by Gina Scarpa

 

This season's finale of The Bachelorette is so shocking and emotional that ABC had to split it up into two episodes. On last week's episode, Brooks, the frontrunner all season, came to the realization that he wasn't in love with Desiree. As they met up for their date, it was clear to her that something was wrong and when he finally admitted what it was, she was devastated and heartbroken. Tonight, we'll find out how Desiree was able to deal with it, and what becomes of her relationships with Chris and Drew. Host Chris Harrison talked to RealityWanted and reporters in a press conference call about the surprising turn of events and whether or not Desiree is happy now.

 

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: You've been hosting this show quite a long time and you've seen a lot of unexpected things played out. Where does Brooks' decision to break up with Desiree rank on your list of unexpected things?
A. Chris: You know, I was thinking about that the other day. When Frank left Ali, it didn't really have the same weight because we all kind of knew Roberto was probably the top choice at that point. I mean it was upsetting to her but it definitely didn't have the devastating effects that Brooks had. And I don't know if you can compare Molly, Jason, and Melissa. I heard some people bring that up. I think Good Morning America did something on that but Jason and Melissa actually were engaged and they dated for quite some time. I think it's kind of a one of a kind situation. I can't really remember, in 11 years, anything happening this late in the game and being this devastating to our Bachelor or Bachelorette.

 

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: Desiree, obviously, at this point on the show is extremely upset but on the other side of things, you have Chris and Drew who both think that they're the ones. Do you think Desiree has the right to feel the way she does when there are two other men that are expecting that they're going to be ones proposing?
A. Chris: Yes, I mean obviously, you know you have the right to feel however you want heading into this. I do think she felt Brooks would be the guy and it kind of crushed her. The interesting part too is that Drew and Chris have no idea that any of this went down. That's part of the problem we have to solve in the finale is that we keep them separated usually for good reasons, positive reasons, at this point. We just want it to be about them dating and then getting to that ultimate happy proposal. We've kind of never run into a problem where now we have these two happy guys that have no idea that the Bachelorette just had her world rocked.

 

Q. When Brooks was dumping Desiree, she told him that she was in love with him and he seemed completely taken aback by that realization, asking her why she didn't tell him earlier, as if that would have made a big difference as to how he was feeling. Do you think had Desiree admitted she was in love with him earlier it would have impacted Brook's decision to leave?
A. Chris: I don't, I really don't, I think his mind was made up. You could kind of tell his mind was made up when he went to see his parents and his family. He was literally just looking for reassurance and then kind of the same thing when I walked in. I felt like he did a really good job of trying to be a good guy during the breakup and that's just impossible. We've all been there where you've had to break up with somebody or you've been broken up with. There's nothing you can say or do that makes you look cool or makes you look good at that moment because you're breaking someone's heart. But I think he just kept trying to be a good guy because he cares for Des. The fact that he left the show doesn't mean he dislikes Des or hates her or whatever. He really cared about her, maybe even loved her to a certain degree. He just knew that he wasn't at the point where he wanted to be with this woman. I think he was really trying to be a good guy, and it only hurts more when a girl looks at you at that point and says, "I love you".

 

Q. Would Des be doing a disservice if she would pick one of the other two in the end? Do you think Des could get to the point where when it looked like she's settling for either man?
A. Chris: Absolutely, I mean I absolutely understand that perspective especially considering what we all just saw and what we've seen in the last couple of weeks. So I get that but the fact is that there are these two other guys here that A) have no idea and B) they're head over heels in love with her. I guess if there's a C) to this it's that Des needs to figure out what this means, where she is, and where she wants to go from here... if she just wants to pack up her bags and be done with this or if she's going to continue on. But I fully understand everyone's perspective, but you also have to kind of watch the rest to see how it unfolds.

 

Q. Was any part of you angry with Brooks?
A. Chris: No, you know, I wasn't after I talked to him. I probably could have been but after I talked to him, he's not a bad guy, he didn't do this with malice or ill intent. He didn't come on here to screw her over and be the bad guy. He was very sincere and very sweet and when I talked to him, you could tell that he was torn about this. He had really done his due diligence and he had thought this out, talked to his family, and just made sure that this wasn't right for him. I would have been disappointed and more upset with him if he had gone through with all of this he has this fake proposal. It kind of takes me back to Brad Womack when people were so upset with him. It was Deanna who's the other girl? I want to say Kelly, but that's not it. Anyway, when Brad turned down both girls at the end, everybody was outraged. Then I thought, "Why is there such a bad thing if he's not in love? Would people be happier with a fake proposal?" So I thought Brooks did the right thing... it just sucks to have to do that on national television.

 

Q. What was your approach with Desiree after Brooks left?
A. Chris: The great thing about my job, especially now how it's evolved, is you know I am not necessarily this impartial judge or referee or even a host. I just went in honestly as a friend. The cameras were rolling and I knew they were there but I really just went in. Because she needed to talk to somebody and someone really just listened to her and that was a lot of what I did was just sit and listen. I asked a few questions and kind of let her guide me through what she wanted to do. But I was really just an empathetic figure that was kind of there for her. And that kind of the beauty of my job is I don't have to be impartial, I can care about her and care about how everybody is doing.

 

Q. Was their a fear on your part and the producers part that she would actually walk out and leave the show?
A. Chris: Oh absolutely, the first thing I said you know to the producers was, "We might be done. We might not have anything in the final episode." Other than the fact that we have to play this out and there are still a lot of questions out there, it still may not be much of anything other than her saying goodbye and having to talk to the other two guys. That was definitely a fear but you know what? It's part of the beauty of our show is, at the end, we have kind of have to take our hands off the wheel. It's really after all this work, all this preparation, it's up to a woman or a guy making a choice. That's a scary thing as a producer whether it's Idol or Survivor or whatever... those were kind of game shows they have a beginning and an end. Our show really, at the end, is pretty wide open.

 

Q. What can you tell us about Desiree's state of mind right now, two months after Brooks walked out?
A. Chris: I mean, the last time I saw her was at the "Tell All" a couple of weeks ago and, you know, she's good. The great thing about Des, and I am assuming this comes from her background and the way she grew up, is that she's a survivor and she's strong. When we started this thing, she said, "Look, I am going to for it and I am going to allow myself to be very vulnerable," and I said, "You know, there's a good chance you could get hurt like that." She says, "I know but that's the only way you can do this," and I was proud of the fact that that's how she went through it the entire time of just really putting herself out there. Unfortunately, she did get hurt and she got hurt bad but she has incredible resolve and she's a strong woman. She's bounced back and she seemed happy.

 

Don't miss the finale of The Bachelorette, tonight at 8/7c on ABC.

 

(Image courtesy of ABC)

 

Follow Gina @ginascarpa