Chris Harrison Calls Out Media and Some Fans for Going "Too Far"

Everything in life is a trade-off. When it comes to The Bachelor and The Bachelorette, contestants have a chance to travel the world, make new friends, gain a little fame, and maybe find love. They also have to deal with tabloid stories that launch a thousand unvarnished opinions from bloggers and fans about the merits of these insta-stars.

Well Chris  Harrison  isn’t too happy about it. Our favorite Rosemaster has been more vocal about his frustrations with the media since Brad Womack’s Bachelor Season 15, and now again with Ashley Hebert’s Bachelorette Season 7. In fact, in a new Entertainment Weekly blog he definitely isn’t timid about pointing blame when it comes to Brad’s split from his chosen one Emily Maynard, which we’ll hear more about on July 11. Here’s an excerpt:

“Both Brad and Emily completely understand the public attention. After all they got engaged in front of millions of you on national TV. Emily and I will discuss this fact but we will also touch on how the media and even some fans have taken things a bit too far and have crossed the line of decency. This is unfortunately part of our lives now. In this day and age of tabloid magazines that go to incredibly desperate lengths to stir up a story, bloggers who have absolutely no culpability for what they write and paparazzi that could care less about the people they are hunting down, there is a scary atmosphere out there for people on our show as well as others. Ashley is unfortunately getting a first hand lesson on this as well. I just sat down with her this week in preparation for the Men Tell All special airing later this month. She too has felt the wrath of the media and even fans concerning her handling of the Bentley [Williams] situation. It’s hard to explain to people that despite what they saw, Ashley did not see any of what Bentley was saying behind the scenes. She had that initial warning from Michelle Money to begin with, but even Michelle said she wasn’t sure how valid the info was. So while Ashley had some trepidation it wasn’t anything that would make her run for the hills. Add that to the fact that the guy was smooth and essentially played her, and she actually handled the situation quite well. In the end you have to remember she came to the same conclusion you did. She figured out the guy wasn’t legit and has major issues. Ashley’s journey is really just about to take off and from here on out this season is fantastic. In some ways it’s just beginning for her and for the guys.”

Four months ago, during The Bachelor, we published a poll asking readers how they feel about tabloid gossip. The most votes went to “I don’t want to read the one-sided, negative stories that come out.” However, OMG-worthy stories like those often become the most popular across the web.

So here’s another question: Do you feel sorry for the contestants that have to deal with possibly fabricated tabloid stories and fan backlash, or do you think they should know what they could be signing up for when they go on this show?

Source: Entertainment Weekly

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