‘The Bachelor’ recap: Five things you didn’t see on ‘Women Tell All’
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Are your ears still ringing? Because mine certainly are, after all of the high-pitched screeching and whining that went down on tonight’s ‘Women Tell All’ episode of ‘The Bachelor.’
There was so much talking over one another and name-calling and tear-shedding that it was difficult for me to make it through the entire two hours. Even worse, I sat through a nine-hour-long day -- yes, really -- during which the episode was filmed so I could bring you guys the behind-the-scenes dish. And frankly, I think some of it is far more interesting than what made it to air tonight.
So, without further ado, here are five things you didn’t see during Monday’s episode:
1. Chris Harrison almost passed out. When the show’s host began the day, he told the crowd he wasn’t feeling well and he apologized repeatedly for his raspy voice. It was evident he was eager to keep things moving along at a rapid pace, and seemed more annoyed than usual when the ladies began talking over one another. Then, moments after Courtney came on stage and began crying, Chris took a break. It was a perplexing time for him to depart the stage, considering Courtney had just begun to get choked up, and I assumed he’d want to milk the emotion. When he didn’t return after an hour, everyone began scratching their heads -- and then, suddenly, show creator Mike Fleiss came backstage to tell a handful of journalists that Chris had fallen ill. ‘He almost fainted,’ Fleiss explained. ‘He had to lie down and get an IV with fluids.’ Like a true professional, Chris eventually made it back to the stage to finish up, albeit with a pallid appearance.
2. A private conversation between Courtney and a show producer went public. During Chris’ temporary hiatus, one of the show’s producers went over to comfort Courtney, who was clearly very distraught after being attacked by numerous ladies. I was sitting backstage with a group of other journalists, watching the taping on a remote monitor. While Chris was gone, the camera and microphones were left on on-stage, and so the press was accidentally privvy to the intimate conversation. Courtney complained she felt like a deer in the headlights, and said she’d expected at least one of the women to come to her defense.
“But I didn’t play with my hair once. Aren’t you proud?” she added.
“Yes,” the producer replied. “That was good.”
The staffer tried to distract Courtney by talking to her about the kind of cigarettes she smokes -- American Spirits, apparently -- and the model soon began to feel better.
“I’m not feeling very emotional anymore,” she said, her tears dispersing. “You made me feel better. I appreciate it.”
Then, she began to worry about coming off as too cold: “I don’t know if I can show that emotion again,” she fretted.
“You have to,” the producer said. “This is for you. [Possible spoiler alert!] This is for you and Ben.”
Interesting.
3. Jamie over-shared. You know Jamie, the girl who awkwardly straddled Ben and gave him an instructional kissing lesson before being sent home this season? It was bad enough that she embarrassed herself on Monday’s episode by telling Ben that she’d be his sloppy seconds if things don’t work out with his final pick. But then she began sharing very personal details about her upbringing in an effort to explain her behavior this season, and things just got awkward. She revealed she grew up in an abusive home with guns and drinking, and later gained custody of her younger siblings. “I think you’re a fabulous guy, and I really wanted to get to know you,” she told a shell-shocked Ben. “But I just felt so much pressure to hide all of that. The whole kiss thing was me trying to grab your attention.” Yikes.
4. Many of the women insinuated Ben only liked Courtney because she’s a model. Samantha -- who, let’s face it, nobody even remembered before the reunion -- felt especially strong about this. When Jamie suggested that Ben’s eyes lit up any time Courtney came in, Samantha responded: “Um, yeah, because she was a model. Ben came out of this wanting to say he [slept with] a model, and that was it,” she concluded.
In an interview following the taping -- posted below -- Emily basically said the same thing, only in a more polite fashion.
“Do I think there was some draw because she was a model?” Emily mused. “I mean, there’s no question. I think he’s a man, and he has a penis, so that’s how it’s gonna go. Maybe he turned a few blind eyes. He looked away, and there she was on the cover of Fitness, and that’s what he focused on.”
5. Ben complained about his ‘Bachelor’ duties. After completing a round of interviews with the media following the ‘Women Tell All’ show, Ben exhaled and went over to vent to a group of show insiders. ‘One more of these [expletive] things and I’m done,’ he said, likely referring to the then-impending ‘After the Final Rose’ taping. ‘I have so many better things to do with my life.’
Nice.
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--Amy Kaufman