by Gina Scarpa

 

Tony seemed like he could potentially be a good match for Emily on The Bachelorette this season. However, he had a very difficult time being away from his young son and things came to a head on this week's episode. Perhaps feeling the pressure of not getting much time with Emily, he started to question whether this was worth taking time away from being home in order to pursue love. Emily sent him home, which ultimately ended up being the best decision for Tony. Today, he spoke to RealityWanted and reporters in a press conference call about his experience on The Bachelorette and whether or not he would have left Emily on his own.

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: Obviously, going into the show, you knew it was going to be hard to be away from your son but was it much tougher than you had imagined?
A. Tony: Yeah, you have no idea! It was definitely much tougher than I ever imagined. You're right, I did go on the show and I thought about it for a long time, like, "Is this the right thing to do?" I could be gone ten or so weeks. I've never been away from him for more than four to five days. I knew it was going to be tough but what I told myself was that I'm looking for a family, I'm looking for love, and I know my son wants that too. I'm happy, he's happy, and there's just that one piece missing. I just didn't realize when I was on the show just how much it would affect me that I couldn't see him. I could talk to him and he was the cutest thing in the world. That just gets to your heart.

 

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: A lot of the guys are aggressive and competitive when it comes to Emily, but you were more laid back. Is that your approach in your regular life with girls?
A. Tony: Yeah, you know, it totally depends on the situation. Usually, I'm a little bit more laid back. I grew up playing sports so I'm one of the most competitive people you'll know. But I didn't wanna be that overly aggressive guy. It wasn't my nature to start pushing guys out of the way. That's not what I do in normal life so that was a little difficult for me. I'll tell you one thing. I was there for the right reasons and so maybe that was one thing. I know a lot of the guys were too but maybe some of them were in it for the competition so that made them a little more aggressive. To me, everything happens for a reason and I was just going to go in there, be myself, and see what happens.

 

Q. You really struck a chord with everyone, I think, on the show. Do you think if you had been able to push through missing your son, if you would've felt a stronger connection to Emily?
A. Tony: That's kind of something I've thought about. We just had so much in common and I really didn't get that much time with her off the bat. I think we would've grown closer. There was an initial connection there but just because I didn't really have that much time and obviously, my son was the only thing I could think about... days feel like weeks. It was just hard. After a good amount of time passed, I was missing my son so much and I didn't have time to get to know this girl. Maybe if I did, it would've been easier to think to myself, "This could be the love of my life." But I just don't feel like I had enough time to really make that decision.

 

Q. Do you think that if she had not sent you home, that you would have left?
A. Tony: Yes, I definitely was at that point. And like I said, I just didn't know enough about her. I just didn't have that much time with her. I don't know if I could've lasted another week being there. I probably would've gone home on my home very soon after.

 

Q. When Emily was giving you your speech, it seemed like you didn't know Emily was eliminating you until the end. Was that accurate?
A. Tony: To be honest with you, I wasn't quite sure if she was going to eliminate me. We were talking and she obviously saw that I kind of broke down a little bit. She knew I was missing my son but when she came out, I didn't really know what was going to happen. I had no clue I was going to get eliminated at that point. Once she got more into it, it all kind of made sense and I respected her for that. I was most likely going to be voluntarily leaving anyway and I think she saw that. I didn't expect it.

 

Q. When you got home and settled, did you regret leaving the show?
A. Tony: You know, I've thought about that a lot and I have the same answer every time. I think even if I would've had a little bit of a stronger connection with Emily, it was just too hard for me to be away from my son. All in all, I don't think I could've lasted another week being away from my son. It was just so unnatural. If I could've seen him, if they would've flown him out, then that would've been totally different. I don't think I have any regrets. I don't think I would've done anything different.

 

Q. Do you think it's harder for a single mom or a single dad to date, or is it about the same?
A. Tony: I don't think there's a huge difference. I don't think it's tougher, we both go through the same obstacles and issues with being single parents. I wouldn't look at it any different, personally. It is tough just because society says, "You're a single mom and you should always be around your kids." As a single dad, it might be a little different. But I wouldn't see any difference.

 

Q. What was the reunion with your son like?
A. Tony: It was one of the best days of my life. He came running up and I hugged him and I kissed him. It's like he grew five inches in three weeks! It was one of the best days of my life! It was happiness. I can't even describe it, it's like a piece of my heart was back.

 

Q. Did you feel like Emily is making good choices so far?
A. Tony: Yeah, I think she's making fantastic choices. One of them is making sure that not all the guys meet Ricki. It's just something... you want as little confusion with your son or daughter as possible and I think she's done a great job there. She did a great job letting Ricki have a lot of fun with this, but not confusing her.

 

Q. Do you have any opinions on the best guy for her?
A. Tony: I might have a little bit of an opinion. He was the guy who was my best buddy in the house and I grew really close to him and that's Sean. As far as Sean's morals and values, I think he's a fantastic guy. Yeah, I think they'd be a great couple!

 

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

 

(Image courtesy of ABC)

 

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