The Bachelor bachelorette Renee Oteri, a 32-year-old real estate agent from Sarasota, FL, is still in the running for Juan Pablo Galavis' heart.
 
Renee is a single mom to an eight-year-old named Ben, and Juan Pablo has been very dedicated to treating Renee differently than the other women as a result. The Bachelor star has taken their relationship slowly in fear any physical activity might upset her son, so Renee was the last of the girls he kissed this season despite her apparent urge to get things moving.

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Renee has managed to avoid the drama in the house and tends to take on a motherly role when her fellow bachelorettes are emotional or need someone to talk to.
 
During a Thursday conference call with reporters, Renee talked to Reality TV World about her The Bachelor experience thus far. To read what she had to say, click here. Below is another portion of her interview. Check back with us on Monday for more.

You come across as one of the calmest women in the house who really trusts the process.  And I was wondering, when you watch the episodes back this season, do you feel like you should have been more concerned about Juan Pablo's time than with the other women?

Renee Oteri:  No.  I mean, you know, honestly, I feel like I'm definitely having time with Juan Pablo.  But I don't know.  I'm a mom.  And it just -- I don't know, it's just natural for me to kind of play that mommy role in the house.

Can you talk a little bit about the connection you and Juan Pablo have especially considering you're both parents of young children?

Renee Oteri: Yes.  You know, it's actually -- it's great.  I have never dated a single parent before, so it's huge.  We can totally connect on a whole different level and it's really, really sweet.  I love it.

As you watch the show back on TV, because of the position you were in with his whole, "I'm not going to kiss you for awhile since we're parents," but then you saw him kiss Clare Crawley and swim in the ocean with her, etc, do you feel like, "Wow, he has some explaining to do?"

Renee Oteri:  Yeah. You know, honestly, I wish -- the only thing I wish he did was try to communicate with me upfront about the whole no kissing thing because had I known that, I would've just -- I would have just done it myself (laughs) instead of waiting so long. 

But, I mean, I totally understand why he felt that way and why he did that, and I do respect him a lot for that.  But, yeah, watching it back, I was kind of like, "Well, that kind of stinks, you know, you said no to me and then two minutes later, you're making out with Clare."  But I mean, I understand his reasons, for sure, I do.

He seemed to have a couple reasons as to why he didn't want to kiss certain girls but then would go ahead and kiss other girls. Do you think he was just kind of finding an excuse not to kiss you, and say Lauren Solomon, at the time and maybe he used his daughter as a result?

Renee Oteri:  You know, honestly, like watching it now, it is hard to see, because it does actually appear, just watching it, that he doesn't seem as interested in me as he does with, you know, Clare and [Nikki Ferrell] and some of the other girls.  So it is definitely harder to watch now but, you know, in the moment, no. 

I mean, it totally felt real.  I believe, you know, I believe his reasoning, and as soon as I give him the go ahead, he planted one on me.  So I don't think it was an excuse but -- I mean, I don't know.  It's hard to say.

Was the kiss worth waiting for?

Renee Oteri:  Oh, yes.  It was definitely worth the wait.

So I just want to know more about Juan Pablo.  What were your impressions of him?

Renee Oteri:  Honestly, he is super kind.  He's super funny.  He's a great guy.  I didn't know a whole about him.  I didn't really do the whole, "Let's stalk him on Instagram, let's stalk him on Facebook" thing before I left.  But getting to know him, I had no idea he was so funny.  He's hilarious.

Some of his conversations with the girls seem a little bit superficial.  With you, did he encourage you to like dig deep and share stories about yourself?

Renee Oteri:  Yes.  I mean, well, he didn't encourage it, I guess.  The conversation between him and I just flowed naturally.  And obviously when you have kids, that's what you talk about.  And so, our conversations were always pretty deep, I feel like, because we did talk about our children. 

So, yes.  We definitely didn't have conversations like, "Hey, how's the weather, you know, what sports do you like to play?"  It was definitely more, you know, "Are we on the same page?  Do we want to get married?  Do we want more kids?"  And so, yes.  I mean, our conversations are pretty serious and that just happened naturally.

It just seems like sometimes he wants to makeout with the girls rather than talk, like with Sharleen Joynt, for example. Does that surprise you or did you get that vibe sometimes?

Renee Oteri:   It does seem like that, you know, but every relationship is going to be different.  No two relationships are ever the same.  And the chemistry isn't going to be same either.  So, yes.  I mean, he definitely seems super hot and heavy for some girls.  And others, it's more like let's slow it down and take things at a slower pace.  I think that's just normal -- a different appeal.

You somehow managed to stay out of the drama but not get lost in the eyes of the viewers.  Was that easy for you to stay out of some of the more dramatic moments, to stay away from maybe some of the more dramatic women as well?

Renee Oteri:  Honestly, I just wasn't really a part of it because, not necessarily by choice, it's just -- I don't know.  I feel like there were so many times like, "Where was I when that happened?"  I don't know.  I don't know how it happened, honestly.  I don't involve myself anyway.  That's just who I am. 

I don't bad mouth people.  If I say something about someone, I tell them to their face anyway.  So I don't know.  I wasn't really a part of those conversations just because -- I don't know.  I'm not drawn to that.  I don't do it anyway.  I don't ever see it going on or I get up and walk out of the room.  It just never happened around me.

How do you feel about Sharleen going back and forth about her feelings for Juan Pablo and her feelings on their connection?  Is it frustrating for you to watch the episodes?  Is it surprising at all?

Renee Oteri:  You know, it's frustrating to see now.  I had no idea that she felt the way that she felt, and I had no idea that she was so confused this whole time.  You know, so yes.  It's kind of frustrating. 

I mean, I get it.  She really wants to give it a fair shot and not have any regrets, you know?  That would be awful if she leaves and has no idea.  She's up in the air.  So I mean, I like that she is sticking around and she wants to know and be 100 percent on that. 

And then -- like she said in the last episode -- she's going to just give it another shot and see how she feels and go from there.  I mean, it would be awful for her to leave with regret, you know? So I don't -- I mean, it's frustrating, yes, because other people are going home that really wish we truly like him and want to be there.  So, yes, it's frustrating.  But I get her.  I get her point of view.

So do you think that Juan Pablo knows what he wants?  He seems to change his mind a lot.  Like about what he's comfortable doing and what he's not comfortable doing.  Do you think he might be a bit confused about what he really wants?

Renee Oteri:  Honestly, yes.  Watching it, it does seem like that.  You know, and I don't know what goes on when I'm not around.  So seeing these conversations unfold, yes, it does seem like he's a little bit confused.  However, I don't know.  When he's with me, we are on like the family level, like that's what we talk about.  And when he's with the other girls, it's just -- it's just different.

So I think that each girl is bringing out something different in him, and I mean, he seems confused as to what he wants.  It's just a different lifestyle whichever way you look at it.

Juan Pablo has seemingly found really strong connections with Clare and Nikki, and they both have really strong personalities.  What was like the most tense moment you witnessed between Clare and Nikki while filming?

Renee Oteri:  You know, honestly, like I wasn't really around a lot of the -- I don't know.  I didn't really see a lot of drama.  Honestly, off the top of my head, I couldn't think of a time.  I'm hearing a lot; I'm learning.

Why do you think that they might see each other as competition?

Renee Oteri:  I mean, well, they're both drop-dead gorgeous, you know?  You can tell just by the way that he looks at a lot of the girls that he's interested.  I mean, you can just look at him and see that.  So, yes.  I mean, that's just my personal opinion.  I think they can both sense that.

During a Thursday conference call with reporters, Renee talked to Reality TV World about her The Bachelor experience thus far. To read what she had to say, click here. Above is another portion of her interview. Check back with us on Monday for more.


About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski

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