'The Bachelor' star Brad Womack contradicts himself in new interview

Although Brad Womack previously stated he "wouldn't do" The Bachelor again after rejecting both of his remaining suitors -- Jenni Croft and DeAnna Pappas -- during the show's final eleventh-season Rose Ceremony, he's apparently had a change of heart.


"I would do it again, simply because I believe in the fairy-tale romance," said Womack during an appearance on Friday's broadcast of The Ellen DeGeneres Show.  "I am so disappointed that it didn't happen to me. So of course I'd do it again.  Now never in a million years did I expect the backlash, so I'm having to develop a pretty tough skin. And if you're asking me if I'm going on TV again, never again in my life!"

That wasn't the only time the 35-year-old Austin, TX bar owner appeared to contradict some of his earlier comments during his Ellen appearance.

"I can adamantly say not a single time did I ever look at the producers and say, 'Yes.  Please fly DeAnna's father in,'" Womack told DeGeneres.  "What I did say is a proposal was such a big deal to me, that a phone call was not sufficient if and when that proposal would happen... I wanted to look her father in the eye and ask for her hand in marriage.  When it got to that day, I was informed that DeAnna's father was flown out.  I never one time asked for DeAnna's father to be flow out.  Never one single time."

However Womack had told a different story during his appearance on last week's broadcast of The Bachelor: After the Final Rose.  During the special, Womack and The Bachelor host Chris Harrison had an exchange in which Womack had confirmed Pappas' father had been flown from Georgia to Los Angeles at his request and cited the "last minute" nature of his decision not to propose to her as the explanation for his behavior.


"The audience and the folks that watched at home did not know that we flew DeAnna's dad out, fully expecting a proposal -- we were that sure -- and then it didn't happen," Harrison told Womack during the special.  "How does that make you feel as a man?"

"Well, again," answered Womack, "I did make it clear that if a proposal was going to happen, I would not do it without talking to the woman's father. And you guys were gracious enough to fly him out, and I appreciate that..."

"Well," Harrison followed-up, "You ASKED for her father to come out, you asked for him to be there..."

"That's correct, and that just goes to show you that up until the very last minute, I was trying so desperately to make those arrangements to make something happen," said Womack.

"I've had people ask me since the finale as well, 'Why did he buy [an engagement] ring, why did he go through all that?'" said Harrison.


"Well, you know, I wanted to give it my all, I wanted to try..." Womack replied.

While Womack told DeGeneres he had "absolutely no regrets" about his time on The Bachelor, he immediately cited one exception to the statement -- when he ended his final date with Pappas by assuring her that the show's final Rose Ceremony would be a "good day" for her.

"I definitely regret that.  That's one thing that I never should have said," he told DeGeneres.  "I'll admit this: I don't know why I said it.  I don't know if I got caught-up in the moment?  If I could take anything back from that show, it's that one statement.  I would never have said that.  I don't know if I was trying to comfort her, and I bear the full brunt of responsibility for saying that.  I do.  She deserves someone to be straight-forward and honest, which I thought I was. That's one very bad decision of mine that I made."

Womack appeared as a guest on The Ellen DeGeneres Show so she could make peace with him after she had called him a "jerk" during her Tuesday show that had featured an interview with Pappas.

"This jerk -- this guy -- what a jerk, right?" said DeGeneres when referring to Womack, which brought cheers from her largely-female studio audience.  "I don't usually say that about people, but this guy was so mean... He didn't pick anybody!  He didn't pick anybody!  He clearly had feelings for [Pappas], and he's got some issues.  He's got some commitment issues or something."


Although she had already publicly apologized for her comments during Thursday's Ellen broadcast, DeGeneres repeated her apology when she began her face-to-face interview with Womack.  After he accepted it, Womack began the interview by once again attempting to explain what happened at The Bachelor's final Rose Ceremony.

"First of all, I wouldn't say that there were no feelings.  In fact, what I want people to understand is that -- I know no one is buying this -- it was just as difficult for me," he said.  "There's so many misperceptions surrounding the ending of that show, that I want to scream to the world... I knew I was going to put myself in the hot seat by telling both ladies goodbye.  But I give you my word, I thought I had made a decision full of integrity by not giving a false promise, especially to DeAnna.  We do have something, but not enough to pursue a relationship.  I did not take the easy way out.  In fact, I took the tough way out to show these women respect."

While Womack isn't pursuing a relationship with Pappas, he also repeated his previous comments that he isn't actively looking for love with anyone else.

"No I'm not dating at all.  What people don't understand is that I'm going through a break-up as well.  I truly am," he told DeGeneres.  "I haven't even thought about dating.  I'm keeping to myself.  I think if I asked a woman out, she might throw a drink in my face right now... I'm trying to make light of a very tough situation.  I'm not ready to move on."






About The Author: Christopher Rocchio