Chris Harrison - Bachelorette 8 - Discussion

Chris Harrison watched Emily Maynard's relationship with former fifteenth-season The Bachelor star Brad Womack blossom, struggle and eventually fizzle out, as the host became friends with the couple during their time on the show.

However, the single mom from Charlotte, NC opted to attempt to find love again on reality TV in the upcoming eighth edition of The Bachelorette, and Chris, could once again, come along for the ride -- observing her journey from a very supportive and hopeful perspective.

During a Wednesday conference call with reporters, Chris talked to Reality TV World about the next season of The Bachelorette, which premieres Monday, May 14, and highlighted some key details of what viewers can expect to see -- including how much of a conservative approach the show's producers allowed Emily to take throughout the season, whether Bentley Williams' return was ever a real possibility and what convinced him that Emily would pick up and move to wherever her final bachelor might reside despite her hesitancy to live with Brad in Austin, TX following their engagement.

RELATED LINKS
Reality TV World: The Bachelorette 8

More The Bachelorette 8 News


Below is the first portion of Chris' interview. Check back with Reality TV World soon for more.

Reality TV World: Emily said in a recent interview she planned to be more reserved this season than prior Bachelorettes in that she didn't want to kiss a lot of guys and also, for example, she was really hoping there wouldn't be any hot tubs during the season. Did she express those wishes to you guys before the season began and is that something the producers agreed to respect? Or did the hot tubs still mysteriously appear out of nowhere?

Chris Harrison: You know what? Hot tubs always mysteriously appear. That's in the contract, that we always have blow-up hot tubs on call 24/7. (Laughs) No, the season is very different. The thing about Emily too is she's not the "crazy, bungee jumping, sky diving" type of woman. She is a southern gem who likes to wear high heels and dresses.

So, we absolutely cater and accommodate who our Bachelor and Bachelorette is. That doesn't mean we don't like to take them out of their comfort zone a little bit, like in Charlotte earlier on, there's kind of a building that we scale. But it's very tame compared to things we've done before, like bungee jumping off a bridge in New Zealand, which were in seasons past.

But you know, you definitely cater to who they are. It's not like you cow down to their demands or you work it out in contract negotiations. It's nothing that formal. It's just we want her to be happy. We want this to be a beautiful season, and we want the trappings that you all know and love from The Bachelor and The Bachelorette -- these exotic dates all over the world.

But there's easy ways to make everybody happy. They'll show these beautiful cities and countries, but also make sure that Emily's happy and comfortable. But at the same time, there are some dates where she's pushed to the limit and it says a lot about her.

It also says a lot about the guy she's with -- how he handles it and how he takes care of her and if he takes care of her. So, I hope that somewhat answers the question.

Reality TV World: There had been a lot of talk about the show filming in Emily's hometown of North Carolina due to her daughter Ricki but based on the info ABC released last week, it seems like you spent the initial cocktail ceremony and first few dates there but then began traveling afterwards. So what happened there? Did that end up not being as much of a concern for Emily as it had originally been?

Chris Harrison: No, I mean she always had the plan. Usually what we do -- and again, it changes depending on who the Bachelor or the Bachelorette is. I kind of love the organic way the show has changed depending on who our person is, and we usually start the first three or four weeks in Los Angeles.

We use The Bachelor [mansion], which we've used for years and years. But with Emily, part of the thing was, she has Ricki. She didn't want to take Ricki out of school and wanted to continue her life. So not only did we start the show in Charlotte, but you'll see that we kept Emily in her home with Ricki, and she continued her daily life of taking her to school and soccer practice.

She didn't have to jump out of her world to start the show for the first month or so, and that was huge. She knew we would still travel. And then Ricki would come along with us from time to time.

What people don't understand is, I know you see the Bachelors and the Bachelorettes, but we also behind the scenes have this incredible traveling family. It's like a circus. We've all had kids and our kids will travel with us from time to time.

My kids travel with me and other producers and camera operators. So there's lots of families and wives on the road with us, and we all take care of each other. We all know each others' kids and Ricki became part of the family. She jumps around and plays with my kids from time to time, so it's been fun having her with us when she's on the road.

Reality TV World: Before the season began, there had been talk out there about the possibility of Bentley Williams coming back on the show. And I think you had even commented on how you'd only let him compete on The Bachelorette if he sincerely convinced you he wanted to go on for the right reasons. So was Bentley interested and was he actually considered, and if so, did you guys decide he was trying to get on the show for the wrong reasons or what happened there?

Chris Harrison: It was definitely discussed and I know our producers have gone through this because it was such an obvious storyline. But to me, it just felt like such low-hanging fruit -- not that we are opposed to drama, twists and turns, of course you get them as you do every season -- but to me, I don't know if we ever talked to him. I don't know how far it got. I really don't.

