Re: Chris Harrison's Blog - Discussion

by chaslom4 Tue Jun 21, 2011 2:10 am

Chris Harrison blogs 'The Bachelorette' episode 5

by Beeleever Tue Jun 21, 2011 2:33 am

Okay...not to sound like a broken record, but just want to point out...no mention of JP in Chris' blog...again...for the 3rd week...in a row. Even though JP never got a mention on his first 1:1 date with Ashley, Ben F. and even Ben C. and Will got mentions this week. This is just wrong. Have we ever had an F1 (proposed F1) that Chris totally dissed week after week?

by Love_Me Tue Jun 21, 2011 5:44 am

http://popwatch.ew.com/2011/06/21/chris-harrison-bachelorette-episode-5-blog/

Chris Harrison blogs 'The Bachelorette' episode 5

by Chris Harrison

I know this week Bentley’s imminent return will dominate the discussion, and I have some interesting takes on what is happening and what is about to happen next week in Hong Kong — but first let’s talk about this week. We have been to some exotic locations over the last decade, but the city of Chiang Mai in Thailand might just take the cake. The city has so much to offer but the property we stayed at, the Mandarin Oriental Dhara Dhevi, took it to a whole other level. This resort that sits on over sixty acres and includes two working rice paddies in the middle of it. It’s unlike anything I’ve ever seen. You know a resort is big when you can check out mountain bikes just to get around. The guys arrived in old school limos straight out of a James Bond film. The only difference is these limos were not just old school they were old. It was a really hot day and the limos that had A/C weren’t working that well. Let’s just say the guys were more than happy to get out and get to their villa. Speaking of their villa, it was insane. The men stayed in a three story presidential villa complete with a grand piano and incredibly valuable art that the guys were scared to death of breaking.

Ashley’s date with Ben F. was a great experience on the streets of Chiang Mai. It’s easy to get lost in the markets and Temples in this city and that’s exactly what they did. The group date was a tough one, but in my opinion it was one of the coolest dates we had this season. One of the things you have to experience while in Chiang Mai is Muay Thai boxing. Some of our crew and I attended a match the night before so we were excited to see it all play out on this date. A ring was set up for us in the middle of a town square. Fliers were passed out and ads ran on the radio promoting this “fight” drawing a nice crowd. These guys were really put through the wringer on this date. They worked out hard in incredible heat for about three hours before arriving for the actual fight. By the time they showed up at the ring they were all exhausted and a bit dehydrated.

Most the fights were pretty even but not the one between Ryan and Ames. As Ames will be the first to tell you, he’s not a fighter. Being the trooper he is he got out there and gave it his all. Unfortunately that meant he took about five good shots to the head. I was standing right there when Ames climbed out of the ring and I can attest to the fact that he was not all there. He was just sitting there with a blank look on his face and everybody knew something was wrong. He went to the hospital was diagnosed with a minor concussion and was released later that afternoon. I felt bad for Ames, not so much because he got his bell rung but more for the fact that he got wheeled into a hospital in hot pink boxing trunks. In all seriousness, everybody likes Ames and he had a great sense of humor about the whole thing, at least what he remembers about it.

Two-on-one dates just flat-out stink. This one in my opinion was worse than most because of what I will call the Bentley factor. Ashley was not in a good place and really wasn’t open to fighting for either one of these guys in the state she’s in right now. I heard Ben C. made comments about getting back home and being excited about online dating. Whether he was kidding as he claimed, I don’t know, but either way it probably wasn’t a good idea to bring that up to the other guys. William thought he was in the driver’s seat and home free, but Ashley just wasn’t in the mood that night and sent him packing as well. When I broke up the cocktail party I could feel the tension in the air, and when I sat down with Ashley at deliberation I could tell she was in a bad place. A massive thunderstorm blew in that night, very symbolic of what’s going on in Ashley’s mind right now. I will admit I was a little disappointed that she had slipped back in to this place and was still so hung up on Bentley. I was brutally honest with her at deliberation. I firmly believed we reached a serious breaking point. If things continue down this path this isn’t going to end well. There is absolutely no way possible Ashley can find love like this.

At this point we weren’t quite sure what we were going to do about this, but we knew for certain we had to do something. Obviously you’ve seen in the previews, what we were able to do was get Bentley to meet us in Hong Kong next week to face Ashley again and answer all her questions. One way or the other this needs to end for her. A lot has been made about Ashley’s meeting with Bentley but in my opinion the bigger story next week is how the other men react when Ashley comes clean and tells them everything that happened. Next week is an episode not to be missed from start to finish. It will absolutely shape everything that will happen the rest of this season and maybe the rest of Ashley’s life. I look forward to hearing from you this week, and I very much anticipate your reactions to what unfolds next week in Hong Kong. As usual we have a ton of extras for all Bachelorette fans on our official website thebachelor.tv, and you can always find me on twitter @chrisbharrison. One more important personal note this week: I’d like to wish a happy belated Father’s Day to all the dads out there including my own dad, to whom I’m eternally grateful for giving me so much in this life.

by LaureanT Wed Jun 22, 2011 12:06 pm

Bachelorette's Chris Harrison: The Men Unravel at Next Week's Cocktail Party
Robyn Ross
Jun 21, 2011 02:26 PM ET
by Robyn Ross

The Bachelorette

Although The Bachelorette's two-on-one dates usually end with at least one happy guy, on this week's episode Ashley axed them both. "Ashley was in a bad mood," host Chris Harrison tells us. He also admits that Ben C.'s exit looked abrupt because of bad editing. In our weekly chat with Harrison, he says he stands by the violent group date, tells us why Ames is the most fascinating guy he knows, and how next week's return of Bentley leaves the remaining men a bit upset with the girl they're fighting for.

