Jillian Harris is insisting she's "a smart girl" despite her decision to give Wes Hayden a rose even after new accusations he went into the show with a girlfriend surfaced during last night's The Bachelorette broadcast. And she's also reiterating her previous claims that her The Bachelorette experience had an happy ending.
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"It is hard reading... how disappointed you all are with me for keeping Wes... I totally understand where you're coming from though and I know how frustrating it is when you wish I could have seen what you're seeing now (I feel your pain!)," Harris posted Tuesday on her "Bachelorette Blog" on People's website.
"But if there is any consolation to you at all, it is that my promise still stands... I AM a smart girl, and I AM extremely happy with the final result. And the most important decision (which is the only one that really matters) was the right one!"
Last night's The Bachelorette broadcast featured Harris being confronted by previously eliminated suitor Jake, who returned to the show to inform her that Wes had repeatedly told him that he did have a girlfriend going into filming.
"Wes has a girlfriend," Jake told Harris. "Her name is Laurel. We've talked about Laurel more than three times."
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"So are you confident he has a girlfriend? Like 100%?" replied Harris.
"I wouldn't be here to tell you something I 'thought.' Wes has a girlfriend," Jake answered, adding that Wes would attempt to tell Jillian that Laurel was only a former girlfriend he was still good friends with. "He's real quick on his feet."
Since Harris was in the midst of waiting for Wes to pick her up for the second part of his hometown date, she confronted him when he arrived. As Jake predicted, Wes denied the allegations -- even after Harris brought Jake and Wes face-to-face.
"Can you look me in the eye and tell me that you didn't tell me on multiple occasions that you're in a relationship with Laurel?" Jake asked Wes.
"I told you we've been broke-up for a year," Wes replied.
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"So when you told me that you had a girlfriend [when we were] in the hot tub," Jake began to counter before Wes cut him off.
"She's always going to be one of my girlfriends, always," Wes said.
"And then when you thumped me hard as hell in the back of the head when Tanner spoke up?" Jake said.
"I don't know what you're talking about," said Wes.
"It's a lie. Jake, I don't have a girlfriend. I told you I had a girlfriend a year ago and we dated and we're still good friends. I never told you I was in a relationship right now. I never told you I have a girlfriend right now. I never told you that not one time. Obviously you're trying to ruin my character and integrity as a man."
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Harris eventually believed Wes and instead cut Jesse and Michael during the subsequent Rose Ceremony -- a decision that even surprised The Bachelorette host Chris Harrison, who stated he thought Wes was "finally going down" in a Tuesday post on his own Entertainment Weekly blog.
"Wes turns on the Texas charm and two-steps right out of this mess. I'm saying right here and now that I'm not responsible for anything that was thrown at your TV," wrote Harrison.
"Was it just me or did anybody else think Wes sounded just like Bill Clinton telling us 'I did not have sexual relations with that woman!' Wes never even flinches when Jake strolls in and even gives him a little shot when he opens the door and says 'well, Jake...man of character.'"
As if dealing with the allegations surrounding Wes weren't bad enough, Harris also had to deal with the return of Ed -- who had quit the competition before the season's fifth Rose Ceremony to avoid being fired from his job.
Ed returned during last night's episode and subsequently convinced Harris to give him a second chance, receiving a rose that, prior to his return, would have otherwise went to Jesse or Michael.
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In her blog posting, Harris also denied recent speculation that Ed's departure and return had been staged by the show's producers.
"Watching this show I can definitely say it looks like this was all set up. I know that's what you all are thinking... but it really wasn't," wrote Harris.
"The dude really did fight to come back, and I was SHOCKED. There were so many things flying through my mind like, 'Is he The One? What if he isn't? How will the other guys feel about this? Is this fair? Does it matter? And boy, does Ed look cute in his argyle sweater.' Although I knew I had strong feelings for Ed, I knew accepting him back would be controversial but I didn't want to always wonder 'what if' and had to figure why I couldn't get this guy off my mind while we were away."
About The Author: Christopher Rocchio