INTERVIEW: Hillary Reisinger talks about her emotional 'Bachelor' exit

Hillary Reisinger feels she's more likely to crack a joke than shed a tear, but you wouldn't have known it from the way her appearance as a The Bachelor eleventh-season bachelorette ended.


The 27-year-old registered nurse from Philadelphia, PA made quite an emotional exit when current The Bachelor star Brad Womack revealed she wouldn't be receiving a rose during Monday night's broadcast of the ABC reality dating series.

On Friday, Hillary talked to Reality TV World about how her humorous nature almost landed her in hot water with a few of the other bachelorettes; what it was like to don a $1 million diamond necklace for one of her dates; why she's looking forward to the show's reunion special; and if she's learned to take a hint.

Reality TV World:   How were you cast for The Bachelor?  Had you applied for the show before?

Hillary:  Actually in all honesty, I hadn't really watched the show and at the time when they were having the casting, my best friend from college heard about it... I think on the radio.  She thought that I would be a good candidate for it, so she's like, "You should try out."


So I tried out in Philadelphia kind of on a whim, not thinking anything of it.  When I tried-out, I just kept advancing to the next process and then the next one and then I finally heard that I made the show.  The whole process was kind of surreal.  I never thought in a million years I'd be one of the bachelorettes.

Reality TV World:   What were your expectations going into the show?

Hillary:  I went in with an open mind.  I knew I wanted to just be real and be myself.  Just give it all I have.  I was looking hopefully for true love and hopefully someone I could spend the rest of my life with.  But I was optimistic as well.  I wanted to have a good time but I really just wanted to meet a nice guy and see what happens.

Reality TV World:   What were your first impressions of Brad?

Hillary: (laughing)  I thought he was very good looking obviously.  He got my check of approval for good looks.  The more I got to know him, I thought he was a really nice guy.  Very down to earth and a good person to hang-out with.


Reality TV World:   Some of the previous bachelors who have appeared on the show have had their "sincerity" questioned.  Do you think Brad was sincere about wanting to find a wife on The Bachelor?

Hillary:  I think he was sincere.  I think he was at the point of his life where he really wanted to settle down.  It seemed like from just talking to him that he focused his past years on his business and didn't really have time I guess to find true love and to settle down.  So the more I talked to him, the more I really felt like he was there to find somebody to spend the rest of his life with.  So he seemed pretty sincere about it.

Reality TV World:   What prompted you to try and "expose" Jenni for bringing her modeling portfolio with her on the show?  Was it because you didn't think she was there for the right reasons?

Hillary:  I didn't think she was there for the right reasons.  In all honesty, I do regret doing that.  It was mean and I shouldn't of went through her stuff.  Watching the show I cringed.  I was like, "Ugh! Why did I do that?" (laughing)

When I do see Jenni at the reunion show, I do want to personally apologize to her for doing that.  It makes you question while you're there -- you kind of get caught-up in the moment.  "Are these people really here for the right reasons?  Or are they here to just advance their careers, either in modeling or acting?"  It's good to figure those people out, but I probably went about it the wrong way.


Reality TV World:  Since you got to know Jenni a little bit more, do you still question her reasoning for being on the show?

Hillary:  I think it all got straightened out.  She's really a nice girl.  I can honestly say that she's a really nice girl.  I think the more I got to know her, she was there for the right reasons.  She was really upset about people saying she was there for her modeling career.

Reality TV World:   What was your reaction when you learned you'd be accompanying Brad on the one-on-one date -- and then on top of that -- you learned it came with a $1 million diamond necklace you got to wear for the night?

Hillary:  (laughing)  I was like, "Yeah!  I'm like Pretty Woman... But I'm not a prostitute!"  It was awesome.  I was so excited.  I'll never go on a date like that ever again and it was the best experience.

I did really have a good time.  And what they showed on TV just showed me crying.  I really didn't cry the whole three hours (laughing)!


Reality TV World:   Why were you so emotional?

Hillary:  I have no idea!  I think it was like my time of the month (laughing).  They should have served me Midol with dinner and I probably would have been fine.  So I don't know... I really just think it was a whole bunch of stress, lack of sleep and that womanly hormone thing... That's so gracious! (laughing)  I don't know... When I was watching it, I was like, "Oh my goodness!?  Are you serious!?  If I was Brad, I would probably run!" (laughing)  But yeah, overall the date was so fun, so exciting... The jewels were nice, but I don't need all that glitz and glamour to win me over.  I'm fine just spending time with him...

Reality TV World:   Were you glad you eventually got the kiss you were looking for, or did it feel forced?

Hillary:  I think it seemed natural.  Kind of like the ending for the date.  You know, a sweet ending after we had our sundaes.  It was a nice kiss.  It wasn't all sexual.  It was just a nice, simple kiss... which I was happy with.

Reality TV World:   Were you able to tell the difference between Brad and his identical twin brother Chad?

