Chris Harrison's The Bachelorette 9 Blogs & Interviews - Discussion

Another Bachelorette premiere and another guy kicked out of the house before the very first rose ceremony.

On the Season 9 premiere on Monday, Desiree met the 25 men along on her journey to find love, but almost immediately realized one of them was definitely not for her. After asking Des to join him in the fantasy suite, Jonathan was swiftly given the boot.

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"He was a good sacrificial lamb to set the tone for the season, because Des was able to look everyone in the eye and say, 'Don't mess with me. I want to have fun, but you better treat me like a lady or I will cut your balls off,'" host Chris Harrison tells TVGuide.com.

So who had the best first impression of the night and which guys should viewers keep an eye out for? Plus: How does Des stack up to previous Bachelorettes? Harrison dishes below.

How do you think Desiree compares to previous Bachelorettes?
Chris Harrison: She could not be more different than Emily. Emily had this certain flair about her, but Des is really just the girl next door, and you could put her in any city in America and she'd fit in. She's going to have the appeal that women will want to root for her and maybe empathize with her and guys will want to be with her.

Des told us it was a very sexy season.
Harrison: I was more worried about Des than I was about Emily as far as how sexy it would be. Would she be guarded and worried about her perception? She talked the talk early on, which they usually do, and told me, "I'm going to be vulnerable and if I feel like kissing the guy I will." But she delivers and in Episode 2 she's kissing guys and wearing bikinis.

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Who do you think had the worst first impression of the night?
Harrison: Something that bugs me is the dipping thing [Larry did]. The girl put herself together for hours and doesn't want to be picked up. There's a time and a place, but the first time you meet her and she's in a full length gown just leave her alone. But the worst was definitely stalker fantasy suite guy [Jonathan]. I get the initial joke, but as soon as you saw her reaction to it and she put her foot down, but to go back to the well a second and then a third time that was creepy and obviously the worst first impression. But he was a good sacrificial lamb to set the tone for the season because Des was able to look everyone in the eye and say, "Don't mess with me. I want to have fun, but you better treat me like a lady or I will cut your balls off."

Who had the best first impression of the night?
Harrison: Ben and his son was by far the most adorable moment of the night. By the way, as soon as he stepped out, I'm like, "No he didn't. This is a disaster." All the way up until the kid opened up his mouth, I thought it the worst idea ever. Two minutes later, I was eating my words because it was the most precious moment. Also we could hear the kid's audio when he said, "I want to stay in the party," but we didn't have a camera on it so I'm glad we still used it. It was a huge risk, but when you saw Des eat it up, it was a homerun.

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Is there anyone who will surprise viewers?
Harrison: Keep an eye on Zak. I know you might've thought this guy is a d-bag, he shows up with no shirt and jumps in the pool, but I would call Zak the Lindsay [Yenter] of the season. She wore a wedding dress Night 1, it was a disaster, she was about to go home, but Zak will redeem himself and surprise people so please don't judge him by his abs.

What can you say about the rest of the season?
Harrison: It may be our best season ever as far as the group of people, the drama, the intrigue, the love, the roller coaster ride -- there's so much to it and it happens so early. In Episode 3, the fireworks really start and from there on it's ridiculous.

jcrbil wrote:While Des didn't have the first date, she did have a date the first week and she knows that she succumbed to the feelings of jealousy that come with the early connection. She has said the thing she learned from Sean was to really treat each relationship separately- and really focus on the person she was with at the time. If she was able to really do that for Brooks, it should be good. Also, if he's a confident sort, he should be good, too. Even if he wasn't jealous as they filmed, though, TPTB will make us think he was.

Chris Harrison blogs 'The Bachelorette' episode 4

It’s always great when I get to walk into the mansion and let the guys know that it’s time to pack their bags and hit the road. It’s also fun to see how excited they are when they learn where we’re headed. Our first stop on this trip around the world with Des is Atlantic City, New Jersey. We stayed at the beautiful new Revel hotel.

Brad got the first date this week and it didn’t exactly go well. You could quickly see that he and Des had no connection. Des is big on chemistry, and unfortunately they had none. When you add to all this the fact that he’s a caring dad, Des really felt compelled to let him go as soon as she knew there wasn’t anything serious between them. The only sad part was how many stairs Des made him climb to get to the top of that lighthouse just so she could dump him. In all seriousness, it was obviously the right thing to do, because at this point there are guys here that she does see a possible future with.

The group date this week was near and dear to my heart. The last time I was in Atlantic City was back in 2004 when I hosted the Miss America pageant for the first time. I’m extremely excited the pageant is coming back to where it all began when it airs on Sept. 15 on ABC — and I’ll be hosting again, now for the fifth time. I loved that the reigning Miss America, Mallory Hagen, was able to join us and help out with our first ever The Bachelorette‘s Mr. America pageant. Mallory has been a great ambassador for Miss America and she shared her personality and wicked sense of humor with everybody. I always enjoy when we get to do public dates, but to actually get to host an event like this for a live audience in an Atlantic City showroom was awesome. We had a packed house and the crowd was great.

As for the actual competition, well, let’s just say there are things that will never be erased from my brain. Chris walking out in high heels with hula-hoops around his arms was just one of many bad images. And don’t even get me started on the bathing suit competition. I have to admit I was a little surprised Kasey won the crown. I thought Zak W. might have won with his song; it played well with the crowd and it seemed to impress Des. At the after-party Ben continued to draw Des in while he manages to push the guys further away. Zak W. pulled the guitar out again, which is sometimes a sketchy move, but it worked and he got the rose.

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James got the final one-on-one date this week. No, I’m not going to even get into the shots of him eating strawberries while in the bath. Like most of high school, let’s just pretend it didn’t happen and move on. This was easily one of my favorite dates this season. I was so happy that while in New Jersey we were able to shed some light on the devastation of Hurricane Sandy. I’m even more proud of the fact that we promote an organization like the Red Cross that does so much for victims of devastating events like Sandy or the recent tornadoes in Oklahoma. I hope all of you will take a minute and go to [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] to find out how you can help rebuild the Jersey Shore and Moore, Oklahoma.

It was very cool that not only did we show the destruction, but we also introduced you to an amazing couple, Jan and Manny. Des and James gave them their date and it was beautiful to see how grateful they were for this night. I went over to the Foundation Room at the House of Blues before the date and our art department was so happy to be setting up for a regular couple that would get such a treat out of a fancy night out. There is so much love between these two, and the book of restored pictures from the Red Cross was just priceless. I was also lucky enough to spend some time with the talented Darius Rucker that night. I’ve been fortunate enough to get to know Darius over the last few years and I can tell you as talented as he is, it doesn’t compare to what a generous, great guy he is. Manny and Jan’s date was such an emotional date, you almost forget about Des and James — but they had an interesting night, too. I’m curious to know what all of you thought about James admitting to Des that he cheated on his college girlfriend. Do you think honesty was really the best policy here? I know Des ended up giving him the rose, but do you think she’ll ever forget what he told her? It will be interesting to see how that affects their relationship in the weeks to come.

The cocktail party and rose ceremony were held in suites at the Revel Hotel. The view from the rose ceremony was stunning as you could see the entire Atlantic City boardwalk. Zack K. was sent home this week and you know what that means? There’s only one Zak now, so Zak W. can officially drop the W and just be good ol’ Zak. As you saw, Atlantic City was just a jumping off point as we now head over to Europe and Munich, Germany. We’ve talked for years about going to Germany and I’m glad we finally did. It’s a beautiful and historic city — but it turns out it’s also a very dramatic place to visit, too. Or maybe these guys just made it that way. Ben will continue to stir things up, but James is really the one who will step into the crosshairs next week with some ill-advised words. These guys are really falling for Des and are very protective of her, and this is going to lead to some explosive confrontations. We’ll see you next week in Munich, and in the meantime you can always reach me via Twitter and Instagram @chrisbharrison.

