Matt Liebowitz:    Richard, how are?

Richard Mathy:    Good; yourself, Matt?

Matt Liebowitz:    I'm doing well. Thanks for doing this call. I'm going to actually skip the specifics about the show and ask you right out what your students think - or, thought about your stint on the show.

Richard Mathy:    Well, you know it was definitely, you know, kept a secret for awhile. And I was kind of nervous myself about how they would take it.

And I found out that they knew one day when a kid came back from New York City and had a picture of the billboard (over there). I was kind of like, "Oh, this is going to be really hard to lie about, right?" Luckily two days later they announced this on the Web.

And the kids were actually really great. The first day after - the first day back after the premiere episode I, you know, I heard quite a few quotes in the hallways from things I'd said the first night.

But, I mean, after that they were really great about it and, you know, supported me. And then even the day after I was dismissed, you know, they were really, you know, great about it.

Matt Liebowitz:    Did they give you any advice before? Because kids...

Richard Mathy:    Before I went on the show?

Matt Liebowitz:    Yes, well kids seem to have a lot of dating advice.

Richard Mathy:    Well they actually - I - they did not know.

Matt Liebowitz:    Oh.

Richard Mathy:    We kept it a secret that I was going.

Matt Liebowitz:    Or how about then? Did they give you any, like, you know, did they joke around with you? Did they give you any grief about your experience on the show?

Richard Mathy:    Not as much as I expected, really. More so it came out to be, like, they were so excited that someone from their little town was going to be on national television. It was just such a new experience for most of them that it was, you know, kind of positive. It really spoke toward the community that I work in.

Matt Liebowitz:    Okay. And did you get to use any, you know, any experience in the classroom on the show? You know, in terms of managing, you know, a bunch of other people or keeping everybody in line? Did you get to use any of that when you were on the show?

Richard Mathy:    No but I did let them know that, you know, hanging out in a house full of 25 guys is very similar to teaching 25 freshmen.

Matt Liebowitz:    Really?

Richard Mathy:    Yes, just the stakes were a little higher out there.

Matt Liebowitz:    Right, all right. Great; thanks for talking with me.

Richard Mathy:    No problem.

Chris Rocchio:    Hey, Richard thanks for doing this.

Richard Mathy:    Yes, no problem.

Chris Rocchio:    So DeAnna mentioned how the romance was lacking between the two of you. In hindsight, watching the episode Monday night, is that something you agree with, you know, looking back on it?

Richard Mathy:    Oh, Monday was kind of like, as I described to my friends, like watching a really bad horror flick. You knew that, like, the guy should not go in the basement and he just goes in the basement anyways. And, you know, yet he still acts surprised when he gets killed, you know?

Chris Rocchio:    Yes.

Richard Mathy:    I - in hindsight definitely. I was watching from a perspective that wasn't right next to her. You know, you see - and you're like, "Wow, you know, it's - there really wasn't that much of a connection there on her - on, you know, both of our parts, I think. All those things that you can pick up and see when you're in the third person, I guess.

Chris Rocchio:    Okay so what else do you think you could have done to show DeAnna how you felt about her? Because you seemed to really be interested in her.

Richard Mathy:    You know, I really don't know what else to say about that sort of situation. Because, you know, you can't really describe how to come up with romantic chemistry.

    You know, you can - you pretty much go out there, you show her who you are. She shows you who she is and if it clicks, it clicks. If it doesn't, it doesn't. And, you know, that's kind of the idea of the show.

    I always had said that I wasn't going to be upset if I ever got dismissed from the show because, after all, you know, its DeAnna's show. And she's on the show and she's definitely making the right decisions for her.

Chris Rocchio:    Okay so when you got the date package that you were going to be going on the one-on-one with DeAnna, you know, you seemed to kind of know what situation you were in right away.

    You know, did you think you were going to be getting the rose on that date or did you not think you were going to get it? What was, kind of, your reaction?

Richard Mathy:    I didn't really want to focus on the rose. I didn't want it to be about DeAnna, I and the rose because to me that kind of made it more of a competition. I really wanted the evening to be more about just seeing what was with her or what didn't work with her, I guess.

    And so, you know, I had mentioned that to her, that it was like, "I really don't want to talk about the rose at all because, now, this isn't supposed to be a competition. We're supposed to be seeing if there's any feelings here for each other."

    So I tried not to focus on that. I just tried to focus on, you know, DeAnna for the evening.

Chris Rocchio:    All right, thanks.

Richard Mathy:    No problem.

Brian Gianelli:    Hey, Richard, how's it going?

Richard Mathy:    Good, Brian.

Brian Gianelli:    I just want to question: is there anything, you know, kind of looking back on the show that you think you would have done differently or, maybe, like, kind of "mistakes" you made?

    And then next: who do you think the final three might be, the final three guys, based on your observations?

Richard Mathy:    Well, I didn't - I did tell DeAnna that I really didn't, you know, bring girls home to my parents which is kind of, you know, it was kind of a misconception, I guess, by my part.

    Because I didn't really, you know, I didn't count high school girlfriends because they really weren't - I didn't really feel they were that serious. And so the couple that were serious in college didn't actually get a chance to come home and meet the family.

    So, you know, maybe I would have described that in a little bit of different light, you know? That recently my, you know, relationships haven't come to meet my parents because it's such a huge thing to me, to meet my family. And I don't want my family to get attached to someone that isn't going to be around, you know, five years from now.

    That's probably one of the biggest things that I would have changed the wording on, I guess.

    Then, as far as the final three, I mean, I really didn't - don't know who to put money on. But I got to root for my two other villa - first week villa guys, Jeremy and Jesse. We got to bond right away so I moved into that house that first week. So...

Brian Gianelli:    Cool.

Richard Mathy:    ...I'm with them all the way.

Brian Gianelli:    Cool. Thanks a lot.

Richard Mathy:    You're welcome.

Carrie Bell:    Hi, Richard. How are you today?

Richard Mathy:    Good. Carrie, was it?

Carrie Bell:    Yes, Carrie. I just had a question because, you know, you talked a good game before the one-on-one date. I mean, you said, "I'm going to go big or go home. So I'm going to go big," you know?

    Then you even asked her the true or false question, you know, about whether true love is worth taking risks. And then you didn't lean in for the kiss and everybody was waiting for it, you know, on the edge of the seat. And then it just didn't happen.

    And I wonder if - what went through your mind at that moment? Did you think, like, "Oh no this isn't the right moment." Did you - do you think you subconsciously knew you guys weren't meant to be together? Or, did you just kind of wimp out because the moment was scary?

Richard Mathy:    No, I can actually pinpoint the exact second when I realized that I was going to try but then it probably wouldn't (unintelligible). It was actually when I brushed her hair back. I was trying to make a connection there and (unintelligible) her that it was there. So...

Richard Mathy:    I did - I kind of - the moment I realized that it wasn't going to happen I kind of reached for DeAnna and brushed her hair back. I didn't get a, really, a physical or any connection there. (Unintelligible) I thought that, "Okay this is - I might be (unintelligible) here.

And so that reaffirmed my beliefs when I felt prepared and I got the (buttons) - (I like to describe it) where she's (listing) all of my positive qualities (ultimate chose the word but is following).

Richard Mathy:    Oh, well no, at the moment when I - when we were in the building and I kind of brushed her hair back I was trying to see if there was any - going to be any good (unintelligible). There really wasn't anything that I really thought that it was there. And so kind of at the moment - that's the, kind of, moment I said I might be on a sinking ship, to myself.

And then other parts of me said, "Well maybe it's just going so well that I don't want to push things." Because there were, like, obviously, you know, there's stuff that didn't get aired. But, you know, part of me said that, "I don't think this is going to be going very well," once I brushed the hair back.

