The 7 Most Dramatic The Bachelor Finale Moments of All Time

Every season on The Bachelor and The Bachelorette, Chris Harrison says the finale is going to be the most dramatic one ever. But this season, by all accounts, he's not exaggerating. It's one of the most-hyped finales the franchise has ever had, and apparently so much is going to happen that the saga of Arie Luyendyk Jr. and Becca and Lauren will be spread over two nights to cover all the fallout.

Next week, there could very well be a new Most Dramatic Moment in Bachelor and Bachelorette Finale History. To provide some historical context and get you in the mood for what's about to happen, these are the current franchise finale moments that made us drop our jaws and shake our heads.

1. Jason Mesnick dumps Melissa for Molly

This is the current title holder on any list of crazy Bachelor finale moments, and a strong contender for the craziest thing that's ever happened on the show. 2009's Bachelor Jason Mesnick realized he had given his final rose to the wrong woman, and so he broke up with Melissa Rycroft and reunited with his runner-up, Molly Malaney. Jason and Molly have been married for eight years and have two children together. It all worked out, but Jason regrets breaking up with Melissa how he did.

2. Brad Womack chooses no one

Brad Womack remains the only Bachelor to dump both of his final two, and his breakup with future Bachelorette DeAnna Pappas remains brutally uncomfortable television. "I can't look you in the eye and tell you that I love you," he said. "I can't. I have to tell you goodbye." Brad sitting alone looking like the saddest person in the world is one of the franchise's most enduring images. He eventually came back for a second season and chose Emily Maynard, who became the Bachelorette after they broke up.

3. Nick puts Andi's business out there

Nick Viall ended his first stint on The Bachelorette by not being chosen by Andi Dorfman. His After the Final Rose reunion with Andi made him Bachelor Nation Public Enemy #1 when he asked her, "If you weren't in love with me, I'm just not sure why you made love with me?" He was accused of slut-shaming her, trying to make her feel guilty for having sex outside of a committed relationship. But what was really shocking was the taboo-breaking direct acknowledgment of what goes on in the fantasy suites. The show didn't really talk about sex before that, and it's more honest about it now.

4. Nick and Vanessa seem so unhappy

On Nick's season of The Bachelor, he chose Vanessa Grimaldi. They had had a bit of a tumultuous relationship on the show, and by the time they went public on After the Final Rose, it was clear that all was not well between them. They looked so uncomfortable together, and talked about how difficult things had been. It was depressing. They broke up five months later.

5. Nikki admits Juan Pablo isn't in love with her

In 2014, notoriously awful Bachelor Juan Pablo Galavis didn't propose or say "I love you" to his final rose recipient Nikki Ferrell. When Nikki returned for After the Final Rose, she admitted that Juan Pablo still hadn't said he loved her several months later. The whole thing read like a woman defending a man who didn't care about her. So it was a relief when they split a few months later. Nikki deserved better. (And she found better; she married a normal guy named Tyler Vanloo in 2016.)

6. Rachel and Peter's unsatisfying reunion

Last year on The Bachelorette, Rachel Lindsay and Peter Kraus seemed so in love, and Rachel breaking up with Peter over his inability to commit to a proposal was genuinely heart-wrenching. When they met again for the first time on After the Final Rose, their feelings remained raw. Peter said he still loved her, and Rachel seemed like she was trying to move on but was still hurt by what had happened. She told Peter that she didn't think the show was for him, which was a very shady, very prescient comment, considering that Peter couldn't commit to being The Bachelor, either.

7. Ben chooses the bad girl

The villain isn't supposed to win, but tradition was bucked in 2012 when Ben Flajnik chose mean girl Courtney Robertson over fan favorite Lindzi Cox on The Bachelor. People were shocked and appalled. Then on After the Final Rose, Ben revealed that he himself was appalled when he saw the show and how Courtney behaved, and that they'd broken up. But then they vowed to get back together and try to make it work. It didn't; they split for good soon after.

Will Arie unseat Mesnick at the top of this list? We'll find out on The Bachelor's two-part season finale, Monday and Tuesday at 8/7c on ABC.