Re: Media Discussion - Bachelorette 7 - Thread #4

[albean99]

Emily wasn't given to us until Anguila - episode 7. By all accts (from what I've been reading this morning) JP was handed to us 'early on'.

I'm not saying JP isn't F1, I suspect if there is a F1, it will be JP, but I'm not ruling out that Ben is F1 - there's just something way to out there and simple. Everyone was sure Chantal was F1, she was in our face, simple, the chemistry was off the charts - look how that turned out.....

I really hope there's not a wedding at the AFRC - for Ash to get through this process after everything she had to go through, to finally put Bent behind her only 4 weeks before choosing someone to get enaged to (and that takes a lot for me to wrap my head around) to a wedding taking place on July 25 (according to the tape date for the AFRC) it truly assinine.

I'll be happy for Ash if she chooses someone to date in the real world, I hope they're taking the time to really get to know each other outside of the bubble and they have something long lasting. At the very least, I hope to include this season is the successes of this show (and by my definition that's a true relationship that lasts past the airing of the AFRC)

ITA, Anders. I hate it when they get engaged but hoping most look at it like a chance to really get to know each other by dating in the real world. If it works great but if not no worries. Not the same if they were to fall under Fleiss' spell and jump into a wedding.

[ironcat]

Anders, I guess we're arguing apples and oranges. I don't think Emily's comparison to Ben is valid and you don't think Emily's comparison to JP is valid. I think we're both correct!

ITA that I really hope there is/was no quickie wedding, no matter who F1 is. That would be almost as ridiculous an idea as it was for Brad and Emily to do it (the only reason that would have been more ridiculous was because it was involving an innocent child in the adults' selfish lunacy).

[agentcurls]

Emily wasn't given to us until Anguila - episode 7. By all accts (from what I've been reading this morning) JP was handed to us 'early on'.

I'm not saying JP isn't F1, I suspect if there is a F1, it will be JP, but I'm not ruling out that Ben is F1 - there's just something way to out there and simple. Everyone was sure Chantal was F1, she was in our face, simple, the chemistry was off the charts - look how that turned out.....

I really hope there's not a wedding at the AFRC - for Ash to get through this process after everything she had to go through, to finally put Bent behind her only 4 weeks before choosing someone to get enaged to (and that takes a lot for me to wrap my head around) to a wedding taking place on July 25 (according to the tape date for the AFRC) it truly assinine.

I'll be happy for Ash if she chooses someone to date in the real world, I hope they're taking the time to really get to know each other outside of the bubble and they have something long lasting. At the very least, I hope to include this season is the successes of this show (and by my definition that's a true relationship that lasts past the airing of the AFRC)

I think that could be true for those of us that analyze the show this way & knew Bentley was a distraction...but the general audience thought that is was Bentley & William from early on...

[anders]

I just finished reading some of Coastal's thread that Ben is F1 - I just want this season to be over and done with.

[NCGalBecca]

Early on, she was reassuring JP to be patient and basically telling him that he would be there for the long haul. Looking back, you can see it pretty much from the very beginning. I don't recall her consistently doing that for anyone else except Ryan who she was deflecting instead of encouraging. JMO.

[bilolo]

I just finished reading some of Coastal's thread that Ben is F1 - I just want this season to be over and done with.

what about your vacay ? enjoy !

[Samantharose]

Early on, she was reassuring JP to be patient and basically telling him that he would be there for the long haul. Looking back, you can see it pretty much from the very beginning. I don't recall her consistently doing that for anyone else except Ryan who she was deflecting instead of encouraging. JMO.

Yes, as early as episode 2 with the coin flip kiss, she was reassuring him.

[cupcakes]

What made you decide to go on the show?
The casting people with ABC had given me a call to see if I was interested. Because I had never seen the show and I wasn't too familiar with the show, I kind of blew it off at first. I kept in conversation with them … eventually I thought, "it's a heck of an opportunity. Why not?" I tried just about every other means of meeting somebody and I’m still single, so why not try another.

Tell us was going through your mind the first time you stepped out of the limo?
It's the kind of thing that you try to mentally get yourself prepared for. I'm not somebody that really gets nervous or gets too much anxiety about things. I really wasn't too worried about it. I knew that it would be a high pressure situation, but I thought I was prepared for it and mentally was alright. It's a lot easier said than done. Once the chauffeur opens the car door and you're in front of this beautiful house and a beautiful woman and a lot of cameras, your heart gets racing quite a bit. It's a unique situation.

What qualities did you find yourself most attracted to in Ashley?
All around, there was a lot about Ashley I was attracted to. She's the kind of girl that can be around all types of people and any kind of situation and kinda lights up a room. She doesn't have a hard time meeting people or getting along with people. That's a good quality to have in somebody when you're looking for the future and spending time with somebody. It's nice to be with somebody that you don't have to worry about bringing to a party or bringing around family or bringing to a social event and worrying about them meeting people or socializing. She can talk to anybody. And that's something that's important to me because that's my personality as well.

