Chris Harrison's Blog - Discussion

While I’m sitting here writing this blog all I really want to know is what all of you think of what went down this week and how it all happened. I’ve been asked several times this week if I think Bentley is the biggest “villain” we’ve ever had on this show. My first thought is that’s really something for you guys to judge, not me. My second thought is the “villain” title really doesn’t do justice to what went down here. It softens the blow and simplifies things too much in my opinion, but again that’s really up to you guys. There’s a lot more I will say about Bentley but I do want to talk about several other things, as this was an eye-opening episode from top to bottom.

The first date with Ben C. was incredibly cool. Like the Vegas date with William last week it was very public at the Americana at Brand mall for the entire world to see. I love these public dates, as it adds an extra dimension to our show, letting fans see what’s going on from time to time while we’re shooting. The flash mob was another excellent idea from our producers executed to the highest level, and the appearance by Far East Movement was the icing on the cake.

Before the group date came the moment that we’ve all been waiting for, the moment to end all moments, the unveiling of the mask. The giant thud you heard was this moment falling flatter than William’s jokes on the comedy date. I really didn’t have a problem with Jeff showing up in a mask. Ironically the guy showed up in the mask to make sure Ashley got to know exactly who he was, but in the end I don’t think he ever got to show who he was because the mask became his personality — it became bigger than him, and when he took it off he and Ashley really had nowhere to go.

After the less than impressive unveiling it was time for the group date at the famous Comedy Store on Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood, which was another very public date. The only difference is this date didn’t end so well. Jeffrey Ross was kind enough to lend us his talented comedic skills. I’m a big fan of the roast master and it was an honor having him on the show. I have mixed feelings about how this date went down. On one hand, it was supposed to be a roast and in that vein the guys should be able to pull no punches. On the other hand, you just can’t be so ridiculous to think that it’s ever a good idea to roast the girl whose affections you’re trying to win. With that said, William got way too excited about fulfilling his dream of becoming the next Dennis Miller and forgot to be a smart, sensible man. The big difference between William and a guy like Bentley is William quickly realized the error of his ways, felt sick about it and apologized many times. Ryan absolutely killed it during his one on one time with Ashley after the roast, saying just the right things and comforting her after a rough day, and he deservedly got the rose. During their one on one time on this date, Ashley basically called Bentley out but once again he pulled the wool over her eyes. I was asked this week why Bentley decided to leave and when. I’m not positive, but something about not getting the rose on this group date seemed to set the wheels in motion.

Whenever he decided he was going to leave, he pulled the trigger the next morning. Let me be very clear about my thoughts on Bentley and him leaving. I have no problem with him coming on the show. I have no problem with him coming on the show even if he was hoping our bachelorette was going to be Emily. You never know what can happen when you meet somebody. I also don’t have a problem with him deciding it was time to leave, that’s completely up to him. I also didn’t have a problem with him using his daughter as an excuse to leave and let Ashley down easy; that’s not the way I would have handled the situation, but so be it. My issue is he appears to have come on the show with bad intentions, and when he decided to leave, he messed with Ashley’s head by leading her on and letting her believe that there’s still a chance for them to be together. He knew Ashley had fallen for him, and instead of just leaving and letting her go he took one last inappropriate shot by ending it with that ridiculous “dot-dot-dot” garbage.

Many have wondered why he was ever allowed on the show and how he was allowed to stay as long as he did. The simple answer is it was always up to Ashley. She made the decision to allow him on the show that first night. After Ashley received the texts warning her about Bentley, we offered her the option of not even having to meet the guy, but she decided to give him a shot. Every step of the way — despite warnings from producers, myself and others — Ashley stuck to her guns and believed in this guy. In Ashley’s defense she wasn’t privy to all the things Bentley said behind her back. Ashley made a deal with herself that this time around she would open herself up to be vulnerable and give herself every opportunity to find love. She just never figured there would be a guy like this who would take advantage of that in such a negative way. I’ve talked to her this week and I know she feels foolish for being taken advantage of, but she shouldn’t. Yes she made the decision to keep him around, but I understand why. You have to open yourself up to really make this work and that’s exactly what she did.

My talk with Ashley in the deliberation room before the rose ceremony was a tough one. Her greatest insecurity and fear was realized and at that point she didn’t believe in herself or that this could work for her. The only problem is she doesn’t get much time to heal her heart and put things in perspective. She has twelve guys still here giving up their lives to find love, and they really don’t understand just how much Ashley had fallen for Bentley. As we move forward this will be the dilemma we deal with. Obviously you will be the real judge and jury as to what you think about Bentley and how he handled himself. More than ever I look forward to your questions and comments. For much more on the show you can check out our official web site thebachelor.tv. This week we’ll have some cool features, including “Ask the Bachelorette,” “Ask the Mask,” and a video from Michelle Money giving her final thoughts on Bentley. You can also always find me on twitter @chrisbharrison.

