Last night was the culmination of what has "hooked" millions of Americans for the last few months. We watched (some yelled) as Juan Pablo made his final decision between the two lovely ladies on The Bachelor.

Here's my analysis of the two women. Mind you, I have no actual research to back this up. Instead, I'm simply applying what society defines as "woman's intuition" to digging deep into the true personalities of Clare and Nikki.

Clare. Weeks ago, I watched and scowled at Clare. She pushed her way to sit closest to Juan Pablo, to always be the center of attention. Thinking back, WHY SHOULDN'T SHE? The show was to find love, not a new BFF to go to the mall with lyke omg. I might be speaking for half of the Bachelor-watching population when I say that I wanted to stand and applaud her when she spoke up to good ole' JP when he dumped her, clearly didn't care, and offered a fake consolation hug. You go, girl. Even more props to her for refusing to talk to this poor excuse for a man at the After the Rose show last night. Even so, I can't help but worry that this woman is going to jump on the next man she meets because a) no one can be much worse than Mr. Eeess Okayyy and b) she is desperately waiting for the man to show her father's video to.

Nikki. Nikki was one of my favorites as I watched the ladies step out of the limo on Episode 1. #TeamNikki. But now, I'm not so sure. If it wasn't her inability to put on more than one string of clothes, it's that she's practically blind to the fact that this man has her hypnotized. Last night, she sat basically glued to Juan Pablo's side as all of America questioned their relationship. Sure, they don't need to be in love because it really isn't realistic after that short of a time, but no amount of criticism seemed to affect her. Instead, she maintained a somewhat mannequin-like smile as she clung to her "boyfriend"...or whatever he is.

I'm no Bachelor guru, but it doesn't take a genius to see a jerk when he's right in front of you. Why didn't Juan Pablo realize that two women literally left him during the show? Chris Harrison seems to get along with just about anybody, but not Juan Pablo. Red flag there. And instead of JP's parents depicting him as their "perfect little boy" (as I expect many parents to do with their children), they decided to point out his flaws and urged how stubborn, rudely honest, and kind of lazy he is. Please, whose idea of happily ever after is sitting on a couch watching baseball together for the rest of your life? (Or as Juan Pablo points out, he will be doing that mainly alone. Cool.)

I get that he values honesty, but he takes it to a whole other level. For the women who could see through this, I would high five you if I could. For the ones who fell victim to his honesty and got mesmerized by his fancy accent and obliques, snap out of it, girls. I'm 23. I don't know everything about a relationship. But, I do know that if you're picturing your future with a man, you probably want him to think about it too, instead of just saying "I likeeeee you...you're preeety."

Regardless, maybe Nikki is happy with Juan Pablo. Maybe they're really in love and he's just too stubborn to admit it - I'm sure his mom could agree with that theory. I can't help but say that I would willingly accept bet for a lot of money about the imminent demise of this hopeless, stary-eyed relationship. Until then, good luck Nikki. I hope he grows to be more than a one-dimensional human being who excuses his accent as a language barrier, who doesn't care about anyone but himself, and who continuously reminds everyone at any opportune moment that he has a "daughderrr".

Thank goodness Andi has a brain. Next season of The Bachelorette is bound to be much less painful.

Think about the last three romantic comedies you've watched. I bet I can guess the plotline of each:

Girl meets Guy.
Girl is spontaneous and cute. Girl falls (either literally or figuratively).
Guy catches girl (either literally or figuratively).
Guy performs a ridiculous over-the-top stunt typically including either a self-written poem or song and a bouquet of flowers, along with a cliche speech saying "she's changed him and he's waited all his life for a girl like her."
Everything is perfect.
Roll credits.

I can't lie. I love a good romantic comedy paired with a cheap glass of white wine every once in a while. But, what are these movies saying about the creation of a romantic relationship? Although it sounds nice to be serenaded by a handsome Ashton Kutcher look alike, it's not real life. 

Before I continue, let me remind you that I am happy in my relationship. I am, in no shape or form, one of those bitter girls who hates the idea of Valentine's Day coming around or one who practically gags at the sight of PDA. Nope, I'm an advocate of love. I love love. 

But, let's face it. Girls need to stop expecting wild gestures from guys and then getting angry when it doesn't happen. Hollywood films are the reason why a girl gets aggravated if she's not proposed to on top of a beautiful mountain while a plane flies by writing "Marry Me" in the clouds. If he wants to give you flowers (because he really wants to - not because Ryan Gosling told him to), that's great. Good for you - you have a good guy. 

Stop expecting starlit treatment. Yes, we are women and deserve to be treated well. But so do guys. If you're going to complain about not finding your prince, ask yourself why you need it so badly. The way I see it, relationships should be about spending time with your best friend, making each other happy, trusting each other, and respecting each other. Maybe this makes me a little bit (or a lot bit) of a cornball. Either way, bring yourself back down to earth if you think your life is destined to turn into "No Strings Attached".

I love relationships. Call me corny, but I love "love". Over the last 24 hours, I've seen some of the strongest relationships and have had the honor of celebrating a marriage. 

Yesterday, my family, Ryan, and I attended my cousin's wedding. (Welcome to the family, Shannon! Finally, another "Sienrukos" added to our whopping 8-person clan.) In the middle of the celebration, all of the couples were out on the dance floor. The EmCee then called out lengths of time that the couples have been in the relationship. Obviously, Ryan and I were only up there for about 17 seconds until he said "1 year of marriage or less, stand to the side." He went on and on. 10 years. 20 years. 30 years. 40. As the years grew, the couples dwindled. He got up to 50 years and two couples stayed strong. Turns out one couple had been together for 53 years, the other 54 years. The EmCee asked the 54-year-ers if they had one piece of advice for the newly married, TJ and Shannon. "Communication", said the husband. "You've got to communicate." Got it. If anyone knows how to have a strong marriage, it's these guys.

Also at the wedding, I had the pleasure of seeing my mom break out her "killer dance moves". I have never seen my mother move the way she did. At one point in the beginning of the night, she and my dad were literally the only couple on the dance floor dancing to "Up All Night To Get Lucky" (Aka the last song I ever thought my parents would dance to.) Despite the chuckles of oh-my-god-what-are-mom-and-dad-doing-up-there from my brother, sister and I, I thought about another thing too.My dad was by her side. Needless to say, my mom isn't quite Dancing With The Stars material, but it didn't matter. My dad danced with her, and he did it with a smile on his face. 

Fast forward about 24 hours. I just got off the phone with my grandparents. I call them Pat and Frank. His name isn't even Frank. It's Paul. He looks like Frank from Everybody Loves Raymond. Just go with it. Yesterday was their anniversary and Pat's birthday. Since I was busy at the wedding, I lost track of days, and had to make up my phone call tonight. Pat told me what they did to celebrate: they went out to a restaurant and relaxed at home watching 3 hours of Netflix crime movies. She said "Your grandfather was so good. He sat with me the whole time and watched it all." There you go. He was there for her. 

These three things, the couple married for 54 years who specialized in communication, my dad, who didn't skip a beat when it came to dancing with my mom, and my grandfather, who endured three long hours of crime movies just to make Pat happy are just tiny snippets of what I think defines a relationship. To me, relationships aren't supposed to be difficult. In fact, they should be joyful. Making a relationship joyful isn't exactly rocket science, either. It takes some very simple things to make one work.

Support. Be there for each other. Even if you think it's silly. Cheer him on when he catches a fish.

Appreciation. Thank one another for what they do.  

Respect. We learn this is kindergarden, guys. It's not hard. Do it.

Trust. Without it, the relationship will crumble.

The opportunity to brag and complain. No one else wants to hear you brag or complain except your significant other (and maybe your parents), so take advantage of it. It's healthy to brag and complain once in a while.

Laughter. The best relationships are between two people who are best friends.

Say "I love you".

See? None of these are hard. In fact, we learn most of these skills at a very young age. It's up to us to follow through and actually do it. Given, there are hard times, but if we remember these simply things - bam, a joyful, beautiful, fulfilling relationship.