Apparently, this was a deal breaker.
On Tuesday's finale of The Bachelorette, Tayshia Adams was down to her final two, Zac Clark and Ivan Hall. And then it was three -- with the not-so-surprising return of Ben Smith, whom she'd sent home the week prior.
And then it was two again, as Tayshia summoned Ivan away from her final rose ceremony for a heart-to-heart.
Tayshia told Ivan that he's been a steady source of support for her all season -- the two even shared that they were "falling" for each other during Monday's fantasy suites. However, the Bachelorette said, "This past week, we've talked about some important subjects... There are some things that kind of posed concern."
"I wish I could say that there were a lot of red flags prior to this week. And there haven't been," she continued. "It's just like, at the end of the day, religion's part of my morals and my beliefs."
While Tayshia didn't clarify what exactly she was referring to in terms of their religious differences, she did mention in Monday's episode that she and Ivan had talked about religion during their overnight in the fantasy suite. And for his part, Ivan seemed to understand what was happening.
"I definitely get it... That is the roadblock for the two of us," the aeronautical engineer admitted. "I was definitely struggling with bringing it up, 'cause, you know, all the girls I have dated in the past, it never ended because of religion or anything, but I know that's something that's important to you."
"I do apologize for that and I wish I did bring it up a little sooner," he added.
"I really do think the world of you," Tayshia assured, apologetically.
"It's all good. It just sucks," Ivan replied. "I meant every word when I said I was falling in love with you this week, and I just hate that it couldn't work out."
With that, Tayshia walked Ivan out -- surprisingly tear-free, despite several weeks of emotional goodbyes. They hugged it out, Ivan wished her the "best of luck" and that was that.
"I knew in the back of my mind, that this thing could really be the bomb that explodes everything here," Ivan admitted as the car pulled away, though he also didn't offer any further details on the religious differences that pulled him and Tayshia apart so quickly. "And it just happened."
However, while he said the heartbreak was "definitely gonna sting for a while," Ivan seemed to think his departure was going to be equally painful for Tayshia. "You don't just fall out of love overnight."
"I think this is a lot harder than Tayshia imagined, and I don't know if she'll really feel comfortable with anybody by the end of this. Because I think me and her made the most sense," he explained. "It's gonna be tough on her but...she's not gonna pick anybody, I don't think."
Prior to the season, Bachelorette host Chris Harrison described Ivan as a "nice guy" of the cast.
"Ivan's a really smart guy. Quiet, soft-spoken, extremely likable. His nickname? Sweet Ivan," he said. "Do the nice guys ever finish first? Sometimes. Sometimes they do. We'll see if Sweet Ivan can be that guy."
However, Ivan's journey with Tayshia ended up being an emotionally intense one, as they connected about their mixed-race heritage and the Black Lives Matter movement, and Ivan introduced Tayshia to his family, including his younger brother, Gabriel, who was previously imprisoned, leading Ivan to step up as a second father figure to his young niece.
Part 2 of the season finale of The Bachelorette airs Tuesday at 8 p.m. ET/PT on ABC. ET's Lauren Zima will be recapping everything that goes down, directly after the episode. Watch ET Live on your Roku, Apple TV or Amazon Fire TV or you can stream on Pluto TV and Samsung TV Plus.
RELATED CONTENT:
