Kupah James Criticized By Chris Harrison And Sharleen Joynt After Dramatic ‘Bachelorette’ Exit

Kupah James can leave The Bachelorette with one crowning achievement. Chris Harrison called his pleading statement to Kaitlyn, “I think you’re hot,” the worst-timed line ever on the show. Kaitlyn had just asked Kupah to leave, after he said she had shown no interest in him and implied his ethnicity was why he was on the show.

In his blog for Yahoo TV, Harrison pointed out the ironic fact that Kaitlyn was actually interested in Kupah, and had hoped he would make a greater effort to get to know her.

“He paid zero attention to Kaitlyn during the group date and then he had the audacity to confront her and accuse her of ignoring him.

“Let me tell you what a woman definitely wants to hear when she’s pissed off and trying to have a serious conversation with a man: ‘I think you’re hot!’ That might’ve been the single worst-timed line ever on this show. If it wasn’t already over with him before then (and it was), it was beyond over now.”

Sharleen Joynt, a former Bachelor contestant who blogs about the franchise, wrote in Flare that Kupah’s concerns hid his insecurities.

“Believe me, I have some sense of the apprehension that comes with feeling like you’re in the ethnic minority, and certainly no one has ever given the ‘Bachelor’ franchise any awards for diversity. But Kupah’s gripes reeked of early-‘Bachelorette’-process insecurity, not of any actual evidence of discrimination.”

Joynt’s official Bachelor biography notes that her mother immigrated to Canada from Taiwan.

Sharleen went on to describe Kupah’s awkward conversation-starter with Kaitlyn, where he said he had yet to feel any connection between them. She also found it significant that Kupah voted for Britt Nilsson, and not Kaitlyn, to be the Bachelorette. Unlike Brady Toops, who ran after Nilsson, Kupah stayed with the show.

“It struck me as a bit hypocritical for him to advertise his attraction to and connection with another woman and yet, when said woman didn’t win the vote, still stick around and require hand-holding and validation from his second choice.”

Monday night’s episode of The Bachelorette did not end with a rose ceremony. It was a cliffhanger that showed Kupah apparently arguing with a producer after being asked to leave, and Kaitlyn running outside the mansion to intervene. Harrison promised in his blog that the scene will be resolved on next week’s episode.

The Bachelorette airs on ABC.

[Kupah James image: ABC/Craig Sjodin]