Bachelorette 9 - General Media - No Discussion

Brooks surprises Desiree in Antigua when he tells her that he's not in love with her.  Brooks expresses how hard it was for him to come to this conclusion and how much he still cares for her.  Did Brooks make the right decision?  Do you love him or hate him?

The Bachelorette Kiss Leaderboard

Chris and Drew became the clear leaders following their dates in Antigua.  Which bachelor will Desiree pick?

ABC Wins Monday with Season Highs for 'The Bachelorette' and 7-Week Highs for 'Mistresses'

With increasing numbers from The Bachelorette and Mistresses, ABC won Monday in Total Viewers and Adults 18-49 over CBS.  Hitting summer highs on the night, the Net marked its strongest summer Monday in more than 1-year in viewers and young adults – since 6/11/12 and 7/9/12, respectively.

From 8-10pm, The Bachelorette (part 1 of a 2-part season finale) dominated its 2-hour time period, defeating NBC’s unscripted combo (American Ninja Warrior/Get Out Alive with Bear Grylls) by a best-yet 3.4 million viewers and by 77% in Adults 18-49.  Spiking week to week in Total Viewers (+20%) and Adults 18-49 (+21%), The Bachelorette achieved season-highs on both counts.

SEASON FINALE - PART 2




IT'S ONE OF THE MOST DRAMATIC EVENINGS EVER ON ABC WITH THE CULMINATION
OF THE TWO-PART SEASON FINALE OF "THE BACHELORETTTE," MONDAY, AUGUST 5

AND IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWING THE SEASON FINALE, BROOKS, CHRIS AND DREW
JOIN DESIREE TO LOOK BACK AT THE SHOCKING OUTCOME OF THEIR JOURNEY,
LIVE, ON "THE BACHELORETTE: AFTER THE FINAL ROSE"



"Episode 910 --Season Finale, Part 2" -  After enduring heartbreak when Sean Lowe sent her home last season on "The Bachelor," Desiree Hartsock refused to give up her fairytale dream of romance, and she returned for a second chance at love. After surviving shocking twists and turns, Desiree narrowed down the 25 bachelors to three fabulous guys - Brooks, Chris and Drew. While she was ready to give her heart completely to Brooks, he did not share her feelings. Desiree was expecting fireworks when she met Brooks in Antigua, but when he broke up with her very unexpectedly, she was left crying at the edge of a dock, devastated, heartbroken, hopeless and ready to go home. In this week's emotional conclusion, Desiree must decide if she can move forward with the other two men or if her hope of finding love has been ruined. Part 2 of the Season Finale of "The Bachelorette" airs MONDAY, AUGUST 5 (8:00-10:01 p.m., ET), on the ABC Television Network.


Then, emotions run high as Desiree sits down with Chris Harrison, live, to talk about her three final bachelors from this season - Brooks, Chris and Drew. She will take viewers back to those final days in Antigua when Brooks, the man she fell in love with, decided to go home. She will discuss her feelings in those finals days, her relationships with the final three men and the heart-wrenching decisions that she had to make that changed their lives forever. Brooks, Chris and Drew are back to discuss the shocking outcome of the season. It's the poignant ending to Desiree's heartfelt journey to find true love, live, on "The Bachelorette: After the Final Rose," SUNDAY, AUGUST 5 (10:01-11:00 p.m., ET).  


Desiree must decide if her chemistry with the remaining two men has the potential to be as intense as the chemistry she had with Brooks, who she thought was the love of her life. She confronts these life-changing decisions in a discussion with Chris Harrison, weighing the possibilities of a life with Chris or Drew. Drew, a sweet, compassionate and caring man, is completely in love with her. Chris has remained confident in their connection throughout the emotional rollercoaster ride. Desiree sees a relationship blossoming with him as well.  


After breaking down in tears with Chris Harrison, she is ready to face the final two men. In a moving confession, she tells them that Brooks has decided to leave. How will the men react when they learn of her feelings for Brooks?


The final days of Desiree's journey are filled with questions. If she does see promise in either Chris or Drew, will she introduce them to her family? Whether they meet her family or not, will Desiree's brother, Nate, play a role in sabotaging her quest for love again? Desiree must look inward and consider if the love she has always wanted is right in front of her, or if her heartache over Brooks' lost love will crush her dreams of finding a soul mate.  


The two remaining men are:
Chris, 27, a mortgage broker from Seattle, WA
Drew, 27, a digital marketing analyst from Scottsdale, AZ  

WHAT: Teleconference call with host Chris Harrison.


WHO: A special opportunity to talk with Chris, who will discuss the season finale, including last night's surprising exit of fan favorite Brooks and how his decision changed everything. In addition, he will talk about next week's episode, which includes his emotional and potential game-change conversation with Desiree as she decides if her relationship with either of the remaining two men has the potential to be as intense as the chemistry she had with Brooks -- who she thought was the love of her life -- and as she weighs the possibilities of married life with Chris or Drew. Drew, a sweet, compassionate and caring man, is completely in love with her while Chris has remained confident in their connection throughout the emotional rollercoaster ride. And the discussion even turns to the possibility of Desiree walking completely away from the experience, leaving Antigua without a proposal.


