And now, The Bachelor NZ's journey has come to an end for 2017, with Zac making his final decision between Viarni and Lily.
It's not all over though - tomorrow night on Three, the special Bachelor 'Women Tell All' episode will be broadcast at 7:30pm.
Newshub followed tonight's episode live - see what happened below:
8:30pm: Face to face with the couple in the Three media room, they're just as beautiful (and tall) in real life as they are on-screen. But there's a natural, tangible vibe you don't feel through TV; you can very easily see yourself out for a beer with the beautiful couple. Obviously, not on a fat day. And I'd want about four people between them and me in any photos. But you get the idea.
8:17pm: As Zac struggles to get his words out, even I'm getting choked up. But the question on everyone's lips: how is this not a proposal?
8:14pm: Which it means it's the girl everyone predicted from the start - the first woman to meet Zac is the last woman left. The "spark" between them has been undeniable; even I have to admit that. AND HE JUST WANTS TO HOLD HER HAND.
8:12pm: And there it is. My whole world has been crushed. It's not Lily, the free spirit, the wild child. The butterfly will no longer be caged. Thank God that hideous metaphor will go out with the girl. Also Zac - "still got some spreading to do"? Really? Bit much.
8:09pm: Here we go fam. The moment of truth. Somebody hold me... I feel sick to my stomach (possibly the block of blue vein I've just stress-eaten, but anyway).
8:03pm: Dom! We've been wondering where you were hiding! Just spending weeks preparing for this moment obviously.
8:01pm: Ooh! As scary sister Bre says, "lucky girls... well, girl". Ouch. No longer got a harem, Zac; you're getting down to the singular.
8:00pm: Time to pick the rings - rings that are diamond rings but not engagement rings, because Zac's not going to be proposing but instead promising himself to the final girl for an indefinite length of time, which is essentially the same thing with the same ring but without a wedding attached, leaving opportunity open for a future proposal that will probably be a lot more low-key compared to this, to be honest. Not confusing at all.
7:55pm: Zac is showing his interest in clinical psychology, with hard-hitting questions like: "How do you feel about things?" Don't delve too deep Zac, you don't want to hurt yourself. Lily isn't letting him get away with that though, straight back telling him: "I think you have a pretty good idea of how I feel." Her mama didn't raise a fool.
7:52pm: Lily set up and lit the fire, because she's a strong independent woman. It was a better effort than the time my flatmate threw an entire Yellow Pages on it because she thought it would ignite better. I guess what I'm saying is, Lily: be my flatmate.
7:49pm: Lily's turn for a final date now. Another absolutely freezing date, the two are getting saturated with sea spray. Zac is looking like a hell of a finalist in a wet shirt competition though.
7:39pm: Secret cameras were all the go - in fact, there was even a drone hovering above them. I hope they have a permit. Easily the most heart-stopping moment of the whole date was Zac calling Viarni "sweetheart". It caused V to have a mini panic attack, almost as reactionary as the "erghh no!" I just accidentally let slip out loud.
7:37pm: Let's be honest, it looks fricking freezing - Viarni will be hella regretting that shirt. If someone took me for a romantic walk up a foggy hill with nobody else around, I might be dropping a pin into maps and sending it to Mum. Just as a precaution.
7:33pm: The final dates - arguably the most iconic of Bachelor moments. Zac is holding onto Viarni's waist for an uncomfortably long length of time. Please let go Zac, I'm begging you. Watching the pair kiss through the Go-Pro in the car kind of makes you feel like you're Norman Bates watching them through a hole in the wall in a creepy roadside hotel.
7:27pm: Time for terrifying Brearna to give her feedback. She thinks Viarni is "a little bit too perfect" - definitely a criticism I face in my daily life. But on that challenging Lily call, I'm 100 percent with ya sister. Brearna thinks Zac has a love of love-at-first-sight, after the great love of Debbie and Wayne. And Zac says their situations are definitely similar. Reality television was definitely hitting its stride in the '80s, that's for sure.
7:24pm: Zac's mum Debbie straight in with the kids question, holy smokes. I think we can measure answers by the Debbie tea-chug-a-mater, which I would quite like to use all through the rest of my life to judge my own actions.
7:21pm: And now it's perfect Viarni's turn. It seems in the absence of Claudia, Viarni has stepped in with a 'what the f**k is happening here' dye job. Is it red, orange, yellow - what is it Viarni? Make your mind up.
7:19pm: Everyone is acting like Lily is the lucky one for getting a cuddle with little Bayleigh, and don't get me wrong the girl is cute as heck - but have you seen the sandwich Zac is eating? Looks like an absolute treat, like who is the real winner here? IDK.
7:17pm: Any time a young woman says "it's so nice to talk to you!" in the tone of voice both Bre and Lily just used - it means it probably isn't. That tone is the definition of passive-aggressive. I know this, because I use it myself. A lot.
7:13pm: Zac's sister Bre is one of the more terrifying individuals I've ever seen in my life. Any time jungle theme music plays as you speak is probably not a great reflection of you as a person.
7:12pm: Oh no, please for the love of God don't have a deep and meaningful chat on a bed. I've been to enough house parties involving deep and meaningful chats on the bed to know it's the absolute worst. Got to hold yourself up with minimal core strength, where do you put your hands, you're always slouching and you end up spilling your drink down yourself from lack of balance. Keep it together Lily!
7:10pm: God imagine if you were one of Zac's girlfriends and his mum didn't start crying. You'd be absolutely gutted.
7:08 pm: Aussie Lily is up first for the meeting - wearing a dress you would find if you typed 'what do I wear to meet the parents of my television boyfriend' into Google. "I'm a 20-year-old snowboard instructor".
7:06pm: Meet the parents - a moment so iconic they made a series of 2000s movies about it. Tonight the girls are meeting Zac's family, so they can help him decide who to dedicate the rest of his life to, and who to ruthlessly toss back like an undersized fish on a line.
7:03pm: You would be forgiven for thinking you had tuned into a particularly lame episode of Survivor, but no, it's The Bachelor NZ. With Viarni, Lily and Zac seemingly dropped in isolated yet not overly dangerous locations, left to navigate their way back to civilisation. Or... you would, if it wasn't for the swelling orchestral music letting us know romance is on the cards, rather than strategic alliances. The final episode of The Bachelor NZ has begun.
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Newshub.
