'The Bachelor' host: Ending will be very different than viewers expect

The Bachelor host Chris Harrison says Ben Flajnik's edition of the ABC reality dating show won't end the way viewers have come to anticipate.


"Between the finale and [The Bachelor: After the Final Rose special], it's going to be very different than any of the tabloids and fans think. All I will say is, let's sit back, take it all in, maybe take a night to sleep on it, and then let's go to Twitter and go to town," the host told TV Guide in an interview.

Harrison said Flajnik's emotional and controversial journey on The Bachelor's sixteenth season has taken a toll on its star, but viewers can anticipate seeing a more familiar version of Flajnik -- who was portrayed in a more positive light during his run on Ashley Hebert's The Bachelorette season when he finished as the runner-up -- return for the conclusion.

"All of this has gotten to him and I think it's slapped him upside the head in a good way. It's been horrible and I feel sorry for that, but I think you'll see a different guy next week at After the Final Rose. You'll see a little less bravado and cavalier attitude and more of the really sincere and true Ben we got to know and love," Harrison explained.

While Flajnik will apparently come out of the After the Final Rose special -- which was reportedly filmed this past weekend -- looking more kind and genuine, Harrison said bachelorette Emily O'Brien similarly ended up looking "better than ever" following her appearance on Monday night's The Bachelor: The Women Tell All.


"It was great to see how much she learned and that she said, 'There were a million red flags I should've seen. He never stood up for me, he never fought for me, it was always for Courtney.' She's a very bright woman and I think she probably would've been Final 2 had she not chosen the one adversary she took on: Courtney. She had everything he was looking for, except she was picking on his girlfriend," Harrison said.

The Bachelor host also explained how he saw a more real, genuine side of bachelorette Courtney Robertson during The Women Tell All -- a side which contradicted her aggressive and cold persona that has been shown during The Bachelor's broadcasts.  

"I learned something about Courtney at Women Tell All. This sounds weird because she's a model, but she's extremely uncomfortable in front of the camera. She doesn't know how to act, she doesn't know how to hold herself and the only time I really saw [her act] disappear was at the end when the girls really attacked her," Harrison added.

"And it wasn't as bad on TV as it was in the studio. All of the sudden you see this cover come off this person and it's this little girl cowering and crying and very vulnerable. Again, that's not justifying an ounce of what happened, but for the first time, I saw a real person. I'm interested to see the court of public opinion today, and if she made a dent in rehabbing her image at all."






About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski