'The Bachelorette': Chris Harrison Blogs Night 2
We picked up Tuesday night right where we left off Monday, with me walking through the house out to let the ladies know who the men had chosen to be our Bachelorette. I wasn’t looking forward to having to tell Britt the guys had voted her out of the house, dashing her hopes of being the Bachelorette. Britt was supremely confident, and I think her brief time with the guys had only bolstered that confidence. I could tell when I told her the news that she was out that she felt like a rug had been pulled out from under her. I truly think she was caught off guard.
I think in the beginning both ladies were realistic about the chance it might not work out and they were careful not to let their mind wander too far down the road. But as the night went on, both of them couldn’t help but let their heart and mind go there. It wasn’t fun having to tell Britt she wasn’t the one, and even tougher to have to walk her out and literally show her the door. I felt she handled it like a lady with the upmost respect and dignity.
As you saw, all might not be lost for Britt, but more on that later. After telling Britt the bad news it was time to tell our new Bachelorette that she was the one. Her reaction was priceless and incredibly genuine. I thought it was sweet and very telling of the type of woman Kaitlyn is that she didn’t really know how to feel or act. On one hand she was extremely excited, but on the other she felt bad for Britt. We only showed her mentioning Britt one or two times on the show but she probably asked me about Britt about five different times. At one point she made me tell her exactly how it went down and how Britt reacted. Britt and Kaitlyn are very different people, but they are both sweet, caring women.
The men have spoken and Kaitlyn is now our Bachelorette.
Behind-the-scenes on night one
Now it was time to make her understand she needed to come to grips with this reality very quickly, because we had a rose ceremony fast approaching. Kaitlyn had no idea we were going to do this. She figured it was already incredibly late and a lot had gone down, so that was probably going to be it for the night. She handled the turn of events rather well, and went in there to face the men, many of whom didn’t vote for her. Kaitlyn was well aware of this fact and she really appreciated guys like Jared who admitted they voted for Britt but that they really wanted to stay and get to know her. It’s a dynamic no other Bachelorette has ever had to deal with, and Kaitlyn is to be commended for how she dealt with it. Overall I really like how vulnerable, open and honest Kaitlyn is. It’s going to make for a fun, entertaining season for all of us. You can also probably tell Kaitlyn isn’t shy about showing her affection with the guys. Chris aka Cupcake, got the first kiss this season, but Shawn B. got the first impression rose and an even better kiss.
The guys line up for the rose ceremony
As for the rose ceremony… Brady was very clear from the beginning that he was there for Britt. The two of them really hit it off and they had instant chemistry. He was absolutely crestfallen when Britt was sent home and he’d been down about it all night. I wasn’t surprised when he pulled Kaitlyn aside and let her know he was going home. I was a little surprised when he asked to talk to me to see if he could possibly find out where Britt was staying. Brady wanted to know if there was any way possible if he could see Britt again and find out if there was truly a connection between them. I thought Brady was sincere, so we made the arrangements and sent him over to see Britt. You saw the knock on the door, and next week you’ll see more of how that moment played out.
As the “This season on The Bachelorette” tease showed you, this is a wild emotional season with a lot of twists and turns. Kaitlyn is an open, emotional woman and at times she can really be her own worst enemy. This is a good group of guys, but you might have noticed there’s one more guy that will be joining the ranks that nobody saw coming. Nick, from Andi’s season, will be joining the group vying for Kaitlyn’s attention. As you can imagine this doesn’t sit very well with the other guys. I can’t wait for you all of you to get into this season, there’s so much to talk about.
I’m currently on the road this week. I spent Monday and Tuesday in New York doing press and starting a week-long book tour to promote my new novel The Perfect Letter that’s now in bookstores everywhere. If you are nearby and have a chance to come say hello I’d love to meet you and one of my book signings in Austin on Wednesday, Dallas on Thursday, Oklahoma City on Friday and Minneapolis on Saturday. (Visit theperfectletterbook.com for all the details.) For those that came out Monday and Tuesday and all of you that purchased the book, I thank you from the bottom of my heart. I hope you will enjoy the journey.
See you next week as the romantic dates begin and let me warn you, next week has an explosive ending like nothing you have ever seen on this show before.
The Bachelorette airs Mondays at 8 p.m. on ABC.
