Ali Fedotowsky was probably the most popular “bachelorette” that fans wanted to see Jake end up with in the end of last season’s The Bachelor. She left the show, though, and we all know Jake ended up with the unpopular choice of Vienna. Well Ali is back this time as THE woman who must pick one guy she is going to marry in the newest season of The Bachelorette.
The Bachelorette premieres this MONDAY, MAY 24 at a special time (9:02-11:00 p.m., ET) on the ABC Television Network. Beginning MONDAY, MAY 31, the program moves to its regular two-hour run time from 8:00-10:02 p.m. ET. Before that, though, Ali participated in a conference call interview with various members of the media. Here are the highlights of what she had to say….
Did you have a fear of rejection on this show?
Ali Fedotowsky: I absolutely did. And I think that’s because, you know, I’ve been heartbroken in the past and I mean not just from my relationship with Jake but a lot of relationships I had before even being on The Bachelor. And, you know, I think my big fear was that I knew that I was excusing each guy because I wanted them to continue with me. And I didn’t necessarily know that because they were accepting a rose, it meant that they actually wanted to be with me. So, yes, I questioned that a lot along the way, and I was scared.
More about the apparent “scandal” that is being teased later this season?
AF: Oh, man, I can’t get into specifics, but I mean there’s definitely a bit of drama this season. And, you know, I – you know, rumors are rumors and whether there’s truth to them or not, I cannot say. I actually haven’t even got a chance to look at any of them really in the Internet because I just got back; but, yes, I went through a lot and there’s a lot of emotion, good and bad, and I think it will be really interesting to watch and see how it unfolds.
How important were first impressions to you from these guys?
AF: You know, actually, no. I was going in thinking that the first impressions were not going to be – not really mean anything to me, honestly, because I’ve always been the type of girl that when I go for a guy, it’s because he has told me a story that’s really interesting or made me laugh by telling a joke. So I thought, you know – well, maybe not a joke but a little bit of a conversation before I decide whether or not I’m interested in him. And,
I don’t know, so I just sort of – I was so nervous that first night that I don’t even know that I remembered a lot of the first impressions, never mind them weighing that much. So, it doesn’t mean – it doesn’t, you know, weigh that heavily.
Were you happy with how the ending of The Bachelorette turned out?
AF: You know, I am happy right now, and I’m really confident with the, like, decisions that I made all along the way and whether it was the third or fifth rose ceremony, fifth one or the last one. I’m really – I don’t have any regrets, and I’m super confident with each decision along the way, and I’m really happy right now.
What was the timeline from leaving The Bachelor and becoming the new Bachelorette?
AF: Right. So, gosh, let me think. So I left the show. I actually – I got the phone call from my company, and, well, actually talked to them about whether or not I could stay or leave hours before the rose ceremony and then I made the choice to leave the show. And I went right back to work that following Monday when I got home. And I believe – I mean, I was approached – it was after I was already off the show as it aired. So it was a while later and it honestly was never something that I ever imagined I’d be asked to do, and I was really shocked when I was asked and nervous when I first asked to do it. And I really don’t know the exact dates or timeline, but by the time I was approached, I feel like I was healed from the show. And actually, in fact, in order to make my decision of whether or not I wanted to become The Bachelorette, I wanted to make sure that I saw the season finale of the Bachelor so I could just have closure with that and be ready to move on with my – with my next adventure.
Have you spoken to any of the former bachelorettes or maybe even Jake, if they had given you any advice or you kind of talked about being the one handing out the roses as opposed to getting them.
AF: I have – I haven’t spoken to Jake at all, actually, not even till this day, but, you know, I actually think – I think there’s a good chance that I may be running into him and his fiancée, Vienna, soon so I hope to talk to them about my journey a little bit. But I did talk to Jillian Harris beforehand and, you know, she really wanted this to be my experience and she just wanted to wish me good luck. And her advice was basically to make sure I had a lot of travel hairspray on hand while we were on the road. So, you know – and she just wanted to just wish me luck and she was really sweet about saying, you know, I’m so glad that you’re the next bachelorette and things like that, and that’s really good to hear from her. And I haven’t actually met her in person, but I hope to in the future.
You were everybody’s number one choice until you got hardcore on Vienna. Are we going to see some of that hardcore Ali this season?
AF: Oh, man. You know, yes, I – last season – and I’ll say it again. I said it before. I cannot apologize enough for my behavior then. I lost my cool, and I am glad that I was able to see that on the show because I wonder a lot about myself and how I should treat others. And, no, I don’t think that I will be treating others badly this season. But we’ll see a little bit, you know, of the bold side of me coming out. And if someone maybe, you know, does something that I don’t think is so great, I’ll let them know. And I’m – for one thing, I can say, so far, I mean, I haven’t seen all the episodes, but I’m very proud of the way I handled situations this season. And I think I would do it all the same way again if I had to.
Now that you are the Bachelorette, do you think that you made the right decision by leaving the show and if – you know, with Jake?
AF: You know, I do think that, at the time, you know, I think it was the right decision in a sense that I don’t think that I’m supposed to be with Jake. I think he found someone, and he’s with Vienna, and they’re happy, and I’m happy for them. But do I think that choosing a job over someone who’s potentially the love of your life, do I think that’s the wrong choice? I do. So, I mean, it’s kind of hard to answer because if I stayed, would I ended up with Jake? I don’t think so. I think he would have ended up with Vienna anyway. So in that sense, I think it’s the right choice, but I’m so glad that now I know that I will never ever make that choice again. And I can
promise you that I won’t.
Do you think you’re ready to have a child? And if so, did that come into play when you were picking guys who might also be ready to get some right away?
AF: Oh, my God. Thank goodness you asked that question. OK, let me clear this up. So there’s some article that I’ve seen out there so far, people suggesting that I want children right away. And, no, that is not the case. I did say to Chris Harrison that if he asked me where I wanted to be in five years, and I say – I said, “I’d like to be pregnant in five years,” meaning that when I’m 30, I would like to be pregnant with my first child. So am I ready for kids now? Absolutely not. I have – I still have a career I want to build and things that I need to accomplish before I’m ready to start a family and, you know, I – think that most of, I guess, the guys probably felt the same way this season. I definitely never made it seem like I wanted to have kids right away and I don’t think they did either. So, yes, thank you so much for asking that question.
Were you happy with the 25 guys that they picked for you?
AF: Wow, that many applied? Why? No, I’m kidding. I’m so – I’m so happy with the 25 guys that I got this season. I mean one thing I said to the producers coming in is I do not want the male model who can’t put two sentences together. I want smart, interesting guys that are going to, you know, just keep me excited about the relationship and who they are and what they bring to the table, and that’s exactly what I got. And I’m so happy with all of them. And I want to thank, I guess, each and every one of them for coming and being there because they made the experience really great for me.
Is it a different set of criteria when you’re up there before each rose ceremony?
AF: That’s a great question. You know, I just really went with the feeling. It was just a feeling I had about each person, and I didn’t really weigh a lot – well, this person has these qualities, and this person has these qualities. I never – I never wanted to compare the guys; I just didn’t think that was fair. And I just more, instead of comparing the guys and their qualities, I compared my feelings for the guys. And, you know, I felt pretty confident each – I felt extremely confident each rose ceremony and the decisions I made. I knew they were the right ones and I never questioned them. The only rose ceremony that I’d say I had any question about at all would be the first one because I had so little time and, you know, you just wonder afterwards, “Oh, if I just had a few more minutes with that person, would I have realized something about them that, you know, I didn’t see before?” And that was the only rose ceremony that was really, really tough in terms of making my decisions. But after that, I just – I really knew what I wanted and the only really hard part was hurting somebody in order to, you know, find my, you know, ending, I guess hopefully find my guy.
What I want to know is now that you’ve gone through this yourself, does it give you sort of an added sense of maybe sympathy or insight into what Jake was going through on The Bachelor?
