Katie Thurston reportedly shocked her family during The Bachelorette finale after a three-hour episode that detailed her final days as a contestant on the reality dating show.
During the season-ender, which aired on August 9, Katie was left with two men who battled for her heart.
Blake Moynes and Justin Glaze were the only men left standing after Katie sent home single dad Michael Allio.
Greg Grippo eliminated himself from the competition one episode away from the season-ender after a war of words with Katie. He told her that he didn’t see a reason to stay unless he could confirm her feelings for him.
Throughout the episode, Katie formed an even deeper connection to Blake Moynes, the man who joined the season late and appeared to pique the interest of the brunette beauty above all her other contestants.
That connection forced Katie’s hand to send Justin home early, leaving Blake the only man left of the 31 competitors that began the season. So what did Katie do to shock her family during the final moments of the finale?
Katie Thurston’s family learned of her engagement during the episode
Almost four months after Katie put a ring on it with Blake Moynes, she kept their relationship a secret from those closest to her. This included her mother and Aunt Lindsey.
Katie’s season wrapped on April 24, one week ahead of schedule.
During The Bachelorette: After the Final Rose, Blake shared his feelings about the cat finally being let out of the bag.
“It’s been awesome. We’ve been waiting for this for so long,” Blake said. “It’s tough to celebrate an engagement, like, secretly. we’re just ready to get out and live real life now. We’re just excited. This is what we’ve really been waiting for.”
“I will say, my family does not know that we are engaged. They are finding out as Bachelor Nation is finding out!” Katie revealed.
Why didn’t she didn’t share the news with those closest to her? She “didn’t trust them to keep a secret.”
Katie’s family gave Blake a hard time prior to the big reveal
During a meeting with Katie’s extended family, Blake was given a hard time by her Aunt Lindsey. She grilled him about their future together moving forward.
“Like, you ultimately mean nothing,” Lindsey said to Blake candidly.
“I hate to break it to you, but like, you better be secure as f**k coming in our family. Because at the end of the day, you’re here because we want you here, not because we need you here.”
Lindsey shared her thoughts about Blake “flunking out” on the previous season of The Bachelorette and laughed off his responses regarding his feelings for Katie as “cute.”
The Bachelorette is currently on hiatus.