You left the show voluntarily. When did you know it wasn't going to work with Ashley?
After our one-on-one date, there certainly was a connection there. I was very interested in getting to spend more time with her and see if we could build on the connection we made in Vegas. That was very early on and the next few weeks were a lot of group dates and they're hard to get your time with somebody and really get to know somebody. It really wasn’t until Hong Kong—the time that we spent there, there just wasn't that spark, it was clear to me that there really wasn't any kind of future there, as far as a relationship goes. I have nothing poor to say about her. She was a great girl and I really enjoyed the time I spent with her. There's a point in any relationship when you realize that there's just not anything there. She needed to continue to build relationships with some of the other guys that were moving a little bit more quickly and were obviously forming stronger bonds. At that time, it was only fair to her and to everybody else that if there was nothing there with me, just taking up space and continuing to travel on for the sake of travel and leisure just wasn't fair to somebody who's looking to find a husband.

Do you regret your decision? Is there anything you would change?
None at all. I've had no regrets. I tried to go about it in a way that was amicable and respectful of her and the whole process and everybody else and at least walk away a gentleman. I wasn't trying to stir anything up or cause any kind of scene and I think it successfully came off that way. Obviously I haven't talked to Ashley, but I hope she has no hard feelings and understands that it was time for me to go and I wasn't there to waste anybody's time.

What would you say was the most memorable part of the experience?
I really can't put a finger on just one thing. It's a very unique experience because you're in such over-the-top scenarios and everything is just top notch. That's easy to get used to and it's easy to just hang out and get used to hanging out. For me, I came away with it seeing some really nice places and meeting some really good people and making some friendships with both Ashley and some of the other people on the show. But, throughout the whole experience ... the things you lay in bed and think about become much more real and you start to understand them better when you're put in a situation and forced to talk about them and put them into words … I think, overall, the fun places I went and the people I met, I think I took away from it more about myself than anything else. It forces you to kind of evaluate yourself and your own life and what you're looking for and what things are really important to you.

Through this experience you say you've been able to meet some great people. Have you kept in touch with any of the guys since you left the show?
I haven't because I have no way of getting in touch with them. The show doesn't share with us anybody's contact information because of the sensitivity of the show and the contracts that we have; we're not allowed to talk to each other until after the show. To my knowledge, after the show, we'll be able to reach out and be in contact with some of the guys, which I certainly plan to do.

There are four guys left on the show: J.P., Constantine, Ben F. and Ames. Out of the guys, who do you think has the best connection with Ashley?
It's funny that you ask that because obviously I've had extensive conversations with Ashley and I think it was very clear, even in the couple weeks leading up to the time I left, she was forming a very strong connection with J.P. and also a strong connection with Ben F. I think those two guys stood out, to everybody not just to myself, as being the two guys that she was building the strongest connection with. J.P. was my roommate and Ben F. was a very good friend of mine and we became very close through the whole process. And I think, certainly for her sake, that's a good thing because they both are stand-up gentlemen and great guys and I think either one of them would be very good for Ashley.

There is a Facebook page dedicated to making you the next "Bachelor." If you were asked to be the next "Bachelor" would you do it?
Friends have pointed out different media outlets and other things that have talked about the possibility of that. Honestly, I haven't really put a whole lot of thought into that. I kind of take things as they come to me and don't really think about or worry about things that are completely out of my control. Dead honest, I couldn't tell you yes or no. It's something that I would put some thought into and sit down with the family and go through the pros and cons as I would with any other decision of that magnitude. I'm honored that people think highly enough of me that they would like to see that. It hasn't been brought to my attention, so it's not something that I’m really thinking about.

Since you left the show, what have you been up to?
For right now, I am out of the kitchen. The commitment to the kitchen—it’s certainly not fair to an employer because of the amount of traveling I'm still doing. So right now, I'm bartending. We'll see at the end of summer what happens and what I end up doing. But I'm back in Cleveland and hanging out and certainly enjoying this weather and meeting some great people here who are certainly fans of the show and have been in huge support. I'm having a good time with it.

http://cleveland.metromix.com/events/article/q-and-a-the/2724666/content

[emusha]

You left the show voluntarily. When did you know it wasn't going to work with Ashley?
After our one-on-one date, there certainly was a connection there. I was very interested in getting to spend more time with her and see if we could build on the connection we made in Vegas. That was very early on and the next few weeks were a lot of group dates and they're hard to get your time with somebody and really get to know somebody. It really wasn’t until Hong Kong—the time that we spent there, there just wasn't that spark, it was clear to me that there really wasn't any kind of future there, as far as a relationship goes. I have nothing poor to say about her. She was a great girl and I really enjoyed the time I spent with her. There's a point in any relationship when you realize that there's just not anything there. She needed to continue to build relationships with some of the other guys that were moving a little bit more quickly and were obviously forming stronger bonds. At that time, it was only fair to her and to everybody else that if there was nothing there with me, just taking up space and continuing to travel on for the sake of travel and leisure just wasn't fair to somebody who's looking to find a husband.

Do you regret your decision? Is there anything you would change?
None at all. I've had no regrets. I tried to go about it in a way that was amicable and respectful of her and the whole process and everybody else and at least walk away a gentleman. I wasn't trying to stir anything up or cause any kind of scene and I think it successfully came off that way. Obviously I haven't talked to Ashley, but I hope she has no hard feelings and understands that it was time for me to go and I wasn't there to waste anybody's time.

i have a LOT of respect for this guy! It takes integrity for him to be so real about things... I think Ashley got a great group of guys in this regard - genuine good guys

[noobsleuth]

Wow I really hope Mickey is at the MTA.

[Diana]

So much respect for Mickey. He's such a great guy!

[vivalameagx3]

He would be a great Bachelor! He doesn't play games and knows what he wants.

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