There comes a time during every season of The Bachelorette where the men give the leading lady a gift. Usually it happens either during the Fantasy Suite night, or during the final date. (And sometimes during both, if the guy is an over-achiever.) Usually it's a sentimental gift designed to show off how much the contestant cares about his potential future wife. Over the 10 seasons of the show, a lot of sentimental presents have been given to the Bachelorette, so it's only fair that I rank them all, of course.
I've seen my fair share of poems, journals, jewelry, and roses bestowed upon the lucky lady. But which gift is the best? In their own way they're all sweet and thoughtful. True, some are cuter than others and some clearly had more time put into them. But they're all unique, just like the contestants themselves. Aww.
It's not really clear when this tradition started, but it's become a sweet part of The Bachelorette journey to see her receive a thoughtful present that represents the breadth of her time with that person. So with 10 seasons of gifts under its belt, what better way to commemorate the tradition than by ranking the gifts? Here they are from predictable to perfect.
10. Jillian Harris, Season 5
This poor Bachelorette received no gifts either during Fantasy Suite week or the finale, unless you count the gift of romance.
9. Meredith Phillips, Season 2
Back in Season 2, it wasn't Bachelorette protocol to give hand-crafted gifts. But eventual winner Ian McKee still playfully offered Meredith a rose during their Fantasy Suite week date. Definitely not the most original gift, but a nice nod to the show and to the fact that Ian wanted to be with Meredith.
8. Ali Fedotowsky, Season 6
Ali only received a gift from one of her guys, because Frank Neuschaefer left during Fantasy Suite week and she sent Chris Lambton home before their final date. However, she did still get a homemade gift from Roberto Martinez (the eventual winner). He got her a framed picture of the two of them together with a sweet inscription on the back. "From the moment I met you I knew my life would change," he started the note which ended with the words "mucho amor, Roberto."
It's not the most over-the-top finale gift ever, but it was thoughtful and it seemed to do the trick for Ali!
7. Trista Rehn Sutter, Season 1
Gifts weren't the norm in Bachelorette Season 1 either, but that didn't stop Ryan Sutter from writing Trista a poem every chance he could get. "My heart in her hand, a boy dying to be her man. Between tomorrow and today, what I really want to say, is that I’m falling for something about her," read one of his poems. She appreciated the creative gestures, and it probably helped her eventually pick him in the end.
6. Desiree Hartsock, Season 9
Season 9 featured another amateur poet. Chris Siegfried charmed Desiree with his words during both the Fantasy Suite date and his finale date. However, it was his finale gift that was the best, as he'd taken all the poems he'd written for her all season and combined them in a journal with a heartfelt message.
He was the only one to give her anything, and she seemed to appreciate the gesture so much. Now the two are happily married and even wrote a poetic memoir together.
5. Ashley Hebert, Season 7
J.P. Rosenbaum was the only guy to give her a gift during the finale, and it was a pretty thoughtful one at that. J.P. gave her a scrapbook chronicling their time on the show together and wrote her a sweet note about how he couldn't wait to start "the next chapter" with her.
"When we look back on this time years from now, still happy and very much in love, we will always remember this time in our lives where ‘Ashley and JP’ first began," part of the note read. Today, the two are married and have a newborn son, so that next chapter was a pretty good one for the both of them!
4. DeAnna Pappas, Season 4
DeAnna got gifts from two of her suitors, with Jason Mesnick going above and beyond and getting her a gift during Fantasy Suite week and during the finale. The first present he gave her was a necklace, but he went all out for his second gift, constructing a board game of their journey. The two of them played together, reliving moments like their first kiss and using the game as an opportunity to open up to each other. It clearly took a lot of time to create and was so unique to their experience.
By comparison, Jesse Csincsak's gift wasn't quite as over-the-top, but it was still sweet. During their final date, he gave her a "book of thoughts" and told her he wanted to fill the blank pages with her. They did end up getting engaged, but broke up not long after. Still, she'll always have the memory of the show through those thoughtful gifts.
3. Emily Maynard, Season 8
Emily received presents from all three of her final suitors, and they were all really thoughtful and sentimental. It just goes to show that the further the show progresses in seasons, the more creative the gifts get. Sean Lowe presented his gift during the Fantasy Suite portion. It was a letter to Emily's daughter, explaining that while he knew he could never replace her father, he was excited to get to be in her life. Then, during the finale, Jef and Arie came forward with their own unique gifts. Arie presented Emily with all the roses she'd given him throughout the course of the show, and Jef gave her a book about Curacao — which is where he eventually proposed. He even drew pictures of the two of them hanging out in certain places in the book.
All the gifts meant a lot to Emily, but, in the end, she picked Jef Holm as the winner. While they didn't last, at least they'll always have Curacao.
2. Andi Dorfman, Season 10
Season 10's men really stepped up to the plate when it came to gifts. During Fantasy Suite week, Nick Viall presented her with a hand-written, hand-drawn fairy tale about their journey together. It was so dorky, but also really sweet because it obviously took him a lot of time.
Meanwhile, eventual winner Josh Murray gave Andi her own baseball card. It was a nice nod to his own career in baseball, and he even took the time to write up stats for his soon-to-be-fiancee. Andi never did end up becoming Andi Murray, but the card was still adorable at the time.
1. Jennifer Schefft, Season 3
Her season was actually pretty standard when it came to gifts. Both her suitors came with flowers in hand during the finale. But one man managed to out-do every sentimental, creative gift out there by also bringing her a pizza. And, as Maritza from Orange is the New Black taught us, when you're in love, there's pizza.
Shout out to Jerry Ferris for being the most thoughtful one on The Bachelorette by giving the gift of delicious food.
Images: ABC screengrab (6); Getty Images (10); saysabotage/Tumblr