WHEN: THURSDAY, AUGUST 1, 12:30 p.m., ET/ 11:30 p.m., CT/9:30 a.m., PT


CALL INFO: IT IS NECESSARY TO RSVP TO RECEIVE THE CONFERENCE TELEPHONE NUMBER AND CONFERENCE CODE!


Title: ABC Conference Call: "The Bachelorette"
Please plan to dial in 5-10 minutes prior to the scheduled start time.






More information about "The Bachelorette"
"Episode 910" - After enduring heartbreak when Sean Lowe sent her home last season on "The Bachelor," Desiree Hartsock refused to give up her fairytale dream of romance, and she returned for a second chance at love. After surviving shocking twists and turns, Desiree narrowed down the 25 bachelors to three fabulous guys - Brooks, Chris and Drew. While she was ready to give her heart completely to Brooks, he did not share her feelings. Desiree was expecting fireworks when she met Brooks in Antigua, but when he broke up with her very unexpectedly, she was left crying at the edge of a dock, devastated, heartbroken, hopeless and ready to go home. In this week's emotional conclusion, Desiree must decide if she can move forward with the other two men or if her hope of finding love has been ruined.



PLEASE R.S.V.P. TO ABC Media Relations by Thursday, August 1 at 9AM PT:
Mitch Messinger, [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

Friday, August 02, 2013 ABC Television Network
PRESS RELEASE - ENTERTAINMENT - THE BACHELORETTE -- August 1st (host Chris Harrison) press call transcript

TRANSCRIPT FROM THE AUGUST 1
"THE BACHELORETTE" TELECONFERENCE
WITH HOST CHRIS HARRISON

Operator: Welcome to ABC's The Bachelorette call with (Melissa Armstrong) as the leader. This call is being recorded by staying on this call you are confirming that you consent to this recording. If you do not wish to be recorded please disconnect from the call at this time. Thank you Ms. Armstrong you may begin your call.

(Melissa Armstrong): Hi everyone we just wanted to take a quick minute to say hello and thank everybody for joining us today. We do have Chris Harrison on the line today and before we get started just a few quick housekeeping things. We wanted to remind everybody to it's one question with one follow up question. And then obviously the second half of the two part finale airs this coming Monday, August 5th from 8 to 10 pm eastern and Pacific followed by the live after the final rows from 10 to 11. And with that we'll go ahead and get started and Silvia will explain how to enter to ask a question.

Operator: And ladies and gentlemen if you would like to ask a question please press star then the number one on your telephone keypad. Again star one to ask a question. Your first question comes from Gina Scarpa from realitywanted.com.

Gina Scarpa: Hey Chris.

Chris Harrison: Hey Gina what's going on?

Gina Scarpa: Not much thanks for doing this today. You know you've been hosting this show quite a long time and you've seen a lot of unexpected things played out. I was wondering where Brooks' decision to break up with Desiree ranks on your list of unexpected things.

Chris Harrison: You know thinking about that the other day I mean you know when Frank left Ali season it didn't really mean to have the same weight I guess because you know we all kind of know Roberto was probably the top choice at that point. I mean it was upsetting to her but it didn't you know it definitely didn't have the devastating effects that Brooks had. So and I don't know if you can compare the (Mali) and Jason and Melissa I heard some people bring that up. And I think Good Morning America did something today on that but that really didn't make because you know Jason and Melissa actually were engaged and they dated for quite some time. So you know I think it's kind of a one of a kind situation I can't really remember in 11 years anything happening this late in the game and being this devastating to our bachelor, bachelorette.

Gina Scarpa: And then you know Desiree obviously at this point on the show is extremely upset in saying that she thought he was the one. But on the other side of things you have (Kirk Andrew) who both think that they're the ones. So you know do you think Desiree has the right to feel the way she does when there are two other men that are expecting that they're going to be ones proposing?

Chris Harrison: Sure yes I mean obviously you know you have the right to feel like I guess however you want you know heading into this. You know I do think she felt Brooks would be the guy and obviously would need to pull himself out you know it kind of crushed her. And the interesting part too is that you know Drew and Chris have no idea that any of this went down. And that's part of the problem we have to solve in the finale on Monday is that you know we keep them separated usually for good reasons, positive reasons at this point. Because we just want it to be about them dating and then getting to that ultimate you know happy proposal. Well you know if we've kind of never run into a problem where now we have these two happy guys that have no idea that the bachelorette just had her world rocked.

Gina Scarpa: Well it's always nice talking to you Chris thanks.

Chris Harrison: Thank you.

Operator: Your next question comes from Beth Kwiatkowski from realitytvworld.

Beth Kwiatkowski: Hi Chris how are you doing?

Chris Harrison: Hi Beth.

Beth Kwiatkowski: So when Brooks was dumping Desiree, she told him in tears that she was in love with him and he seemed completely taken aback by that realization asking her why she didn't tell him earlier. As if that would have made a big difference as to how he was feeling. Do you think had Desiree admitted she was in love with him earlier it would have impacted Brook's decision to leave? Like do you think having that security and confirmation of Des's love might have actually changed his own feelings or ultimately his mind about walking out on her.

Chris Harrison: I don't, I really don't, I think his mind was made up. His mind you know you could kind of tell his mind was made up when he went to see his parents and his family. And was really he was literally just looking for reassurance and then you know kind of the same thing when I walked in. I felt like he was, he did a really good job of trying to be a good guy during the breakup and that's just impossible. You know nobody you know we've all been there where you've had to break up with somebody or you've been broken up with. And there's nothing you can say or do that makes you look cool or makes you look good at that moment because you're breaking someone's heart.

But you know I think he just kept trying to be a good guy because he cares for Des. You know this to say you know the fact that he left the show doesn't mean he dislikes Des or hates her or whatever. He really cared about her maybe even loved her to a certain degree he just knew that he wasn't at the point where he wanted to be with this woman. And so I think he was really trying to be you know a good guy, and it only hurts more when a girl looks at you at that point and says I love you.

Beth Kwiatkowski: OK and that's why everything Des said about her love for Brooks during Monday night's episode. Is the full thought out there that Des would be doing a disservice or wouldn't be fair to -- if she would actually pick one of them in the end. I guess what do you think about that perspective, do you think Des could get to the point where when it looked like she's settling for either man.

Chris Harrison: Absolutely, I mean I absolutely understand that perspective especially considering what we all just saw and what we've seen in the last couple of weeks. So I get that you know but the fact that you know there are these two other guys here that A have no idea. And B they're head over heels in love with her. And I guess if there's a C to this it's that Des needs to figure out what this means where she is and where she wants to go from here. If she just wants to pack up her bags and be done with this or if she's going to continue on.

But I fully understand everyone's perspective, but you also have to kind of watch the rest to see how it unfolds.

Beth Kwiatkowski: OK thanks Chris.

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

Catriona Wightman: Hi Chris it's great to speak to you today.

Chris Harrison: Thank you.

Catriona Wightman: Obviously by this point you must be feeling very close to Des and quite protective of her. Was any part of you angry with Brooks because of his kind of spit reaction.

Chris Harrison: No, you know I wasn't after I talked to him you know I usually probably could have been. But after I talked to him he's not a bad guy you know he didn't do this with you know Malice or ill intent. He didn't come on here to you know screw her over and be the bad guy. He was very sincere and very sweet and when I talked to him you could tell that he was torn about this. And he had really done his you know due diligence and he had thought this out talked to his family. And just made sure that you know this wasn't right for him. I would have been disappointed and more upset with him if he had gone through with all of this and state -- are picking him. And he has this fake proposal and they just kind of go out for a few weeks and it doesn't mean anything and he breaks up.

Like I would have been disappointed with that guy, you know it kind of takes me back to (Brad Womack) when people were so upset with him for turning down. You know it was Deanna and I forget her name who's the other girl, I want to say Kelly but that's not it. Anyway when Brad turned down both girls at the end you know everybody was outraged. Then I thought you know why is there such a bad thing if he's not in love what would be, you know what would people be happier with a fake proposal. So you know I thought he did the right thing, so I thought Brooks did the right thing it just you know it just sucks to have to do that on national television.

Catriona Wightman: Yes that makes sense. And also next week we'll see you speaking with how did you approach that conversation were you going and trying to persuade her to stay or like what was your approach to it?

Chris Harrison: So you know the great thing about my job especially now how it's evolved is you know I am not necessarily this. I guess the impartial judge or referee or even a host, I just went in honestly as a friend. And you know the cameras were rolling and I knew they were there but I really just went in. Because she needed to talk to somebody and someone really just listened to her and that was a lot of what I did was just sit and listen. Kind of like what I did with Brooks and let her tell me where she was. And then you know I asked a few questions and kind of let her guide me through what she wanted to do. But it was really just an empathetic figure that was kind of there for her.

And that kind of the beauty of my job is you know I can be that I don't have to be impartial I can care about her. And care about you know how everybody is doing.
Catriona Wightman: Brilliant thanks so much.

Operator: Your next question comes from Travis Kronen from Us Magazine.

Travis Kronen: Hey Chris thanks for doing this. Was their a fear on your part and the producers part that she would actually walk out and leave the show.

Chris Harrison: Oh absolutely I mean we you know I knew after I left Brooks obviously that what we was going to do. And you know the first thing I said you know to the producers when I walked out of his I said you know we might be done, you know we might not have anything you know in the final episode.

Other than the fact that you know we have to play this out. And you know there are still a lot of questions out there and it still may not be much of anything next week other than her saying goodbye and having to talk to the other two guys. But that was definitely a fear but you know that's what? It's part of the beauty of our show is and part of the scariest thing of our show as far as the producer goes is at the end we have kind of have to take our hands off the wheel. And it's really after all this work all this preparation it's really up to free will and it's up to a woman or a guy making a choice.

And that's a scary thing as a producer no matter you know what show whether it's you know Idol or Survivor or whatever those were kind of game shows they have a beginning and an end. Our show really at the end is pretty wide open.

Travis Kronen: And what can you tell me about Desiree's state of mind right now you know two months after Brooks walked out.

Chris Harrison: Oh like now, now not heading into the finale.

Travis Kronen: Now, now.

Chris Harrison: I mean the last time I saw her it was at the "Tell All" a couple of weeks ago. And you know she's good. The great thing about Des and I am assuming this comes from her background and the way she grew up. Is that she's a survivor and she's strong and you know no. When we started this thing she said look I am going to for it and I am going to allow myself to be very vulnerable. And I said you know there's a good chance you could get hurt like that. She says I know but that's the only way you can do this. And I was proud of the fact that that's how she went through it the entire time of just really put herself out there. And unfortunately you know she did get hurt and she got hurt bad but she has incredible resolve and she's a strong woman. So you know she's bounced back and she seemed happy.

Travis Kronen: Thanks Chris that's great.

Operator: Your next question comes from Ruth Myles Calgary Herald.

Ruth Myles: Good morning Chris.

Chris Harrison: Hey Ruth how you're doing?

Ruth Myles: I am great thanks and you.

Chris Harrison: I am excellent today.

Ruth Myles: Awesome, maybe we could back just a couple of steps and talk about something you mentioned earlier. You know when both Brooks and you had to have the conversation with Brooks and then Des. You say you know part of, part of the great thing is you get to be the friend. But part of you is also the host and can you talk about how it was for you because there's, did you feel like oh gosh this is happening. But then on the other hand gosh this is happening this is pretty dramatic this is going to make for some pretty good TV.

Chris Harrison: If I guess you know yes and no you know when I heard about it. I think you know my first thought I think this was for as Des's friend and I thought this was going to suck and this was going to be brutal. Because at this point you know ratings wise and drama wise you know usually we're done. And we're really just trying to set up this really great happy ending and hopefully what would be a magic proposal and that's going to be good enough. You know a great proposal and ending you know like Catherine and Shaun that will give us great ratings.

This, this was a little bit of a curve ball that was more of I don't know more of a hindrance and more of a pain for us as producers than the thought of this is going to be great drama. Just because we were kind of in that home stretch and thought you know we this was going to be a great season with a great ending. And we're home free. And then you know the entire show was kind of dumped upside down you know in the final two weeks of shooting.

Ruth Myles: And the follow up question on that is going back to the point where you know Des tells Brooks that she loves him and he said why didn't you tell me this earlier. And he says I can't can you maybe talk about that a bit because you know the whole, the whole goal is for the bachelorette to find love. But at the same time she's encouraged not to say her feelings or she's not allowed to say her feelings.

Chris Harrison: I guess a little bit of both you know. But I think that was a little bit of a defense mechanism for Brooks and a little bit of a cop out if you will. You know I think anybody could have seen that Des was falling for this guy and you know Brooks had been around her enough to know unless he completely misread every signal she had ever put out. It was pretty simple to see that you know she was falling for him, they even made up those silly you know whatever verbs they thought they were adjectives they were really verbs. That described their love. You know she said I am running and I am close to the finish line or whatever.

So you know I think again that was Brooks trying to be a good guy and come off as a good guy in front of everybody during the breakup. I really don't think it would have made any difference whatsoever if she had been on you know one knee begging for his hand in marriage three weeks ago.

Ruth Myles: Great thank you.

Operator: Your next question comes from Mike Killingsworth from Hello Canada.

Mike Killingsworth: Hi Chris.

Chris Harrison: Hello Canada.

Mike Killingsworth: Ha, ha, ha thanks for talking to us. I guess my question is how did you feel when you know Des told you that she loved Brooks pretty early on in this season. I am wondering if that's kind of common for the like contestant to reveal so early on in the game and you guys let that appear on camera too. Did you think that would bode well that she was already admitting love.

Chris Harrison: You know it's funny to though you know we did do that early but you know in the next sentence she also said she loves Chris. And then in the next sentence you know I don't think she used, she actually used the L word with Drew but she said she was like falling for him or falling in love or whatever. But it is funny how everyone really picked up the Brooks thing and then they kind of just forgot about Chris and then forgot about Drew. But you know I guess it was just the way she spoke about it or maybe the fact that he was first.

Mike Killingsworth: That's sure right.

Chris Harrison: But it was at the time I think it was in Munich when we showed that when we were in Germany. The next day I was a bit surprised that people. I said well what about the next three sentences she said about the other guys and everyone just kind of forgot about that. But you know we, you know we knew what had had happened too and we kind of knew this was coming. And so you know that way we were we kind of needed to set up the fact that how she felt about Brooks before we got to this point. Because you know if there was really no context you know once we got to this point you really wouldn't understand why she was so upset.

