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The Bachelor 15...Brad Womack

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RealityFreakWill:
Chris Harrison blogs 'The Bachelor' episode 7

We packed our bags, left the rain forest in Costa Rica for the beautiful Cuisin Art resort on the island of Anguilla (pronounced like vanilla). Once the girls figured out where this island was they were extremely excited. I flew in on the same flight with the ladies and it didn’t take long for our cover to be blown. Tourists were quickly snapping pictures of the ladies in the St. Martin airport. Anguilla is a short boat ride away from St. Martin, and the women loved the speedboat cruise across the crystal blue ocean to our island getaway. Like in Costa Rica, we once again had the entire resort to ourselves. It makes it so much easier when the cast and crew don’t have to worry about who’s watching what we’re up to. Once the ladies got settled in their private villa, the first one-on-one date was set between Brad and Emily. There are not a lot of helicopters around this island so we had to bring one in from a different island which also means a different country. Apparently it got held up in customs, so the date was delayed. That bit where Brad and Emily sat on the bench and had a glass of champagne wasn’t planned. It was quickly improvised once we realized their transportation wasn’t coming any time soon.

Once the chopper arrived it took the couple to the private little place called Sandy Island. Was it just me or did anybody else catch the humorous irony that the island was very much in the shape of a male… well let’s say manhood? If you didn’t catch that I’ll give you a minute to go back and check it out before we continue. I wasn’t kidding. Couple things stood out to me about this date, other than the shape of the island. First of all it was important to Brad that he make a good impression on Emily and get permission to meet her daughter. This was the first time I can remember anybody telling someone they would definitely be getting a rose prior to a rose ceremony. Brad did this to make sure Emily knew just how he felt and that he was very serious about wanting to meet Emily’s little girl. Speaking of Brad it was good to see him in a good mood in Anguilla. He had a rough week in Costa Rica and was having a tough time with everything. By the time he got to Anguilla he was in a much better state of mind. I got to spend a lot of time with Brad on the island. We had breakfast together just about every morning we were there. It was kind of like our morning deliberations. I should say, he was in a better mood until the group date from hell.

Shawntel got the next one-on-one date. The street date was a blast for them. Shawntel didn’t know much about dominoes but quickly learned and really got into it. The older woman they met and talked to, Auntie Bea, was really sweet but turns out she was a little like Dr. Ruth. She ended up giving Brad and Shawntel sex advice. That night they got to experience one of the coolest things I’ve seen in the history of this show. There was a little shack hanging over the ocean just a few hundred yards down from the CuisinArt resort. It’s called the Dune Preserve and its home to Bankie Banx, one of the most famous and talented reggae singers in all the Caribbean. The crowd you saw was a few locals and folks from the tourism board. The great thing is once Brad and Shawntel left, the party continued. We sat around listening to Bankie, and when he took a break his daughter, who sounded just like Alicia Keys, took over. Amazing to see so much talent on such a small island.

Britt got the third and final one-on-one date this week. We all woke up that day to find the ridiculously huge yacht parked just off shore. Considering how fantastic Brad’s previous two dates were and how close he feels towards Emily and Shawntel, it didn’t take long to realize he just didn’t have that with Britt. As you saw, Britt’s exit was very different than any we’ve ever had before. Instead of just leaving you got to see Britt go back to the ladies villa and tell the other women she was packing up and going home. Nobody saw this coming and the women were shocked and upset. Once again this move proved to the women that Brad was very serious about finding his wife.

Unfortunately because of all the drama the women didn’t go to bed until about one o’clock in the morning. Brad had interviews to do when he got back to his room, so he never got to sleep that night, because he had to be back at the women’s villa at about 2:30 for the wake up call for the group date. So the girls had been asleep for about an hour when Brad snuck into the villa and woke them up. Ashley H was a little freaked out and thought there was an intruder. Let me just say that over the years we have done some pretty cool things but being a part of the Sports Illustrated swimsuit edition might just take the cake. This is such an iconic magazine and issue; it’s a real honor for us to be apart of it. I got up early that morning to meet the SI crew and watch them work. I have to give the women credit. Most women would have absolutely freaked out if you surprised them with something like this. This is something most women would probably like a little heads up on. Michelle, Ashley and Chantal took it all in stride and really stepped up to the challenge. They all looked like they had been modeling for years.

The other thing I quickly noticed while talking to the women was that the claws were coming out, and I knew this was going to turn out to be a long day for Brad. As bad as I thought the date might go for him, it actually went worse. At this point the novelty of hanging out together and even living together has completely worn off. These women now just want to date Brad alone. As you saw, the date went from bad to worse and there was nothing Brad could do to put out this fire. One important thing I should point out is the green frozen drinks they were enjoying on this date were frozen mojitos. This is a specialty at the Cuisin Art resort and they are fantastic. Other than a bad group date, they are guaranteed to make your life better.