Let's start with the two-on-one date. Why didn't Ashley let Ben C. explain himself?
Chris Harrison: I think that might have been a little misconstrued in the edit [because] it did seem very abrupt. I know he had said some stuff [about wanting to date after the show] so we should've gotten a little deeper into it and we probably should've shown a little more.

Do you think William's tattling on Ben C. lead to his exit?
Harrison: I think it had a little bit to do with it, but I think it also had a bit to do with the fact that Ashley was in a bad mood. I don't think J.P. or Ben F. would've survived that date. She was in a cranky place ... I don't think she was fully sure about William, but they never really had that chemistry.

And his comments about not wanting to grow up didn't help his cause.
Harrison: I think he was trying to be cute and funny, but it just shows he's a bit young and naïve because men don't say stuff like that.

He's going to be on Bachelor Pad -- don't you think he'll be eaten alive?
Harrison: Maybe he's learned from his mistakes and is a little more savvy this time around. It's like Wes [Hayden], if he came in acting like Wes he would've been a dead man, but he learned and changed. So, hopefully, William will learn from the error of his ways.

Did you see Ashley's attraction to Ben F. coming?
Harrison: Ben F. is the dark horse in this that has slowly but surely captivated Ashley.

Do he and Constantine look like twins?
Harrison: They look very similar. The first couple of rose ceremonies I had the toughest time telling them apart. Now that I know them it's not even close, they just have the same hair, but Ben F. is a dead ringer for Rafael Nadal.

The group date was intense!
Harrison: I still love that date. I stand behind it. I know people are angry like why are you doing this, but one of the biggest traditions in Thailand is Muay Thai boxing. It's a crazy event, something out of a Tarantino film, where you go to the back of this alley and there's a boxing match going on. ... Testosterone and human nature took over and they started fighting like crazy. For most of the guys it was no big deal, but Ames really couldn't defend himself. But that's Ames ... Unfortunately he took one in the head even with the head gear on that knocked him silly.

He's surprisingly growing on me.
Harrison: Once he gets under your skin he's fascinating. The more you talk to him he's like, "Yeah I was in Phuket last week and I took a cooking class" or "I was in Nepal and I climbed Everest," and you're like: What? He shows up like he walked out of a Ralph Lauren ad, but there's no pretension there ... He's a good guy who everybody wants to be around and he's very endearing.

Next week is the big return of Bentley. It better be the last we see of him!
Harrison: We got to a point in Chiang Mai where I was sitting there telling her this isn't going to work, what you're doing is a disaster, you're not going to find love and these guys are going to hate you. She said, "I need to do something" and I said I will make this happen, I don't know how, but we were able to figure out how to get him to Hong Kong. ... But I was like: These are good guys, a million people are going to be watching the show, screaming at you, saying are you out of your mind wasting this opportunity. I think she needed tough love at that point.

Does the situation get resolved when they meet?
Harrison: People are anticipating the Bentley thing so much, but what really happens next week is telling the guys. She gets to this happy place and is almost a little arrogant and cocky because of it, but I don't think she thought through the effect it was going to have on the guys. It's like you walking up to your boyfriend and saying, "For the last couple of months I've been sleeping with another guy, but the good news is I don't want to have sex with him anymore." She didn't really understand it until our deliberation and all of a sudden things start to unravel in the cocktail party in Hong Kong.
web page

by LaureanT Thu Jun 23, 2011 4:10 pm

CH's TV Guide interview. He said Ashley got a bit cocky!

Source: TV Guide

http://www.examiner.com/tv-in-scottsdale/ashley-hebert-got-a-bit-cocky-says-chris-harrison-tv-guide-interview
hmmm

by Love_Me Thu Jun 23, 2011 5:03 pm

LaureanT wrote:CH's TV Guide interview. He said Ashley got a bit cocky!

Source: TV Guide

http://www.examiner.com/tv-in-scottsdale/ashley-hebert-got-a-bit-cocky-says-chris-harrison-tv-guide-interview

Has CH ever thrown a lead under the bus like this? I remember he wasn't too fond of Jake, but his choose of words about Ashley this season have been pretty harsh.

by nd4reality Thu Jun 23, 2011 5:07 pm

Love_Me wrote:
LaureanT wrote:CH's TV Guide interview. He said Ashley got a bit cocky!

Source: TV Guide

http://www.examiner.com/tv-in-scottsdale/ashley-hebert-got-a-bit-cocky-says-chris-harrison-tv-guide-interview

Has CH ever thrown a lead under the bus like this? I remember he wasn't too fond of Jake, but his choose of words about Ashley this season have been pretty harsh.

I remember him being great with Jake. Ashley - not so much Suspect

by CarrieA Tue Jun 28, 2011 2:19 am

Chris Harrison Blog's episode 6:

This episode had a lot of highs and many lows for Ashley. You’ve all had very strong opinions about Bentley this season, both good and bad. I want to deal with all this episode had to offer, but first I want to give you some updates on things we have coming up in the very near future for you. First of all, we have wrapped the first part of production on Bachelor Pad 2. It is incredible and will far surpass anything we came close to producing last summer. From start to finish this show will entertain like never before. We will also be bringing you what we’re calling “Bachelor Updates” on our most popular couples. The first you will see on Monday, July 11th. I sit down and talk to Emily who is speaking publicly for the first time about her relationship with Brad. I know all of you have had tons of questions about Brad and Emily, and their silence has only added fuel to the tabloid fire. Emily and Brad wanted to remain silent until the time was right for them to speak. That time is now, and you will see and hear all next Monday night.

As for the current season of The Bachelorette, I don’t think we’ve had a more emotional episode yet. Hong Kong is a beautiful city and we were all looking forward to getting there, but we knew what lay ahead at first was going to be rough. I understand that many of you felt like this Bentley thing dragged on a little too long. We actually would have loved to have put an end to this last week in Chiang Mai, but logistically that just wasn’t possible. One of the problems of shooting halfway around the world is you just can’t hop on a plane and get there in one or even two days. Because of travel and the time difference, we had to wait until we all got to Hong Kong. I did my best to give Ashley the ammunition she needed for her encounter with Bentley. I urged her to not let him be “Bentley” again. Don’t let him get away with talking for an hour, giving what I’m guessing he thinks is his sexy look and saying absolutely nothing meaningful. Turns out, that’s exactly what he did. The guy has an amazing talent for saying nothing in such a sincere way it’s hard to tell you’ve actually just heard nothing. The good news is Ashley was prepared this time and called him on his nonsense and sent the dude packing. So the long and short of it is Ashley is good and Bentley is gone. But that was really just the beginning of this episode. What lay ahead was much more important.

Ashley’s date with Lucas was a good one, but I’m still not sold on the chemistry between them. I’d like to get your thoughts on a man asking permission to kiss a girl. I have my theory on this, but I’d like to get your opinion — is it romantic or insecure? The group date was very cool. Having never been to Hong Kong, I never knew that just outside one of the busiest cities in the world are some of the most beautiful exotic beaches in the world. One thing I really noticed on the group date was how many guys admitted they were falling for Ashley. Ames, Ben F. and Ryan are all falling hard for her. The one thing I can’t quite understand is why Ryan drives these guys crazy. Sometimes there’s just people that rub you the wrong way, and he just must be one of those guys. Ashley’s one-on-one date with JP was very interesting, specifically how good their chemistry seems to be. (Side note: I want to bring up another question for you ladies to answer this week. Why do all women ask men when they cried last? Is it to make sure they are sensitive or to show that they can be vulnerable? Seems to be a very common question women ask men on dates.)

After telling JP about Bentley, Ashley was really feeling really good. But she had a very different reaction when telling the guys which lead to a total meltdown at the cocktail party. Confident men like JP, Ames, Ben F and Ryan had no problem with Ashley and were very cool about the whole thing. Most of the guys that got upset calmed down after a while — except Mickey, that is. I honestly don’t think he meant to leave, but he ended up talking himself into a decision he couldn’t get out of and next thing he knew, he was on a boat and headed back home. All in all it was a rocky night and a rocky episode, but Ashley has come out the other side a better, stronger woman and the guys that remain are definitely all here for the right reasons. As you saw in the tease at the end of the show, what remains is an amazing tale you will really enjoy watching. In the meantime check out more Bachelorette extras on our official website thebachelor.tv and you can always find me on twitter @chrisbharrison.

by Love_Me Tue Jun 28, 2011 2:28 am

Confident men like JP, Ames, Ben F and Ryan

Again, I am puzzled why Ryan is cut before the HTD's.

by dee Tue Jun 28, 2011 2:33 am

Love_Me wrote:
Confident men like JP, Ames, Ben F and Ryan

Again, I am puzzled why Ryan is cut before the HTD's.

I guess hence the, "I really regret sending him home. I miss him. I can't believe he came all the way to fiji to see me" from Ashley. Something's going to go down during Taiwan.

by Guest Tue Jun 28, 2011 2:38 am

It makes no sense. It should be Constantine going home, not Ryan and Ryan should have the HTD and be in the F4 group. scratch

by Love_Me Tue Jun 28, 2011 2:42 am

Maybe Ryan declares that he loves her and she doesn't feel the same. So even though it is hard she sends him home now rather then later. Then something she says make him feel confused and TPTB fly him to Fiji so he can get the closure he needs to move on.

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