The Bachelorette/ABC
Emily Maynard looks at her final rose to hand out during the season finale of 'The Bachelorette.'
It must've been the puppets that did the trick.
Emily Maynard faced the tough task of choosing between her two remaining men - race car driver Arie and entrepreneur Jef - on the season finale of "The Bachelorette" Sunday night, and her ultimate decision didn't come without more than this season's share of ugly cries.
Luckily for her, Jef was there to wipe away her tears - with the help of young Ricki's stuffed animals, of course.
That's right, good ole Jef (with one "F") was given the rare opportunity to meet Emily's precious 6-year-old daughter prior to the momentous proposal day, a gesture that spoke volumes about Emily's confidence in their relationship.
So did poor Arie ever stand a chance?
The short answer: Not really.
Emily kicks off the last leg of her journey in Curacao, where her parents and brother are flying in to meet her and her two reality show suitors.
The single mom worries about what her family - mom Suzy, dad David, brother Ernie and future sister-in-law Bethenny - will think of Arie and Jef, because she's been having some trouble in the decision-making department recently, and their opinion could make or break either of her relationships.
No pressure or anything.
Jef is the first guy up to bat, and saunters over to the family's borrowed Curacao palace in a plain white T-shirt, pompadour billowing in the wind, flowers firmly in hand.
After a few curt introductions, Suzy steals Jef away to have a chat with the happy entrepreneur.
"There's not a single ounce of me that would leave her ever," he reassures Emily's lookalike mother, which is exactly what Suzy needs to hear.
Now onto gruff-looking brother Ernie, whose expression finally softens after Jef launches into the grand inquisition, turning the tables on him and asking why Emily's past love connections never took root.
The answer: Because since Ricky, Emily hasn't really found anyone who measured up to her former fiance. And because of that, no man had ever gotten so far past the bastion of approval as One F has right now.
He beams.
The last hurdle to tackle is Emily's dad David, who readily smiles after Jef formally asks for Emily's hand in marriage. Looks like Jef's well on his way to non-bachelorhood!
Arie, on the other hand, has a very tough act to follow.
After Jef's outstanding rapport with Emily's family, they are skeptical about another man, and David even quips that he doesn't know why they're just going through the actions of meeting another guy when Emily's mind is already clearly made up.
