Ring-a-ding-ding. Who knew an awkward lunch with JoJo Fletcher and Jordan Rodgers would lead Ben Higgins and Lauren Bushnell to walk down the aisle? Like, tomorrow? In the Tuesday, October 18, episode of Ben & Lauren: Happily Ever After?, the newly engaged couple finally closed the door on their JoJo drama only to be given the (very stressful) offer of a lifetime from none other than Chris Harrison. While Ben and Lauren adjust to engaged life, Chris — and 10 million Bachelor fans — want to know if the two are ready for newlywed life and a televised wedding special. It got awkward real quick. Here’s what went down:
The Double Date From Hell
After “I’m fine”-ing Ben for a majority of the season premiere last week, due to friction with JoJo, Lauren agreed to sit down with Ben and newly engaged pair JoJo and Jordan to make amends. “We have to get past this JoJo business and clear the air once and for all,” said Ben. Still, Lauren (understandably) got annoyed while thinking about when Ben told JoJo he loved her too. “It’s not very fun for me,” Lauren said. Fair enough.
Throughout the tension, the two duos put their differences aside and eventually toasted with mimosas. Lauren commented on JoJo’s Bachelorette finale, saying, “Thank God that’s over.” But we have a feeling she wasn’t just talking about the show.
Ben Is Ready for Dancing With the Stars
When Lauren and Ben learned Chris had a message for them, Ben automatically assumed it was a chance for them to be on Dancing With the Stars. He shook his butt and gave his all on the dance floor — or rather, their kitchen — to prove to Lauren how ready he was for the show. It was … special. Turns out, the only thing Ben would love more than his big break on DWTS is to be in the presence of Chris Harrison, who Lauren claimed Ben had a “crush on.” Ben countered that the host is just a “nice guy.” This was bromance at its finest.
So About That Televised Wedding …
Lauren and Ben met Chris at the Brown Palace Hotel in Denver to get some unexpected news — which was after, of course, Ben came up with the word “scrumpet.” Chris told the two that “everybody wants to continue to watch this love story unfold,” and by “watch,” he meant a wedding on national TV. He said they’d get the perks of a “pretty big checkbook, a wedding planner at [their] disposal,” plus everything they’d want “on steroids.” Must be nice, huh?
Or maybe not nice enough because Ben bugged the hell out. “My stomach’s dropped, I have butterflies, my head’s spinning. It’s a lot. Really soon,” he said. “I’ve never been married before.” Ben was immediately anxiety-ridden at the thought of stressful timelines and having a wedding that’s not intimate. “It makes me nervous, I’ll be honest,” he said. “Everything’s been so quick.”
Of course, Lauren was sitting there with an “Excuse me, sir?” look all over her face. “If he’s not ready, what does that mean?” she asked. Lauren said all she wanted to hear from Ben was that he wanted to marry her. All she got was a barrel of nerves. Yup, awkward.
A TV Wedding: Guys vs. Girls
Ben spoke to his two guy friends about the news while Lauren sought advice from a girlfriend. The boys laughed while Lauren’s friend asked if the couple were having problems. Boys will be boys. Lauren explained why she felt conflicted about picking up her life and moving to Denver, only to be with Ben who was hesitant about the wedding. “He has this look on his face like he’s gonna throw up,” the flight attendant said. “Do you think he has cold feet?”
Ben expressed his issue with the intense timeline to his friends. Meanwhile, Lauren’s friend was all of us in that moment with her grade-A advice: “It’s not my wedding.” What an icon.
Ben’s Guilty Pleasure Revealed
Ben said all that wedding talk warranted time for Lauren and him to chill out and de-stress. What better way to do so than go to a renaissance faire? Yes, we said renaissance faire. In fairness, Ben did warn Lauren about the “one big thing [she] didn’t know about [him] yet.” Who knew it’d be an obsession with the medieval era?
The former Bachelor came out dressed head to toe in renaissance gear, asking Lauren to “pet” him while telling her about his box full of armor, swords, and helmets. “It’s a time to be weird. Being weird is great,” he said. Lauren looked at him like he was crazy. But being a devoted fiancée, she dressed up, “aired out” her dress, and passive-aggressively threw tomatoes at Ben in a festival game while saying, “Love you.” Queen of the festival, right there.
Lauren’s Epic Prank
After their time at the festival, Lauren said, “Ben wants to have fun — I’ll show him fun.” Knowing Ben’s biggest fear is to sing the national anthem in front of a crowd, she arranged for him to do just that at the Colorado Rockies game he was throwing the first pitch at. Turns out, being really hot doesn’t automatically make you a good singer. For two days, he didn’t sleep or eat, but practiced with his tone-deaf voice for hours. Also, LOL that he used his phone to read the lyrics.
Anyway, Lauren kept the prank going all the way until game time, and even had him rehearse on the field before the game started. “These are the sounds in my nightmares,” she said. While he belted his heart out, Lauren watched and laughed. When Ben learned it was a prank, he was relieved and said, “That girl always keeping me on my toes with my little pranks.” The sound of his voice has left Us scarred.
The TV-Wedding Decision
Over lunch, the two revisited Chris’s offer. “It’s still hard for me to even grasp,” Ben admitted. Lauren was on board, but still nervous about Ben’s reaction. “I saw your face — you looked completely overwhelmed,” she said. He confirmed he wasn’t at all conflicted about marrying her, just about the timing. “I want to make sure it’s about us. About our family and friends,” he said. He then said he wanted their loved ones to leave the wedding saying, and we quote, “Golly darn, that was a great time.” Lauren, it’s not too late to back out.
Finally, he came around. “I want to do it. I want the world to see that we will be spending together forever,” he said. Lauren was obviously thrilled to get the wedding “on steroids” countdown going. Looks like another Bachelor-style ceremony is on the way.
Tell Us: Will Ben’s anxiety be a problem as they try to plan a televised wedding?
Ben & Lauren: Happily Ever After? airs on Freeform Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET.
