The Bachelorette star Ashley Hebert says after viewers watched Monday's night climactic episode of Bentley Williams repeatedly lying to her face and then leaving the show, they're ironically not just upset with the deceitful bachelor.
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"They either wanted to murder Bentley or they wanted to murder me for falling for it," Hebert said during a Tuesday night appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live.
The 28-year-old businessman from Salt Lake City, UT, was shown saying he believed Hebert was unattractive and not his type in his private interviews, referencing Hebert once as "an ugly duckling." In addition, Williams also admitted he had no intention to pursue a relationship with The Bachelorette star but left her with no closure, as he also falsely claimed the reason he quit the show was because he missed his young daughter.
Hebert told Kimmel she was blind to Williams' smooth facade and developed strong feelings for him solely based on the time they spent together -- despite the warnings she received via text message from fellow fifteenth-season The Bachelor bachelorette Michelle Money, who insisted Williams would be going on the show for the wrong reasons.
"I wanted to base my judgement [of the bachelors] on what I know of them, so I gave him the benefit of the doubt. I looked for the good in him. I gave him a shot," Hebert said.
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"I mean, in the moment, I felt so much sincerity. I know you say my radar's off, and I know America thinks my radar's off, but I felt in my heart that he was being genuine. Watching it, I was thinking, 'Why didn't I see that?' I saw what I wanted to see, and that was my big problem."
The 27-year-old dental school student said she still looked for the best in Williams despite the crude remarks he initially made about her privately during the show, including how he would've preferred to date fellow The Bachelor bachelorette Emily Maynard. However, she could not excuse his shocking behavior during this week's broadcast of the season's third episode and admitted she now feels Williams may have purposely sought to cause her pain.
"You know, that's my biggest thing. I don't understand -- the first couple episodes, I gave him the benefit of the doubt. But the third one, it looked like he was going in there and intentionally trying to make me fall for him and then break my heart. From the bottom of my heart, that hurt me so much. Just being a human being, why would somebody want to do that?" Hebert questioned.
Although the Bachelorette basically ignored Money's advice about Williams, Hebert said she realizes she should've taken her concerns more seriously and expressed gratitude to Money for reaching out.
"I haven't spoken to her, but I owe her a phone call, I think. We've been texting, but I owe her a 'thank you' -- a big 'thank you,'" Hebert said.
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Hebert told Kimmel she is drawing a little consolation from the idea that Williams may have trouble landing dates in the near future now that women have seen his behavior on television.
"Yeah, I guess. I mean, yeah. A part of me just wants this all to be in the past and move on," Hebert explained.
About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski