Who Does Emily Maynard Pick: The Bachelorette Comes Down to Jef and Arie

Culture

As the eighth season of The Bachelorette winds down, it is surprisingly unclear as to whether Emily Maynard will name Arie Luyendyk Jr. or Jef Holm as the man best fit to be her husband and father to her daughter Ricki. Most seasons, the winner is exceedingly obvious, just as Emily was the obvious choice in Brad Womack’s season of The Bachelor. However, this has not been the case this season.

Arie, a former Indy racecar driver, immediately stood out to Emily due to his likeness to her latefirst fiancé Joseph Riddick “Ricky” Hendrick, a racecar driver whom her daughter is named after. Arie was given one of the first one-on-one dates and was one of the first to kiss Emily. Most notably, however, he and Emily’s relationship is extremely physical, which accounts for the fact that they spend most of their time together kissing. Yet, despite his status in the final two, his journey to this point was not at all conventional.

In London, after Kalon McMahon, the villain of the season, called Ricki “baggage” in front of an entire group date of guys, Emily specifically confronted Arie for not sticking up for her more in the situation; he would later go on to sneak out of his hotel room in the subsequent episode to apologize to her (successfully). In Prague, it was revealed to viewers that Arie had previously been in a relationship with show producer Cassie Lambert, a friend of Emily; however, after talking it over, the situation was resolved. Finally, in last week’s episode in Curacao, she did not offer Arie the overnight date card, which is usually customary of the bachelor/bachelorette.

Will Arie and Emily drive off into the sunset?

Jef, an entrepreneur from Utah, also caught Emily’s eye early on this season; after all, how could she not love a guy who rides in on a skateboard upon meeting her. Jef was the king of the group date, participating in the first three group dates, earning two out of the three roses offered. However, he did not kiss the bachelorette until his first one-on-one date, which she has later gone on to say was the best she has ever had. His journey on the show has been practically flawless.

Unlike Arie, after Kalon’s “baggage” remark, Jef confronted and ridiculed him for demeaning Ricki and what she means to Emily. In Curacao, after Emily offered Jef a key to the fantasy suite, he politely refused out of respect for her, and their two families, which really impressed Emily. In short, he really has done nothing wrong.

Has Emily found Mr. Right in Jef?

Emily all along has said that she wants a guy with a bit of an edge, and I think that guy is undoubtedly Jef, my guess for who will win the show. From his hair to his style, he absolutely fits her bill. And, unlike Arie, there have been no red flags with respect to Jef, something that Emily should heavily take into account when making her final decision.

Although you will have to wait until next week to see who Emily picks, tonight is “The Men Tell All” episode, in which all those eliminated get to hash out this season’s drama and see Emily probably for the first time since the show. Don’t miss it tonight on ABC at 8:00 p.m. EDT.