The Bachelorette: The Men Tell All broadcast featured Michael Allio admitting he'd 100 percent want to date Katie Thurston again if she'd be willing to give him another shot, Andrew Spencer dishing about his emotional breakup with Katie, and Katie facing a room of her exes including her season's villain Thomas Jacobs.
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Unlike last season amid the coronavirus pandemic, this special was filmed in front of a live, cheering audience.
In addition to Michael, Andrew and Thomas, the following bachelors also participated in The Men Tell All: Quartney Mixon, Cody Menk, Karl Smith, Tre Copper, Brendan Scanzano, James Bonsall, Kyle Howard, Aaron Clancy, Connor Brennan, and Hunter Montgomery.
Aaron explains why he flipped a switch upon seeing Cody
Aaron said Cody had been disrespectful to people and rubbed him the wrong way at a lot of events. Aaron also claimed Cody had many "reckless social-media posts" as well.Aaron suggested Cody is chasing fame, but Cody insisted, "That's not a goal of mine."
"Bro, you posted on [an Instagram] Story, 'I will be famous in six months,'" Aaron recalled.
Cody insisted that Story post was "taken out of context" and he was not referring to The Bachelorette whatsoever, which the guys weren't buying.
Brendan said Cody fooled "everybody in the house" except for Aaron and had been "toying with Cody's emotions."
Cody begged the guys not to let Aaron ruin their opinion of him because he did not go on the show just for more social-media followers.
Karl accused Katie's cast members of conducting "witch hunts" and having ganged up on one guy after the next in the house.
Karl drops a bomb and throws Brendan under the bus
"Brendan is not here for the right reasons. He showed up for a free ticket to the United States so he could have free beer the whole trip," Karl announced.RELATED LINK: 'THE BACHELORETTE' COUPLES NOW
Brendan called Karl "a snake and a scumbag."
The guys were frustrated Karl had told Katie that "multiple guys" in the house were on the show with the wrong intentions when Karl had apparently just been talking about Cody and Thomas.
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Brendan asked Karl if he was genuinely on the show to date Katie, and Karl replied, "Shut the f-ck up... I did like Katie."
Karl admitted he had made "a mess" and "a mistake" while filming The Bachelorette, but then he and Brendan got in each other's faces and yelled over one another, which just made Tre shake his head in disbelief.
"You're fake news!" Brendan shouted at Karl.
Karl insisted he didn't name names to Katie because he didn't want to be a rat but it had become clear to him that Thomas was on the show for a following -- before Thomas admitted to wanting to become The Bachelor star for 2022.
Tre also said it's not true when people claim all men go on The Bachelorette thinking about possibly becoming the Bachelor at some point. Tre said he went on Season 17 to hopefully get a rose from Katie and be the man she was looking for.
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Quartney also accused Thomas of "manipulating Katie" by saying he was falling in love with her only to withdraw his statement "five seconds later." Connor B. added how Thomas was manipulating people so they would like him.
But Hunter said Thomas is not a bad person and this experience makes you think things, feel things and do things that are out of character. Hunter shared how Thomas had just "made poor choices" and got caught up in drama.
"No one is saying he's a bad guy," James S.id.
"I think he's a bad guy," Aaron confessed.
Hunter defends his aggressive behavior on The Bachelorette
Hunter said he never lied about falling for Katie. Hunter clarified how he told Katie that he was falling in love with her but explained to a group-date host that he was not "in love" with Katie just yet.Hunter said there's a big difference between the two things and he didn't think he lied about falling in love with Katie.
Tre pointed out how Hunter showed some "strategy" during the process, and Hunter admitted, "Hindsight is 20/20. I wish I said the perfect things."
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Connor B. assured the group that Hunter was his roommate on the show and Hunter was definitely falling in love with Katie. Connor B. simply shut down James' opinion of Hunter being inconsistent as "wrong."
Connor B. sits in the hot seat with Tayshia and Kaitlyn
Connor said although Katie had broken his heart, he just wanted her to be okay.
Connor admitted it was "tough" to hear that Katie thought they lacked passion because their romance had started off really strong.
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Kaitlyn asked Connor if a woman had ever told him that he's not a great kisser before, and Connor said he actually went home and asked a couple of women in his past if he's a bad kisser.
"I was like, 'Listen, am I a trash kisser? You've got to be honest with me,' and my ex said 'no,' that I'm a good kisser and it's just about the connection," Connor shared.
Suddenly a woman in the live audience stood up and said she thought Connor was absolutely adorable and she's pretty sure he can't be a bad kisser. Everyone egged Connor on to kiss the pretty brunette, and so the pair made out in front of everyone.
The girl called her kiss with Connor "an 11" on a scale from 1-10.
Connor then asked for "one more for the road" and the pair kissed again, which prompted Andrew to yell out from across the stage , "You're a tiger!"
Andrew Spencer dishes about his connection with Katie
Andrew said he felt "real emotions" during his goodbye because his relationship with Katie was truly genuine and real."I've been accustomed to heartbreaks, so you know, I was just feeling every single relationship that [I've had], and having to restart again is never something that you want to do, especially after Katie when I felt all these feelings I've never felt before," Andrew explained.
Andrew explained how he had put all of his effort into his relationship with Katie and he just wanted to find a woman who would pick him for who he is.
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Andrew couldn't pinpoint a time when his romance with Katie fell apart because they simply didn't have a bad moment or setback. Andrew said their connection just "wasn't enough" and there's nothing he could have done about that.
Andrew bragged about how Katie had "killed it" when they discussed potentially being in an interracial relationship and he'd never shy away from having uncomfortable conversations about being a Black man.
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Michael A. says he's doing okay but there's still a lot on his mind
The footage of Michael with Katie made everyone emotional, including Kaitlyn and Hunter.Michael said he needed to go home to be a great parent, which is "a constant juggling act."
Michael acknowledged he and Katie were "so close" to being in love, which made leaving even harder, but he had to put his family and responsibilities as a single parent first.
When asked how hard it was to say goodbye, Michael said it was really difficult but he's so happy to have participated in Katie's journey because they had an instant connection and a strong one at that.
"Looking back on it now, nothing has changed," Michael admitted.
"So if Katie did say that she wanted to give this another shot, you still feel the same way? You would do it?" Kaitlyn asked.
"100 percent," Michael replied. "It feels as though we left so much unsaid... If love exists it will find a way. I know how beautiful marriage can be... and I wanted to let her know that's where we're headed."
Michael said he never thought he'd be open to the idea of marrying again but there's "a ton of hope out there" for him now that wouldn't exist unless he had taken this leap of faith.
Katie and Michael have a little heart-to-heart
When Katie appeared onstage, Michael told the Bachelorette that he never wanted to leave her but she taught him that he can find love again.Michael thanked Katie for being open and welcoming to the complexities of his life.
"I trust that, and still do trust, that you would be fit for that role in any capacity," Michael told the Bachelorette.
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Kaitlyn shared with Katie how Michael had said earlier in the evening he'd want to date her again if she'd be willing to give him a second chance.
Katie said she has nothing but love and respect for Michael but she couldn't dwell on the past and had to continue to move forward during her journey on the show.
"My ending is ultimately how everything was supposed to happen. I'm a big believer in everything happens for a reason, and that's something I still believe in to this day," Katie explained.
Katie confronts her other jilted bachelors, including Andrew
Andrew told Katie that he's thankful to her for creating a man out of him in ways he didn't know possible. Andrew assured Katie that he has no regrets and knew she'd make an incredible wife to someone.Katie said she wondered what would have happened if she and Andrew had more time together but she has nothing but love and respect for him and would like to see what life brings him going forward.
Tre announced how Katie had made him believe in himself and have more confidence, and Aaron expressed some regret for getting involved in so much conflict during the show.
"I'm always going to be in your court," Aaron said.
"Aww thanks, Thomas," Katie replied.
Everyone in the room flipped out because Katie had called Aaron by the wrong name and by the person he seemed to dislike most in the house.
"That's my mortal enemy!" Aaron jokingly yelled.
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Connor then sang a song about how the guys on Katie's season got him believing in "bromance."
And Katie told Karl that she eliminated him to cut drama in the house but he had been right about Thomas' intentions.
Thomas participates in The Men Tell All via Zoom
Thomas couldn't attend The Men Tell All live in the studio, but he spoke to Katie via videochat.Thomas said he regretted ever putting doubt and suspicion in Katie's mind when she was trying to find love, and he also said he wished he hadn't taken so much time and attention away from the other guys.
Since Katie really liked Thomas for weeks on the show, he asked the Bachelorette when her attitude towards him suddenly switched or shifted to being angry at him and wanting him gone.
Katie explained that his words didn't feel genuine because she was essentially crying in his arms about the drama in the house and he just sat there delivering a composed speech.
Thomas insisted he was on the show for their relationship and he had truly seen something great in her.
When looking back on how she had treated Thomas, especially during his elimination when she called him "unkind," Katie apologized for being so brutal and hurting Thomas' feelings at that Rose Ceremony.
Katie insists she has no regrets from her season
Although some of the men clearly had lingering feelings for Katie by the time The Men Tell All taping rolled around, Katie apparently left the show feeling content with her decisions."Do you have any regrets?" Kaitlyn asked Katie at the end of the special.
Katie replied, "There's obviously going to be 'what ifs,' but ultimately, I'm very happy with how everything turned out."
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About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski