by Gina Scarpa

 

Monica certainly made an impression on the viewers during her first night on The Bachelor. Besides staying close to and flirting with Blakeley (or so it seemed) all evening, she also got into it with Jenna after admitting that she felt nothing towards Ben. It seemed the feeling was mutual, and he sent her home during this week's rose ceremony. Today, Monica talked to RealityWanted and reporters in a press conference call about her fear of love, the real story with Blakeley, and who she thinks is right and wrong for Ben.

 

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: You and Jenna didn't hit it off the first night but when we talked to her a few weeks back, she said that the two of you had made up and are now friends. Is that true?
A. Monica: Completely! I mean, I don't talk to Jenna obviously but the whole thing was really ridiculous. It was over the stupidest thing, a complete misunderstanding. I was just over it. I think there was just a huge misunderstanding. The next day, she came to me and apologized and we were fine.

 

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: You said that you didn't have feelings for Ben on the first night, which makes sense since you had yet to really talk to him or get to know him. Did you leave with stronger feelings or was it the same as that first night?
A. Monica: Well, I had never seen the show. I got on through the show by being nominated by a friend. I didn't fall in love with Ben by watching his character last season. I came in knowing four things about this man. I thought he was kinda stuffy and boring but as I got to know him, he's kinda fun. He's quirky and funny. He's a guy I'd wanna hang out with, not a guy I'd wanna date.

 

Q. You said, "The Bachelor was a moment to explore myself," and find what you wanted. Did you find out what you wanted?
A. Monica: Yeah, I mean, believe it or not, I came in with a lot of rules and expectations and I really didn't think it was ever going to pan out. I think the one thing I learned about myself was in kind of a sappy way, even if you've had failed relationships, what defines you are the people in your life. I kind of found myself through this show, which is kind of a cool thing, being 33.

 

Q. You said that you were afraid of love. Why do you feel that way?
A. Monica: I have been in very few relationships. To be honest, only three long relationships. I've been single for a few years in Salt Lake City. There's a large Mormon culture and I'm not Mormon. It hasn't been the best thing for me. I was married, I went through a divorce. You always wonder if you're ever going to find that right person. I'm a little bit afraid of it. I'm a little afraid to open up but I feel like I'm getting to that point where, "This too shall pass."

 

Q. What was going on with you and Blakeley in that first episode?
A. Monica: I knew this one was coming! So you get to the house in a limo with five other ladies. Blakeley and I just kinda hit it off. We were close in age and we hit it off as friends. When you get out of that limo, you're nervous as can be. I obviously forgot my lines and you walk into the lion's den and it was kinda nice to have somebody on your arm. That's what it felt like with Blakeley. I like her a lot, she was really nervous. Was it under the context of me being bisexual or into her? Absolutely not! I was aware of the cameras but not really aware that they could hear me whispering. I wasn't trying to get her number to be her girlfriend! I was trying to say, "If all I get is a new friend, then this is awesome!"

 

Q. What did you think of Courtney and is she right for Ben?
A. Monica: I absolutely think she's wrong for Ben but the more I watch of the show, they possibly deserve each other. When I met Courtney, she was very low key the first night. She didn't stand out among anybody. She was nice, she wasn't this mean Courtney that anybody was seeing. I never had a problem with her at all. She said very rotten things to the other girls and they called me Mama Bear, because I was always consoling them. I don't like the way she was treating them but I never had an issue with her ever.

 

Q. People are really being very hard on Courtney and not liking how mean she is. Are you sad to see that Ben seems to have picked her out of the group?
A. Monica: I have no idea! I was seeing Kacie B the whole way and still am. She's the sweetest, most wonderful girl. I don't know. I don't read any of the stuff that people are saying just because I don't want to read my own stuff but Courtney isn't really nice. She's really manipulative and really good at what she does and that's obviously what Ben I looking for. I think they deserve each other because if he's that shallow and she's that manipulative.

 

Q. Ben wrote that his decision to send Samantha home, the other women told him that she wasn't there for the right reasons.
A. Monica: Um, Samantha is a great girl. She's funny, she's opinionated, I like her. She's a friend. She definitely had about as much feelings for Ben as he had for her. I can't really elaborate on anything. I think she was wiling to put herself out there and see if something was out there and he was over it.

 

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

 

(Image courtesy of ABC)

 

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