Rumors And Spoilers About Charity Lawson's Bachelorette Season And Finale
This article contains spoilers for "The Bachelorette" Season 20.
So far, Charity Lawson's season of "The Bachelorette" has kept audiences on the edge of their seats. The lead, Georgia native Charity Lawson, has dazzled us all with her lovely demeanor and perfect smile. And, the 25 men who were invited to vie for her heart on national television have proven no less resistant to her charm. Over the course of the season, things got heated as some of Charity's suitors got a little bit too competitive with each other. Brayden Bowers and Aaron Byrant even feuded over who was there "for the right reasons" — and almost got into a brawl.
Reflecting on the intensity of the first half of her season, Charity admitted to feeling a bit "overwhelmed" at times. As she told The Hollywood Reporter, at one point in the 3rd episode, she actually had to get ahold of herself and say, "OK, this is a lot more serious, and I have to do things and take the reins here."
Charity's approach is far from wrong. As she herself has declared, her goal is to find her husband — and drama does not exactly pave the way to romance. Luckily, the latter half of the season promises something more similar to a love story. Rumor has it that the coming episodes will involve intimate hometown dates, a mysterious comeback, and, yes, a proposal. Again, there are many major spoilers ahead, so carry on with caution.
Expect to see very few cocktail parties
Every season of "The Bachelorette" consists of at least one or two moments in which the lead is forced to cancel a cocktail party. Sometimes, the star of the show will take this step because group date drama has totally worn her out. But oftentimes, it seems that producers want to cancel these pre-rose ceremony social events just to add flames to the fire.
Interestingly, throughout Charity Lawson's season of "The Bachelorette," cocktail party cancellations appear to be happening left and right. In fact, our lead could go on to scratch every remaining cocktail party this season. The source of this information is none other than Charity herself. Indeed, before Season 20 even premiered, Charity took to Instagram and hinted that she was all about calling off these events. When one fan asked during a Q&A, "How many cocktail parties did you cancel?" Charity replied, "All of them."
While Charity appeared to be joking, she has canceled quite a few and could continue to do so. According to an analysis by Bachelor Data, Charity has scratched just over 80% of the pre-rose ceremony socials this season.
Where will Charity go for hometown dates?
Charity Lawson's season of "The Bachelorette" has not featured quite as many international trips as we have seen in the past. In contrast to Gabby Windey and Rachel Recchia's season, which included an international cruise that stopped in destinations like Paris, Bruges, and Amsterdam, Charity has not traveled with her men outside of the United States. During hometowns, the lead remains stateside, journeying to Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas, and California to meet each of the remaining men's families.
According to Reality Steve (via StyleCaster), Charity first visits with Xavier Bonner's family in Euclid, Ohio. Then, she heads to Phoenixville, Pennsylvania, with Joey Graziadei. Her third stop is Aaron Bryan's hometown of Katy, Texas. She wraps her journey up with a trip to Fresno, California, where she meets Dotun Olubeko's family.
So, what will the hometowns look like? Lucky for fans, there are some sneak peeks available online already. Per Entertainment Weekly, we know she hits a tennis court with Joey and his uncle. Evidently, Joey's uncle has serious doubts about his nephew's love connection, and he expresses said doubts. We also know that during Charity's trip to Texas, Aaron's mother wastes no time getting to the meat of the situation. Per Parade, Aaron's mom literally asks Charity if she'd accept her son's proposal right then and there. (Given the rumors about who made the top three, we can probably guess her answer.)
Charity's top three men
After the hometown dates, "The Bachelorette" star Charity Lawson cannot give a rose to all four of the men. So, who goes home? Well, as far as spoiler king Reality Steve is concerned, our leading lady eliminates Aaron Bryant after meeting his family. As of this writing, we don't know exactly why Charity decides to walk away from the early frontrunner. However, it seems Charity's connection with Aaron is not as strong as some of her other relationships.
As a result, Charity's final three appear to be Dotun Olubeko, Xavier Bonner, and Joey Graziadei. What's more, it looks like these men get to engage in a bit of international travel. Reality Steve reports that Charity and the contestants jet off to Fiji, where they enter one of the most trying phases of the whole season: overnight dates. As many "Bachelorette" super fans already know, this is when the men will get some off-camera time with Charity. Naturally, the overnight dates part of the show tends to be an intense moment for contestants on "The Bachelor" and "The Bachelorette" alike. (Who could forget Hannah Brown and Luke Parker's intense fantasy suites fight?)
We don't know if there will be any fantasy suites drama this season, but we do know the order: Per Reality Steve, Xavier will get the first overnight date, followed by Joey, and then Dotun.
Who comes back to ask Charity for a second chance?
Spoilers about Charity Lawson's season of "The Bachelorette" indicate that overnight dates will be far more dramatic than usual. Beyond the typical struggles of men grappling with jealousy, there could be another curveball that will add drama to the episode. As reported by Reality Steve, Aaron Bryant, who had been eliminated during hometowns, reportedly makes a surprise reappearance. According to the grapevine, Aaron actually flies out to Fiji to try to see if Charity will take him back.
Apparently, the contestant surprises Charity while she is relaxing poolside with producers. Unfortunately for him, it sounds like our leading lady is not thrilled to see him again and sends him packing once more. However, his time with Bachelor Nation may not be over: Per Reality Steve, Aaron apparently will be on "Bachelor in Paradise."
Of course, Aaron will not be the only man to go home during overnight dates. Rumor has it Xavier Bonner is eliminated that week, after demonstrating a failure to be in it for the long haul. "The Bachelorette" season trailer already hints at this issue, featuring Xavier as he confesses, "It scares me to commit to one person forever." Historically, this type of attitude has not done much for contestants — after all, this is a show about people who, ostensibly, are looking to find "the one."
Charity is believed to be engaged to Dotun
While the rumor mill suggests Xavier Bonner doesn't make it to the proposals, Dotun Olubeko apparently makes it all the way to the engagement. According to Reality Steve, this season of "The Bachelorette" ends with Charity Lawson saying "yes" to Dotun Olubeko. Based on the couple's incredible chemistry, this pairing makes sense. Let us not forget that Dotun made "Bachelor" franchise history when Charity invited him on two one-on-one dates in a row.
On an episode of the "Bachelor Happy Hour" podcast, Charity opened up about this unprecedented move. "With Dotun, we see him as someone who has this extreme emotional depth to him, and so our conversations, like on our first one-on-one date, are like that too," she said. Apparently, that initial emotional connection motivated Charity to ask Dotun out again. "When I'm with him, there are a lot of things we talk about and that I hadn't necessarily shared with a lot of the other people," she shared. "For me, that was stimulating in the sense that it left me wanting or craving for more."
Like many leads from the "Bachelor" franchise, Charity is reportedly hopeful that things with her beau work out. As she told The Hollywood Reporter, she was "intentional with everything" — including, of course, her final pick.
Fans already want Joey to be the next Bachelor
Inevitably, "The Bachelorette" Season 20 star Charity Lawson's engagement to Dotun Olubeko will mean heartbreak for her runner-up, Joey Graziadei. However, according to Reality Steve, Joey may not have too much to cry about. The Hawaii-based tennis pro has already garnered tons of attention from fans of "The Bachelorette." And, as the spoiler king noted on his blog, Joey "seems to have the biggest following of Charity's men and will be the sentimental favorite once Charity breaks up with him at final rose ceremony." All in all, this could be a good indication that Joey will be the next star of "The Bachelor," with even Reality Steve opining that "he's got a great shot."
While plenty of fans are rooting for Joey, there are no guarantees that he will be the next Bachelor — at least not as of the publication of this article. That being said, Joey clearly has what it takes to be a good lead; after all, he is the contestant who successfully planted a record-breaking kiss on Charity.