I just know that if he had come back, if he had wanted to come back -- which I don't even know if he did -- but he had to have really done a 180 and really shown that he was sincere, because the whole point of this show was not to pull a fast one on Emily, and to do that the first night, especially if he comes back -- or whenever, any night, if he had shown up -- it would've been about that joke and that surprise and pulling a fast one on her.

And that's not at all how this season goes, and it's not the tone of this season at all. She is vulnerable and she had her insecurities, and to mess with her just to be messing with her, I think would've been pretty uncool of us.

Reality TV World: I've seen The Bachelorette premiere already, and Kalon obviously arrives in a helicopter -- which seems a further step up from Lindzi Cox's arrival on a horse during Ben Flajnik's The Bachelor season. So how did Kalon's entrance come about -- did the show arrange and pay for that or was that all something he did on his own -- and is there any limit at this point as to what type of entrance the show is willing to let contestants make or is there no line anymore?

Chris Harrison: Yeah, I don't think there is a line. I think these guys will just come up with an idea and say, "Hey, you mind if I skydive into night one?" -- which, that's a great idea by the way. We haven't done that. I don't know how the helicopter was procured. I know Lindzi, that was her friend and her horse. And obviously now that you've seen Lindzi, you know that that meant a lot to her.

I don't know to Kalon what that meant or how he pulled it off, but he did, and it definitely caused a stir on Night 1. There were a few good entries! Jef, I remember, came in kind of Back to the Future-style on a skateboard, which was kind of cool.

And then we had the helicopter, and so for Emily, these guys definitely had to raise the bar a little bit in trying to get her attention, because there's 25 pretty fantastic, successful, good looking guys in that room. And so, they were all kind of clamoring to make a difference, and the helicopter was definitely different.

Reality TV World: The premiere also shows Emily telling Kalon she was impressed by his entrance. Do you think the decision Kalon made could've gone either way in that Emily could've been impressed or put off by a showy entrance like that? And while it did apparently impress Emily, do you think there may be a significant downside of making him a target to the rest of the bachelors?

Chris Harrison: Yeah, you'll have to ask Emily just how impressed she was. Here's one thing about Emily that you will quickly learn when you watch the show, is that she's very sweet, very southern, and she will sometimes tell you [something] and be very courteous and nice -- but it's not exactly how she feels deep down inside.

So, I don't know if she loved him making that big of a deal of himself and standing out like that. And then the other guys, definitely that put a target on his back, immediately. You walk in and you show everybody up like that, I mean, of course it's going to put a target on your back.

Reality TV World: Emily has said she's willing to move wherever the guy she picks lives. However, some viewers are a little skeptical of that because she never picked up and moved to Austin to be with Brad even though he had always been clear he'd expected that of his final bachelorette. What are your thoughts about that -- why do you think it'll be different this time around?

Chris Harrison: Well I mean, the situation with Brad was different. You have to take it in and of itself. She just wasn't -- she was fully prepared to move to Austin and would've loved to move to Austin, and obviously that was on her mind, but their relationship never got there. It's a big step for her because it's not just Emily up and moving.

It's Emily and it's Ricki and it's her life, and pulling Ricki out of school and [away from] her friends and all that. And so, Emily doesn't just get to make choices for herself anymore. While that was definitely in consideration for Brad, it was a completely different situation than what she'll face here, however this turns out.

This will be another decision she has to make and I hope she has to make it. Hopefully we get this incredible ending and she falls in love and they either move to Charlotte or move wherever.

Reality TV World: A lot of people are skeptical that a racecar driver just happened to apply. How did Arie end up on the show? Did he really apply on his own or did the show go out and deliberately try and recruit a racecar driver?

Chris Harrison: I don't think -- I don't know how Arie ended up coming to the show. I don't know if he applied or friends applied for him. I don't know. I never get that deep into how these guys end up on the show.

I had to explain earlier, you know, what Arie does -- well first of all, he doesn't really race anymore but he was an Indy car driver -- and open wheel, that's not even the same sport even close to NASCAR and the world that Emily was in.

But the other thing is, it's still something that she holds near and dear to her heart, and racing in general is something that she actually loves and still keeps up with. But if you talk to Arie, which I have, he knows nothing about NASCAR. It's a very different world, completely, and he comes from a very different world.

The minute Chris Harrison announced his split from Gwen Jones, his wife of 18 years, the quips about him being the next Bachelor star began.

It turns out the show's host can see the humor in the speculation – but isn't ready for that kind of experience.