AF: Absolutely. Gosh, I just remember thinking when I was on The Bachelor, “Gosh, why would Jake be insecure about anything? He has all these girls here, you know, vying for his attention. He has nothing to be concerned about.” Then, you know, being on – being the Bachelorette, I was like, “Oh, my gosh, I get it.” You know, so people can say to me all day, you know, “I’m falling for you,” and, “you’re beautiful,” and all these words. But to me, I always found myself questioning them. You know, is this person being sincere? Do they really care for me? And one thing, you know, that’s really important to me and made it clear to all of the guys as we were going through this was I’m offering you a rose, but you’re accepting it back. Don’t accept it if you don’t want it. And that was really important to me that the guys knew this was serious and not just a game. And I hope they got that. But I have so much more respect for Jake and, you know, and Jillian, and Jason, everyone who has been through this because it’s really difficult. It’s by far the hardest thing I’ve ever done and I, you know – sorry, I just had a thought in head; I lost it. I would do it again but it was very, very difficult.
Were you a fan of the show before you went on The Bachelor and what was your impression of it?
AF: The first season I ever saw of The Bachelor was Jason Mesnick’s season. And I loved it and I thought he was such a great guy and I remember thinking to myself, “Oh, if I could only find a man like that.” And that’s when I applied for the show. I thought, “Why not?” I can’t lose and I really never in a million years thought I would be on it, never mind be the Bachelorette. So, yes, I watched Jason’s season and that’s what that has got me hooked and I guess I fell in love with the idea of falling in love, I don’t know. So, here I am.
What’s something that viewers may be surprised to know about you that may come out on this season?
AF: That’s a good question. I don’t know. I mean, I think people might be a little – I think, you know, and I saw that actually Chris Harrison touched on this on one of his blogs. I have the same insecurities that, you know, every other girl has. And, I mean, I consider myself like a confident independent woman and there are so many things about myself that I’m proud of and feel good about; but there’s also – I still have those insecurities that if I love someone, are they going to love me back. And I’ve been through – I’ve been in a lot of relationships where I have put my heart out there and I have been completely in love and, well, actually, I think – you know, I have been completely in love and that person didn’t love me back. So, that was a fear of mine and I think that weighed heavily, like, on my heart this season.
When you watch the episodes and you see that things that went on when you weren’t there, would you have liked to have known some of that stuff? Would any of that have changed any decisions you made?
AF: I’ve also seen the first two episodes so far. But, you know, and I’ve seen some teasers – a few – a little bit of footage of teasers and there are some things that I wish I had known that I didn’t get to see. You know, you’ll see – I guess, early on, in the first episode, there’s – I get to hear people’s opinions on different guys on the house. And, you know, there’s a couple where I was like, “I wonder why they’re pointing him out.” And, you know, I guess – either way, it might have changed my journey, I guess, along the way but I don’t think the ending would have been different. So, it’s OK that I didn’t see those things.
Were you confident that this could be it and you have really found the one on The Bachelorette?
AF: Oh, I was so confident going into this that I could find my husband on the show. I would not have done this show otherwise. When I was first approached to be The Bachelorette, I actually had a lot of concerns. I was so happy in my career, my job; and I love being in San Francisco and I just didn’t know if it was the right choice. And I had a conversation with my best friends that I’m living with now, and they said to me, you know, “If you find your husband on this show, nothing else matters.” And that’s when I knew being on the show was the right choice. And I was absolutely confident from night one that my husband was going to be in that room and I’d like to think I kept that confidence.
Regrets from The Bachelor?
AF: You know, I don’t – the only thing I really regret honestly is – I mean, I regret making the choice. Like, it’s hard to explain because I do regret making the choice to choose work over love but I know Jake isn’t the right one for me so I know that was supposed to happen even though I don’t think it was the right choice. Does that make sense? And then I absolutely regret, you know, my relationship with Vienna and how that turned out. I mean, there’s no question. We’re both to blame in that situation and I take a lot of responsibility for it. And I do
feel bad about it. And I would – can I say that I don’t lose my cool on The Bachelorette? I think I might lose my cool slightly to be honest but for the right reason.
