'The Bachelorette' host Chris Harrison: I respect Ali for letting Chris go

The Bachelorette host Chris Harrison respects Ali Fedotowsky's decision to dump Chris Lambton prior to her final Rose Ceremony after determining she was in love with Roberto Martinez -- end though it broke the show's rules and shook up its production schedule.


"In true form this season, where rules are made to be broken, Ali took a bold step and let Chris go before their final date. I really respect Ali for doing this, and I know Chris does as well," Harrison wrote in his Entertainment Weekly blog.

"Ali felt so much for Chris, respected him so much, that she didn't want to lead him on any further when she was clearly one hundred percent in love with Roberto. While this was a respectful move, it was also a gamble. At this point, Ali was hoping for a proposal from Roberto, but she couldn't be sure she would get one.  This also changed things dramatically for the production. We not only lost a date that we would normally show you, but we also lost half of our proposal day. "

However Harrison acknowledges he wasn't too upset about the change personally.

"I have to admit I rather enjoyed not having a second guy in the mix for that final day. It meant that the day was going to be nothing but positive," he wrote.  "I always hate that awkward meeting with the person who isn't going to be chosen. By this point in the season, I know them very well and hate that they're about to be hurt. So this time it was all good as Roberto was the only guy left, and I knew his feelings for Ali and vice versa."


While his time with them at the show's After the Final Rose special left Harrison confident Fedotowsky and Martinez "truly love each other," The Bachelorette host made it clear he is still upset that Frank Neuschaefer -- the Final 3 suitor who decided to dump Fedotowsky and leave the show after determining he and former girlfriend Nicole Caruso still had feelings for each other -- changed his mind and decided not to participate in the special.

"Last week... I talked about looking forward to speaking to Frank. We intentionally kept Frank off the Men Tell All episode so we could do a more in-depth interview on [the After the Final Rose special]. I was incredibly disappointed to find out he decided on his own not to show up. I find myself and many others constantly having to apologize for and defend Frank. I can't do that for him on this one,' he wrote.

"He could have very easily shown up to face Ali, step up, and own what he did. I hear he and Nicole are doing well, and I wish them all the happiness in the world. All the more reason he should have shown up and just owned what he had done and how he feels. I don't think anybody can blame the guy for not loving Ali and falling back in love with another woman. The heart wants what it wants. But the true measure of a man is how you handle it."

In addition, The Bachelorette host also lashed out at online spoilers and tabloids which revealed nearly all of the season's details well before the show aired.

"Why anybody would ever want to destroy the ending of a show for you, I'll never understand. Some people just have this need to tear down what others create," he wrote.


"There were more rumors, wild stories, and supposed leaks this year than ever before. I've wanted to tell all of you just how great this season really was, but didn't want to give anything away and ruin the ending."






About The Author: Steven Rogers