Michael Stagliano says Erica Rose's decision to brutally bash him on her way out of Bachelor Pad was nothing out of character for the bachelorette.
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"As far as the personal things she said about me... I mean, yikes... It's Erica Rose. She is not a forgiving person, she is not an even-keeled personality, she is abrasive and vindictive and that is why she was chosen to be on the show. Do I think she meant the things she said? Yes, I do. Did I take any of it to heart? No, absolutely not," Stagliano wrote on his parade.com blog.
"She made it very clear that she did not want to be friends, and I did not put up a fight for our friendship."
After Rose got eliminated from Bachelor Pad during Monday night's broadcast and chose to take Stagliano down with her, she made sure to unload on him prior to leaving the game -- calling him a terrible friend and a bad person and saying that the best decision his ex-fiancee Holly Durst ever made was marrying another man.
Stagliano seemed completely taken aback by Rose's line of insults, especially since he claims he was just trying to play a good game.
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"While I can say that I wish things didn't happen the way that they did, I can also truly say that it was NOT personal. It is a game, and I was making the best play I could in the game, with the new twist we had to work with. FIRSTLY, I was being loyal to the alliance, and Erica just wasn't part of that group," explained the 27-year-old from Sherman Oaks, CA, who previously competed on The Bachelorette's fifth season and then went on to winning Bachelor Pad's second season.
"Erica just wasn't in our alliance, she was not winning challenges [in either Bachelor Pad Season 2 or 3], she was not playing the game, and NOT allying up. She was a loose cannon against ["Super Fan" David Mallet] and the other fans and some people just didn't want her around... That is NOT someone that is going to win the game, and ultimately it was not my responsibility to make sure she stuck around."
While Stagliano admitted, "[My partner Rachel Truehart] and I did NOT vote for Erica, we wanted to be 'truthful' in telling Erica that we voted for [Lindzi Cox]," he knew his plan to rally other players' votes for Rose would ultimately get her of the house.
Therefore, Stagliano noted in his blog that Rose "absolutely had a right to be upset."
Added the reality TV star, "It WAS my intention to send her home, and I lied to her about that. I am (was) Erica's friend before the show. Before we started filming, I told her I would have her back. While I will maintain that I DID do that the first 3 or 4 weeks, I can understand how her feelings were hurt that I lied to her."
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Stagliano also apparently understood Rose's decision to eliminate him and even gave her props for making such a big move.
"Also important to mention: she made the RIGHT PLAY! I was absolutely the best person for her to take out and she did. I was not upset by that move at all," he wrote.
Whether Rose and Stagliano will be able to move forward and mend their friendship remains unclear, but Stagliano said he's open to reconciling.
"Erica Rose and I haven't spoken since that night. I am very curious to see what happens at the finale, and how she will handle herself. If she wants to make amends then I am open for that. I can and will forgive her... And I also feel that I owe her an apology as well for telling her I would have her back, and going back on my word," Stagliano explained.
About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski