Sweet Home Alabama – Interview with Paige Duke

I had the chance to chat with Paige Duke again today, and
she had a lot to tell me about last week’s episode of Sweet Home Alabama as
well as what’s in store for us tonight! 

As you probably remember, Paige had a date with NASCAR driver
Danny Bopp last week and then sent him home at the next elimination ceremony. “That
was very straight-forward, very black and white,” Paige says. “I like to take things
slow too…I didn’t expect a kiss, but I just didn’t feel a connection.”

“He said he’s not cut out for this speed dating, and that’s
sort of what we’re doing. I just didn’t feel a connection or like he was really
interested in me.”

Paige didn’t feel it with Danny, but her next date with
Bubba was the exact opposite. “Ever since I saw Bubba he was one of the guys
who stuck out in my mind,” Paige says. They had a great date, even though Paige
didn’t expect to get so emotional. “Who cries at fireworks?” she jokes. Paige
says Bubba made her feel like everything was going to be OK. “It did strengthen
our bond.”

And as for that fabulous date? Paige doesn’t know how much
of it was planned by Bubba, but says he probably told the producers what he’d
like to do just like she does sometimes. Then the producers make the magic
happen – after all, Paige and the guys don’t have phone or Internet access, so
it’s pretty hard to make arrangements themselves. 

I’ve always thought that group dates might be awkward, but
Paige tells me they’re actually really fun. “The group dates are more relaxed,”
she says. “One-on-one dates can be awkward, because the cameras are right there
in your face. You try to forget they’re there, but it can be hard. So the group
dates are fun and relaxing. I feel like I’m seeing the guys be themselves
because they’re not trying to impress me or the cameras as much.”

Of course I had to ask Paige about Andy, who she sent home
last week. All the guys in the house thought Andy had a drinking problem, but
how much did Paige know about that? 

“When I first met Andy, I thought he was a great guy,” says
Paige. “He’s from South Carolina, so it would be really easy for us, too.” 

Then the guys started telling her things, but she wasn’t
sure if they were just jealous. “As time went on, I started to see the problem
at eliminations, when I’d show up.” Paige says the other guys’ opinions don’t
matter too much, but “there had to be a reason everyone was saying stuff.”

We didn’t see this on last week’s show, but Paige had a
conversation with Andy that day on the beach. That’s when she decided to send
him home. And, well, you saw how that went. 

“He was obviously drunk,” says Paige. “I mean, it’s fine to
go out and have a good time with your friends, but I think there’s something
deeper to his drinking problem. He just can’t control how much he drinks. It’s
sad. My family, we’ve been praying for him.”

Paige also says the guys nicknamed Andy “Wildcard” and she
didn’t know why. “He basically said he had a girlfriend in Charleston. He’d
liked this girl back home for years, and she was finally going to give him a
chance right before he left to do the show, so that’s what ‘Wildcard’ meant.”
Sounds like Paige made a smart choice in sending Andy home! 

As for tonight’s episode, Paige says we have a lot of fun
and a lot of drama to look forward to! She heads to Miami with a few city boys.
“I’d been to Miami once with NASCAR, it’s a fun city. There are very extravagant,
very lavish dates that are a lot of fun. And you know Big Shaun…has something
up his sleeve.” 

However, we have even more excitement in store! “Most of the
drama happens at the elimination,” says Paige. In fact, something will happen
that actually causes Paige to change her mind on the spot, and send one guy
home instead of the one she’d planned. I can’t wait to find out who that’ll be!