'The Bachelor' eliminee Ashley Iaconetti: I can makeout a lot and still be innocent

The Bachelor bachelorette Ashley Iaconetti, a 26-year-old nanny and freelance journalist from Wayne, NJ, was eliminated by Chris Soules during a two-on-one date with her arch nemesis Kelsey Poe.


Ashley got very emotional all season and often referred to herself as a princess. She was known for wearing heavy makeup and getting all dolled up, so Chris just assumed she wouldn't fit into his lifestyle on an Arlington farm. While Ashley doesn't exactly disagree with Chris' reasoning, she also didn't think he had enough time to really get to know her.

During a Thursday conference call with reporters, Ashley talked about her The Bachelor experience. Below is the concluding portion of her interview. Click here and here to read more.

Reality TV World: You were clearly very upset when Chris ratted you out to Kelsey about you calling her fake. What did that say about Chris, did that make you change your opinion about him at the time?

Ashley Iaconetti: I just think it was an unnecessary thing to say. He could've made it more general. I don't really know that -- all in all, I was disappointed that he said something, but I don't really think it reflects his character.


Once you got the chance to watch your two-on-one date with Kelsey Poe on TV, what was going through your mind? What was your reaction?

Ashley Iaconetti: When I got the chance to watch Kelsey's reaction saying that she was my friend and that he was hurt for what I said?

Yes.

Ashley Iaconetti: I think Kelsey's response to Chris was very in line with how she's depicted herself in this season, especially in the last two episodes.

The other women in the house were really happy when Kelsey left. If you had been back at the house with the girls, would you have also been popping champagne?


Ashley Iaconetti: I was looking forward to popping champagne as I hoped to be home [with them] that night, but I wasn't. But I was glad to see the other girls enjoying themselves.

What is your relationship status now?

Ashley Iaconetti: I'm single!

You always seem so positive yet there were a lot of negative comments out there about you opening up about your virginity. How do you stay so positive?

Ashley Iaconetti: I'm just a positive and optimistic person. It's just my nature. I don't like focusing around negativity. Yeah, there are online haters out there, but I try not to pay attention to it as much as possible.


After going through this whole process, did you learn anything about love or yourself that will benefit you in the future?

Ashley Iaconetti: Yeah, I felt like this whole Bachelor process was a big learning experience, and I really think I matured throughout the entire thing. I'm very close to my family and I just felt like being away on my own for an entire month was just a lesson in independence. And in terms of love, I was more open with Chris than I normally would be, especially with meeting somebody.

I was really upfront about my feelings and I feel like, with the culture we have today, that so many people are all about the physical and not about feeling. And I'm a person with a lot of feelings, so I think it was nice to discuss those sooner rather than later.

When Kelsey told Chris her "amazing story" about being widowed...

Ashley Iaconetti: Her "tragic" story... (Laughs)


Yes and how it's beautiful and what not. People have been comparing her to the character in Gone Girl. When you watched that, what was your reaction to her saying how amazing and beautiful her story is after telling Chris her husband died a year and a half ago?

Ashley Iaconetti: I think Kelsey's word choice there was very interesting to say the least. It wasn't very surprising, as I had already heard her story told twice before that. And in both instances, she was very unemotional while explaining it.

Could you talk about your casting experience and getting on The Bachelor?

Ashley Iaconetti: Yeah, I can't discuss that very much, but I did create an audition tape and then nine months later, I heard from casting producers who were interested in meeting me.

During the show, you kissed Chris a lot and some of the girls therefore said some snarky comments about your virginity. What's your response to that? How did that make you feel?


Ashley Iaconetti: I think that you can be a virgin and kiss a lot! I don't understand why making out -- just because I makeout with a guy doesn't mean I'm not as innocent as I say I am. So yeah.

While all the girls were upset they didn't get Jade Roper's princess Cinderella date, you took that the hardest. Why?

Ashley Iaconetti: Well, like I said earlier, I sort of have this "princess complex." I never really grew out of my Disney phase and it wasn't supposed to be taken that seriously, as some people may have taken it.

It was supposed to be light-hearted, and while I was jealous, it wasn't coming from a bad place. I think of myself as a child of Disney and it was definitely something I wanted to experience. And, you know, I threw a fit.

You wore an "I'm Actually Smart" T-shirt when you appeared on Jimmy Kimmel's show. What was that about?

Ashley Iaconetti: (Laughs) Well, I thought it would be funny because of Kelsey because Kelsey thought she was the most intelligent in the house. And then I kind of called her out for that during the last episode, saying that we both have our Master's and just because she uses big words, it doesn't mean anything about my intelligence being any different than yours.


And I thought that was a funny shirt to be wearing after that episode, because hopefully I proved that I'm just as smart as Kelsey even if I don't use big words.

Did you become close with any of the girls on the show? Did you stay in touch with anyone?

Ashley Iaconetti: I feel like we may be the closest bunch yet. We have had a big group message where all of us are in except for Kelsey. We talk all the time, and the girls that I talk to the most are my best friends [Megan Bell] and [Mackenzie Deonigi]. We talk all day long.

And then I'm also pretty close to [Becca Tilley] and [Kaitlyn Bristowe], and I've seen [Jillian Anderson] a couple times because she lives in D.C. and I'm always in that area. I'm excited to see them all next week.

What type of guy are you looking for?

Ashley Iaconetti: First and foremost, I look for a guy whom I feel really comfortable with, someone whom I find really easy to talk to, someone who's funny and sensitive and caring, and of course, the attraction needs to be there.


Click here and here to read more from Ashley Iaconetti's interview.






About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski