by Gina Scarpa

 

Desiree formed a strong bond with James this week on The Bachelorette after an emotional date in New Jersey. The couple took a helicopter ride and walked through neighborhoods to witness, first hand, the devastation caused by Hurricane Sandy last year. Over dinner later that night, James revealed that he had cheated on a previous girlfriend but reassured Desiree he was ready to be a faithful partner. He ended up with the rose but his true intentions are about to be questioned by some of the other men still in the running. James talked to RealityWanted and reporters in a press conference call about his relationship with Des, his intentions for going on the show, and who might be a good match for The Bachelorette if he's not the last man standing.

 

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: What was your initial reaction when you found out what your date was going to entail? It was really different than anything we've seen on the show before.

A. James: Yes, absolutely. I was very excited. Desiree and I had been talking, here and there, throughout the episodes and I think she just kind of felt like the type of person I was and, you know... the whole Mr. America thing... I think that would've been a wonderful experience. But I don't know, it fits my background. I come from an urban economic background, urban planning, very charitable person and I think she just kind of felt my heart and who I was, and I was very excited to be able to experience that with her.

 

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: When you talked to her afterwards about the past mistakes in your relationship, do you feel like that was the right time to bring it up and do you think the conversation went the way you wanted it to?

A. James: Absolutely. You know, I'm a very honest and straight-forward person and it was a big part of my life. We were just talking about relationships in general and where we've gone and what we've learned from our past relationships, you know? I was just explaining to her the reason why I came onto the show, well, one of the reasons is that I know what I want in life now and it takes a lot to learn that. It was just something that came up and I was in a long relationship, and I thought that I should disclose that to her and I did.

 

Q. Some comments Chris Harrison made recently have suggested the show is going to position you with someone who came onto The Bachelorette for the wrong reasons. Do you think that's accurate or were you misrepresented with that?

A. James: I'm not too sure how I can answer that question. I just hope people will judge me on the merit and who I am and what they've seen this far. Things can be said, things can be done, and you just have to roll with the punches. I signed up for this and you got to just roll with it. It's just real hard to answer some of these questions.

 

Q. Why did you originally apply for The Bachelorette?

A. James: I was approached when I walked out of the office here. At first, I was actually really scared because I love what I do. I'm in digital marketing. I actually love what I do and I'm just very blessed to be in the position that I am and so I didn't want to affect that. So I talked to my parents and I talked with everybody. I'm single, I'm living in a new city, it's hard to find a woman to date here. It's been difficult for me with work and I don't know, it just felt like a great opportunity. There are multiple reasons why I chose to go on that show but one of them, obviously, is to find love. Who says you can't find it in the street, in a bar, or on TV? And the whole experience in itself. If someone says it's just for love, they have to be crazy, you know? I mean, there's lots of opportunities. I got to travel the world. I got to do a lot of things that a lot of other people aren't able to do and so I took advantage of that and I had an awesome time.

Q. What were your feelings for Des?

A. James: I had an absolutely wonderful time with her. I thought that we made an unbelievable connection. I think that the two words that sum up Desiree are humble and selfless. She's just an awesome person. I don't know, I really did start to have a lot of feelings for her at that point.

 

Q. I just had to ask you about the thing with you in the bubble bath. I mean, is that generally how you spend your alone time?

A. James: We were having some fun, you know? All the guys were out of the house. I was enjoying the time alone without all those guys and all the testosterone in the house. So, I was just enjoying myself.

 

Q. Obviously, you're still in the running, at this point but let's say that Des doesn't pick you. Who do you think that Des should pick and why if it's not you?

A. James: If it wasn't me, who do I think? You know, all the guys are great guys in the house. There's a lot of attention to Brooks. It's a hard question. I think she's a smart girl and I think she's going to pick the person that best fits her. But if I had to probably pick, it might be Brooks.

 

Q. What do you think that she's looking for in her Prince Charming?

A. James: She's looking for a good, honest man, a Christian man, and somebody that's a giving person, that has ambition, that's just a loving person, and that has great values, family values. Those are probably the top things that I feel that I got from her.

 

Q. You guys seem kind of like the most fit group of contestants so far. You guys all have great bodies and I was wondering kind of how often all the contestants are hitting the gym.

A. James: You know, health is really important and it's one of the things that I actually even mentioned to Desiree. There's five things that I think makes a man and one of them is to be in good health. I think most of the guys there were all in that same category, so we would all go outside and do our push-ups, sit-ups and run and try to keep as fit as we could in the house. It was a lot of fun. You know, the cocktails by the pool didn't help it out, but I think it was very important to all of us.

 

Q. If you were asked to be the next Bachelor, would you turn it down?

A. James: At this point, I am very happy with my career. I really am. I'm in digital marketing, very blessed to be in this and be my age and have the opportunities that come forth, so it would be a very, very difficult decision. Going on a show like that, you open up yourself to a lot of different things, which is great, too, because I'm an entrepreneur. But at the same time, let's say I did go on it. My whole family has to accept that. All my friends have to accept that, you know? It would be a very, very big decision. I wouldn't be willing not to say I wouldn't or I would or whatever. You guys will have to stay tuned and watch. I mean, I'm still in this, you know?

 

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

 

(Image courtesy of ABC)

 

Follow Gina @ginascarpa