Kelsey Poe Gets Support From Sean Lowe, Former ‘Bachelor’: ‘The Producers Can Lead You’

Kelsey Poe is about to tell her side of the story on a special Sunday-night episode of The Bachelor. In a unique one-on-one interview, Poe will respond to criticisms she’s received from the other women who have been competing for the affections of Chris Soules. In advance of the interview, Poe is getting support from an unlikely source: former bachelor Sean Lowe.

That is, to a point. In an interview published Friday by The Toronto Star, Lowe was clear that reality television is sometimes less than reality — and producers can often spin the content for the sake of entertainment. However, according to Lowe, the truth of the person eventually comes through. Responding directly to the controversy that surrounds Kelsey Poe, Lowe was thoughtful.

“The producers can lead you, of course, and if you have a story — hers was obviously pretty dramatic and it’s a sad story — if you feel comfortable sharing that story on TV, the producers will want you to share it. They would never push you, especially if you aren’t comfortable with it.

“And then the other part of that is people will see themselves on TV, and they may come across as mean or crazy or just a jerk and they say, ‘I was portrayed that way.’ But you’re saying those things. No one put those words in your mouth.

“In my experience, if you’re a jerk in real life you’re gonna be a jerk on TV. If you’re nice in real life you’re gonna be nice on TV.”

Sean Lowe was in Toronto to promote his new book. He is the so far the only Bachelor to marry the woman he chose at the end of the series. Three Bachelorette series have ended in marriages.

Kelsey Poe was famously widowed less than two years ago. She told the camera on the Bachelor that her story was “tragic” and “amazing.” Poe was sent home on last week’s episode. Entertainment Weekly characterized her reaction as typical Kelsey.

“Kelsey takes the news well, somehow finding another way to bring the attention back to herself. After all, on this episode of ‘The Widow,’ she experienced another loss. And once again, she will rise above it.”

Despite Kelsey’s ownership of her story, host Chris Harrison reveals there may be a disconnect between the perception of the Bachelor contestant and those who watch the program. In a preview of the Kelsey interview set to air Sunday, Harrison said it was as if Poe saw everything differently. As Lowe told the Star, sometimes people will see themselves on TV and claim it was how they were portrayed, but no one puts words in the contestants’ mouths.

The special Bachelor episode, “Chris Tells All,” featuring interviews with Chris Soules and Kelsey Poe airs at 8 p.m. Sunday on ABC.

[Images: Sean Lowe Getty /RyanSeacrest.com; Kelsey Poe Facebook]