The rose ceremony was at a beautiful private house about ten minutes away called Le Bleu. If you have the coin, you can rent this house, which comes with a chef and butler service. This place was incredible. The little beach cove where we held the rose ceremony was like it was made for us. I have to once again give major props to our lighting and art department for dressing it up and making it look that fantastic. Dennis and Ange, you guys are the best. By the time Brad arrived for the cocktail party he was done and he was especially done with Michelle. I know many of you have been dying for this day to come and it finally did. Brad’s patience quickly wore thin with Michelle and their relationship really fell apart over the last two weeks. On a personal note, I will miss her narration of the show. She has a wicked sense of humor and was fun to have around. Come on — you have to admit she made you laugh a few times with her comments.

One last note about St. Martin/Anguilla before we pack up and head back home: If you ever get a chance to go you have to stop by the famous sunset bar. Its one of those things you have to check off of your bucket list. The bar is literally at the end of the runway at St. Martin’s Princess Juliana airport that backs up to the beach. The novelty of it is the planes landing come right over your head. When planes are landing or taking off all the patrons file out of the bar and walk out on the road. Go to YouTube and look up planes landing at sunset bar and you’ll see what I’m talking about. A few of us got up early the day we were leaving and went to check it out and we were blown away, literally. From the Caribbean we head back to the states for hometown dates next week. As you can imagine these are both emotional and extremely entertaining. Wait until you see Shawntel show Brad exactly what she does for a living. Until then, thank you for watching the show and thanks to those that watched me host the Grammy red carpet show for TV Guide Network Sunday.

http://popwatch.ew.com/2011/02/15/chris-harrison-the-bachelor-episode-7-blog/

RealityFreakWill:
ABC press release:

BRAD CROSSES THE COUNTRY TO JOIN THE FOUR REMAINING BACHELORETTES
IN THEIR HOMETOWNS AND FINDS HIMSELF ON THE HOT SEAT WITH
THEIR FAMILIES, ON ABC'S "THE BACHELOR," MONDAY, FEBRUARY 21

"Episode 1508" - The stakes are high for Brad as he leaves on an exciting, emotionally charged trip across the country to visit the final four women's hometowns. How will he withstand the scrutiny of Chantal's very successful entrepreneurial father? Will Ashley H.'s ambitious career goals stand in her way of finding love with Brad? Will Shawntel, the beautiful mortician, be able to stand up to her father and his long held, cherished plans for her to succeed him in the family business? Finally, will Brad get to meet Emily's daughter, who she has never been introduced to anyone she has dated, and how will that decision affect their relationship? Everyone meets in NY as Brad makes another gut-wrenching decision to narrow the field to the final three women, on "The Bachelor," MONDAY, FEBRUARY 21 (8:00-10:01 p.m., ET) on the ABC Television Network.

Brad is eager to meet the families of the four bachelorettes and learn more about the women he is falling in love with. His first stop is Seattle, the home of Chantal, the feisty bachelorette who has taken him on an emotional roller coaster ride. He gets to see her more lovable side as she introduces him to her pets. But when he escorts her to her family's imposing residence, he must win the approval of her father, a former professional football player and self-made businessman. Will he impress this intimidating impresario, or will his nerves get the better of him?

Next Brad flies cross country to Madawaska, Maine, where Ashley H. couldn't be more thrilled to show off her hometown. Although Ashley has shown Brad her insecure side in the past, here she is all smiles and full of energy. Brad is charmed by the quaint town, where the couple pick out lobsters at a local market and shop at an unmanned fruit stand where payment is on the honor system. Later that night, after talking to her proud stepfather, Brad wonders if he might be getting in the way of Ashley's ambitious career goals. What will he find out from Ashley's sister, and will it change his mind? It is definitely a topic that he will need to address with her before he thinks about a proposal.

The spookiest hometown date in "Bachelor" history awaits Brad in Chico, California, where he meets up with Shawntel at the mortuary where she works. She gives Brad a tour before taking him to the embalming room, where she shares the intricacies of the process with him. It may be a little creepy, but Brad gains a newfound respect for this beautiful woman, realizing that her true passion is to provide loving support for grieving families. However, when he meets Shawntel's family, her father reveals that he plans to have his daughter succeed him as director of the funeral home. Will this stand in either Shawntel's or Brad's way in pursuing a happy ending?

Brad's final hometown date is with Emily in Charlotte, North Carolina. This sensitive single mom must figure out if she is comfortable enough to introduce Brad to her daughter, who has never met a man she has dated. Will she be able to take this crucial step, and how will it affect her romance with Brad?

When Brad and the women meet in New York for a dramatic rose ceremony, the Bachelor has a difficult goodbye for one heartbroken bachelorette, but he is that much closer to finding his future wife. Now three women remain, and they are off on a once-in-a-lifetime trip to South Africa.

The four women are:

Ashley H., 26, a dentist from Philadelphia, PA
Chantal, 28, an executive assistant from Seattle, WA
Emily, 24, a children's hospital event planner from Charlotte, NC
Shawntel, 25, a funeral director from Chico, CA

http://www.abcmedianet.com/web/dnr/dispDNR.aspx?id=021511_01

Jobby:
Michelle is GONE!! :lol3: :yess: :yess:

Jobby:

 :lol3: :ascared :ascared :ascared :ascared

RealityFreakWill:
Chris Harrison blogs 'The Bachelor' episode 8

I’ve said it four or five times and I’ll say it again: I love the hometown dates on this show. The trips to Costa Rica and Anguilla were fantastic, but Brad and the women were happy to stop living in the group dynamic and take this next step. We started in Seattle with Chantal. Brad had never been to Seattle so what was the first thing he wanted to do? Yes, stop at a Starbucks for a cup of coffee, because as you know Seattle is the only place in the country to get Starbucks. The irony of this trip was that it’s rained on us everywhere we’ve been but the weather in Seattle where it always rains was beautiful. Chantal was looking forward to Brad meeting her family, but she was really nervous about him meeting her dog Boca. A couple things stood out to me on this hometown date: Brad really seems comfortable and to fit in with Chantal’s family. They seemed all but ready to have a wedding on the spot. The other thing I noticed is Chantal’s dad’s wine cellar. Wow, I have cellar envy.

After Seattle, Brad and the crew headed to the other side of the earth (at least it felt like it) to visit Ashley in Madawaska. When the travel agent said, “You can’t get there from here,” we should have listened. Our crew flew from Seattle to New York City. From New York it was down to Boston, and then a little prop plane to a place called Presque Isle. That leaves you a lovely two-hour drive to Madawaska. With a small town comes small hotels. The crew had to split up into a few different hotels as I think we tripled the population of the town when we arrived. As Ashley pointed out there are a lot of moose in this town. They warned our crew not to drive at night, as there’s a really good chance you’ll have a run-in with a moose. Brad helped Ashley’s stepdad boil the lobsters. The family messed with Brad for just a bit and made him put on a lobster bib before letting him in on the joke and allowing him take it off. Not sure if you noticed but Ashley’s mom is a big fan of the show, so she was really excited to meet Brad. He was a bit of a celebrity in the house. Overall, like Chantal’s visit it was easy and comfortable. It was a really good rebound for Ashley after what has been a couple rough weeks for her.

Then there was the hometown trip of death, literally. As you could tell, Shawntel is very serious about her job and she and her family mean a lot to the community in Chico, Calif. The conversation Brad had with Shawntel’s father, who expressed his concern about his daughter leaving the city and thus abandoning the family business, definitely weighed on Brad’s mind the entire week. Yes, in the end her dad did say he wished them well and gave them his blessing, but that moment and that pressure of taking her away hung over the date and probably played a factor in Brad’s final decision. Add to that the fact that Brad wasn’t feeling nearly as much for Shawntel as she was for him, and it made the decision to send her home the right one to make this week. Oh, there was one other thing on Brad’s mind — the fact that the guy is a little freaked out by death doesn’t help when you’re dating a funeral director. That’s something he can talk to the therapist about next time. In her exit interview you could really tell she’s an amazing woman and really cared for Brad. There was no bitterness or contempt, just appreciation for the experience and love for him, and that was very cool to see. One last little note about Shawntel’s hometown date: Her mom Coleen loves Mai Tais, so Brad brought all the fixins over and tried to make her one. That was the drink Brad handed her in the kitchen while they were talking. Not nearly as good as the frozen mojitos we enjoyed while in Anguilla.

From Chico, it was time to head east again to Charlotte, North Carolina. This was a very important trip for Brad and he was more nervous about this visit than any of the others. He had made so much out of meeting Emily’s daughter Ricki that the pressure was palpable. In the end Ricki did warm up to Brad and they had a great visit. Ricki actually drew Brad a picture of him with a butterfly, representing the kite he gave her. But there is something about Brad and Emily’s relationship that’s almost awkward. The part where Brad told Emily he wasn’t going to kiss her out of respect for her and her daughter cracked me up. That was spoken like a guy who doesn’t have kids. I loved Emily’s reaction where she said if this works out she’ll be upstairs sleeping every night!  Brad is trying so hard to do the right thing here — it’s very sweet but quite entertaining to watch. I met Brad and the ladies back in New York City for the rose ceremony. We usually hold this rose ceremony in Los Angeles but we figured since we’re heading on to South Africa we might as well keep it on the east coast. Next week we head off on the exotic dates deep in the bush in South Africa. It’s a very interesting episode as the fantasy suite cards arrive.

http://popwatch.ew.com/2011/02/22/chris-harrison-the-bachelor-episode-8-blog/

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