Doug Clerget - Bachelorette 8 - Discussion

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Excited to have @DougClerget from the ‪#Bachelorette‬ & KOMOTV at our Columbia Center in ‪#Seattle‬. pic.twitter.com/fCTjzG8Z

Ms. Rehl, you may begin your call.

Cathy Rehl: Welcome, everybody. We're getting down to sort of the nitty-gritty with hometown dates on Monday night. Today, we have Doug Clerget - that's C-L-E-R-G-E-T - with us today and as you know, he has sort of an up and down kind of trip through this, getting the first impression rose on the first night but, sadly, had to leave this past week.

So, without further ado, we will start the questions. Again, I remind you one question and a followup. OK, let's get started.

Operator: Ladies and gentlemen, to ask a question, please press star then the number 1 on your telephone keypads. Again, star, 1 to ask a question.

Your first question comes from Beth Kwiatkowski from "Reality TV World".

Beth Kwiatkowski: Hey, Doug. How are you doing?

Doug Clerget: Hey, Beth, how are you?

Beth Kwiatkowski: I'm great. So, my first question for you is, you know, you seemed very shocked when you finally realized Emily was sending you home. What was going through your mind while she was talking and where did you think she was going with her speech?

Like, did you think she was just mentioning things you two need to work on or maybe you zoned out a little bit because you were thinking about when to kiss her?

Doug Clerget: Yes, Beth, that's actually a really great question and I appreciate it. I was sitting - I was thinking to myself, you know, I really probably should have tried kissing her. I thought she was saying, you know, "hey, Doug, like, you've got to be a little more aggressive in terms of, you know, showing me, you know, you're interested in me."

And I think, you know, Emily was such a sweetheart throughout the whole thing and just because I'm a single dad, I, you know, I tend to take things a little more slowly and so, I really just wanted to get to know Emily on a personal level and build a good friendship there.

And so, she was talking to me and I thought she was - I thought the conversation was heading towards, you know, like, you know, come on, give me a kiss and then I really wasn't expecting to be sent home. I was hoping to get a hometown date and so I was kind of bummed out.

Beth Kwiatkowski: Sure, absolutely. And when Emily asked you where you saw yourself at the end of your bachelorette journey, you said something like you and Emily would just be starting out. So, do you think that's what ultimately made Emily's mind up because it seems she wants to end the process engaged and getting married shortly afterwards, but you kind of made it sound like you guys would just be, you know, beginning your relationship and you wouldn't have proposed if she did pick you.

So, do you mind elaborating on that a little bit? Like, would you have proposed and what did you mean by quote/unquote "starting out"?

Doug Clerget: Sure. Another great question and I appreciate that one, too. When I said starting out, you know, the bachelorette experience is a great experience and it's one that I am so happy that I did, but it's one of those things where, you know, it's kind of surreal in that you're quote/unquote "dating" a girl who's, you know, been dating guys that you've been hanging out with and you're having these experiences, you know, all around the world which are completely amazing experiences.

But, you're not, you know, at home doing normal day to day things. You know, I spend my days - I, you know, get up and I work out at four in the morning and then I get some work done and I get my son up and off to school or off to camp and then, you know, work throughout the day and then get him home, you know, or off to practice.

And so, you're not doing those normal kind of, you know, the normal life kind of stuff. And Emily's got Ricki and she has her normal routine. And so, the comment about starting out was in reference to building, you know, starting to build a normal life.

You know, this is - when you date somebody you take two separate lives, especially when you have kids involved and then you try to put those lives together. You know, that's what I meant by starting out and that's probably a - does that make sense?

Beth Kwiatkowski: Yes, absolutely. So, do you think that was maybe a little bit of a red flag for Emily, just to clarify then, because do you think she is kind of looking for that engagement right away?

Doug Clerget: I think, you know, I think Emily's heart is definitely in the right place and, you know, I don't know how the rest of it - I've been watching, you know, it will be interesting to see how the hometown dates go, but I know she definitely wants to find the right person.