Chris Rocchio:    Hey Richard, you just mentioned that you had a good connection with Jeremy. You know, he seems to kind of rub a lot of the other guys the wrong way. You know, what's, kind of, your take on Jeremy?

Richard Mathy:    Well I think Jeremy is a great guy; absolutely one of the most sincere that I've met in awhile. I think what happened with Jeremy is just that - the fact that we moved into the house right away me, Jeremy and Jesse got to bond. And the guys down in the outhouse got to bond.

    And because of that, like, you know, that disconnect - Jeremy wanted to bond with the other guys, wanted to be okay with the other guys so, you know, he kind of wanted to break it with them. You know, as guys often do with each other.

    And they didn't see it as a bonding. They just saw it as him talking. I think that, just, the rift got larger and larger from there. And then for him to get this rose the second week, too, and for him to continue living in the house it really didn't give him any chance at all whatsoever to, kind of, you know, explain to the guys, "Listen, I was just, you know, I'm just, kind of, goofing around. I don't really mean anything like that."

    But, I mean, to know Jeremy the way I met him, he was absolutely a sincere, down-to-earth guy. And I think, you know, I think the world of the guy. He's a great guy.

Chris Rocchio:    Okay. So how did you end up on the Bachelorette? And, you know, what was it about DeAnna that, you know, kind of sparked your interest?

Richard Mathy:    Well somebody had nominated me and they - I got asked if I would send in a tape and I said, "What the heck." I'll waste, you know, four bucks on VHS tape and send her one in, figuring I really wasn't going to go any farther than that.

    And then, you know, lo and behold I kept going on to the next stage, I guess you could say, and I ended up on the show.

    When going on to the show I just really didn't know too much about DeAnna. I didn't want to know too much about her so I did some minimal Googling and found that she was an avid camper with her friends. And I decided, "Okay that's my one thing that I'll know about her going out there."

    And she's obviously a very beautiful person who has, unfortunately a tragic story from her, you know, earlier childhood. And, you know, that just made her - makes her such a strong, independent person. That's really one of her most attractive features, is how strong she is.

Chris Rocchio:    Okay. You know, you got that first impression rose; you seemed kind of surprised that it happened. You know, was that the case? Were you surprised that out of all the guys there you got one of those three roses?

Richard Mathy:    Oh absolutely. If you go back and watch the first episode you can actually see me, like, trying to get out of her way so she can go give that rose to somebody else.

    So when she asked me if I'd take it I was kind of like, "Really? Okay." So it was definitely a shock to me. I had - really didn't think I came across that well in my one-on-one time with her that first night. And, you know, I got the surprise myself for that.

Chris Rocchio:    All right. So what's next for you? Are you currently dating anybody?

Richard Mathy:    No, not currently dating anybody. But I hear Carrie Underwood is single so that's good; if anybody knows her number and wants to send that my way that's cool. Just really got to get my kids test here; end of the year exams right now.

Chris Rocchio:    Okay. All right, thanks.

Paulette  Cohn:    Hi, I was going to ask you the same question he did about how you got on the show. So let me ask you this: did you have any second thoughts about having to kiss or be affectionate on the show? I mean, you are a teacher.

Richard Mathy:    Good question. I did have, you know, some worries about some of the - of how things would go on. I do actually have a morality clause in my contract at school.

    And, you know, I really - the more I got going with the show the less I really, kind of, thought about it, I guess you could say. I guess that's just kind of the nature of, you know, the camera's always being around me and always being in that situation. You kind of start thinking less and less about regular life and more and more about the life that you're living right at the moment.

But I knew if I just stayed true to myself that I really wouldn't have to worry about too much coming out, I guess you could say, that wouldn't normally be out in my classes.

Paulette Cohn:    Did you have to clear this with your principal before you did?

Richard Mathy:    I did clear it with my superintendent. But I took an unpaid leave and had a Certified Earth Science teacher come in to cover for me. So therefore the - I'd be going but the kids wouldn't be missing anything.

Paulette Cohn:    Okay, great. Thank you.


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