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Chris Harrison blogs 'The Bachelorette' season premiere
by Chris Harrison

Welcome to a new season of The Bachelorette. It feels like we’ve been gone for a while, and it’s really good to be back. I hope you feel like your Monday night appointment is back. Because of the timing of production, by the time the guys arrived at the house they knew Ashley was our girl. A little irony to start off the season: Ashley moved into the same house Brad stayed in while he was the Bachelor. The previous tenant should start leaving notes for the next person.

That first night I always enjoy sitting down and talking with the Bachelor or Bachelorette. I like to see the state of mind they’re in and get a feel for how they’re doing. It’s also very easy and enjoyable when you get along with the person. Talking to Ashley is very easy, and I felt she had a good attitude heading into this journey. The only thing that really threw me off was her story about being warned about Bentley. As I said on the show, this has never happened before. We’ve never had drama or been tipped off about somebody before the limos even pull up the drive. For me this was a huge red flag, and obviously as you saw on the previews for upcoming episodes it should have been a bigger red flag for Ashley.

After our talk we headed outside on the watered down driveway to meet the guys. I’m going to run down a few of the moments that stood out to me during arrivals. Please let me know what you thought about these as well in the comments section. Jon picked her up and carried her off. Yes, she thought it was cute, but I’m gonna say it’s not a good idea to pick a woman up who’s spent all day putting herself together and is wearing a dress that tight. Mickey pulled a smooth line and went in for the first kiss. He didn’t get the “Heisman” but he definitely got denied. West came out with the broken compass stuck on “west.” You have to admit the odds of a guy named West having a broken compass stuck on west are pretty long, right? Or maybe just a little cheesy? You be the judge. Ames pulled out two tickets to the ballet. I’m going to say that’s a smooth move that worked one hundred percent. Then there was that guy that got out of the limo in a mask… He got out of the limo in a mask. More on Jeff in a bit. Ben also scored major points by bringing out a nice bottle of wine and two glasses — and it was wine that he made on his vineyard. Very nice move! I give this advice every season and now I’m giving it to Frank: Do not spin a girl wearing a full-length gown when you first meet her, and certainly don’t bend down and pick her up by her butt. Leave a little something for the second date. Constantine’s move started out sketchy but in the end, the dental floss ring around the finger scored points and was a good call.

When Bentley arrived and I saw Ashley’s face I leaned over to one of the producers and said, “We’re in trouble.” Her reaction to Bentley reminded me of my kids. When you tell your kids they can’t or shouldn’t have something, what’s the first thing they’re going to do when they see it? Want it even more! Ashley was clearly taken with Bentley at first glance, and the time they spent talking only solidified her feelings and made her feel that the warning she got about him was bogus. She said on night one he was definitely one of the front-runners. As you saw in the previews this is far from over, and it’s going to get a lot worse before it gets better. Once everybody was inside the party started especially for Tim. Tim had a huge problem with Jeff and his mask. I have no idea why he hated it so much but it literally drove him to drink. Tim let the experience get the best of him and Ashley had no choice but to pour him in a car and send him home. There was no way he was going to be able to stand during the rose ceremony anyway.

Speaking of Jeff and his mask, I’m very anxious to hear your thoughts. Ashley didn’t love it but after talking to the guy she decided there was enough there to give him a chance. I just kept reminding her, you realize he’s wearing a mask right? Night one is really just a simple appetizer for what’s to come, but I do want to tell you a few behind the scenes things you didn’t get to see that night. Mickey, who is a chef, made Ashley a menu that was a five course-tasting menu on their way to love. Ashley thought it was sweet. Chris M did this wild card trick where he hid a card in his palm and then threw the rest against a wall. It cracked Ashley up and earned him the nickname the “crazy Canadian.” You saw Ben C display the cards outside the window to Ashley getting her to come out for one on one time. What we didn’t have time to show you was that there were actually 14 cards total, and the last one was a drawing of a rose. When Mike walked in the room with a guitar, all the guys moaned thinking we had another “singer” on our hands. It was pretty funny that he ended up tossing the guitar in the pool.

One last note about Tim. The guys really went out of their way to try to get him to slow his roll a bit and chill out. Obviously it didn’t help much. Ryan made a solid first impression and got that rose. I delivered my famous line and Bentley got the final rose of the night. Ashley says she’s going to go through this with no regrets. Wonder if she regrets handing out that final rose? This is just the tip of the iceberg with Bentley, and just the beginning of a great season ahead. I’m happy to be back and I’m happy you’re back with us as well. Thank you so much for watching. You can always reach me via twitter @chrisbharrison or find out more about the show and watch special features on our official web site. Also, casting is underway for season 16 of The Bachelor. Click here for more details.

[jurystillout]

Does Ashley have on this season?

[Love_Me]

Does Ashley have on this season?

I made a new thread for her blogs here:

http://bachandbachettefans.forumotion.com/t105-ashley-hebert-s-blogs-discussion-spoilers

[Love_Me]

http://popwatch.ew.com/2011/05/31/chris-harrison-the-bachelorette-episode-2-blog/

May 31 2011 01:01 AM ET

Chris Harrison blogs 'The Bachelorette' episode 2

by Chris Harrison

The Bachelorette, Things That Are Awesome!

I hope you all had a great Memorial Day holiday. I hope you also took a moment to remember what it’s all about. To start this week I’d like to thank all of those that have served or are still bravely serving our great country.

There’s so much I want to talk to you about this week, but there’s a dark cloud hanging over this show right now and it’s really hard to talk about anything other than Bentley. I’m going to put him on the back burner for a moment and talk about a few other things before we deal with him. The first thing we did this week was move the guys into the mansion. Usually this is a very easy, uneventful morning and this time was much the same, except for one small problem. Once I talked to the guys in the driveway and sent them in, I noticed there was something – rather, someone –was missing. Jeff “The Mask” rode alone with a producer to the house and he was still in the car when I moved the rest of the guys in the mansion. We quickly realized “The Mask” was missing and we did it over again.

I then told the guys about the dates this week. I have to admit it’s not easy to keep a straight face when I’m talking to the guys and I’m looking at a guy in a mask. But I also have to admit Ashley is right. He’s not a bad guy at all, and he’s got some guts to hold out and play this out as long as he has. He obviously came very close to revealing his true identity but was cut off. Don’t worry though — before it’s all said and done “The Mask” will be revealed. I have to give Ames credit for a great line when he mentioned it was ninety degrees and asked if Jeff wished he had a white mask instead.

Ashley’s one-on-one dates with William and Mickey went very well. William opened up and showed a much more serious side of himself that Ashley loved. Mickey also opened up to Ashley, earning a rose. The private concert with Colbie Caillat was perfect, but I really want to mention the dinner William and Ashley enjoyed in the Bellagio fountain. We’ve done some pretty cool things over the years but this date was truly a one of a kind experience, and I give our producers major kudos for coming up with these ideas and then executing them at such a high level.

Now let’s deal with the elephant in the room, Bentley. Many of you have asked why we allowed Bentley to stay on the show and why I along with the producers didn’t warn her about him. I usually stay pretty impartial while talking to the Bachelor or Bachelorette. I am free to give my opinion but I don’t think it’s my place to ever tell anybody on or off TV what to do and who to love or not to love. I give my opinion and ask probing questions that will help get my point across, but I really think its important for the person to figure things out for themselves and it’s presumptuous to think I know what’s best for them. With that said, this was not the case with Bentley. Ashley will attest to the fact that I told her that first night she might want to nip this in the bud and send him packing, or at the very least be extremely careful with this guy. She convinced me and everybody else that she was going to give him a chance and follow her gut. Once the show starts I can and did continue to warn her and talk to her about this guy. (You’ll see more of my deliberations with her in future episodes.) To say Bentley is not here for the right reasons is a gross understatement. But it seemed the more I warned Ashley and told her to run for the hills, the more she protected and defended him. At some point you have to let the person find out for him or herself what the truth really is.

Let me be very clear the things he said about Ashley and his feelings for her weren’t cute and they weren’t funny. They were out of line and disrespectful. He knew for a fact he wasn’t into Ashley and wanted nothing to do with her, yet he continued to lead her on emotionally and physically as well, and that in my book is not cool. Bentley played Ashley this week and got a rose on the group date. As you saw in the preview things come to a head and unravel in a major way next week. We’ve had so-called bad guys or villains on this show before but we’ve never had anything like this. What you will see next week will easily be one of the most talked about moments ever. There won’t be one viewer that won’t have a very strong opinion about what unfolds. We’ve had plenty of dramatic moments over the years and I even joke about using that word all the time. This is different and it is nothing to joke about. You will see the wheels completely come off this ride for Ashley – so much so we came very close to having to shut down production on our show. There was a very real chance that Ashley was done and so was this season. It was a mess, and you will see every bit of it next Monday night. I know many of you will have a lot to say about Bentley and this episode and what’s to come, and I look forward to reading them all. You can always find me on twitter @chrisbharrison, and you can catch up on full Bachelorette episodes at abc.com/bachelorette.

