Chris Harrison Says Kaitlyn Bristowe Disappointed ‘Bachelorette’ Producers By Following Her Own Rules
Chris Harrison had Kaitlyn Bristowe’s back last week on the Bachelorette: Men Tell All special. The long-time host of the reality dating show read the mean tweets directed at Bristowe and took it as an opportunity to speak out against online bullying. But when it came to other times where Kaitlyn was not your typical Bachelorette, Harrison admits producers were not always in agreement with her choices.
Case in point: Bristowe’s decision to have some unsanctioned “off camera” time with the season’s eventual winner, and her now-fiance, Shawn Booth. Kaitlyn famously went to the room he shared with Ben Higgins and, apparently while Higgins was in the shower, told Booth he was “the one.” Her infraction might never have come to light if Booth had not displayed a jealous streak whenever she spent time with the other remaining contestants.
Harrison told Variety that misstep was not okay.
“There’s reasons we had this set up, and unfortunately she took it upon herself to try and fix something that really didn’t need to be fixed. But she did, and it was unfortunate. I guess the best way to put it is we were just disappointed.”
Eventually the Bachelorette producers switched up the season on Bristowe, putting the hometown dates — which actually didn’t happen in the men’s hometowns — after the fantasy suite dates. The stated reason was to give the other relationships a chance to “catch up,” since Bristowe had already had “off-camera” time with some of the men. That included Booth and Nick Viall, whom she famously spent the night with.
Sharleen Joynt, a former Bachelor contestant who blogs about the series, said the change in plans for the season seemed to be a “wrist slap” to Kaitlyn for breaking the rules. Using her own experience and expressing support for Kaitlyn’s choices, Joynt said the Bachelorette producers don’t want anything “off camera.”
Harrison told Variety that Kaitlyn can be the author of her own undoing, but it’s for the right reasons.
“She has put some land mines out there and stepped on them, and at times, I’ve made it very public, she can be her own worst enemy. But the thing that I find endearing about her is that it’s all out of honesty and trying to do the right thing.”
Bristowe herself told Variety she has no regrets.
Harrison’s blog for Yahoo stated that Booth and Bristowe’s happy engagement, and the fact that they are still together a couple of months later, is what the show is about. His comments to Variety included a statement that Kaitlyn Bristowe is a strong woman and was the right choice for The Bachelorette.
[Left photo: David Becker / Getty Images Entertainment; Right photo: ABC]