And I hope it wasn't a red flag. I was, you know, I was just trying to say that it would be, you know, it would be an experience or coming home after the whole, you know, after the cameras were turned off and, you know, starting the day-to-day life of, you know, dating.

And as I understand it, whoever Emily ends up with, they don't get to see each other for quite a while, you know, after taping, between taping and the last show. So, you know, you've got some time in there. You know, so I definitely didn't mean it to be a red flag, I was just trying to be very, you know, just upfront about, you know, kind of where I saw things.

Beth Kwiatkowski: Definitely. OK, thank you so much, Doug.

Doug Clerget: Yes, no, thank you.

Operator: Your next question comes from Paige Feigenbaum from "Entertainment Tonight".

Paige Feigenbaum: Good morning, Doug.

Doug Clerget: Hey, Paige, how are you?

Paige Feigenbaum: Good, how about yourself?

Doug Clerget: Doing really well, thank you.

Paige Feigenbaum: I know that your son is about 11-years-old, so he was aware as to who Emily was and your purpose for going on the show. So, has he been watching the show and does he think Emily has the qualities that he's looking for in a stepmom?

Doug Clerget: So, that's a great question. Austin's 12 and he is going in the seventh grade next year. And Austin is - he definitely, you know, was aware. A big part of me going on the show was him saying, you know, dad, you need to get out and do some stuff for yourself.

I was really reticent to go on the show just because, you know, I didn't want to leave him and my sister ended up marrying one of my very best friends in the world and they live down in Redding, California. And they don't have kids and they've always wanted some extended time with Austin.

And so, when the opportunity came up to do the show, Austin was, like, dad, go; I want to go spend time with my auntie and my uncle. But, since he's been down there, I ask him about it and the kids - while I was gone, he was in school down there and I would - when I got back, I would, you know, ask him, like, because he had a couple weeks before school got out while the show started and I'd be, like, hey, you know, what's going on at school?

And he'd be, like, yes, no, the kids ask me about it but I've got to be honest, dad, he's, like, it's really not the kind of show I like. He's, like, "I love you, but I" - he'd just rather watch cartoons. So, the little girls at school would, you know, kind of keep him up-to-date on what was going on and he'd be, like, "yes, that sounds about like my dad."

But, so, he was very cognizant of what was going on, but I just don't - his interest wasn't there. He was much more interested in sports and, you know, and kind of more, you know, 12-year-old boy shows.

Paige Feigenbaum: Great. And if you had been able to take Emily on a hometown date, at this point you still hadn't met Ricki and we have yet to see if she introduces her to any of the men. But, were you planning on introducing her to Austin?

Doug Clerget: Oh, yes. I was really hoping that Emily and I would get a great hometown date. You know, Ricki's younger and so it's a little different. Because Austin's 12 and he's a pretty mature 12, he understands the difference between, you know, that, like, maybe a little one - when he was younger, like, four, five, six, seven-ish, I was very, very hesitant of introducing him to anyone at all.

Now that he's older, if I, you know, go out on a couple of dates or if Emily would have come home for a hometown date, Austin would totally understand and he would have been a huge part of the hometown date.

Paige Feigenbaum: Great, thanks so much.

Doug Clerget: Yes, no, thanks, Paige.

Operator: Your next question comes from Lauren Wang from KITV.

Lauren Wang: Hey, Doug. How are you?

Doug Clerget: Hey, good. It was Lauren, right?

Lauren Wang: Yes.

Doug Clerget: How are you today?

Lauren Wang: I'm good. So, just a couple of quick questions: she said on one of your one-on- one dates that she felt like you were hiding things, and that you were telling her things that she wanted to hear and not, you know, the truth.

How do you feel about that and was there any truth in what she was saying?

Doug Clerget: No. You know, that kind of hurt my feelings, actually. I'm, you know, pretty on-the-surface guy and what you see is what you get. And I think she felt like, you know, I don't know, like, I think one of her comments was that my answers were too perfect or something.

And one - I did not know this about myself, but you guys can obviously see I'm pretty shy in front of the cameras, and I did not know that about myself going into this. But, so, I think maybe that comment just came from me being shy around the cameras.

But, I would say that hurt my feelings. A lot of my friends, you know, and family and even ex-girlfriends that I still am really good friends with have watched it and they're, like, no, that's just Doug kind of, you know, just kind of, you know, a lot of times I'm quiet and then, you know, but I pretty much just put it out there, I think.

Lauren Wang: Yes. And you seemed like out of all the group of guys that were left to kind of just take charge and you seemed to get along with everyone. Who are you rooting for now?

Doug Clerget: Well, so, the guys that are left. I mean, I had - I was really great friends - Sean, I love, Arie's awesome, you know, Jef is one of the most hilarious guys I know, you know, Chris and I had a little bump in the road there, which took me by surprise because I really liked Chris and I still do, but, you know, it kind of bummed me out in Bermuda.

But, I think - gosh, it's a tough call between Arie, Jef and Sean. But, I think my - just because of our backgrounds, Sean and I were really close, so, I'd - probably Sean.

Lauren Wang: OK. All right, Doug, thank you so much.

Doug Clerget: No, thanks, Lauren. I appreciate it.

Operator: Your next question comes from Catriona Wightman from "Digital Spy".

Catriona Wightman: Hi, Doug. It's great to speak to you today.

Doug Clerget: Hey, Catriona, how are you?

Catriona Wightman: I'm good, thank you. I wanted to ask you about whether you were in a way pleased Emily chose to say goodbye to you before the hometown dates and before she met your family and everything like that? Do you think it was better that if she knew you weren't going to end up together to say goodbye now?

Doug Clerget: No. Actually, I was really bummed out. I think that if Emily would have got the chance - even if we didn't end up together in the end, I think she would have had a really great experience here in Seattle.

I've got a wonderful network of friends and I would have really loved to have her meet my son, and we would have probably gone over to my best friend's house and his wife and she could have met my goddaughters, who are pretty much - my opinion, but obviously I'm a little biased - the cutest girls on the planet.

And so, no, I wasn't relieved at all. I was bummed; I think we would have had a really great time. And again, even if we didn't end up together in the end, I think, you know, just for an ongoing friendship, I've never not kind of maintained a friendship with anyone I've dated.

And so, you know, it would have been just good to even further our friendship if we didn't end up together. So, no, I was pretty bummed out.

Catriona Wightman: OK, that makes sense. You mentioned just a minute ago about your bump in the road with Chris and you may be thinking he was maybe too young. Do you still feel that way?

Doug Clerget: No. I never mentioned he was young. So, what had happened - and I'll just - the background conversation is we were in Bermuda and John and Nate had come home - or Wolf had come home from his two-on-one and John is, you know, John's - John is a pretty mature guy and he's done a lot in the world and he was explaining to us some of the, you know, kind of what had happened with the date and, you know, some of the things that, you know, Nate had done that John was, like, "I can't believe he did that."

And it was - I had made a comment about John being more mature than Nate and somehow Chris had taken that that it was a comment about just being young. And there were guys even younger than Chris on the show. I mean, for gosh sakes, Alejandro - I think Alejandro was 23 and, I mean, he's very mature.

So, I think Chris just took, you know, a comment that I made about Nate and his actions on his two-on-one with John and Emily the wrong way and it just - it was one of those things that I - you know, it's a tough situation to be in and I just think Chris took it the wrong way and I was bummed out that he did. You know, so, that kind of bummed me out for him.

Catriona Wightman: OK, that makes sense. Thank you so much.

Doug Clerget: No, Catriona, I appreciate it.

Operator: Your next question comes from Lindsey DiMattina from Hollywood.com.

Doug Clerget: Hey, Lindsey, how are you?

Lindsey DiMattina: Hi, Doug. So nice to chat with you today.

So, I know that you felt a lot of chemistry with Emily, but out of the four guys that are remaining, who do you think had the most immediate physical chemistry with Emily and why?

Doug Clerget: Oh my gosh, that's such a tough question. You know, watching it, I did not fully comprehend the amount of chemistry that all the guys - and that was kind of, like, the ongoing joke while we were all together because I was always, like, well, you know, like, I dig Emily, we have a great time, we have this great conversations and the guys would constantly tease me about, like, Doug, you've got to make a move.

And I did not know that, you know, now watching it and watching the dates she had with the other guys, I did not - I guess I didn't really understand how much physical chemistry was going on.

And so, I - that's a tough call because, you know, watching it right now it seems like, you know, it seems like there's a lot of physical chemistry going on. So, I definitely was - probably should have been a little more on my toes about that.

Lindsey DiMattina: So, who did you think that she has the most chemistry with of the - with these four guys?

Doug Clerget: With the four guys left? I mean, watching the last episode after I left, it was, you know, it was the four hometown dates are down to Jef, Arie and Sean and Chris. And I think that it just looks from watching that Jef, Arie and Sean all are pretty much right there. Her last kiss with Chris seemed, you know, like, I don't know, it didn't seem as if she was leaned in.

So, but, between the three other guys - Jef, Arie and Sean - I really can't tell you who's got the most chemistry.

Lindsey DiMattina: OK. And if you had to pick between Jef and Arie for her, who would you pick?

Doug Clerget: Between - if I had to pick for her between those two guys?

Lindsey DiMattina: Yes.

Doug Clerget: You know what? I - shoot, they're both really good guys. I mean, that's tough. That's like trying to, you know, tell one of your good girlfriends, like, between two of your buddies which one she should date and you're just like, "man, I don't know; they're both good guys."

Like, I guess whichever - I mean, I definitely think throughout the whole process that Jef and Arie were in it for all the right reasons and, you know, our - they're both mature and good guys and I think that they're up for being a stepfather and a good role model. And so, I can't say which one is better because they're both right there.

Lindsey DiMattina: Thank you.

Doug Clerget: I'm sorry, Lindsey. That was a horrible answer, I apologize.

Lindsey DiMattina: No, that's OK. Thank you.

Doug Clerget: You're welcome.

Operator: Your next question comes from Carrie Bell from "People" magazine.

Doug Clerget: Hey, Carrie.

Carrie Bell: Good morning. You'll have to bear with me, my voice is gone.

Doug Clerget: It's OK, I've been there and just feel free to whisper. I'll turn the volume up on my phone.

Carrie Bell: Well, I was just wondering, you know, because you are a dad and because you, you know, you have had that similar experience to what Emily has had and now you know the guys and there was always this question about are they ready to be dads. Do you think that the guys left are truly ready to be good stepfathers?

Doug Clerget: I think - I definitely think that Sean 100 percent, Arie and Jef right up there. Watching the last episode, you know, left me with some questions about Chris for sure. I, you know, that was - there was some tough moments there.

But, I think that - I definitely think that those three guys are up for it and would put their heart into it and, you know, I think that those guys are definitely up for it.

Carrie Bell: Can you elaborate about why Chris gave you pause? I agree with you. I mean, he kind of ...

Doug Clerget: Oh, no, no. It's fine. You know, I think Chris is a great guy and I think that his heart is definitely in the right place. I just, you know, I didn't - I just don't know. It's, you know, it's a gut feeling. As a dad, you have these gut feelings about, you know, just if - as a dad, you always, when you meet people, in my opinion I guess as me as a dad, when I meet people, I always think, is this somebody that I could, you know, let my son hang out with, is this somebody that I want, you know, my son being around.

I mean, you know, you just - and also I was a bit of an orphan and so, you know, you always kind of wonder, like, if something happened to me, you know, is this a person that - it's just those things you think about as you make friendships in your life.

