The Bachelorette star JoJo Fletcher's journey to find love begins in only a few days, and now that filming has wrapped, the star herself is able to open up about it all.
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When The Bachelorette premieres Monday, May 23 at 9PM ET/PT, fans will follow JoJo as she meets and dates 26 eligible suitors in the hope of finding her future husband. There will even be a "mystery man" making waves.
Preview clips of The Bachelorette's upcoming twelfth edition have already been released by ABC, and it appears JoJo will endure quite an emotional rollercoaster with romantic highs and devastating lows.
On Friday, JoJo talked to Reality TV World about her experience on The Bachelorette following her brutal split from The Bachelor's Season 20 star Ben Higgins.
Reality TV World: When you got announced as the next Bachelorette, your ex-boyfriend Chad Rookstool did an interview, insisting you two got back together and were with each other daily until you allegedly dumped him to go on The Bachelorette. There was also a report you briefly dated Nick Viall after your stint on The Bachelor. I just want to give you a chance to comment on Chad's comments and set the record straight on Nick.
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JoJo Fletcher: Yeah, the tabloid that came out about Chad is completely false. I had no idea that he had done that until kind of later on, so those were very untrue. And I decided to completely put that in my past and not think about it again. And the Nick rumors are absolutely not true as well! (Laughs)
Reality TV World: Kaitlyn Bristowe was a pretty controversial Bachelorette last season. What do you think the biggest difference will be between your season and hers? And she was badly bullied on social media, so are you a little worried about how the public is going to perceive you and react to your behavior and decisions?
JoJo Fletcher: You know, we have no control over what people say on social media. I think it's easy to forget sometimes that we're real people when they see us on Twitter and Instagram. So, I don't think that any bullying on social media is okay no matter what anyone does.
I don't think that I have anything to be worried about. I was myself and stayed true to what I believed in and everything that I said. So, if that does happen, then it's something that is completely out of my control. And there isn't anything I would change!
Below are several more highlights from JoJo's pre-season The Bachelorette call with reporters:
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What were you looking for in a man after your last experience on The Bachelor?
JoJo Fletcher: Ben did really good at making you feel special and being honest. And maybe that honesty was part of the reason why I was so hurt at the end, but at least it was honest. I knew that he loved me and he expressed his love for me. And, you know, he's a family man! He's genuine, he's a good man.
And these are some of the qualities that in my past, I feel like I have been missing out on. So, our relationship mostly taught me about what a relationship should be like -- that feeling that should be there, that level of respect that is there. So I think a lot of things happened because of the relationship I had with him.
Last season, there was a lot of talk about the show becoming more diverse. How do you think your season stacks up against previous ones when it comes to diversity?
JoJo Fletcher: Well, I will say that we have a great group of men. I think there is a little more diversity in my group. But to be honest, I can't remember all of the other seasons before me, so I don't know how much diversity was there. But I can definitely say that I had a very diverse group of men that come from very different parts of life. They all bring a lot to the table.
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The teaser shows the cast is filled with alpha males ready to do anything to win your heart. What was it like being the only girl with all of these guys who clearly feel strongly about you? Was it difficult to balance all of their personalities?
JoJo Fletcher: You know, I'll be honest. It wasn't that bad. These guys were definitely manly-men and they have their egos to go with it, but for the most part, they were really great about not ever putting me in too much of an uncomfortable situation when it came to that sort of environment amongst the men.
But I don't know what happens behind closed doors! So, you'll have to watch and see what happens in the mansion, because I'm sure it's a lot different!
Were your brothers more supportive of you trying to find love on reality TV this time around?
JoJo Fletcher: Absolutely. My whole family is super supportive. They were excited and supportive of me going onto The Bachelor last season.
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I think the problem was -- or what was the hardest for them -- was just having that gut feeling that maybe Ben's feelings weren't as strong as mine. But coming into this, they were so excited for me. They are hoping that this all turns out how it is supposed to, and I definitely had my entire family's support.
Check back with Reality TV World soon for much more from JoJo Fletcher's pre-The Bachelorette interview.
About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski