Chris Soules Talks ‘Bachelor’ 2015 Hometown Dates, Eliminating Britt Nilsson

During Monday night’s episode of ABC’s The Bachelor 2015 season, Chris Soules eliminated Britt Nilsson and Carly Waddell, then he went to meet the families of Whitney Bischoff, Jade Roper, Kaitlyn Bristowe, and Becca Tilley. At the end of the night he said goodbye to Jade and now the remaining three ladies will head to Bali for overnight dates. What does Chris have to say about the dates and his decision?

Chris Soules is blogging for People this season and he shared some insight. As fans know, Monday’s episode started just after the tense group date in Des Moines where Britt Nilsson showed some jealousy. Viewers also saw his one-on-one date with Becca, and Soules says that the date was an enlightening one, as he started falling for her and he came to better understand her hesitance in the process of doing the show.

As for Britt, Soules says he had no idea that Nilsson had already packed her bags and told the other bachelorettes she was leaving. He says he wonders why, if that is the case, she waited until the rose ceremony to see him. He says if she really wanted to end things with him, she could have gone to see him earlier.

Chris adds that going into the rose ceremony, he had already decided he wasn’t going to give Britt a rose. He notes that it wasn’t just about the group date jealousy, but he had been questioning her sincerity for a few days and he wasn’t sure she would be comfortable in Iowa. The Bachelor star adds that not only had Ashley and Carly mentioned things about Britt, but Jade had as well.

Ultimately, Chris was feeling as if Nilsson was putting on a performance and that she wasn’t fully sincere. When he wondered early on if their connection was too good to be true, he ultimately thinks that was exactly the case. During their final conversation he felt as if she was manipulating him and he knew then that he had made the right decision about letting her go.

As for the hometown dates, he says he was nervous to meet Becca’s family, but he felt at home and they were fantastic. He was worried about what he learned about Becca’s resistance to intimacy, but his feelings for her outweighed his concerns. That day was actually Becca’s birthday, and the Ferris wheel ride was one of the most romantic moments of his life, he shares.

Whitney’s date was in Chicago of course, and Chris calls it his second home as he’s had family living there his whole life. Soules says that Whitney looked sexy in her scrubs, but her smarts and passion for her career are even sexier. Chris admits he was caught off-guard by Whitney’s sister’s hesitance to give her blessing, but it didn’t change his feelings for Bischoff. He adds that hearing that Whitney loved him reminded him why he was doing the show.

Next up was Kaitlyn’s date, and Soules shares that during the time with her family he actually asked both her dad and stepdad for their blessings, and he got them. He had a great time on the date and enjoyed her family. Finally, there was Jade’s date. He says that her hometown felt a lot like home and he felt that she was one bachelorette who really understood where he’s from.

Once Chris met Jade’s family, he came to realize he apparently didn’t know the real Jade at all. Her family was describing her as a wild, free spirit, and what he had seen was shy and quiet. He said while that difference intrigued him, it also disturbed him a bit, as did her brother’s talk about her lack of interest in moving back to a small town.

Of course as Bachelor fans saw, Jade also told him about her Playboy photos. Not only did she tell him, she pulled the pictures and video up on the laptop as she sat next to him. Was that why she was sent home? Chris says that it was extremely uncomfortable for her to pull them up right in front of him, but he’s not going to judge anybody for their past. He admits there’s some things he’s done he’s not proud of, and if she were his soulmate it wouldn’t come between them.

Ultimately, Soules says that after the hometown dates, he just didn’t feel that his relationship with Jade was as strong as what he had with Whitney, Kaitlyn, and Becca. He says that telling her goodbye broke his heart and in another lifetime they might have fallen in love with one another. While he appreciates how much she opened up, he needed more though he worried he was making a mistake in eliminating her.

What comes next? Chris Soules teases that there will be plenty more tears as he will “basically turn into a huge baby.” Next up are the overnight dates and fantasy suites, and Becca will need to tell him about her virginity. Will she still go to the fantasy suite? Chris Harrison teased via TV Guide that Soules is worrying a bit about Becca being the right match for him, so this is a key date for them.

Will Kaitlyn and Whitney take advantage of that fantasy suite time with him? Will Reality Steve’s spoilers regarding which lady is eliminated in Bali be accurate? Tune in to ABC’s The Bachelor 2015 season as the next episode airs on Monday, February 23 with the Bali overnight dates.

[Image via Craig Sjodin/ABC]