It’s time for the Winter Olympics, and apparently it’s time for The Bachelor contestants to see how they medal in love. Tomorrow, The Bachelor Winter Games premieres, and from the looks of the first episode, all of you fans of The Bachelor are in for a treat. I’m going to go on record and say that I have never seen an episode of the series, but I could NOT look away when we were screening this episode, and well, a little part of me gets what my friends who live tweet the episodes are going through now!
Here are five things we learned when we got to interview Chris Harrison at the ABC Studios in LA last month, and the list of the cast of The Bachelor Winter Games.
Chris Harrison feels that this is going to be a great celebration of global love.
He’s super excited about bringing all of these global contestants together and seeing what they can do sports wise and love wise. He feels that this is some of the best television that they have made, even after 16 years of The Bachelor. That’s saying a lot. I mean, he’s SO behind this series, and during the interview he often refers to The Bachelor as his baby. Still loving a series when it’s a hormonal teenager’s age is PURE love.
That feeling of seeing an idea come to fruition is a little bit like rearing a kid, and seeing it go through all of these changes and modifications makes him proud. It’s evident in the discussion, and it’s admirable.
Ashley I. really does cry that much in real life.
Apparently it’s who she is. She’s a crier. and she’s genuine with it. She cries when she’s happy, she cries when she’s sad, she cries when she’s upset, she cries when she’s laughing hysterically. Chris chuckles at my question (yes, I asked about the crier) and quips that he has grown to love the genuine nature of Ashley I and her ability to be so open with the camera and all of the fans of The Bachelor. He’s a huge fan of people who own who they are, and just roll with it.
He doesn’t like BS
When he’s interviewing people for The Bachelor or The Bachelorette, he doesn’t want to be given answers that the contestants think are going to sound good. He wants the truth, and he doesn’t want fluff. I can dig it.
He and the producers don’t interfere with things on the show – outside of safety issues of course
It’s human nature to want to fix a situation, he says, and to want to fill the awkward silences with chatter. Humans NEED to be fixers, and from some of the very awkward situations that I’ve seen in the screening, it would be difficult for me not to change the direction of conversations to save feelings. He doesn’t do that. None of the producers do. They let the chips fall where they may, and let nature take its course. It’s difficult for sure, but for someone hosting the show as Chris does, it’s even more difficult to interview the contestants AFTER something awkward has happened.
All of the contestants go through medical tests to make sure they’re fit for competition
I’m not sure what else I can say about this statement other than – they make sure that all of the contestants are healthy in every area of their lives. Given that this is a very social experiment, and we are a social media heavy society where you can read all about yourself after being on an international show, it’s important to be strong enough to handle the attention. I’m glad that they take these steps for all contestants.
The Bachelor Winter Games premieres February 13 at 8/7 c with a second episode airing Thursday 2/15, and will air four episodes total over two weeks. Episodes will clock in at 2 hours and then there will be a World Tells All reunion special. The first episode begins with a biathlon, and only the male and female winners will be awarded a date. This should be interesting.
Will you be watching?
Below is cast for The Bachelor Winter Games:
USA Men
Ben, 29, “The Bachelor” Season 20
Dean, 26, “The Bachelorette” Season 13 (Rachel Lindsay)
Eric, 29, “The Bachelorette” Season 13 (Rachel Lindsay)
Jamey, 33, “The Bachelorette” Season 13 (Rachel Lindsay)
Josiah, 29, “The Bachelorette” Season 13 (Rachel Lindsay)
Luke, 33, “The Bachelorette” Season 12 (JoJo Fletcher)
Michael, 37, “The Bachelorette” Season 9 (Desiree Hartsock Siegfried)
USA Women
Ashley I., 29, “The Bachelor” Season 19 (Chris Soules)
Clare, 36, “The Bachelor” Season 18 (Juan Pablo Galavis)
Lesley, 30, “The Bachelor” Season 17 (Sean Lowe)
Bibiana, 30, “The Bachelor, Season 22 (Arie Luyendyk Jr.)
Lauren G., 27, “The Bachelor, Season 22 (Arie Luyendyk Jr.)
International Men
Benoit, 31, “The Bachelorette” Season 1 – Canada
Christian, 34, “The Bachelorette” Season 1 – Switzerland and Germany
Courtney, 31, “The Bachelorette” Season 2 – Australia
Jordan, 34, “The Bachelor” Season 2 – New Zealand
Kevin, 33, “The Bachelorette” Season 1 – Canada
International Women
Ally, 24, “The Bachelor” Season 3 – New Zealand
Jenny, 34, “The Bachelor” Season 1 – Finland
Laura, 29, “The Bachelor” Season 1 – United Kingdom
Lily, 21, “The Bachelor” Season 3 – New Zealand
Nastassia, 26, “The Bachelor” Season 3 – Sweden
Rebecca, 26, “The Bachelor” Season 3 – Sweden
Tiffany, 31, “The Bachelor” Season 4 – Australia
Yuki, 21, “The Bachelor” Season 1 – Japan
Zoe, 25, “The Bachelor” Season 1 – China
