'The Bachelorette': All Our Theories on Why Hannah Brown Might Not Be Engaged

Jared Haibon tells ET that Brown's second windmill reveal gives him pause, while neither of her men asked for permission to propose.

Hannah Brown is the first Bachelorette in years to not end up with the recipient of her first impression rose -- and it looks like she'll break another recent tradition as well. 

Fans have speculated that the 24-year-old pageant queen won't end her season engaged, and there's some pretty convincing evidence. Brown told ET from the beginning that didn't want to rush into an engagement if she didn't feel ready. She also said her heart gets broken this season, and Chris Harrison spilled even before her finale filmed that he wasn't sure a proposal was in the cards. 

On top of that, Brown's season has been plagued by off-camera drama, including rumors that she promised fans she'd get to the bottom of on Tuesday's live season finale. Ahead of the show, here's why we think Brown might not be engaged. 

The Rumors

Brown is down to two men, Tyler Cameron and Jed Wyatt, and one of them has a girlfriend scandal. Wyatt's ex, Haley Stevens, came forward to ET last month alleging that they were in a relationship when he went on The Bachelorette; she claimed that he planned to return to her after filming. 

It's been clear to fans from the beginning that her feelings for Wyatt were strong. Until Monday's episode, he was the only man she had told she was falling in love with. If she does end up with Wyatt, the promo doesn't exactly imply they're happily engaged... which brings us to our next point. 

The Big Finale Tease 

Monday's episode kicked off with a promo that showed Brown seemingly weeks after her finale, in a shot that gave us flashbacks to Arie Luyendyk Jr.'s shocking unedited breakup with his final pick, Becca Kufrin. Towards the end of Monday's live finale, Harrison questioned whether Brown received her "happy ending," before bringing out Brown herself. 

"The past couple of months have been really tough and emotional. I know there are a lot of rumors out there. Honestly, tomorrow night, I have a lot of questions that need to be answered," she said. 

Permission Not Even Being Requested 

Brown has been open about her faith, and her Christianity was again center stage on Monday's episode. Her father mentioned several times how he expects her future husband to provide for her in a traditional sense, and we'd be shocked if Brown didn't want the man she chose to ask her parents for permission to propose.

Neither Cameron nor Wyatt was seen asking for Brown's family's permission to get down on one knee, though as Bachelorette alum Jared Haibon noted on Roses and Rose Live, there might still be time for that. 

"Remember how Ben [Higgins] called Lauren [Bushnell's] dad? Maybe it's a moment like that," he told ET's Lauren Zima, reflecting on the season 20 Bachelor moment. 

The Extra Windmill Reveal 

Haibon's note doesn't mean he thinks Brown gets engaged at the end of this. In fact, he thinks the opposite, based on her additional windmill reveal during Monday night's episode. Brown, who shared in an earlier episode that she and Weber "f**ked in a windmill" twice during their overnight date, clarified on her finale that her statement wasn't accurate. 

"I was a little dishonest about something," she told Harrison. "I did say there's something that Peter and I did twice -- it was actually four times."

Haibon speculates that if Brown is engaged, she wouldn't want to make her significant other feel uncomfortable by boasting about having sex with another contestant so close to her engagement reveal. "Don't you think it would be a hint of disrespect, the night before they announce their engagement... she's like, 'We had sex four times?" Haibon said. "Any Bachelor or Bachelorette, they want to protect whoever they pick... it's a tough roller coaster ride, so a lot of the leads want to do whatever they can to make their significant other feel better."

"It's in the past and it's over, but did you need to clarify it? Did you need to give that much specifics?" he asked. 

Her Move to Los Angeles 

Viewers were introduced to Brown's hometown of Tuscaloosa, Alabama, at the beginning of her Bachelorette season, but it seems she's left her roots behind for a little time in sunny Los Angeles. Brown's mom, Susanne, revealed on Instagram earlier this month that her daughter had officially moved. It's certainly possible that Brown plans on moving in with either Wyatt or Cameron -- though Wyatt's music career is based in Nashville, Tennessee, and Cameron works as a contractor in Jupiter, Florida, so we're not so sure how this will play out. 

Brown's season finale continues Tuesday at 8 p.m. ET/PT on ABC. ET's live Bachelorette finale coverage starts at 10:05 p.m. ET / 7:05 p.m. PT on ET Live, which you can stream on your RokuApple TV or Amazon Fire TV device.

Join ET's Bachelor Nation Facebook group here

RELATED CONTENT: 

Latest News