And, you know, some people you just get this comfort level where you just think, yes, you know, this is definitely somebody that's up for being a parent and then there are some people that you just think, you know, maybe a few more life experiences, you know, would lend themselves to maybe being more ready to being a parent.

Carrie Bell: OK. And, you know, you definitely seemed bummed to be, like, oh, you basically said so today earlier and it made me wonder, do you think that Emily was a good catch for you? I mean, would have been a good match for you and your son and your future?

Doug Clerget: So, that's, you know, I really was looking - and again, we go back to the hometown dates. I was looking forward to having a hometown date so that her and I would just be able to get to spend some more time together, get to know each other better.

You know, the experience is so whirlwind and the experience of being on the show and during the taping is very whirlwind and you're traveling and even though you get to spend time with Emily, you know, it's, like, it's the honeymoon stage.
You know what I mean? Of any relationship has that honeymoon stage and so, I just was hoping to spend some more time with her.

In terms of do I think that she would have been a good catch for me long term? You know, or are our personalities compatible to be together long term? I mean, I think Emily, she's, you know, obviously a very caring, sweet person, a loving mother, she's got a good sense of humor.

The times we had together, we had a lot of fun. But, you know, I just wanted to spend some more time. And again, even going back to even if it hadn't worked out, it just would have been nice to spend some more time so we could have had a stronger friendship moving forward.

Carrie Bell: Great, thank you.

Doug Clerget: No problem.

Operator: Your next question is a followup from Beth Kwiatkowski from "Reality TV World".

Doug Clerget: Hey, Beth.

Beth Kwiatkowski: Hi, Doug. So, you said in your final words that your quote/unquote "girl radar" was totally broken. What exactly did you mean by that? Like, were you saying you were kind of out of practice with the whole dating thing or were you referring to how maybe you misread the signals and attempted to kiss Emily when she was in the middle of letting you go? You know what I mean?

Doug Clerget: Thank you for bringing that up, like that wasn't painful enough to watch again. Oh my God.

Beth Kwiatkowski: Sorry.

Doug Clerget: Oh, no, it's OK. My friends will not leave me alone about that. I know - the comment about my girl radar being totally broken was kind of more of a comment in general, just in the fact that Emily is sitting there saying, you know, I've been waiting for you to, you know, to kind of show me that you're interested in me and I was thinking to myself, you know, like, I have been interested.

I've been here away from my son and trying to spend as much time as I can. And I, you know, kind of my whole life any time I've dated, it's because a girl finally is, like, Doug, you know, like, I'm interested in you; we should, you know, do something.

I just - for some reason, I don't know why, tell if a girl is interested in me or not and I definitely something I should probably work on because pretty much every girl I've ever dated has, you know, said, OK, like, you know, we've been going out on dates and, you know, I'll date and the girl will finally be like, OK, you know, are you going to kiss me? Like, you know, and so, it was pretty much typical.

I was bummed out because in the past, you know, that's kind of worked out for me and I'd be, like, oh, yes, totally. You know, I just didn't want to, you know, like, who wants to, you know, kiss a girl that doesn't want you to kiss them and then you can see.

So, I decided to take a risk in that situation and that didn't work out well for me at all.

Beth Kwiatkowski: OK. And, you know, Emily seemed to have a big issue with your body language and, you know, how you two, like, wouldn't really get close when talking or hold each other and things like that.

Could you talk a little bit more about that? I know you said, you know, you were shy around the cameras, but I mean, was there more to it? Like, were you just trying to be very respectful of Emily to the point where maybe it backfired or was it really just ...

Doug Clerget: (Inaudible). Oh, I'm sorry; I interrupted.

Beth Kwiatkowski: Oh, no problem.

Doug Clerget: Go ahead and finish; that was really rude of me, I apologize.

Beth Kwiatkowski: Oh, no, no, no, not at all. I was just wondering if it was just a matter of being shy or nervous around the cameras or whether there was, you know, a little more to it?

Doug Clerget: Well, no, I - definitely trying to be respectful. I think that, you know, in terms of approach to the situation, I felt like Emily and I had a good connection from, you know, both being single parents and, you know, so that, I felt kind of like was an immediate bond that we had.

And then, you know, a lot of guys I know, you know, were trying to be as, you know, as physical as they could just in terms of, you know, kissing her every chance that they got and I don't know, I just kind of thought, you know - again, I'm not a mind reader and my girl radar broken, didn't know how much, like, Emily wanted that to happen, you know, being a single mom.

And I didn't want to be one more guy, you know, trying to kiss her when maybe she just wanted to get to know the guys. And so, I guess I just read that wrong.

Beth Kwiatkowski: OK, got you. And, you know similar to you, Jef also decided to take his relationship with Emily slowly. You know, he also waited to kiss her for a while and, you know, didn't go out of his way to get her attention all the time.

However, Emily said she kind of like the fact you kept her guessing and wondering and it seemed like it ultimately made her like him even more. So, I guess, like, why do you think that strategy seemed to work out for Jef but, unfortunately, played out differently for you?

Like, I guess, what do you think the difference was?

Doug Clerget: You know, I - now that you bring that up, you're right. I hadn't thought about it from that regard before. I don't know why Jef got - why - because mine wasn't really a strategy at all. I was, you know, I was just trying to, you know, just trying to get to know Emily in the time that I had with her and be respectful of her and just, you know, just try to get to know her.

And so, maybe - I definitely wasn't trying to keep her guessing, I was just trying to be nice. You know, Jef's a great guy. I have to think about that, because you're right; it worked out better for him than it did me.

Maybe, you know, I don't think Jef had a strategy either. I think Jef was trying to be himself too and just kind of read the situation and figure out what was going on like the rest of us. That one stumps me a little.

Beth Kwiatkowski: OK.

Doug Clerget: You know, and actually, you know, though, Jef did eventually - and I'll tell you, the difference between Jef and I is that Jef did eventually go and kiss her. You know, when they were on their one-on-one in London, he definitely went in and I did not. I mean, I did not, you know, try to kiss Emily until she had made the decision to let me go.

And whereas Jef, you know, Jef had his one-on-one and he took advantage of that situation in London that maybe I didn't take advantage of in Bermuda. So, that was probably why it worked out better for him.

Beth Kwiatkowski: OK, got you. And, you know, you did get very emotional during your final word. So, just to clarify, you know, did you get upset because obviously rejection just hurts, was it because you didn't find love in general or was it because you didn't find love with Emily specifically?

Doug Clerget: Oh, my gosh. That's a long - that's a - do you want the long answer to that one?

Beth Kwiatkowski: Whatever it takes to answer it the best you can, I guess.

Doug Clerget: OK. So, what - it was - that was - being on the show was an amazing experience. I mean, just a life changing, very cool thing to do. I was genuinely disappointed that I didn't get the opportunity to have a one-on-one date with Emily. I thought to myself, you know, even if this isn't the girl for me that she should be able to come home and have a one-on-one date with me and, you know, just to see kind of how I live my life and, you know, get to meet Austin and my family and friends. So, that was disappointing.

But also from the aspect of yes, you know, it's - as a single dad, you, you know, a full-time single dad, you know, you - it would be nice to find some companionship, you know, and so that, you know, that was - just in general, that would be nice.

And then there was a lot of, you know, missing my son. It was a long experience and so I, you know, there was definitely missing my son and then candidly - and it didn't get talked about a lot but, I don't know however many of you guys know this - my grandfather, who was an amazing man and adopted my sister and I when we were children had passed away right before I went on the show.

And so, I had to give his eulogy and then basically give his eulogy, get my son down to California and I just didn't have - I hadn't had a chance to grieve at all and so there was a lot of, you know, thinking about him and his life. That came up in my emotions and so, I just - I don't think I've cried since '83, but I cried the last two weeks on the show. And that, you know, again, my friends are giving me an immense amount of grief over that.

