Charlie Grogan, a 32-year-old recruiter from Nashville, TN, was eliminated by The Bachelorette star Emily Maynard along with two other bachelors during Monday night's broadcast of the ABC reality dating series' eighth season.
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During a Thursday conference call with reporters, Charlie talked to Reality TV World about his short-lived The Bachelorette experience. To read what he had to say, click here.
Below are some additional highlights from ABC's transcript of the rest of Charlie's call with reporters -- including whether he felt closure following his elimination, why he shed some tears after losing the sailboat race, what he felt his biggest accomplishments were and what he overcame by appearing on the show, what he would've done differently if he was afforded the chance to go back, and who he became best friends with in the house.
When watching the show over the last few weeks, it seems really obvious who Emily has gotten close to. She didn't get to spend a lot of time with you, John, Michael, Alejandro Velez, so many people. So I was wondering if you felt that way when you were there, and if that put a lot of pressure on you.
Charlie Grogan: You know what, not really, because I did spend some time with her on the group dates, and obviously they can't show everything that they record, but I did, I had my fair share of time with her. It was just, you know, those guys really pick and choose what they want to show obviously because of the time limit of each episode.
But I mean, it's -- I mean again, to answer your question, I felt like I spent enough time on the group dates to where I should maybe kind of still be hanging around, but I never really did have that opportunity to have that one-on-one intimate time with her, so maybe that was my downfall with getting eliminated.
And then looking at your elimination this week, do you understand why she sent you home, and do you think that she was a good match for you?
Charlie Grogan: You know, it's hard to tell because I really don't know what was going through her mind. I know that she maybe had some favorites going into that evening. So again, that's a hard question. That's something that maybe she could probably answer for you.
But yes, I don't know. I felt comfortable going into that evening, because it's just the time that I did spend with her, and the conversations we did have. So yes, it was a shocker to me, getting sent home, because some of the guys that were left, I didn't feel were as suitable for her than maybe I could have been. So it was a shock for me, absolutely.
So I was wondering, you seemed really upset after you guys lost the boat competition. What was going through your mind at that point, and do you think you were over-reacting or do you think maybe it was appropriate since you got sent home?
Charlie Grogan: No, you know, I think all of us guys -- me, [Sean Lowe], [Travis Pope] and [Chris Bukowski] -- I think we were all upset because we all have this competitive side to us. I played sports my whole life, and I had never really cried during a loss growing up, so I think I was more disappointed with myself, because I knew on paper we had the guys beat.
And it was just kind of like a testosterone male thing. You know, I really don't remember being that upset on the ride home. I know it was late at night, and it was like a 45-minute drive back to the hotel. I know I was upset, but I just don't know if I can say I was that upset.
RELATED LINK: 'THE BACHELORETTE' COUPLES NOWWhat are your thoughts on the two most controversial guys, Kalon McMahon and Ryan Bowers?
Charlie Grogan: Yes, it's -- I mean, I get along with Ryan a lot off camera. We kind of you know, had some conversations back and forth that made me feel that he was a good guy. Again, I wasn't there when -- you know, other things were happening.
I just never was the guy to get involved with all the controversies in the house because it was starting -- a lot of things were starting to brew, because a lot of the guys were starting to have feelings for her. I just stayed out of it. You know, I was there for the experience, and you know, for the journey.
Kalon, I never really got along with him as much as the other guys. He just -- he was very standoffish, he never really -- he wouldn't hang out with a lot of the guys off camera. And we were playing games or [having] conversations, he never really was the guy to come get involved.
I don't know if he just didn't feel that he fit in with us, but I can definitely tell that he has had a lot more going on than we all knew. So I'm learning a lot more about him, watching the show myself, than I did before. So your guess is as good as mine.
You mentioned that you believe there were some men in the cast that deserved to go home instead of you. Can you give us some names?
Charlie Grogan: I really can't. I mean, again, I was the guy on the show that never really named names. I mean, I think when the Men Tell All episode comes out, I'll be a little bit more adamant, to you know, kind of point fingers and say, "Dude, come on, you know, you're a jackass." But again, I just -- I don't want to name names. I don't want to stir the pot.
But I think we can all have in mind who we like and who we don't like, and who we kind of find fake and who we don't find fake, and just times that by 100 when the camera's off, and that's my answer. So again, I'm not going to be the guy to name names, because I never was like that to begin with, so.
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Charlie Grogan: Geeze, well, I mean I kind of sat down and talked to her -- even that night that I got eliminated -- I sat down and talked with her, and I, you know, I mentioned to her that I appreciated this opportunity, and I'm definitely in this for the long haul. You know, I'm a little scared because I miss home, I miss my family, I miss my friends.
I mean, basically I packed up and left everything I had behind for, you know, this journey. So I'll be here for as long as she will allow me to be here, because eventually I'd like to form a friendship with her, and then hopefully that friendship could maybe turn into something else, and you know, kind of see what happens.