[Guest]

I think TPTB should have sent Bentley packing and protected Ashley. They're the ones who are choosing to air the horrible stuff Bentley said. The only good to come out of this is Bentley's reputation will be in ruins.

[Guest]

I think TPTB should have sent Bentley packing and protected Ashley. They're the ones who are choosing to air the horrible stuff Bentley said. The only good to come out of this is Bentley's reputation will be in ruins.

I agree. CH acting like they're all innocent and as appalled by it as viewers are is ridiculous. They're choosing what to air on TV.

[pavalygurl]

I think TPTB should have sent Bentley packing and protected Ashley. They're the ones who are choosing to air the horrible stuff Bentley said. The only good to come out of this is Bentley's reputation will be in ruins.

I agree. CH acting like they're all innocent and as appalled by it as viewers are is ridiculous. They're choosing what to air on TV.

So true. I posted in another thread that they could have cut his airtime. Fleiss always likes his drama to include humiliation in some way...this was over the top and unnecessary. Fleiss= :twisted:

[Love_Me]

I know and the fact they fly Bentley out to Hong Kong makes me even sicker.

[terabithia]

I love how Chris says he tried to warn her. Why not show her the PIs to prove he's playing her? Hey Ash, come take a look at this... Have they ever done that? I don't remember seeing it but I didn't start watching the entire season until DeAnna's season.

Of course they won't let her behind the curtain because they want her to be completely thrown for a loop when she realizes her radar was dead wrong and she can't trust the men, the producers, the crew, or even herself. Just rubs me the wrong way when Chris says hey, I told her to run for the hills... You had proof and you withheld it. I am guessing he didn't even tell her Bentley was saying things behind her back that would change her mind.

[Alanna]

If Harrison was so concerned, why not tell Ash what's going on? Oh right. They need things to happen organically. Mustn't interfere!!

[Kashathediva]

I love how Chris says he tried to warn her. Why not show her the PIs to prove he's playing her? Hey Ash, come take a look at this... Have they ever done that? I don't remember seeing it but I didn't start watching the entire season until DeAnna's season.

Of course they won't let her behind the curtain because they want her to be completely thrown for a loop when she realizes her radar was dead wrong and she can't trust the men, the producers, the crew, or even herself. Just rubs me the wrong way when Chris says hey, I told her to run for the hills... You had proof and you withheld it. I am guessing he didn't even tell her Bentley was saying things behind her back that would change her mind.

I agree Bentley is worse than pond scum. I agree he should not have been brought back.
I don't know how Ashley was warned, but I do not think TPTB should go as far as to review the film with the main. Where do you draw the line? It was bad enough Bentley's first time around, CH acknowledged that himself. So why did they bring him back. They should have acted like the were bringing him back and flying him out to Hong Kong only to force him out of the plane over the Pacific with an inoperable shute.
Many years ago on BB a contestant was removed for threatening physical harm to another. That contestant was removed. Sounds fair to me.
If Bentley was hoping to promote his new "family oriented business" via this stint, he shot himself in both feet.

[terabithia]

I agree Bentley is worse than pond scum. I agree he should not have been brought back.
I don't know how Ashley was warned, but I do not think TPTB should go as far as to review the film with the main. Where do you draw the line? It was bad enough Bentley's first time around, CH acknowledged that himself. So why did they bring him back. They should have acted like the were bringing him back and flying him out to Hong Kong only to force him out of the plane over the Pacific with an inoperable shute.
Many years ago on BB a contestant was removed for threatening physical harm to another. That contestant was removed. Sounds fair to me.
If Bentley was hoping to promote his new "family oriented business" via this stint, he shot himself in both feet.

Oh man, I forgot about Justin Rated R already. They did jump in and "save" Ali with the information he wasn't being honest (not that she was interested, she hadn't even kissed him -- I think he was a producer pick they encouraged her to keep for obvious reasons). So they reveal the secret girlfriend and the voice mail messages (which were golden!) when it's advantageous to their story. I guess Ash should be thankful they allowed Bentley to take himself out in ep 3, according to Justin and Frank they have mysterious ways of forcing you to stay in the prison-mansion and go on dates, fly to Europe, etc, even when you're begging and pleading to go home.

Where to draw the line? That's tough. I think I'd know it when I see/hear it. Hell, I could never work on this show, I'd be spilling everything I hear to the lead that I'd want to know if I were in her position. And I'd want to know everything.

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