Hillary:  At the Rose Ceremony, I didn't really get to talk to [Chad].  But when I saw them when they both came out, I could definitely tell that there was a difference between the two of them.  Personally, I don't really think that they look a lot alike at all... I was just surprised some of the girls actually said they couldn't tell.  Right away, I knew that wasn't him.


Reality TV World:   You commented that Jenni seemed to have a good sexual chemistry with Brad.  What did you mean when you said Jenni was a "hidden freak in the closet?"

Hillary:  (laughing)  She's a very attractive woman.  I will say that.  She just has this sexual attraction that I think draws men into her.  When you get to know her, she is a really good girl.

I was just being silly.  That's how I am.  I just make funny comments.  I don't really know off-hand if that's what she really is or not (laughing)... But my personality, I'm just witty and I just say funny comments.  That's just me.  I don't mean it to be serious or hurtful, I just mean it to be witty.

Reality TV World:   Was it the same situation when you learned Bettina was divorced and compared her to a "used car."  Do you think that was a little harsh?

Hillary:  (laughing)  That was a little harsh.  It was.  But on the same token, I probably would have said it to her just being silly.  I don't know if Bettina would have gotten the humor. But in all honesty, people who are divorced... I don't really see them as a "used car."  It's unfortunate that they had some circumstances that caused their marriage to not work out.  So I don't want people to think all divorced people are used cars... It's not true at all.  I don't believe that at all (laughing).  I was just making a funny comment about Bettina.

You know, Bettina and I, we had a difference in personalities.  I still kind of wonder if she was there for the right reasons, and I do hope in the end Brad figures it out and finds the one that he's supposed to be with.  I didn't mean any harm to her.  I just thought it was a funny comment (laughing).


Reality TV World:   It was a funny comment.  At any point during your conversations with Brad did you ever get the feeling that he just saw you as a friend?

Hillary:  (takes a deep breathe)  Ummm... I don't know.  I guess I'm just one of those girls that didn't get it.  I needed a big message that said, "Hey!  I just like you as a friend."  I felt like he kind of just went around it and didn't really come out clearly to me.  He kind of hinted. By watching [the episode] on TV, I feel like he did hint around that he just viewed me as a friend.  But I just wish he'd of come out and said, "Hey, you're a great girl.  But I just think of you as a friend."  I would have respected that more.

Reality TV World:   Why do you think he had such a hard time conveying his feelings to you?

Hillary:  I have no idea!  I'm hoping that I figure this out at the reunion show.  But you know, there's no hard feelings.  In all honesty yeah, I got my heart broken and everybody got to see it... But I look back on it, he's a great guy.  I would love more than anything for us to just be friends.  I'll be glad to see him and shake his hand and say, "I hope you found what you were looking for." 

I do want to know, "When did you realize we were just friends?"  I do want to ask that question and kind of figure out what took him so long or why it was so hard for him to figure that out.

Reality TV World:   Were you surprised at the way the show portrayed your emotional exit?

Hillary:  (laughing) Yeah!... I was watching it, and the whole time I'm like, "Oh my goodness.  Oh my goodness.  Like, are you serious?"  I look like I should be tied up in a while straightjacket!  (laughing)


But that's not me.  Anybody that knows me knows that I wear my emotions on my sleeve, but I'm not THAT emotional.  I'm the type of girl that's quicker to crack a joke than to shed a tear.  I think I was caught-up in everything, the stress and just being rejected.  Plus when you're upset and you get your heart broken, do you really want a whole bunch of cameras in your face taping it second by second when you're upset?  It was really difficult to show my emotions knowing that everybody was going to see it. 

On the flip side, I was wearing this super-tight dress that was two sizes too small.  I had my sister-in-law's corset on.  I had it on the first hook... I couldn't breathe in the darn thing the whole night!  (laughing)  So when I got upset I couldn't catch my breathe because my dress was so tight.  In different circumstances, I wouldn't have reacted the way I did that everybody got to see.  I think I was just caught-up in all the moment.

Reality TV World:   Anybody you'd like to see win Brad's heart?  Anybody you don't want to see win?

Hillary:  At this point between the four of them [Bettina, Jenni, Sheena and DeAnna], either Jenni or Sheena.  I think that they're good girls, and I think that he'd be a lucky guy to have either one of them in his life.

Reality TV World:   Are you currently dating anyone?

Hillary:  No, I'm currently not dating anyone. 

Reality TV World:  Did The Bachelor change the way you approach dating?


Hillary:  No, not really... I think you just always have to go into it with an open mind when you start dating someone.  I don't really believe in putting a wall up or putting a front up, you just need to be real with who you are and be comfortable within yourself.  If it's supposed to work out between you and the other person, it will.

Reality TV World:   So what's next for you?

Hillary:  I'm just working (laughing)... I'm just working, spending time with friends and family, just trying to take some time for myself.  Nothing exciting.  I don't see myself on a big drama or sitcom (laughing)... But I don't know.  I don't know what's in store.  I just take it day by day and see what happens.






About The Author: Christopher Rocchio