I was never the kind of guy who could just fall in love at first sight. I never have. I'm sure a lot of these guys on the show now are feeling that way. You know, again I can't get in their minds, but in my mind, it wasn't like love at first sight.
It was like, "Wow, okay, she's attractive. Okay, let me get to know her personality -- Okay, wow, she's cool. Okay, now let me see if we can form as like friends -- [see if] we can joke around and we can do this and that -- great, perfect. Wow, let's see if a relationship can form out of this."
So I mean I was kind of going in baby steps, obviously with how fast everything goes with the show, I may need to kind of skip a couple steps. But you know, it's -- I live and learn. I've never seen the show before, so I kind of went into it with no expectations.
I kind of went in with my head high and just a big smile, and I was going to enjoy the ride and see where it takes me. And would I go back and do it again? A hundred times, yes, absolutely. Would I do it differently? Probably.
Can you talk about how you felt when Emily sent you home? You seemed really upset.
Charlie Grogan: Yes, I was upset for -- I think I was more proud of myself -- than upset I'm going home, because of how much fun of a journey it was, and I wanted to experience what else it had to offer. You know, I was -- I was missing home, I was very proud of myself, because you guys never knew what I went through from the day of my accident to where I am today. It's just an absolute miracle.
And I think it was just kind of myself kind of patting myself on the back, just like, "You made it this far, like all within a year-and-a-half." I mean, you were basically in a hospital bed, dying, having to re-learn how to do things over again, but now, you're in Bermuda and you're on a TV show, and you met all these great people, and it's like, I mean, who does this ever happen to?
So I just had a lot of emotions running through my body at one time, and to be honest, I was upset that I got sent home. Because again, I think I was a lot better of a person than a lot of those guys in the house and it was upsetting, because I wanted to continue on with the journey. I wanted to see where it was going to lead me. Yes, it was -- it was a bunch of different emotions all built up in one.
So if you could go back and do it again, is there anything that you would do differently? Would you maybe have spoken about more personal things earlier on?
Charlie Grogan: Yes, I think I would have maybe have laid it on a little bit more thicker. I wouldn't have been as, you know, as like, "Hey, let's be friends" -- kind of like pull your pigtails in the schoolyard, like run around [with] laughs and jokes -- but I would have taken it a little more serious in regards to just wanting to open up more.
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So that was again, that was all new to me, and that was something I would do over. I would just kind of -- the time I did spend, I would make sure it would be more effective than just giggles and poking and laughing, and just, you know, trying to be friendly -- like a friendly flirt.
What was the best part of being on the show?
Charlie Grogan: Gosh, I think the experience and learning a lot about myself. I mean, I really learned so much about myself. I'm a lot different person now. I learned how to like express my feelings more, because I mean, every day, all the time, it's like, "How do you feel? What do you feel about this? How do you feel about that? What do you feel about this? How do you feel about this?"
And I never did that before. I never talked about my feelings to anybody. So it was very therapeutic for me. Obviously, the Muppet date was a huge one for me, because that was a demon that I've been trying to overcome for years and years and years, and then finally with my speech impediment and being thrown out there, and I finally did it, and it was like a huge lift off my shoulders.
I felt like I could do anything. I just felt rebirth, because I climbed that hill that I never thought I could ever climb. And for me to do it on such a grand stage that I did, I mean, I feel like I could do anything. I would definitely say it was my experience, and then you know, the people I've met.
I mean, talking to you guys today and the producers of the show and just everybody that got in on the show, the guys in the house. I mean, you know, I've made two great friends out of it, and I'm just excited because of the benefits now. I'm heavily involved with the children's hospital, I'm getting requests all the time to go visit kids at the children's hospital, and I love it. It's amazing.
Who were the two great guys that you were closest to while on the show?
Charlie Grogan: I was good buddies with Travis. We actually -- he was the first guy I met in the hotel, getting into the limo, and he's from Mississippi. So he just reminded me of all of my buddies back home in Tennessee, and we just hit it off. I mean, he just has this outgoing, fun-loving personality such as myself, and we just never had an awkward moment. It was just great.
And then I would say Wolf was the other guy. Me and him, I mean I had like a really good man cry one night. I mean, I was like really just like, "Do I want to be here?" Because I gave up a lot, you know, to come here, to come to this show. But the great thing about it is, I came back with so much more than I left with.
So I mean, me and him, you know, we had like a really good guy-to-guy talk, and we just found out that we're kind of "brothers from like another mother," and it was like an alliance. Plus, those two guys never really got involved with all the petty b.s. and all the drama and all that was about to unfold, and I was over it. I'm not, you know, about this.
Above are some highlights from ABC's transcript of the rest of Charlie's call with reporters. To read the first portion of his interview and what he had to say to Reality TV World, click here.
About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski
