The Bachelorette host Chris Harrison seems to think Andi Dorfman is simply unsure about Nick Viall and Josh Murray although both suitors appear to be her leading guys at this point in the season.
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"When I sat down with Andi in deliberation it was the first time I've seen her doubt herself and this whole process. She wasn't in a great place. I think it was a combination of her troubles with Josh and the guys having such an issue with Nick. These are two guys who were very high on her list and now she's not sure what to make of either one of them," The Bachelorette host wrote in his Entertainment Weekly blog.
During their one-on-one date in Venice, Italy, Viall and Dorfman discussed his unpopularity in the house, which the Bachelorette found to be a very unattractive quality.
"The situation with Nick is one that I see a lot on the show. At what point are you just being bold, strong, and looking for love and at what point are you being rude or disrespectful? Nick hasn't shied away from anything he's said or done and completely owned up to it with Andi. If he's denied it or acted like he was being bullied, it would have been a disaster for him, but instead he's open and honest and flat out told Andi exactly how he feels," Harrison explained.
"As you saw, Andi loved it and it only got deeper and better from her perspective at the rose ceremony. Nick and Andi have something strong between them."
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Added Harrison, "The guys are realizing that the numbers are dwindling and now real contenders are going to start being sent home. It was a surprise to the guys that Nick jumped up with a rose already on his chest and grabbed Andi first [at the cocktail party]. As the guys put it, a total 'Nick' move. But herein lies the problem: Did you see and hear Andi's reaction? She loved it and said 'that is a man.' So why wouldn't Nick be this bold?"
As for Murray, Dorfman was shocked about how much of a personal problem he had with taking a lie detector test during the week's group date, which was supposed to be all fun and games.
"Andi and Josh were already on the rocks from last week and this behavior didn't help. Josh knows Andi has a bit of a trust problem with him being an athlete, and I think he's a little defensive about that. He feels he hasn't given her any reason not to be trusted. So he really took it personally that Andi would ask him to take a lie detector test," Harrison wrote.
"When Andi got the results she tore them up so nobody would ever see them. Maybe a good move, but one I know she kind of regrets. She told me later she really would've liked to have seen what the guys had to say. She knew it wasn't going to be anything earth shattering, but it would've been fun."
Chris Soules got the group date's rose over Murray after revealing to Dorfman he was her "secret admirer." While Soules assumed it'd be a pleasant surprise, Harrison admitted Dorfman was almost certain who that special man was beforehand.
"[She] had already performed a three-week investigation including handwriting analysis and had come close to figuring out the big mystery," the host noted.
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During her second one-on-one date of the week, Dorfman chose to let go of Cody Sattler, and it was clearly an extremely difficult decision for her to carry through with.
"Cody was so happy to finally get a one-on-one date that he could barely contain his excitement all day long. He's such a kind, gentle soul, you can't help but like this guy. He's always got a smile on his face and always seems to have a kind word. These are the reasons that Andi had kept him around this long despite not truly having the deep feelings for him that she was growing for others," Harrison said in his EW blog.
"I think she was really hoping that once they got alone and spent some romantic time together that might change, but it only made it more clear what she had to do. When Cody really opened up and started sharing his feelings, her heart just broke. It was brutal for her to have to stop him and let him know it just wasn't happening. Kudos to Andi for doing the hard but right thing and just ripping the Band-Aid off."
Dorfman later eliminated JJ O'Brien for similar reasons during the Rose Ceremony, a lack of romantic chemistry and being stuck in the "friend zone."
About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski