Ariel Frenkel has revealed why she didn't feel prepared to accept a marriage proposal from Zach Shallcross had she survived Fantasy Suite Week on The Bachelor's 27th season.
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"It really sounded like the conversations he had with my parents were not the smoothest, and with my brother in particular."
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As The Bachelor viewers saw during Ariel's hometown date in New York, Ariel's loved ones put Zach in the hot seat and grilled him about his intentions and feelings for the Ukrainian-Jewish beauty.
Ariel's brother Bobby Frenkel, for instance, appeared to embarrass Zach by pointing out how the Bachelor didn't know Ariel's birthday or middle name.
Bobby suggested it would be ludicrous for Zach and Ariel to get engaged in a couple of short weeks when they barely knew anything about each other
"I don't base my life off of my family at all. They're not, like, the arbiters of my relationships or who I end up with, but it's important for someone to fit into my family and to fit into my world and life," Ariel explained.
"And I feel like a lot of things in the Fantasy Suite, I started to notice a few differences in how that hometown went down that I hadn't actually seen when we were there."
Ariel explained to The Bachelor alum Nick Viall that her brother is just "very protective" and "wants what's best" for her and so he didn't throw Zach softballs.
"He broke the fourth wall [during filming] and asked a lot of questions that people usually aren't asked, and I feel like that was important for him to do. I feel like my family is just very realistic," Ariel said.
"I tried to be as realistic as possible about the process too, but I mean... I made this decision; my family didn't. So they don't necessarily have to be onboard, but my parents are very supportive because, like my dad said, he fully trusts me."
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Ariel therefore said while his brother's questions appeared "negative" and "so dramatized," he was "coming from a very loving place" and was "being supportive."
Ariel then quipped how her birthday is August 24 and her middle name is Lana.
"I don't think there's anything wrong with someone being protective, and I don't think he was being so aggressive as it was necessarily portrayed. I think in the setting of the show, it just seemed so volatile," Ariel shared.
"But in reality, if someone's asking you that and poking holes in a relationship moving really quickly, that's the normal thing to do. I also think blind support is not how my family would ever be. They support me after seeing the proof of things."
While Ariel was reluctant about getting engaged towards the end of The Bachelor process, she confirmed that she and Zach had definitely talked about their potential future together off-camera and behind closed doors.
Ariel said they discussed ending up together "plenty" of times, including during the Fantasy Suite.
"I think the term 'engagement' was definitely mentioned and we had spoken about a bunch of things like that," Ariel said, adding how she and Zach had even brought up the logistics of being together.
"I, from the beginning, said that I would move anywhere for a partner. I feel like I made that clear, because it's true. I would live in Nicaragua or Antarctica with a partner, if I felt like they were worth moving for."
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Ariel said she'd have no problem uprooting her life, mainly because she's already done that "so many times."
"So I'm not so tied to any city or any place," she continued. "I'd be so happy to live in New York... or live in Austin, or anywhere we both chose to live. So that was an easy conversation from much earlier on."
But Zach chose to eliminate Ariel in third place after Fantasy Suites, advancing Gabi Elnicki and Kaity Biggar.
The Bachelor star told Ariel -- his first of three Fantasy Suite dates in Thailand -- that he had set a no-sex rule for himself for the entire week, but he broke that rule with Gabi.
"[Zach] actually mentioned that to [host Jesse Palmer] that he was going to tell me. So that makes him not a man of his word twice," Ariel complained on "The Viall Files."
"And although he might have known he was sending me home -- I'm not going to speculate when that was or when he made that decision -- but regardless of me potentially going home and that relationship ending, it doesn't mean you don't show that relationship respect with honesty."
Zach ultimately told Kaity the truth, which left Gabi feeling "extremely violated" and "ashamed."
"Everyone kind of lost that week, particularly, honestly, Zach from the way he handled it... There are such better ways to handle it," Ariel noted.
At The Bachelor star's Final Rose Ceremony in Thailand, he broke Gabi's heart and got engaged to Kaity.
Zach and Kaity are still together now and plan to move in together this summer with their sights set on a 2025 wedding.
RELATED LINK: 'THE BACHELOR' FRANCHISE COUPLES NOW: WHO IS STILL TOGETHER?? (PHOTOS)
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About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski
