"The Bachelor: The Women Tell All" special had it all on Monday night: heartfelt conversations, tears and an onion.
The eliminated ladies from the current season of “The Bachelor” gathered to reflect on their romances with Chris Soules, and to revisit old feuds. The two finalists, Whitney and Becca, were not present.
Let's start with the bachelorette who was eliminated on last week's episode: Kaitlyn. She told host Chris Harrison she was confident heading into the rose ceremony in Bali, which is why she was so confused by her dismissal.
Later, Soules explained to her that he faced a difficult decision between the final three, comparing it to throwing darts at a dartboard. Kaitlyn wondered why he didn't give her the opportunity to chat privately before the ceremony, as he had with Becca. Chris agreed that in hindsight he should have done that, but he did the best he could at the time.
'Bachelor' Star Becca Reveals 'It's Gonna Take a Lot More Than a Fantasy Suite!' 'The Bachelor' Recap: Chris Soules Chooses the Final TwoJade, who was sent home during the hometown visits episode after revealing her Playboy past, also had the opportunity to speak directly with Chris. She was upset that Chris said it was awkward for him to look at her Playboy photos and video. He said he was being honest with her, and that her experience with Playboy was not the reason he let her go.
“The Women Tell All” was also highlighted by the return of the most polarizing contestants of the season, Kelsey and Britt.
Kelsey insisted that she was not trying to manipulate Chris or curry empathy from him when she referred to the loss of her husband as an "amazing" story, as she had been accused of doing by some of the other women. Kelsey also said she did not believe she was better than the other bachelorettes, despite how she was depicted on the show.
Kelsey mended fences somewhat with Ashley I., with whom she went on the two-on-one date in South Dakota that ended with both being eliminated. She conceded that she felt "raw anger" when she mocked Ashley during the date, and she apologized.
Britt cried early and often during Monday's special, mostly because of her interactions with Carly. She said Carly was friendly to her face during the season but was critical of her to Chris and to the cameras. Britt believed that if Carly had not meddled in her relationship with Chris, she would have remained in the competition.
In the strangest moment of the night, Harrison had a brief conversation with Ashley S., the bachelorette who mistook a pomegranate for an onion. She presented him with what she called a "hosting gift" – an onion, naturally.
When asked if she had put on an act for the cameras during the season, she claimed she hadn't. An excited Harrison invited her to appear on the next season of “Bachelor in Paradise,” but he didn't get a straight answer from Ashley; instead, she stated, "It's so weird that we're on TV."
“The Bachelor” season ends next Monday with Chris proposing to either Whitney or Becca … or perhaps neither of them.