by Gina Scarpa

 

This week on The Bachelor, Brad headed to the hometowns of Ashley, Chantal, Emily, and Shawntel. Each visit was unique but Shawntel's definitely took the cake. First, she took him on a tour of her place of employment, a funeral home, where she explained the embalming process to him. Not exactly romantic. Then, she threatened to leave her family business behind, much to the dismay of her parents, in order to move to Texas and be with Brad. It all seemed a bit too much for him and he decided to opt out of giving her a rose. Today, Shawntel spoke to RealityWanted and reporters in a press conference call about her experiences on The Bachelor and her feelings now as she reflects back.

 

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: Do you think that the conversation about possibly leaving Chico, and your family business, is one you should've had with just your parents when Brad wasn't around?
A. Shawntel: That's a good question! That had never come up with my family - me leaving Chico. I always thought that I would be staying Chico and taking over the business. I think they were surprised. I thought, "Okay, wow, here I am falling in love with him." I think it was a shock to my family for me to come home. I was like, "I'm falling in love and this may change some things."

 

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: Did being on the show open your eyes to a life outside of Chico or did you go back to feeling that that's where your life is?
A. Shawntel: No, it definitely opened up my eyes to a lot of different things. I have such a passion for the funeral industry. It wasn't just the travel. It was falling in love with someone. Life outside of my little town... there's a big world out there.

 

Q. Was it your idea to take Brad into the morgue or the producers'?
A. Shawntel: It was a little of both. I just thought, "I might as well lay my cards out on the table with Brad." This is my job and this is what I grew up with. If he wanted to get down on his knees and propose, he needed to see what I grew up around and what I do.

 

Q. Do you regret it?
A. Shawntel: I don't regret it. We only had a few weeks to fall in love and I really was falling in love with Brad. This was the final test to see if he could handle it and I don't regret it.

 

Q. Is it hard to find good guys in Chico or is it your profession?
A. Shawntel: I think it's both. It's challenged my love life. When I go on a date with a guy and we start talking and he asks what I do, it's like a step back. It's like, "Okay, wow. That's different." Growing in Chico, I know a lot of the guys my age and I probably wouldn't date them. I grew up with them so they're like family! Being a funeral director has challenged that as well.

 

Q. What would you say to girls who want to be on The Bachelor?
A. Shawntel: My girlfriends have even asked that! It's something that you really need to think about. It's a really true test of your character. That's what I learned for myself. I really learned about myself. You're secluded from your family and friends. You realize what kind of person you are. It's not that I wouldn't recommend it but it's something people should think about. The situations you're put in are not normal. You need to think, "Is that something I'm going to be able to handle with cameras in my face?"

 

Q. What was your family's feeling about Brad after meeting him?
A. Shawntel: My family did like him a lot. My mom's family is from Alabama and they have that Southern charm. You don't see my mom talking to him as much but she thought he was a doll. I think they were just hesitant because everything came at them at once. It was a huge shock for them to think that their daughter was leaving. They really did like Brad. They can tell that I was in love and I was happy. I haven't been in love in a very long time. The last time that I was... it wasn't good. It was an unhealthy relationship. I think they were refreshed to see a man treating their daughter well.

 

Q. Have you gotten over Brad or are there still feelings there?
A. Shawntel: It's been a little while. I'm okay. I compare this to someone who had a death of a loved one. You go through the same stages as dealing with death. I allowed myself to get angry, I was in denial, and I allowed myself to go through these stages of grief in a healthy way. I'm not in love with him any way. Like I said in the limo, I wish Brad happiness. All I want for him is to be happy. I think he got really lucky with the girls he had to choose from.

 

Q. In your final words, you said that you didn't see your elimination coming. You must've thought that your hometown date went really well.
A. Shawntel: I did think that it went as well as it could with Brad. It was a lot to take in! Why I said that it was a shock was because I really thought that he accepted my job and was okay with it. I thought he would let me go one step further to talk to him about it. He and I didn't have a lot of time at the very end to when I said that I was in love with him and then we had to go to the rose ceremony. It was minutes. That's why I was very shocked. I really thought I would have at least that one next step to explore even more.

 

The Bachelor airs Mondays at 8/7c on ABC.

 

(Image courtesy of ABC)

 

 

Follow Gina @ginascarpa