Visit Finland

Photo by Markus Kiili/Visit Finland

Photo by Markus Kiili/Visit Finland

Corinne and Taylor had a confrontation in Week 4 of The Bachelor, which aired on January 23, 2017.  The episode began with a rose ceremony, Brittany Farrar and Christen were the unlucky women who didn’t get a rose. As a surprise, the  group finally had their first trip.  They went to Waukesha, Wisconsin, Nick Viall’s hometown.

Danielle Lombard got a one-on-one date with Nick. The went to the Sweeter Side of the Deli in Waukesha, where they decorated cookies.

On the way from the Sweeter Side, the couple conveniently ran into Amber, one of Nick’s exes. They’d dated a few months. Amber was gracious enough to allow Danielle to ask her questions about Nick (with Nick sitting right there). Danielle asked her why Nick was still single, and Amber said that if Nick wasn’t feeling anything with a person, he’d end the relationship.

The couple had dinner at the Iron Horse Hotel, and Danielle revealed that she caught her ex-boyfriend having sex with another woman. Danielle was so irate that she hit him in the head with his lover’s shoe.

Nick had a special surprise for Danielle L. after dinner. He took her to another venue where a crowd of screaming fans greeted them and Chris Lane serenaded them.

The Iron Horse Hotel

Photo courtesy of ABC/George Burns

Photo courtesy of ABC/George Burns

Back at the house, the other women received a date card for a group date. Rachel Lindsay, Alexis Waters, Vanessa Grimaldi, Jasmine Goode, Jaime King, Sarah Vendal, Whitney Fransway, Kristina Schulman, Astrid Loch, Taylor Nolan, Josephine Tutman, Danielle Maltby, and Corinne Olympios were on the group date. So, that left Raven Gates to go on the second one-on-one date with Nick. Of course, she was not only happy that she was going on an private date with Nick, but she was also thrilled that Corinne wasn’t chosen for the group date.

The women went to a dairy farm where they had to shovel manure. Corinne complained about everything from the flies to the smell she bowed out of the shoveling and isolated herself. The other women were irritated that Corinne was not participating in another activity. They talked about her behind her back and gave her the cold shoulder.

During their date, Raven and Nick played on the soccer field with Nick’s younger sister. Raven met Nick’s parents after they finished playing.  Later, Nick, Raven, and Bella went to the Skate Land skating rink where they goofed around on roller skates.  Raven and Nick dined at the Milwaukee Art Museum.

Milwaukee Museum of Art

Corinne decided to confront the women. They gathered together and voiced their concerns. The women were angry that Corinne was not involved in the activities, and Corinne was irritated that they were irritated with her. Taylor was pretty vocal about how she felt about Corinne’s maturity level. It all came down to Taylor and Corinne talking about their differences. Taylor said that she had a lower level of emotional intelligence. Corinne interpreted that as a slur against her intelligence. Taylor also said that she felt that Corinne was not mature nor did she have enough coping skills to have a fulfilling relationship. Corinne interpreted that as Taylor calling her an idiot, and she said on camera that she wanted to punch Taylor in the face. Apparently, next week one of the women is going to be gone, so the feud between Corinne and Taylor continues.

After Liz Sandoz was sent home from The Bachelor group date, Nick Viall had no choice but to tell the other women the backstory. After Nick drops the bomb, some of the women became suspicious of his intentions. There was no rose ceremony in last week’s episode, but this week (Week Three) three women were eliminated. The episode aired on January 15, 2017.

Elizabeth Whitelaw, Lacey Mark, and Hailey Merkt didn’t get a rose and were sent home this week on The Bachelor.

Keep up with The Women Who Were Eliminated

Corinne had the not-so-wise idea to show up during the cocktail party wearing nothing but a coat. It didn’t go over so well, because Nick didn’t want to offend the other women. Corinne cried in her room, and went to sleep instead of attending the rose ceremony.

There were two group dates, one group had a field day with Nick, and a group of luck bachelorettes participated in a Backstreet Boys show.  The women who went on the Everybody group date, featuring the Backstreet Boys, were:

• Danielle Lombard
• Christen Whitney
• Kristina Schulman
• Taylor Nolan
• Jasmine Goode
• Corinne Olympios

Danielle Lombard did so well in the dance routine that she was chosen to dance on stage with Nick and be serenaded. She also got the group date rose.

One lucky lady, Vanessa Grimaldi had a dream date with Nick and a Zero G plane was involved, so they experienced the same weightlessness that astronauts experience. It was cool, however, Vanessa ended up feeling sick to her stomach and puked a couple of times. Nick held her and told her that he had an amazing time. He kissed her and said that she tasted fine.

Nick had a romantic dinner with Vanessa in the tallest building in L.A. Vanessa and Nick have close relationships with their family. Vanessa’s grandfather died three weeks before she came on the show.

The second group date was a field day trip, which included:

• Rachel Lindsay
• Alexis Waters
• Astrid Loch
• Jaimi King
• Sarah Vendal
• Brittany Farrar
• Dominique Alexis

Rachel won the race that they had in the competition, but she wasn’t able to grab the large engagement ring at the end of the race. Astrid came up and grabbed it, earning her time in a hot tub with Nick.

Rachel won the group date rose, and Dominique was sent home during this group date, because her relationship with Nick wasn’t progressing, and there were no sparks.