Beth Kwiatkowski: OK, well, I'm sorry to hear about your grandfather and thanks again, Doug.

Doug Clerget: Oh, yes, no, gosh, you know, he had a long, wonderful life. So, that was a good thing.

Beth Kwiatkowski: OK, great. Thank you.

Operator: Your next question is a followup from Paige Feigenbaum from "Entertainment Tonight".

Paige Feigenbaum: Hey, Doug. Thanks for taking a few more.

Doug Clerget: Hey, Paige, how are you?

Paige Feigenbaum: Good. So, you had gotten the first impression rose. On previous seasons, for instance, Ali and Roberto, I believe he got the first impression rose and made it all the way to the end. So, do you think that was kind of going to give you a free pass to the final?

Doug Clerget: No, I didn't. I had never watched the show, so when Emily came up and she was, like, hey, can I talk to you and she was - I had no idea what was going on.

And so, I was honored to get the first impression rose. You know, credit should go probably all to Austin on that one because he's the one that had wrote her the note and that was a product of being kind of frustrated at me because, you know, obviously I couldn't, you know, he couldn't come down and he's like, well, you know, you're - "I'm going to get to go to my auntie's, but you're going to get to go do this and, you know, I want to be a part of it."

So, he thought maybe he could just come down and just, like, while, like, fly down with me just for a little bit before he went to his aunt's and I was like, no, buddy, you - you know, like, you've got to go over to your aunt's and so he was like, well, I want to write this note and so he did and it was, you know, incredibly sweet.

But, so, Austin gets the credit for that. But, no, I definitely don't think, I mean, the group of guys there, there was a really good group of guys. Emily was, I think, very fortunate in the group of guys that she had to date and so, no, there was no free pass.

I was just, you know, I - my - the way I was, you know, on the show, I was just trying to get to know her in the time I had with her in the best way that I can, or could, excuse me.

Paige Feigenbaum: Great. And also, you were the one that approached Emily to discuss Kalon's baggage comment with her. How will you confront him if given the chance, should you cross paths again at the Men Tell All taping?

Doug Clerget: Well, you know, that - you know, I went up to Kalon and had, you know, the guys came up to me and said, you know, this is something and so, I went and approached Kalon about it and Kalon had said, "yes, that was a comment that I had made."

And right when - after Kalon had left, we had the opportunity to chat about it and I really don't think there's, you know, there's any, you know, confronting to be done there. I hope, you know, I mean, if Kalon wants to talk about it again at the Men Tell All, we can definitely talk about it.

I just, you know, I was disappointed that he made that comment. I wouldn't want to continue to date somebody after they made a comment like that about my son, if anyone ever did. Obviously, Emily took care of it, you know, right there on the spot.

And so, I think it's kind of a dead issue, but I mean, if Kalon wants to talk about it, you know, I'll definitely, you know, chat with him about it, you know, and just, you know, so, yes.

Paige Feigenbaum: Great. Thanks so much.

Doug Clerget: Yes, no problem.

Operator: Your next question is a followup from Catriona Wightman from "Digital Spy".

Catriona Wightman: Hi, Doug, how are you?

Doug Clerget: Hey, Catriona.

Catriona Wightman: I wanted to ask you, you mentioned a few times about how much you missed Austin, obviously, and we saw Tony basically leave the show because of that earlier in the season. Did you ever think about leaving?

Doug Clerget: No. Big difference. I mean, Tony's - and Tony and I chatted about this - Tony's little guy, I think, is five, if I remember correctly. And every time Tony would talk to his son, his little guy would, you know, say, "daddy I miss you, when are you coming home? I want you home now," and I think that was really pulling on Tony's heartstrings.

Whereas half the - you know, when I talked to Austin, Austin would say, you know, I was at school today and then I went to - and then I was at swim practice or I was at school and then I, you know, played hoops after school with the buddies and, or my uncle Mike took me to a movie.

And, you know, then I'd say, well, you know, "I love you, do you want me to come home?" And kind of the - my stay on the show was kind of determined, you know, if Austin would have said to me, "dad, I need you home; you've got to come home," I definitely would have gone home and I would have felt bad about that, but I would have, you know, I think Emily would have understood.

But, anytime I asked Austin, his comment was, like, "nope, dad, hope you're having fun. I'm going to go back to playing. Love you and miss you, but I've got better things to do." So, and my barometer for Austin, especially when I didn't have custody of him, if he was doing OK was always, you know, if he wanted to spend time on the phone chatting nonstop, then I always kind of felt like, OK, something's off here, but any time he's like, you know, "I love you; I'm busy; I'm having fun," then I know things are good in his world.

And so, he, you know, we would spend time on the phone but a lot of that was just me keeping him on the phone when he was, like, "OK, dad, yes, I love you. I'm ready to go play."

Catriona Wightman: OK, that makes sense. And you mentioned a couple of times about how hard it is as a full-time single dad to find love. So, would you ever thing about doing the Bachelor or anything like that?

Doug Clerget: You know what? I'm probably so far on the - so far down on the list to do the Bachelor, but if it ever came up, yes, I would definitely think about it. It was an amazing experience and I think Emily was really fortunate in some of the guys she had to choose from and I would guess that if the opportunity came up that I would probably be, you know, that ABC would do as good of a job picking, you know, girls for me to date.

So, yes, I would definitely think about it.

Catriona Wightman: Great. Thank you so much.

Operator: Your final question is a followup from Lindsey DiMattina from Hollywood.com.

Lindsey DiMattina: Hi, Doug, again. Quick question; Arie kind of messed up this week with the whole producer thing, but then they made up and they seem to be back in love. Do you think she should have forgiven him and what advice do you have for Arie at this point?

Doug Clerget: Obviously, Arie doesn't need my advice; he's doing a lot better than me. I think that, yes, I mean, I think Emily was, you know, was good to, you know, to forgive him. Arie's a good guy. As it was brought up in the show, you know, his dating Cassie was, I think, almost ten years ago.

And, you know, I mean, that's a long time ago. And so, I think that, you know, I mean, it's a tough - it was a tough place for Arie to be in. It was a tough place for Cassie to be in. I don't think anybody was trying to do anything malicious and so, I think that the whole thing was OK.

And in terms of advice for Arie, I mean, I don't have any. I think Arie's doing pretty OK.

Lindsey DiMattina: And, do you think Jef is too young for her?

Doug Clerget: Oh, not at all. No, Jef is - definitely got his world together. I have all the respect in the world for Jef. I just think he's a great guy.

Lindsey DiMattina: Well, thank you so, so much. It was nice chatting with you today.

Doug Clerget: Yes, it was really nice to chat with all of you too. Thank you for your time, I appreciate it.

Operator: I show no further question at this time.

Cathy Rehl: Well, thank you, everybody. Thanks for being here today. As I said, Monday will be hometowns and then we have the Men Tell All - I'm sorry, then we have the final three guys and then the Men Tell All and then the finale.

So, we're getting very close to the end. So, hopefully, we will all have you back next week. If you have any questions, please give me a call at 212-456-6749, or e-mail me at C-A-T-H-Y dot R-E-H-L at ABC dot com. Thanks, everybody.

Operator: Ladies and gentlemen, this does conclude today's conference. Thank you for participating. You may now disconnect.

END

mare2 wrote:I really like Doug, what a nice guy.

laurajeani wrote:Doug needs a girl that enjoys taking charge in a relationship

momoftrips wrote:

John Wolfner ‏@jwolfner
Please follow @DougClerget & watch / share this video about his ‪#Charity‬ http://www.dollarpermonth.org ‪#Retweet‬ ‪#Cause‬ http://vimeo.com/44824211

Doug Clerget ‏@DougClerget
@jwolfner Wolf! You are the man...Thank you ‪#stud‬ You rock bro...can't say thank you enough for all the support.‪#awesome‬.