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Beeleever wrote:Really? Just like absolutely no previews of the 1:1 with JP, absolutely no mention of it in Chris' blog? Really? What's up with that? :con1:

klarson79 wrote:

Beeleever wrote:Really? Just like absolutely no previews of the 1:1 with JP, absolutely no mention of it in Chris' blog? Really? What's up with that? :con1:

LOL! No kidding!!!

Chris-Harrison

It’s been a full wild week of fallout from the Bentley exit. Many fans and “publications” have offered opinions and theories about what went down and why. Every interview I do these days begins and usually ends with Bentley. As you all know now this isn’t over and he will return. We had already decided to start traveling this week, but the timing couldn’t have been more perfect. I think after what went down all of us needed a fresh start and a change of scenery

One of my favorite parts about hosting this show is being able to announce to people that they will be packing their bags and heading somewhere exotic. Telling the guys we were heading to Phuket, Thailand was one of those occasions. They were blown away and extremely excited to be heading to Asia. This season was easily the rainiest season we’ve ever had from start to finish. It rained more than usual while we were shooting in Los Angeles, and as you saw the weather was less than cooperative in Phuket. The weather was so rough at the beginning of the week that Ashley’s date with Constantine was scrapped and ended up becoming a street date. It actually turned out to be a great date and he got the rose. For those of you who have always said we should do normal everyday things on some of these dates, you should have really enjoyed the last couple dates on our show. Ashley’s date with JP at her house and her street date with Constantine were as normal and everyday as you can get. That is, if you normally fly half way around the world to walk down the streets of Phuket! The group date was also not extravagant — it was awesome and moving. We have really made a point the last several years to try to make a difference in all of the beautiful countries we are fortunate enough to visit. The day at the Baan San Fan orphanage was incredible. The work we did there and the gifts we brought really made a difference but so much more needs to be done. I would love to tell you a lot more about this day and this place but instead of taking up all the time and space here in this blog I would really love it if you would take a couple minutes and watch the story we put together about our day there at our web site.

It was at the orphanage when Ashley really began to see Ben F in a new light. She was really taken by his spirit and his creativity. You also probably noticed the guys have been together quite a bit by now and they are starting to wear on each other’s nerves a bit. Ryan especially seems to be rubbing some of the guys the wrong way with his over the top positive attitude. The date with Ames was a pivotal date this season for several reasons. Because Bentley turned Ashley’s world upside down she really started to question everything. In this case it turned out to be a good thing. Going into her date with Ames, there is no doubt that Ashley really figured she wouldn’t be giving him the rose. They just hadn’t had any sort of connection and she had already pretty much moved on. But right away on this date Ashley found Ames fascinating; he really captured her imagination unlike any of the other guys had. He ended up easily getting a rose. One quick side note about this date, the white fruit they were eating on the beach is called dragon fruit. You all might know what that is, but I had no idea and had never seen or tasted it before. It was at all our meals in Phuket and it is really good. The best way to describe it is a mix between Kiwi and watermelon. Another behind the scenes tidbit from Phuket: While Ames was on his date, I stopped by the guys villa to say hello and we ended up playing poker all night. I donated some money to the cause, as did a couple of our producers who thought they were better poker players than they really are. It was a good night, and I enjoyed getting to know the guys a little better. I also noticed there that Ryan was getting on their nerves a bit.

My talk with Ashley this week was far better than the train wreck that was last week’s deliberation. With that said, she was putting on a brave face but I could tell she still wasn’t in a good place. It’s not that she was just going through the motions; she was really enjoying her time with these guys, but I could tell her mind and heart were still with Bentley. That damn “dot-dot-dot” garbage and leaving the door open still left her wondering what if? All of this coupled with the confusion of the Ames date made her question everything so much that she asked me for another rose at the rose ceremony. Right now she’s so emotionally confused she’s really worried about making a mistake by sending a great guy home. Normally I would have put up a bit of a fight and told her that adding a rose will only mean you have a tougher decision sending more guys home down the road, but right now that’s not what she needs to hear. I assured her she was in control of this situation, which she is, and that we would make that happen for her. You can see in this episode that the more dates she goes on the more she seems to be comparing everything and everyone to Bentley.

We head off to the exotic city of Chiang Mai with a dark ominous cloud hanging over us literally and figuratively. Next week’s episode really ends with Ashley in a dark place questioning everything even more than she is now. It was easily her lowest point in the show. You saw a brief glimpse in the previews that leads us to the return of Bentley. I always find it interesting living through these situations and then watching it play out for all of you to see and comment on. I really do enjoy the questions and comments — good and bad — that I get from these episodes. The great thing about this show is that one way or another, we can all relate. We’ve all been there before, and that evokes great emotion in all of us. Thanks for watching, and I look forward to the watching the rest of Ashley’s journey with you. As always for more on the show check out bachelorette.abc.com, and you can always find me on twitter

Beeleever wrote:Still no mention in his blog of Ashley's kiss or connection with JP. That's two weeks in a row without even a mention. What's up with that?