Los Angeles, California - The stage has been set for a dramatic finale to Bachelor in Paradise season 9 as seemingly stable connections crumbled in the penultimate hour.

Thursday's episode kicked off with a bang as Blake Moynes and Jess Girod reevaluated their current connection, with the former admitting defeat in attempting to save it.

The pair gave each other a tearful goodbye as they accepted the reality, but Blake soon made an unexpected move to find an exit vehicle in an abrupt surrender from the series.

Kylee Russell hoped to intercept him on his way out, but Blake remained adamant that there was no hope for him on the beach.

Blake's exit left the rest of the contestants antsy, and Mercedes Northup became the next to confront her love interest, Tyler Norris. Despite Mercedes' pleas to find a spark between them, it was quickly made clear that their bond wasn't as secure as necessary to survive the storms of paradise.

Another one then bit the dust as Tyler bid farewell in the second exit SUV of the night. Talk about efficiency!

Thankfully, there was some positivity left as Olivia Lewis and Michael Barbour continued to hit it off after their recent introduction, while Aaron Bryant and Eliza Isichei held strong in their long-lasting connection.

Kat Izzo and John Henry Spurlock also proved to be a good fit, but Rachel Recchia found herself still struggling to figure out where her heart was leading her.

Meanwhile, Jordan Vandergriff sought to make a Hail Mary connection with Mercedes after her split from Tyler, but she remained unsure about the right path for her.

The beach pairings continued to shuffle as Jess was wooed by both Tanner Courtad and Brayden Bowers.

With tensions rising, the rose ceremony finally arrived, securing the connections of:

• Eliza and Aaron
• Olivia and Michael
• Kat and John Henry
• Kylee and Aven Jones
• Sam Picco and Peter Cappio
• Mercedes and Jordan

In a truly hard-to-watch moment, Jess chose Tanner, but Taylor Pegg jumped the gun, awkwardly stepping up to accept the rose before Jess corrected him.

Things came down to Rachel, who ultimately decided to self-eliminate as she realized she didn't have a strong enough connection to hand out her rose. Her exit subsequently marked the end of the road for Brayden and Taylor.

And with that, Bachelor in Paradise is set to come to a close with a dramatic two-hour finale on December 7 at 8 PM EST, airing on ABC.