The Bachelor's Lauren Hollinger has opened up about her decision to leave the show before Joey Graziadei's second Rose Ceremony and whether she wishes she had done anything differently.
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Lauren, a 28-year-old registered nurse from Philadelphia, PA, and her younger sister Allison Hollinger appeared on the February 1 episode of the "Bachelor Happy Hour" podcast and discussed Lauren's sudden and abrupt departure from The Bachelor's 28th season.
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The podcast's co-hosts Joe Amabile and Serena Pitt asked Lauren if she regrets quitting on Joey, and Lauren shared, "It's like yes and no. Right now, I will say yes. But at the same time, I think it was time for me."
Lauren had both an emotional and fiery exit from The Bachelor's January 29 episode.
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Lauren, who was still grieving the recent death of her beloved father, got upset during a wedding-themed group date because she realized her father was never going to be able to walk her down the aisle.
At the cocktail party preceding the second Rose Ceremony of Joey's season, Lauren was therefore hoping to "redeem" herself and have a positive and uplifting chat with The Bachelor star.
However, Lauren had to wait her turn, and as more and more bachelorettes had sweet moments with Joey and gushed about their connection with him, Lauren grew impatient and annoyed.
"I had already made such a scene about [being pissed off], and when I'm in a bad mood, I'm in a bad mood," Lauren explained on "Bachelor Happy Hour."
Joey eventually found Lauren at the cocktail party to check on her, but Lauren began to cry and blurted out, "So I am going to go home."
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Lauren apparently lost hope that she could turn things around with Joey; she essentially gave up on the stressful The Bachelor process.
"When [Joey] came over, he was like, 'Okay, sit down.' And I was like, 'Okay, maybe I will stay.' And then when they brought out the cake and it wasn't [red velvet], I think that set me off again," Lauren recalled.
"And I was like, 'Forget it, I'm leaving! I just need to leave. I need to just mentally heal a little more. I don't know if I'm fully through the whole grieving process. But if I stay any longer, I don't know how much worse it will get for me,' honestly. That's how I was in the second episode."
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Lauren revealed that the tears she had shed during Episode 2 is "the most" she has cried "in forever."
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Lauren confessed to Joe and Serena, "I wasn't as mentally prepared as I thought I was for [The Bachelor] experience. I thought that I was going to breeze through this sh-t, but then the second episode, I was, like, done!"
But when looking back on her exit, in hindsight, Lauren acknowledged, "I know I could've handled that better. I know I could've done things a little differently."
Serena asked Lauren if she felt like her father's passing was the main reason she left or if something else was the driving force behind her decision to quit.
"That and the fact I wasn't mentally prepared for it. You're supposed to date one person, and so you're not used to competing against a bunch of other people. And even just hearing conversations, everyone feels good and you start to overthink that," Lauren reiterated.
"And then you're like, 'Was my [talk with Joey] even good? Are we even having in depth conversations?' I just got in my head and I was like, 'Maybe this isn't for me right now.' I was like, 'It is time for me to go.' It wasn't meant to be."
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Lauren said if Joey had fought for her to say, she "maybe" would've considered marching on.
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However, the brunette beauty noted, "Looking back, I know I was meant to go. When I came home, I focused on my mental [health]. If he pushed harder, I would've stayed, but I'm a firm believer that everything happens for a reason, and it was just my time to go -- so I'm glad I did it."
Lauren also admitted that she felt relief following her departure.
For Joey's part, he just seemed surprised and taken aback by Lauren's choice to leave.
"I didn't expect that. I thought I was checking in on her, but she's made her mind up," Joey said in a confessional during the latest episode.
Joey told Lauren that she was clearly "over" the show and that was "okay" with him. He also apologized for anything he might have done to sway Lauren into quitting.
Joey expressed remorse for how hard the process had been for Lauren, and he noted, "Maybe this setting wasn't the best way for us to get to know each other."
"I'm sorry that it had to happen this way," Lauren replied.
A producer then brought over a cake for Lauren to enjoy, but it wasn't her favorite red velvet flavor -- and she let Joey know that she was, once again, furious.
Joey wished Lauren well, and then Lauren, on behalf of her sister Allison, quipped, "Maybe I'll see you at hometowns."
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On her way out, Lauren smashed the cake on the ground.
"I did see potential with Joey, I really did. I think he's a great guy," Lauren said in her final words on The Bachelor.
"He's handsome as f-ck... I'm going to still find love, it's just not going to be right now. If my dad was here, he'd say, 'I told you not to go on that show.'"
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Click here to learn more about Joey's The Bachelor bachelorettes or click here to read spoilers that reveal how Joey's season ends and who he picked as his winner.
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