Mike Killingsworth: Exactly yes and that's a quick question that Brooks you know he explained to you the reasons that break up. But wondering what you know what you attribute his decision to call everything off to. Like is it, is it perhaps the pressure to having to propose at the end of the show is that too much for some guys.

Chris Harrison: I don't, you know I don't know I mean I think it was two separate questions there you know I am not sure what Brooks issues were or are. They could be as simple as Des isn't the one. Or you know the fact that you know I think he has a history of not quite being able to commit. You know I am not sure where that stems from his childhood or what's happened in his life but I can't, I don't know I really couldn't pinpoint that. And he had a really tough time articulating to me what he was thinking and what he wanted to do and I found that very peculiar.

You know I kept almost having to treat him like a hostile witness on the stand.

Mike Killingsworth: Yes you did a good job.

Chris Harrison: You know and I didn't, I didn't mean to beat him up but I honestly for the life of me I could not understand what the heck he was trying to say to me. And I thought my god if he's going to act like this with me how bad is he going to be with Des?

Mike Killingsworth: Right.

Chris Harrison: And so and I really thought you know maybe he didn't want to leave maybe he wanted to just you know if he needs more time. And to your other point of you know the pressure of proposing or whatever. I wanted to make it clear that you know there is no pressure and if he needs more time if we need to extend this or they want to whatever. There's a ton of options beyond hey there' s a proposal next week. So if that's the problem let's work on that if you really care about her and there's still a shot.

So that's I just found it very odd that he just could not articulate his feelings. Which that probably goes to you know if we want to play psychiatrist it probably goes to a deeper issue somewhere.

Mike Killingsworth: Sure, sure.

Chris Harrison: Because he also had that same problem with Dez I mean honestly for the first 10 minutes of that talk with Dez. If you had stopped I think Dez would have thought he might be about to propose to me, that's how odd that breakup was. You know he spent 10 minutes telling her how much he loved her and how much how great she was and oh by the way I am breaking up with you. And so it was just I found it all a little, a little peculiar.

Mike Killingsworth: Yes, but thank you, thanks very much.

Operator: Your next question comes from Carrie Bell from People Magazine

Carrie Bell: Hi Chris.

Chris Harrison: Hi Carrie how's it going?

Carrie Bell: Good so you know I am a dead inside jaded journalist and it was brutal to watch her on Monday night. How long did that kind of crime don't come near me cameras from afar episode go on I mean did you kind of immediately. Do we see you immediately kind of go in after that or do you guys keep your space for a while?

Chris Harrison: We you know after, so Brooks and her set up there for quite some time and talked and then they walked off. We were obviously on the beach kind of tucked away. And then she you know afterwards kind of walked out there to kind of have alone time. And we let her sit for I mean I am guessing probably a good 10 minutes, 10, 15 minutes to kind of just sit out there and be alone. And then I did go out there and I talked to her but you know we were going to show that but we, you know we stopped this episode there. I think where we'll pick up though is where you'll see Des and I speaking you back at her house, because we had another chat.

You know we kind of needed her to you know she just needed time to decompress figure out what just happened, figure out where she is. Give her a little time to you know pull herself back together and then we had a chat back at her, back at her place. Where we had to you know kind of decide where we go from here and what we want to do and oh by the way there's Chris and Drew what do we do with them. And you know they know nothing about this how else should they find out and so there were you know a lot of questions that we kind of needed to deal with. But that wasn't the time or place to hammer her with all of that after what had just happened.

Carrie Bell: So a lot of the guys on the -- I mean I knew some of them you know made air even that they thought this was what. You know this was their speculation as to what was going to happen that she really liked him. He wasn't feeling as strongly for her and that it was going to break her heart. And you know I think that you know that was said amongst people I mean I kind of had the thought that could happen. But as you kind of watched it unfold because she was so honest with you about her feelings for him. And because I think it was pretty obvious that you know they had a connection and everyone kind of kept saying like oh whenever Brooks walks in the room she treats him different. oh there's -- they have way bigger of a connection we could just tell he was going to stick around and that he was the one. Do you think that, that that was as obvious as it was happening or do you think there was still some mystery that. Like you know maybe he wasn't going to pull this.

Chris Harrison: You know I, I knew there were red flags you know warning signs that you know something was amiss and something was a little off. You know when I would talk to her. I am trying to think wait if I even brought it up in Munich or is probably in Barcelona I was trying to think there like Chris and drew and Zach professed their love. But at some point all four you know all three of the final four had professed their love. And then I said well what about Brooks and she said no and I said well that's. You know I just kind of kept bringing that up and she kept really reassuring me that you know he would you know affirm his feelings in other ways non-verbally. And then you know kind of she just, she felt sure.

So you know while I knew there were red flags and there were warning signs in no way did I think this was going to happen. I don't think anybody saw this coming you know I kind of took her word for it that she was pretty sure about him. And you know nothing led us or I think any other producers to think that this guy was you know going to really just do a 180 and bolt. But there were you know definitely signs along the way that she was much further along than he was, and much easier at expressing her feelings than he was. You know I mean he we even showed it in our last episode when they were you know again making up those ads the verbs that you know he said jogging at the same time she said running.

You know just the fact that by the way they needed that kind of silly game to even express their feelings at this point in their life is a red flag to me. You know I mean as a grown adult if you can't say can't look a woman or look a man in the eye and say I have serious feelings for you. And instead you need to say do you like me check yes or no, you know like we're in grade school. Like that to me is a red flag of maturity as far as a relationship goes. And you know when you look at Chris and Drew they have no problem expressing their feelings whether it's to pull in the song or anything else.

And you know brooks is really struggling with that and again I don't know if it's just -- or if he has deeper issues. But there's definitely issues there to be shared.

Carrie Bell: How like how normal is it for these guys at this point to go back to their family. Or was that something like because obviously the cameras were there to capture it, so I mean you guys knew what you were doing. But is that sort of normal and we just don't normally see that because it isn't you know some. You know I don't know - I hate to call it confusion but show shattering you know.

Chris Harrison: What happened was so this you know after the hometown dates the guys are still in their hometowns. And they you know we don't all you know the hometown dates are spread out over the week obviously, because you know Des has to fight at different cities. And then the guys will stay where they are for just a little bit longer until it's time you know to fly in to this time it was Antigua or wherever our exotic dates are. So we don't travel at the same time and so the guys you know a couple of the guys were already in Antigua they were having their dates. And Brooks was still home and so it really just lent itself the fact that he was already there to be able to you know and our cameras were still there. And that's why we were able to capture that and set that up.

And the other thing is you know you typically the guys know how they feel at this point. They've just seen their families and they've just had that talk some of it's off camera you know and some of it's on. But you know they were at the hometown and they get some time to speak to their families. And so they're pretty sure about how, how they feel and what they're going to do. It was just Brooks who was really confused and you know and he asked to kind of go back and speak to his family. We really wanted to facilitate that thinking really it was only going to lead to a positive end you know we didn't think he was really looking for that reassurance to leave.

Carrie Bell: So surprise.

Chris Harrison: Yes exactly.

Carrie Bell: Cool thanks Chris.

Operator: Your next question comes from Lori Peters (LA Splash).

Lori Peters: Hi Chris how are you?

Chris Harrison: I am good Lori how're you're doing?

Lori Peters: Good so I was wondering if some of Des's reaction was more of a shock. That she just found out that that he wasn't interested so that may have made her like more interested, that at that time she felt like he was the only one.

Chris Harrison: Yes I mean look I am the last person that's going to tell you I figured out women or you know one's emotional state at this point. But you know I do think that to a certain degree Brooks was someone she had to chase a little bit. And that definitely made him more intriguing, he wasn't. You know it definitely wasn't the bad boy syndrome where you're trying to change or fix the bad boy. But there was a certain I think degree of fixing him chasing him a guy that you know she knew has trouble committing. And a guy that never really gave her everything verbally and emotionally that she wanted. You know whereas Drew and Chris were all over that, and again why women wouldn't go straight to a guy that's giving them everything they want I will never know. But you know maybe you can answer that in your column someday.

But you know Brooks was definitely a little bit of that I really do. And the more you know he was breaking up with her the more she tried to you know profess her love and I think that is a very interesting dynamic. And again one of the things that makes this show so beautiful is we all saw that, you know we all saw the warning signs ahead of time. You know I don't think any of us could say we were that blown away that Brooks pulled this considering you know the, you know the way he acted all along. It was a little bit of a curveball but not the biggest surprise in the world. And it's just one of those things why would, you know why would, why do women or why do men for that matter you know chase after something that is you know not perfect and not there, when you have two things that are.

Lori Peters: Right, right maybe there's some of that some marks that I don't want to go on to a club that will have me as a member.

Chris Harrison: Exactly that's why they have the velvet rope up and that's why they have a line when nobody's inside.

Lori Peters: OK thank you.

Operator: Your next question comes from Alex Smith from Share TV.

Alex Smith: Hi Chris how are you.

Chris Harrison: I am good how're you doing?

Alex Smith: I am doing well thank you. I just had one question and I want to know how this affects Brooks chance of becoming the next Bachelor.

Chris Harrison: Well I mean you definitely have to wait and see what happens next week to be sure. But you know one way is that obviously he has trouble committing to a relationship that would be you know a red flag for sure. And you know although I think he was sincere in coming on the show he definitely has that trouble when push comes to shove of expressing himself and really letting himself be vulnerable. And you know that's something I that you know that Shaun did really, really well and something that Des did really well. Is they allowed themselves to really be out there and be open and it's a weird process that if you go through it guarded and you're thinking about what's America going to think. What you know who's going to judge me what should I do what's the cool think to do on camera it's going to be a colossal failure.

And you know the reason these last two seasons have been so good is just because of you know our bachelor and bachelorette. That have really allowed themselves to be so open and you know I just don't I don't know if Brooks has that in him.