Finally, there was a pool party and Corinne took up a lot of time, jumping around with Nick in a bouncy castle. The other women were frustrated, because they didn’t think that Corinne was wife material. Raven and some of the other women told him that she wasn’t right for him. Vanessa was so upset that she didn’t want to continue if Corinne was still in the picture.  Maybe Vanessa was the first person to ask The Bachelor if he was looking for a wife or just wanted to f*** around.

Flights for the Zero-G plane are $4950 per person (not including tax).

Playing the Field Date

ALEXIS, CARL LEWIS, DOMINIQUE, SARAH, RACHEL, MICHELLE CARTER, JAIMI, ALLYSON FELIX, BRITTANY photo by (ABC/Rick Rowell Nick drops a bomb episode)

RACHEL, ASTRID, ALEXIS photo by (ABC/Rick Rowell; Nick Drops a Bomb episode)

Image of ASTRID, RACHEL, ALEXIS, JAIMI by ABC/Rick Rowell

ASTRID, SARAH h ABC/Rick Rowell

SARAH, DOMINIQUE, BRITTANY, JAIMI photo by ABC/Rick Rowell

Liz Sandoz was eliminated during a group date and Corinne Olympios went topless during her group date on The Bachelor episode that appeared on Monday, January 9, 2017 on ABC.

The women on The Bachelor went on two group dates. The first group date took the women to a themed bridal photo shoot. While most of the women were brides, a few were bridesmaids.    The brides represented looks like the Shotgun Bride for Alexis Loch; the Princess Bride was represented by Taylor Noland; Brittany Frerrar was Eve for the Adam and Eve bridal shoot, and Corinne was the Beach Bride. Brittany’s costume consisted of a bikini bottom with leaves covering it and nothing else.

Most of the women commented on slim Brittany’s figure, and that made Corinne jealous. She wanted to get in on the act, so she removed her bikini top during the shoot for the beach bride photos to get Nick’s attention. The other women didn’t like her move, but Nick apparently did, because he gave Corinne the group rose.

In the second group date, the women accompanied Nick to the Museum of Broken Relations in Los Angeles. The group saw items that couples left to represent their split-ups, including Nick’s rose and the engagement ring he’d picked out just before he was rejected. They also watched a dramatic performance of a break-up. Then, it was time for the women to put on their own break-up performance with Nick, so each of them stood in front of the group, had an argument with Nick, and broke up with him.

Many of the break-ups were funny. They broke up with him for not washing the dishes and leaving his clothes around the house, for staying out too late, etc., but when Liz broke up with Nick, she relayed how she met him at a party, had a good time with him, and wanted to break up with him because he didn’t seem to be into her. Liz’s story was true, but the other women didn’t know that for sure. They had their suspicions, however.
Only Christen Whitney knew the truth, because Liz, feeling stressed out about the entire situation, told Christian everything, even down to the intermittent sex sessions they had throughout the night of Jade and Tanner’s wedding. After participating in Liz’s break-up dramatization during the group date, Nick couldn’t help but feel the tension and wondered out loud if Liz had told anyone about their wedding night romp.

So, during the evening of the group date, he tried to feel the women out during his conversations with them. Once he spoke with Christen (who promised Liz that she wouldn’t repeat what she was told) the woman sung like a bird and told Nick that she knew that he’d hooked up with Liz. Nick had a conversation with Liz and didn’t like her reasons as to why she didn’t try to contact him after they got together eight months before.

Liz blamed Bachelor in Paradise and said that she just thought that Nick didn’t want to pursue anything, although he had asked for her number and she didn’t give it to him. Nick eliminated Liz Sandoz right then, during their private conversation on the group date.

Nick had his one-on-one date with Danielle M. The two took a helicopter to a yacht, and later that night, they had dinner in the town of Balboa. Danielle revealed that her finacé was a drug user and she didn’t even know it until she found him dead.

Brides and bridesmaids, ALEXIS LOCH, BRITTANY FARRAR, LACEY MARK, CORINNE OLYMPIOS, ELIZABETH WHITELAW, DANIELLE LOMBARD, HAILEY MERKT, RAVEN GATES, JASMINE GOODE, VANESSA GRIMALDI

ABC/Rick Rowell TAYLOR

Taylor Nolan looked like a princes in her princess bridal gown.

TAYLOR NOLAN AND NICK VIALL, by ABC/Rick Rowell

ABC/Rick Rowell ELIZABETH W., JASMINE G., RAVEN

ABC/Rick Rowell NICK VIALL, SARAH

Sarah Vendal and Nick had a lot of fun as a couple getting married in Las Vegas.

ABC/Rick Rowell ALEXIS LOCH, NICK VIALL

Alexis Loch took her depiction of the Shotgun Bride to the next level.

BRITTANY FARRAR, NICK VIALL by ABC/Rick Rowell

Brittany Farrar showed off her impressive, toned physique as Eve in the Adam and Eve bride.

Corinne won a special photo with Nick since he selected her for the group rose.

Nick and Danielle’s One-on-One Date

Photo by ABC/Rick Rowell

For their one-on-one date, Nick Viall and Danielle M. took a helicopter to a yacht, where they enjoyed a sexy hot tub together.

Photo by ABC/Rick Rowell

We’ve Got to Talk Group Date

Photo by ABC/Rick Rowell

Nick talked about his own break-ups on The Bachelor and showed the women the rose and engagement ring on display at the museum.

Photo by ABC/Rick Rowell

The Bachelor candidates overheard a mock break-up argument while at the museum.