By Charlene Bert, Executive Editor, GalTime.com

So, you sign up for The Bachelor to compete against 26 other women because the guy to go after is a suave, Venezuelan former soccer hottie.

Plus, THAT ACCENT!!
Yes, just saying the name Juan Pablo conjures up visions of exotic dates and sweep-you-off-your-feet romance.

Well, when it comes to Juan Pablo Galavis, all may not be as it seems underneath the cutie exterior.

That was the case last night… during the finale. It was down to Clare Crawley and Nikki Ferrell… a bit anti-climactic since it had seemed for a long time that neither was his top pick (unless you count his night in the ocean with Clare when things, well, happened…and then JP backtracked, basically telling Clare it was a mistake.)

Also See: Will Oprah’s Show on Lindsay Lohan Make or Break the Embattled Starlet?

Whatever happened to bring it to the final two, Juan Pablo was left to woo Clare and Nikki.

Warnings From Mom

They both meet his family and, in the strangest meet-and-greet in Bachelor history, the family actually warned both about Juan Pablo’s “ways.”

His mom declares to Clare that her son can be “rude”….and when Clare laughed it off and said she knows because he made her cry, The Bachelor’s mom said, “Me, too!” WHAT?!! Count that as RED FLAG #101 in this bizarre season.

Then, JP’s cousin and bestie tells both women that Juan runs when things get tough… and he wanted to know if the women were willing to deal with that and are strong enough to “hold on.” Um, the women should have come to meet the family with running shoes on to help them flee as fast as humanly possible.

But, in typical TV fashion, the women smiled (In their defense, there are cameras watching their every reaction) and looked forward to their final date before, fingers crossed, a proposal.

Related: Juan Pablo’s Fantasy Suite Nightmare

Final Date Alarms

On the final dates, though— alarm bells everywhere. Clare gets upset when Juan says something to her during a helicopter trip around St. Lucia outside of the view of cameras and with no microphones. Apparently, when he had a chance to say anything to Clare— anything at all— he didn’t choose to tell her he loved her or that he can’t wait to be with her. No, the no-filter Bachelor proceeds to tell her, according to Clare, that they don’t really know each other but that he had fun hooking up with her. Way to turn on the charm, Juan Pablo!

That night, he just wants to kiss her….like he always does. She stopped him in the beginning, and he seemed pissed off. I mean, come on, aren’t they all there to throw themselves at him?

On Nikki’s final date, Juan talks more about what he would do ALONE after the show than he did about a life with her— or anyone. The worried look on Nikki’s face should’ve said it all.

The Final Rose

Still, both women ended up getting dolled up for the final rose ceremony. Why, we’re not sure…but we’re guessing ABC needed a full two hour finale so — you know— you do what you gotta do.

First to arrive in a boat to the St Lucia beach for a (hopefully) scripted dream ending… Clare. (We’re wondering whose idea it was to transport women in expensive gowns with mega hair and makeup by boat. Can you say ‘wind hair’?)

He quickly told Clare that he liked her, but that he had to do what he had to do and the result: BYE, BYE. He went to kiss her and she stopped him– to the instant applause of the live studio audience. She told him he had led her on…and that she would never want her children to have a father like him.

His reaction— to the cameras? “I’m glad I didn’t pick her.” We’re not kidding. No emotion, no regret. Mean. Cold. Gross.

Then, THE BIG MOMENT. The sole survivor, Nikki, arrives. Yes, she looked beautiful. (Clare did, too.) You could tell it was nerve-wracking. Of course it would be. But, it was the ending that is so bizarre.

He told Nikki that she was the one he picked, but that he wasn’t going to use the Neil Lane rock in his pocket because, during the hometown dates, Nikki’s dad had told JP that anyone who proposed to his daughter needed to be 100% sure. He tells her that he is NOT 100% sure, “but I like you– a lot.”

I LIKE YOU A LOT.

Wow, thanks, pal!

Nikki accepted the rose anyway (maybe she was caught up in the moment)…. and on the LIVE After the Final Rose, she said she was deeply in love. When Chris Harrison asked Juan Pablo if he was in love? He said he refused to answer.

Oh, Nikki… if you watch the entire season back and you still think you have a keeper on your hands? Call us. We’ll have a great girls’ night and help you find your self esteem. We are here for you, girlfriend!

JP…not so much.

Photo: Courtesy PR Photos

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This article first appeared on GalTime.com: http://www.galtime.com/story/24938946/juan-pablo-i-like-you-a-lot