Talk about an awkward week on The Bachelorette. First Bryden tells Desiree he's going to leave the show — while she's middle of a date with someone else — and then during their two-on-one date, Michael berates Ben until Ben has to take a breather outside. Finally, the men have had enough of James and plan to tell Des he's not there for the right reasons, but once the cocktail party is cancelled and there's no time for the guys to talk to her, he survives another week. Does Chris Harrison believe the guys or does he side with James? And does he think she made the right move on the two-on-one date? Plus: Why is he skeptical of Brooks?

Did Bryden really need to tell Des he was leaving during her date with Chris?
Chris Harrison: He just needed to go. He just flew to Germany and is in the house where all of the guys are talking about Des and how much they like her and their chemistry. So, when you're sitting there thinking, "I'm not feeling those things," you just feel like you're taking up space. Bryden is a nice guy, and for him it would've just led to guilt. So, he just said, "I'm going to pull myself out of this."

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Chris definitely emerged from his one-on-one as a front-runner.
Harrison: Chris has definitely been flying under the radar. On the Western date, you saw a little bit and this week you saw more of the chemistry. It's something that's been brewing for three weeks now, and with Des, it was a slow burn. I don't think he was on top of the list, so this was a big week for him for sure. You're going to see a lot more of him.

Brooks got the group-date rose. What do you think of their relationship?
Harrison: Something interesting about Des is that you can't really tell who's a front-runner. You see her physical chemistry with people, but who is she emotionally attached to? It's really hard to tell. With Brooks, is he just saying the right thing at the right time? Sometimes I feel like he's going through the motions and doing what needs to be done. I worry about that. He's still a bit of an enigma.

The two-on-one date must have been the most awkward ever. Do you think Michael was wrong to go after Ben so hard?
Harrison: It probably wasn't a bad tactic, but I think he let his confrontational side get in the way a bit.  It really became about, "I don't like this guy, and I'm not just going to take the girl, I'm going to bury you." He kind of forgot about Des. It got to be a little much.

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Will this put him on the chopping block with her?
Harrison: You can't un-ring those bells. When you say something stupid or do something controversial, that sticks in the person's head. It knocks you down a few pegs, and you don't get those points back.

Do you think she was right to send Ben home?
Harrison: I do. It was tough for her, but I think she saw enough to know that something was a little off. I know this sounds silly, but the goodwill that [cutting him] provides the rest of the house goes a long way. It was the same situation with Tierra. As soon as Sean sent her home it changed the dynamic of the house. I think Des pulled the same move. Getting rid of Ben definitely released the tension in the house and made it a much better place for everybody.

This week, the James situation started to come to a head, but the guys didn't get a chance to talk to Des about it. What will happen when they do?
Harrison: This week you saw more of the James situation percolating and eventually it's going to boil over. James is too proud, and when confronted, he's going to dig his heels in and defend himself. These guys don't feel like he's there for Des and are very protective. It's going to lead to an explosive confrontation.

We never actually saw or heard what the guys claim James said. Do you believe them?
Harrison: The only thing that made me believe the guys more than James is who was saying it. The few guys that said it are very trustworthy and I can't see them making it up. In James' defense, I could see a guy saying, "Hey man if this doesn't work out"... because they're still one of 11. But when you have guys who are really falling for Des, it shows where James' head is. So, maybe he shouldn't be there. But was it the worst thing in the world that's ever been said? No. He's a guy's guy, so I can see him 'bro-ing' it up and saying something stupid.

Jun 25 2013 01:04 AM ET

I want to start off this week sharing some great news that many of you have hopefully already heard about. Mike Fleiss, the creator of this franchise, and myself, have helped create a dating site called At First Sight. The app is currently available on iPhone and Android devices and will be available online very soon. For over a decade, people have come up to me and asked how they could be on the show or if I could help them find love. Well, this site, which has been many years in the making, takes what we’ve learned from years of doing this show and put it into an amazingly useful, entertaining and safe site. Download At First Sight and check out the video profiles, then take a minute and make your own. I’d love to know what you think.

Now, let’s jump into this week’s episode with Des and the boys in Munich, Germany. I need to start off by apologizing to a fellow host and the German people. For several days everywhere I went people were raising a glass and saying “Probst.” I like Jeff Probst, he’s a great guy and I respect his skills and his many Emmys, but hearing everybody toast that guy when I walked in the room was more than I could take. I learned later the German word for “cheers” is “prost” and in no way relates to Jeff Probst. I only wish I had learned this before verbally assaulting many good German people. With that little misunderstanding settled, it was time to move the guys into their hotel. As you can tell it was a little chilly this week in Munich, but the city is absolutely beautiful. I’d love to tell you what hotel we stayed in because it was incredible, but as you heard I couldn’t even pronounce it, much less spell it. If you couldn’t tell my German is, as they say, “no bueno.”

Chris got the first one-on-one date this week. This is a guy who has really emerged from the pack the last few weeks. He was a slow starter but has really made up ground and seems to be making an impact on Des. The date was going great until Bryden decided that not only did he need to leave, but he really needed to leave right then and there. So he set off to find Des to break the news to her immediately. I don’t necessarily think he needed to bust into her date to do this, but I do respect the fact that Bryden pulled himself out of this situation as soon as he was absolutely sure Des wasn’t right for him. At this point, taking up space in the house and on dates just isn’t fair to Des or the other guys. While Des wasn’t exactly blown away by this news she was upset by the realization that this can happen. Chris was put in a tough spot, having to help Des recover and also save his date. He did a great job pulling the situation together, assuring Des he was there for the long haul. Later that night when Des was explaining that she really needs words of affirmation in a relationship, Chris whips out a poem he wrote. This was perfect timing and Des really took it to heart. It was the icing on the cake for what had been a really good date.

The group date took Des and the guys to the highest peak in all of Germany. The last couple weeks I think you’ve really been able to see a difference in Des and her relationships with the guys. They all had a blast playing on the mountain and then headed inside an ice castle that you could only find on this show. Des and Brooks are an interesting pair right now. You can tell she’s really into him and he seems to be into her but there doesn’t seem to be a lot of dialogue between them at this point. It’ll be interesting as thing progress to see if there is more than just pure chemistry between them. I hate to harp on this, but how far has Zak come since the first night? He might be one of the best comeback stories we’ve ever had. That was an incredible story he shared about climbing the mountains in Germany ten years ago to find clarity about the priesthood. Apparently, God talked to Zak and said his services weren’t needed in the church and to go forth and do some crunches.

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Now, the situation with James is a very interesting one. He obviously said some things in front of Kasey and Drew that didn’t sit well with them. But was this just guy talk? Were these things said around his boys that he didn’t really think much of or was these statements a true picture of his character? This is a very explosive situation and the fuse is lit. James is a very proud passionate guy and he’s not going down without a fight, literally. Next week should be pretty intense.

The two-on-one date is always an awkward one, but awkward really doesn’t describe what went down between Michael and Ben. I would love to get your thoughts on Ben. Michael did an incredible job of using his courtroom skills to bury Ben, but did he go to far? Was this one of those situations where he won the battle but may have lost the war? Des got the message and kicked Ben off, but she was clearly upset and put off by Michael’s tactics. How about Ben’s thoughts in the car home? Wow! Did he show his true colors or what? The things he said about being the next Bachelor and what a great story a single dad from Texas would be was nauseating. I’m guessing Des was pretty happy about her decision after seeing that.

We shot the deliberation and rose ceremony at Schloss Schleissheim, which in German means “holy crap that’s an incredibly awesome castle.” This castle was about thirty minutes outside of Munich and it was well worth the trip. After speaking with Des, I could tell she was very clear in what she wanted to do this week and she really didn’t need or want the cocktail party. I think part of the reason is she knew she was saying goodbye to a nice guy like Mikey. Spending more time with him only would have made things more difficult. Mikey is a sweet guy and Des really liked him, but there just wasn’t chemistry there.

Next week it’s off to Barcelona. This is obviously one of the most romantic places in the world but next week it will also be one of the most dramatic as the situation with James goes through the roof. The guys this season have really fallen for Des and they are incredibly protective of her, but are they too protective? At some point Des might get to the point where she resents being “taken care of” so much. Thank you for watching and as always you can find me on twitter and instagram @chrisbharrison.