"I was waiting for that question," the host said Wednesday during a conference call to promote the new season of The Bachelorette, which premieres Monday. "Getting out of a 22-year relationship, having just announced my divorce to the world a week ago, having two kids and trying to start a new life, I'm thinking I wouldn't exactly be a great candidate to be the bachelor right now or anytime soon."

Harrison is happy that he has a good relationship with his ex and says he cherishes what he and his wife had together.

"I had an amazing 18-year marriage to a incredible woman," he says. "I don't have any regrets about the last 22 years of my life, the love and family that I had or the love and friendship that I have now [with Gwen]. I still hold that very dear and cherish it very much."

And the breakup has not soured Harrison's belief in marriage or The Bachelor franchise's quest to create lasting couples.

"I still, and maybe more than ever, believe in the search and what everybody is doing on the show because I've been there and I lived that life," Harrison says. "I've loved deeply with [my] whole heart and know how great it can be. I will hopefully fall in love and find that again."

When he is ready to start looking for love, Harrison will have to deal with the high bar the series has set for dates.

He was jokingly warned that women might expect him to provide the same exotic locales, luxury suites and adrenaline-fueled activities like bungee jumping and diving with sharks seen on the reality show.

"Yep, [they will expect] the helicopter and private jet," he said with a slight groan. "I haven't actually had a date in 22 years so we'll see."

Now bachelor himself, Chris Harrison knows how difficult it can be to sustain a marriage.
The host of ABC's The Bachelor and The Bachelorette announced May 3 that he and his wife, Gwen, 40, have ended their 18-year marriage. Chris, also 40, opened up about their recent split as a guest co-host on LIVE! With Kelly Wednesday.

"I'm doing great and so is Gwen," he told host Kelly Ripa, 41. "I'm very proud of the fact that we've done it well. We're the best of friends."

The former couple -- parents to son Joshua, 9, and daughter Taylor, 7 -- even spent Tuesday afternoon together. "Yesterday when we went to school to pick up the kids, we were walking across the street together and the crossing guard said, 'Nice to see you guys together!'" Chris recalled. "And my wife looked at me and was like, 'The crossing guard knows?' So yeah, everybody knows."

Though he's newly single, Chris has no plans to look for love on The Bachelor like Ben Flajnik and Brad Womack. "I always said that if I was the star of this show, it would be in big trouble, but now I really mean it," Chris admitted. "If I was the star of this show, we would be in big trouble. I mean, if they can't do any better than that. . ."

nsiders recently told Us Weekly that the separation "had been coming for a while." At issue? Distance posed a problem for the L.A.-based Harrisons. With both series in production for several months, the show's globe-hopping required Chris to be absent often. "It's not like Gwen can run off to Fiji when she has the kids," one insider explained.

NEW YORK, N.Y. -- CaptionChris Harrison is once again hosting a new season of “The Bachelorette,” with Emily Maynard, but although he and his wife of 18 years, Gwen Jones, recently split, he has no plans to join his own franchise as a contestant.

“I would be the worst ‘Bachelor’ ever,” Chris told Access Hollywood correspondent Jill Martin on Wednesday in New York City.

“No game?” Jill asked.

“I don’t know. I haven’t had to have ‘game’ in a long time. I mean, the last time I went on a date was 22 years ago,” he said.

That date was with Gwen, who Chris met during his sophomore year of college. The recently separated couple has two kids, another reason why a role reversal on “The Bachelor” isn’t likely.

“Right now, they are your focus,” Jill said of Chris’ children.

“They are, which is very true. Having gotten out of a 22-year relationship, I don’t think I would be the best candidate anyway,” he said. “The majority of my day is more surrounded around the kids going to lacrosse practice or piano or voice or whatever.”

Chris also pointed out that it would be hard to head in front of the cameras, having been a part of the production for a decade.

“It’s kind of like the whole ‘Wizard of Oz’ thing. I’ve lived behind the curtain for 10 years. It just wouldn’t work. These producers are… they’re family,” Chris said. “We’ve been travelling together, our kids have grown up together… Behind the scenes, there’s this amazing travelling circus family and we’ve all grown up together.”

Chris was in New York City to co-host “Live! with Kelly” alongside Kelly Ripa on Wednesday, an experience he said was “awesome.”

“Hosting with Kelly – she makes it so easy,” he said. “She does the heavy lifting.”

The Bachelor's Chris Harrison is adjusting to his new life as a bachelor.

The affable host shocked fans earlier this month after announcing that he and his wife of 18 years, Gwen Jones, were separating.

Harrison, who's overseen 16 seasons of the hit show and its spinoffs, is no stranger to eyeballing second stabs at love (see: Brad Womack, Jake Pavelka, Ben Flajnik). But when it comes to his own newly single life, he's taking things slow.

The 40-year-old host chatted with E! News about his fears about bachelorhood, his relationship with his ex, and whether or not marriage is in the cards for him again someday.


"It's been the most difficult part of my life," Harrison tells us. "I keep a smile on my face because I have to, but Gwen and I, we've been together for 22 years, married for almost 19. So we grew up together and we have so much history, it would be foolish to not be friends."

The couple, who were high-school sweethearts, have reportedly been separated for some time. But they've continued to remain in touch despite the difficult circumstances—and for the sake of their two children: 9-year-old son Joshua and 7-year-old daughter Taylor.

"I've talked to her five times this morning," he says. "We spent Mother's Day together, and we had lunch and went to movies with the kids—she will always be my best friend, I hope, and I want her to be happy and she wants me to be happy."

And despite being surrounded by boatloads of hot-and-heavy bachelors on the show for over 10 years now, Harrison is himself petrified of what his newly single life holds.

"I guess I am a bachelor now, which scares the holy hell out of me—I'm not going to lie—because I haven't been one since the early '90s," he admits. "And I thought those days were over—and I was happy to have them over! I was never one of those married guys that was like, 'Man, I wish I was at the club at 4 a.m. with those guys! I am so happy to be home, I love my life at home."

Being a single dad does give him a unique kinship with this season's new Bachelorette, Emily Maynard, who is herself a single parent. Harrison says he and Gwen decided to initially keep the split private "to protect our family," and that Maynard didn't find out until the last two episodes of the show.

"When she found out she felt horrible and gave me a big hug," Harrison says.

Still, he has no regrets about his 18-year journey with Gwen, despite its sad ending.

"I still hold myself and my marriage up very high," he muses. "I look upon it with great pride, great honor and great memories. I have no regrets."

As for walking down the aisle again someday?

"I hope I have another great marriage ahead someday, and I hope she does, too."

And if there's anything we've learned on The Bachelor, it's that you should never count out a shot at a second chance.

—Reporting by Vanessa McDonald

Chris Harrison is usually the one asking the tough questions, of Bachelors and Bachelorettes who may or may not have made some questionable choices during their ABC journey. But now he’s the one in the hot seat — but for reasons completely different.
The newly single host of the mega dating franchise has previously shut down any chatter of him being the next Bachelor with such grace expected of him... but that didn’t stop Kelly Ripa from broaching the subject with Chris, who was her Live! co-host on Wednesday, May 16.

“Has ABC approached you yet to become the Bachelor?” asked Kelly to an amused Chris. Well, have they?

Silly rabbit, Chris isn't giving up his employer that easily. Instead he opted to joke about how long it had been since he’d even been on a date (22 years!), wondering aloud, “Is REM still on tour?” Better brush up on your Dierks Bentley, Chris.

Below is the first portion of Chris' interview. Check back with Reality TV World soon for more.


Chris Harrison: Yeah, you'll have to ask Emily just how impressed she was. Here's one thing about Emily that you will quickly learn when you watch the show, is that she's very sweet, very southern, and she will sometimes tell you [something] and be very courteous and nice -- but it's not exactly how she feels deep down inside.


Reality TV World: Emily has said she's willing to move wherever the guy she picks lives. However, some viewers are a little skeptical of that because she never picked up and moved to Austin to be with Brad even though he had always been clear he'd expected that of his final bachelorette. What are your thoughts about that -- why do you think it'll be different this time around?

Chris Harrison: Well I mean, the situation with Brad was different. You have to take it in and of itself. She just wasn't -- she was fully prepared to move to Austin and would've loved to move to Austin, and obviously that was on her mind, but their relationship never got there. It's a big step for her because it's not just Emily up and moving.

It's Emily and it's Ricki and it's her life, and pulling Ricki out of school and [away from] her friends and all that. And so, Emily doesn't just get to make choices for herself anymore. While that was definitely in consideration for Brad, it was a completely different situation than what she'll face here, however this turns out.

This will be another decision she has to make and I hope she has to make it. Hopefully we get this incredible ending and she falls in love and they either move to Charlotte or move wherever.

Reality TV World: A lot of people are skeptical that a racecar driver just happened to apply. How did Arie end up on the show? Did he really apply on his own or did the show go out and deliberately try and recruit a racecar driver?

Chris Harrison: I don't think -- I don't know how Arie ended up coming to the show. I don't know if he applied or friends applied for him. I don't know. I never get that deep into how these guys end up on the show.

Chris Harrison ‏@chrisbharrison

I will for sureRT @GretchenRossi: Ok who is going to make me cry first ya think? @sparksnicholas or @chrisbharrison LOL http://fb.me/1ecvhPX3M