Another dramatic season of The Bachelor has officially wrapped up, and we finally have a winner—or should we say, a fiancée. Grant Ellis has spent weeks navigating love, heartbreak, and reality TV chaos, and now, after much deliberation (and way too much airtime), he has chosen Juliana Pasquarosa as the woman he wants to get engaged to. However, as the dust settles on The Bachelor Season 29 finale, one glaring issue has left fans collectively groaning: Why on earth was it three hours long?
The Never-Ending Finale: More Filler Than Substance
Let's be real—Bachelor Nation knew from the get-go that Grant Ellis was torn between his final two women, Juliana Pasquarosa and Litia Garr. But other than the final decision itself, there were no shocking twists, no jaw-dropping revelations, and certainly nothing that justified stretching the finale into a marathon event. Instead, viewers were subjected to an endless loop of unnecessary segments, redundant reflections, and an absurd number of commercials.
At this point, it feels like The Bachelor finales are less about delivering quality content and more about how much ABC can milk their primetime slot. One fan summed it up perfectly:
"Me watching this 3-hour finale knowing everything could be finished in an hour."
Walking... And Walking... And Walking
One of the most frustrating parts of the finale was the blatant time-wasting tactics. A prime example? When Juliana finally met up with Grant Ellis to see his family, producers decided it was essential to show her walking... from a mile away. For a full 30 seconds. Yes, thirty. Now, that might not sound like much, but when you’re only twenty minutes into a three-hour show and already feeling the drag, it’s a sign of a long night ahead.
And if you thought that was bad, host Jesse Palmer added to the bloat by bringing on former Bachelor and Bachelorette stars Charity Lawson, Clayton Echard, and Gerry Turner to discuss Grant saying "I love you" to both of his final two women. While their insights might have been interesting in another context, it felt like pure filler—especially when considering Bachelor Nation's mixed feelings about Clayton and Gerry. Fans were quick to call it out:
"This segment could’ve been an email—and it should’ve gone to spam."
ABC, Are You Listening? We Have Jobs!
Not to sound too dramatic, but most of us don’t have the luxury of staying up late on a Monday night just to sit through fluff. Three-hour movies are already a tough sell, let alone a reality TV finale that could easily be condensed. As one exhausted fan put it:
"Me when I realize The Bachelor finale is three hours long and I have a 9-5 job to wake up for tomorrow."
And let’s not forget, ABC already proved they can do better! Joan Vassos' Golden Bachelorette finale was a crisp, well-paced 90 minutes. It covered everything it needed to without dragging the audience through a montage of things they already saw earlier in the season. There weren’t endless ads, unnecessary emotional build-ups, or host-driven moments that added little to the actual storyline. So why is The Bachelor still stuck in this outdated format?
Fans Are Over It
We’re not the only ones fed up with the bloated finales. Social media erupted with complaints about the over-the-top runtime:
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"But 3 hours of this? 🤦♀️" – @johnson_jadelyn
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"ABC has to have these dumb fillers to make it 3 hours." – @cerenitey
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"Three-hour Bachelor finale. There’s just no need for this." – @MikeNash15
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"Does this have to be 3 hours? Asking for a friend." – @TVShowsAce
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"I feel like I say this every season, but 3 hours is completely ridiculous." – @diajahk
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"There is no reason why this finale is 3 hours long, really dragging out this proposal." – @Melisa__C
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"This finale could’ve been an hour." – @dimonesryder
Time for a Change
The Bachelor franchise has been around long enough to know what works and what doesn't. Viewers tune in for romance, drama, and the big final proposal—not for an unnecessary rehash of things they’ve already seen. ABC needs to take a hint from The Golden Bachelorette and trim the fat on future finales.
At the end of the day, all we really needed was a solid hour of Grant making his final choice, a heartwarming proposal (or heartbreak), and maybe a little behind-the-scenes insight. What we didn’t need was an extended, padded-out special that left Bachelor Nation reaching for the fast-forward button.
If ABC really wants to keep fans engaged, it's time to rethink these over-the-top finales. Because let’s be honest—no one needs three hours of The Bachelor when one will do just fine.
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