Ben Higgins and Kaitlyn Bristowe have unveiled what really happened during their Fantasy Suite on Kaitlyn's season of The Bachelorette.
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On The Bachelorette's eleventh season, which aired in 2015, Kaitlyn enjoyed Fantasy Suite dates with Ben, Nick Viall, and Shawn Booth.
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Ben got eliminated right after his overnight, off-camera date with Kaitlyn, and Shawn went on to win the season and get engaged to Kaitlyn. (Shawn and Kaitlyn, however, announced their split in November 2018).
"I knew I was going home," Ben recalled of his Fantasy Suite on The Bachelorette during a recent episode of "The Ben and Ashley I: Almost Famous Podcast," which is co-hosted by Ashley Iaconetti.
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"It was not a shock to me. I was sad about it and there was confusion about it. There was a, 'Hey, this whole thing has been awesome,' but I knew I was going home because I asked you directly, 'What in the world is happening here?'"
Ben went on to share, "And you were like, 'A lot! Shawn and Nick are fighting every day. They have not stopped fighting.' And I was like, 'Yeah, that's why I've been locked in a hotel room for a week. They won't stop fighting and so I can't even come out and hang out! They've been everywhere!'"
Ben proceeded to ask Kaitlyn in the Fantasy Suite, "Where are your feelings at towards this? How is this going to end?"
And Ben claimed Kaitlyn replied, "I don't know, but I have to figure it out."
Ben therefore told Kaitlyn on his podcast, "Pretty much what you said is that it was between those two, like, 'I've got to figure it out,' and I think you knew. I don't think there was a question mark on who was right for [you]."
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"It was very obvious to me that I'm going home, which is fine. I get it. It's totally cool," Ben insisted.
Ben said he "had a good time" with Kaitlyn and they "had a lot of fun" together.
"I knew I was going to be friends with you for a long time, or at least I hoped that," Ben said.
Kaitlyn, for her part, remembered her Fantasy Suite with Ben being "sweet, funny and amazing."
Kaitlyn said she remembered sitting by a fire and asking Ben, "straight up -- Shawn or Nick?"
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"And you were like, 'Wow, umm okay, so it's not me,'" Kaitlyn recalled with a laugh.
"[I was like], 'Who are you thinking? Shawn or Nick?' And you were like, 'Oh, okay.' And then I was like, 'No, no, no!' We had a great time but it was funny because I remember saying that, and I'm like, 'That was so stupid, Kaitlyn!'"
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Kaitlyn admitted there was "producer manipulation" in her brain and so she felt the need to ask Ben what his side in the conflict happened to be.
Kaitlyn apparently trusted Ben's opinion and predicted he'd be "honest" and tell her "the truth" about what was really going on behind the scenes.
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"But it came across as, 'Shawn or Nick,' and you were like, 'Oh, okay,'" Kaitlyn said with a laugh.
"I was like, 'Let's just finish this bottle of whiskey and see what happens,'" Ben noted with a laugh.
"We did drink a lot of whiskey!" Kaitlyn confirmed. "I will tell you that after our Fantasy Suite, I actually liked you more than before."
Kaitlyn then dropped the bombshell that, in her heart, Ben really finished her The Bachelorette season in second place -- not Nick.
"I think you know this by now, I debated and wanted to send Nick home over you, because, at the end of the day, I knew I was picking Shawn and I wanted you to come along further," Kaitlyn revealed.
"But they wanted you to be the Bachelor!"
Ashley finally chimed in and playfully pointed out, "You've said Nick, Ben, and [my husband Jared Haibon] were all interchangeable in your Top 4 because you were so solid on Shawn."
"That hurts so much!" Ben joked. "That pains me!"
Kaitlyn confirmed that she loved every guy in her Top 4 "so much" in "very different" ways but Shawn felt like the right choice to her at the time.
"My whole season was the Nick and Shawn Show... and I'm still, to this day, talking about those two on podcasts and interviews and situations, because it was such a pivotal moment in [my] life," Kaitlyn concluded.
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After Kaitlyn dumped him, Ben starred on Season 20 of The Bachelor and got engaged to Lauren Bushnell during the season finale, which aired in 2016, but the pair announced their split in May 2017.
Ben is now married to a woman outside of Bachelor Nation named Jessica Clarke, and Shawn is a new father. For Nick's part, he just married a woman outside of Bachelor Nation as well, Natalie Joy.
Even though nine years have passed since Ben competed for Kaitlyn's heart on The Bachelorette, the two reality TV stars have managed to remain friends and supportive of one another.
"We've stayed reasonably close, compared to most past contestants and leads. There's always been that understanding, like, I was the lead after you. Sometimes that's an awkward dynamic, but I would want everyone to know... that I care for Kaitlyn Bristowe," Ben gushed.
Ben acknowledged he and the former Dancing with the Stars champion have major differences, but he insisted, "I've always respected you, and I've always cared for you, and I want what's best for you -- and I [will] always believe that you'd want the same for me."
Kaitlyn added how she and Ben can be "totally transparent and authentic" with one another.
Kaitlyn is currently single after ending her engagement to The Bachelorette 14 alum Jason Tartick in August 2023.
Kaitlyn was rumored to be dating The Bachelorette 16 alum Zac Clark earlier this year, but she confirmed on Ben and Ashley's podcast that she's not in an exclusive relationship and she's open to meeting -- and dating -- new people.
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