by David McAlpine

Arguably a frontrunner since the beginning of the season, 31 year-old Kiptyn Locke, a business developer from Encitas, California was often on the arm of Bachelorette Jillian Harris. On Monday’s episode, he finally professed his love to Jillian and talked about a future together, but lost out on the final rose. Today, Kiptyn spoke to reporters on a conference call about how he’s been doing after his first heartbreak.

Q. David, RealityWanted: Your mom seemed very cautious about the whole idea of dating on television as well as of Jillian. How did she react when she saw the finale?
A. Kiptyn: I don’t think this came across on TV, but my mom is a really fun-loving person and she loved Jillian. She was really optimistic about it and she something positive there, a good possibility. I think based on mother’s intuition, she knew I didn’t win, but she was still optimistic.

Q. David, RealityWanted: Going into the final rose ceremony, did you think she was going to give you the final rose?
A. Kiptyn: Things felt really possible at that point. The night before, on the last-chance date, I definitely felt something a little different from Jillian, but I was definitely blindsided at the final ceremony.

Q. What have you been doing since you got back from Hawaii?
A. Kiptyn: I want to get back to my business and I’m looking forward to enjoying my family, my friends and all the positive people in my life who I missed.

Q. Would you ever consider being the next Bachelor?
A. Kiptyn: I’d think about it, because it’s a good opportunity. I have a lot of questions about it, but it’s something I’d consider, especially after I’ve gone through it already.

Q. Are you glad you went through this process?
A. Kiptyn: I think I learned a lot about myself on the show. It makes you stronger, tests your character; I’m glad I did it. I haven’t started dating again, though, I’m kind of waiting for all this to blow over.

Q. Have you been recognized since you got home?
A. Kiptyn: I’ve been recognized a little bit, it’s been really positive, though. It’s been a good thing. I’ve gotten a few interesting e-mails and stuff, but nothing too forward or inappropriate. If anything, it’s been really supportive.

Q. How awkward was it dating in front of the cameras?
A. Kiptyn: It’s definitely a unique experience, but after two weeks’ time, it wasn’t that strange to me. You kind of have to tune out the cameras around you and hone in on the person who you’re focusing on. For some reason, it faded really fast for me and allowed me to focus on Jillian more. You have your time with Jillian and you have so much time after that to reflect. It’s really necessary in this process to think about how you’re feeling and how much of it is real. I did that every day to make sure that I didn’t fall in love with the process, but that I was falling in love with the girl, and I’m confident my feelings were real

Q. How did you feel about Reid coming back?
A. Kiptyn: I did not know he came back until after the show was done. I always liked Reid and as much as those guys had their thoughts about his quirks, I think it was just the process we went through. Reid is such a great guy and it plays against everything he’s comfortable with. My only concern with Reid coming back was if it hurt Jillian. I could tell that at every single rose ceremony, Jillian was sincerely hurt in letting people go, so I didn’t want it to be devastating for her.

Q. Has seeing the season and having time off from it given you closure?
A. Kiptyn: I’ve seen a lot of her interviews and she looks genuinely happy, so that gives me closure. I really do want the best for her, so to hear that she’s absolutely in love and on cloud nine and excited about the future makes it easier for me to be ok with how it ended.

Q. You never really got involved in the Wes drama on the show. What’s your take on it?
A. Kiptyn: I was close with both Jake and Wes even though they were both different people. I don’t ever want to take sides, but I will say that I think Wes was a much better guy than I think was communicated. Jill was a smart woman who gets a really good read on people, and there has to be a reason for all her decisions. Wes, while he was there, was good to all the guys, and I’m not going to say that I would hook him up with my own sister (who isn’t single), but he was much better than he was portrayed.

(Image courtesy of ABC)

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