Alex Smith: Definitely right thank you.

Operator: Your next question comes from Kimberly Nordyke of The Hollywood Reporter.

Kimberly Nordyke: Hi Chris thanks for taking the time out.

Chris Harrison: Of course.

Kimberly Nordyke: When do you think that he truly made up his mind that he needed to go home?

Chris Harrison: I think before he went and saw his parents, you know I just, you know. And I hadn't heard that until I saw the episode I you know the cut, because you know the way it works for me is I was, I was home he was on the hometown. And I was already flying to Antigua and I had you know gotten wind from one of the producers that they were going to go back and talk to his parents again. And then by the time I landed in Antigua you know a day later you know I heard that it had not gone very well. And that I was going to have to go talk to him when he got to Antigua in another couple of days. And so I thought well this you know that's not very good. Now that I've watched it back you know just watching. You know listening to the words that were spoken and watching his body language I think in his mind he was you know he was made up he was set that he was going to leave walking in there and he just needed that reassurance.

Kimberly Nordyke: There's one follow up you said that in Monday night's episode -- kept conversation with Des about where does she go from here. Is there any other teaser you can kind of give us about (inaudible) display.

Chris Harrison: Well I mean obviously the other big issue is you know where do we go from here what does she want to do you know are we going to pack up our bags and be done. Or does she want to continue on but the main thing is you know where does that leave her. You know with her relationships with (Drew) and Chris who absolutely know nothing about what just happened. And you know I know she's hurting but she also owes it to these two guys to let them in on what's going on. And you know and do we and again you know the main thing is do we call it quits and how do these guys play into that. So those are the main, you know those are the main questions that we kind of have to answer and deal with immediately.

Kimberly Nordyke: All right well thank you.

Operator: Your next question is a follow up from Beth Kwiatkowski from Realitytvworld.

Beth Kwiatkowski: Hey Chris.

Chris Harrison: Hey how's it going?

Beth Kwiatkowski: Good before Monday night's episode aired as US Weekly reported that Brooks chose to quit the show. But felt so strongly for Des that he regretted his decision quote almost immediately unquote. I guess could you confirm whether that was the case and if so how clear did you make that afterwards. And how would you guys have handled it if he suddenly wanted to change his mind and come back.

Chris Harrison: I think he did have regrets you know I think that you could definitely see. You know and again that's the interesting thing about Brooks is even when I was talking to him and you know I think his mind was kind of made up when he talked to his parents. And then the more I talked to him you know that's why I had such a difficult time getting him to articulate his feelings and tell me what he was thinking. Because I he was almost looking for a way out he was almost looking for a way to stay in. And so I don't know if he was a 100 percent. And then once you know Des started professing her love and telling him how she felt, you could see how broken up he was.

And he was emotionally crushed and so you know as Wishy Washy as he is you know I think there is, there is definitely regrets from here. And he said as much to us you know after he left. So you know there's definitely that element that he probably did regret you know saying what he said and doing what he did, so you know that's definitely open as well as we head into next week.

Beth Kwiatkowski: OK and Mike -- called this finale the weirdest ending ever. And you wrote in your blog that after a 11 years you managed to run into a situation you've also never seen before. Without giving the ending away could you elaborate on that a little more.

Chris Harrison: Yes I mean it's really funny, heading into every season you know I always joke with the producers. I said you know somethings, something will happen this season that we've never faced before. And you know you laugh I mean we've done this so long we've done what 28 something seasons in 11 years. Surely you've kind of seen everything but inevitably there's a moment on the show where you run into this situation that you've just never faced. And you know in this time it was you know this deal with Brooks. And it just led to a finale you know a final two weeks that as producers we kind of weren't prepared to face you know we all were kind of scrambling and trying to figure this out. And one thing I love is that that episode you saw last Monday was so different than anything we've ever had before.

You know I was watching it thinking is this even a bachelor episode it was so organic and raw. And we just really let you see everything and I love that you know I love that our viewers and the fans of our show kind of demand that now. Of seeing behind the curtain and seeing you know really everything awards and all where even. To the point where you know they're walking through the Jungle and there's bad lighting and there's bad lighting and you can't really see them well and our cameras are scrambling and having to run around. And even when Des walked back on the dock you know we weren't really ready for that either. And you know one of our camera guys is literally waiting out 400 yards into the water waist deep, holding a camera over his head to try and get a shot. Because you know we're not set up for that and we just really let things go now whereas maybe in the past you know early, early on we would have said OK stop let's get the camera set.

And you know it looks a little bit more produced and it looks prettier but now we kind of just show you everything that's happening. Because that's really where the show is now and that's where our fans are.

Beth Kwiatkowski: OK thank you Chris.

Operator: And your final question is a follow up from Carrie Bell from People Magazine.

Chris Harrison: Hi Carrie.

Carrie Bell: A couple of quick questions. The was going to say oh the hypothetically if Brooks because he was super wishy washy and I agree with that assessment. So hypothetically he decides oh wait I screwed up I didn't want to go home I do love her now I know she loves me oh wait I am going to make, I am going to make this right. Do you think it's even possible hypothetically for him to re-correct and come back into the game or do you think that like she's like in no way, shape or form willing to accept that.

Chris Harrison: I mean of course I think I think it's absolutely possible for him to come back in the game. You know she cared about him she you know she loved him she said as much and you know you saw you know him in tears you saw his look. So absolutely you know that's a possibility just because of where they both were. And you know we've had a situation before on a much lesser degree where I don't know if you remember Jillian Season where Reid Rosenthal came back and professed his love. But you know Jillian wasn't really having that and she was kind of set on where she was going. In this situation you know you know our bachelorette was there and was prepared for that.

And so you know she may be open to it or maybe she learnt her lesson and you know knows that he's not the guy for her anymore. But you know I could, you know they wouldn't, it wouldn't shock me at all you know for a guy like that to come back.

Carrie Bell: And then you know Des brother for instance was such a you know I don't know you know he was such good TV. And you know we already found for a pop up at this point and normally in the process this is when you guys call in you know the bachelor and bachelorettes family to meet people and stuff like that. So was her family already there will we see her family and their reaction to what happened or.

Chris Harrison: The family had, her family had not arrived yet. Because you know that, that was kind of a separate week they would come in you know the following week. Because we were still essentially on the exotic date while we stayed in Antigua it was really a separate week where you know we would. Because those exotic dates they do they take a full week and then the next week you know we have. You know typically you would have those last dates and then the family and all that stuff. So no her family was not in yet by the time that you know Brooks had talked to her. Because she was that was supposed to be her last overnight date.

Carrie Bell: OK well that's a little too bad I kind of was hoping for a brother brooks clash at the airport.

Chris Harrison: Well maybe it's too bad that you know she told her brother you know that she didn't need his help this time, and maybe if he had met everybody. Then he would have saved her the trouble of this one as well.

Carrie Bell: And then do you think that this goes down in sort of bachelor history as you know because we always talk about wrong reasons right.

Chris Harrison: Yes.

Carrie Bell: Or the right reasons. I mean do you think that the people will look back on Brooks in the way that they looked back on Brad, the you know oh I can't believe he walked out on her and blah, blah, blah. Or do you think people will respect this as just sort of natural process that for whatever reason you know he was there for the right reasons but it didn't pan out.

Chris Harrison: You know I don't know I hate to date ourselves but you know when (Brad) did what he did there really wasn't any social media. So you didn't get that instant response, the response kind of came after you know the tabloids and the magazines. And that you know it filters us out in the different way back then whereas now you know you get that immediate reaction. And I, I don't know maybe I am wrong but I haven't seen a lot of anger towards Brooks. I don't know maybe you have but I haven't really felt that and when was there I wasn't mad at them.

I didn't think god what a jerk so I don't know you know my opinion I just have my own and part of it was being there and then part of it's you know watching Twitter and everything else. But I think people were disappointed and people were upset for Des but I don't think that he really came off as a bad guy, maybe a guy that can't articulate his feelings very well. And you know makes a two minute breakup last over two hours. But other than that I don't think he's a bad guy.

Carrie Bell: OK and then finally the Juan Pablo train seems to have left the station with.

Chris Harrison: It has left Venezuela.

Carrie Bell: Right with our, with our readers there's definitely a ground swell for him to be the bachelor. Is it something you guys are thinking about I know.

Chris Harrison: Sure yes I mean he's you couldn't help. But here again you know I go back to social media and it's you know what a great thing to have now where we get that instant feedback. But you also kind of get that it's funny every you know Tuesday morning whoever leaves you know says Zach. When Zach left you know the next morning I was inundated with Zach has to be the next bachelor you know he's so sweet da, da, da. And then you know after the tell all it was you know Juan Pablo he's the greatest and so you get a lot of that. So you have to be careful not to have this knee jerk reaction which is why we, we're really careful about not making it a decision like that and make it right away.

The good news is we don't really have to because the show doesn't start production for quite some time you know after the show is done filming. So obviously Juan Pablo is a candidate Zach's probably in the mix and again I am saying this because this is well above my pay grade. But you know they we take our cues from our fans and definitely because we want to give people the show that they want to see. And we want to give them a leading man or a leading woman that they want to follow, so he's definitely up there. And there was a strong reaction to him to share.

Carrie Bell: Yes well I think you're the one -- and you know but.

Chris Harrison: But there's also three other guys in the mix now you know and Brooks, Drew and Chris that you know may you know depending on how this thing falls out you never know how the audience is going to react to them either. So you know right now it's kind of strong but you know things could definitely change in the next four to five days.

Carrie Bell: Well we'll see you there.

Operator: And they currently show no questions at this time.

Carrie Bell: Great thanks everybody for joining us today. Thanks Chris.

Chris Harrison: Thank you.

Carrie Bell: Bye guys.

END