Atlanta's Andi Dorfman and fiance Josh Murray were able to keep the flames alive over the past ten weeks by sneaking into each other's homes wearing disguises and trying their darndest to be discreet to friends and family.
Finally, they can be open about it now that their engagement has been officially announced on "The Bachelorette" last night.
On both a press conference and a separate interview today while they were doing press in New York City, I learned that after all those exotic dates on the beach and in foreign lands, they plan to do more mundane Atlanta-centric activities like having a picnic at Piedmont Park with the dogs or dinner out at Hals Steakhouse. They are going to look for a place to live together in Buckhead or Brookhaven and have no immediate plans to leave Atlanta. They are going to get their parents together to meet for the first time. And they are planning a wedding that may go off as early as spring, 2015.
Credit: Rodney Ho
Credit: Rodney Ho
In many ways, this combo was the worst-kept secret on reality TV. People would go up to her and tell her they were on Team Josh all the time.
"Hearing all this support for Josh, it was hard for me to keep a straight face. It made it tough for me but it worked out," she said.
And given that Andi had narrowed it down between Josh and the arrogant, pitiably unlikable Nick Viall, it made it even more obvious who was the better fit.
Nick expressed his love for Andi loud and clear so he was clearly hurt by the rejection. During the live after show last night, Nick added a new level of awkwardness when he revealed he and Andi had slept together during the "fantasy suite" night, something she didn't expect him to offer up in public.
He said he didn't mean to reveal that information but it was weighing heavily on his mind, which is why he blurted it out.
Andi wasn't mollified by that. "I think there are some things we know should not be said in a live audience with families. I left it all in L.A. and in the Dominican Republican. I'm happy in New York with my fiance!"
Josh was a wee bit harsher: "To be honest, it was very classless and disrespectful. It just shows the type of person he really is. I don't associate myself with Nick. That's over and he's of no concern to us or our lives."
She did ultimately read the letter Nick gave her weeks earlier through host Chris Harrison but said whatever efforts he made to change her mind didn't have any effect on her. Her decision was made. (Here's Nick's letter ABC posted on Facebook.)
Nick was also befuddled how cold and lacking in empathy she was on the live show when they finally met up again face to face. In her mind, Andi said she just tried to be "respectful" to all the guys when turning them down including Nick. The good news: her chilly demeanor gave him a certain level of "closure" and he's now finally starting to get over her.
Ultimately, she never loved Nick. She sure tried. But it never went that way for her.
Here are some other factoids I picked up:
Credit: Rodney Ho
Credit: Rodney Ho
Andi had hope about finding true love coming in: "I came in hopeful but I wasn't going to force it." After meeting the 25, she said her hope went through the roof - including Josh, of course.
What type of wedding they'd like: Andi hopes it will be "fun and lighthearted with plenty of good food. Josh loves to eat!"
What Andi likes about Josh that she feels is different from her and complements her: "To not sweat the small stuff. I get a little uptight. Josh has the ability to laugh things off."
First planned vacation without cameras? Josh: "I don't know. Just getting back to Atlanta and enjoy a couple of days relaxing. We have been on so many vacations already!"
Andi's job aspirations: "I haven't given it a lot of thought. It's been a complete whirlwind. I still need to unpack my suitcase. But I definitely want to stay in the legal field. I loved my job at the district attorney's office. I would go back."
Matchmaker, matchmaker: The same casting director (who they said was named Sandy) helped select both Andi and Josh.
Credit: Rodney Ho
Credit: Rodney Ho
Josh came in with no gimmicks in mind: While folks like Cody tried to make a first impression by doing something unusual (he pretended to push the limo up the walk to show off his fitness), Josh just came up to her and simply mentioned they were both from Atlanta, hoping that would help them make a connection. That worked just fine.
Josh kept his eye on the prize: He said he never saw the other guys as competition. He just focused on his relationship with Andi. Nick acknowledged seeing the connection the two had after the fact while watching the program back but that didn't negate in his mind his connection with her, too.
Josh fast-forwarded moments where the other guys were kissing or dating Andi: He said he only watched the one-on-one dates with him and the group interactions with the guys. Nick? He watched every minute - except Josh's proposal to Andi in the final minutes last night. That was too painful.
Andi purposely played hard to get on the show with Josh: She said she Josh him at bay as long as she could and didn't give him a one-on-one date for several episodes: "I wanted to make him sweat it out. I had to make him work for it."
When Josh knew she was the one: "When we shared our first kiss, I knew we had something special in the future. When we had our hometown dates, that's when I truly fell in love."
Andi knew it was special from the get go: "In hindsight, it was love at first sight. In the moment, I just had this feeling. It really took every rose ceremony and every date to put my finger on what I was feeling. At the proposal. I didn't know until the very end it was love. It was love the whole time."
Credit: Rodney Ho
Credit: Rodney Ho
Why Josh is a financial advisor (including his brother Aaron, drafted by the Kansas City Chiefs): "After all my injuries in baseball and football, I couldn't play anything except golf. I love taking care of people. I love helping people in general secure their financial future. And I wanted to help my brother."
Josh wasn't a big 'Bachelor" viewer until he knew he was joining "The Bachelorette." He noticed Andi as the "feisty one, which I loved... I found her very attractive but tried to come in with no preconceived notions."
The next "Bachelor": Both Josh and Andi are rooting for Chris Soule, the farmer. Reporters asked Nick if he'd accept such an offer. He said he'd be flattered but wasn't sure. (In reality, no way would the producers pick Nick as their bachelor because he is so fundamentally unpleasant to watch and root for.)
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