Jillian is here for the right reasons

via: http://www.dose.ca/tv/interviews/story.html?id=5e8e9de0-d3ec-4229-8590-5a414d00c952

In only ten minutes, Jillian Harris has said "there for the right reasons" three times.

The first time, she's waving off the idea that some of her potential suitors on The Bachelorette are more concerned with winning than they are with developing a relationship with her.

"It's natural to have a competitive flair when you're doing something like this," she admits. "But the guys who were there for the right reasons understood that it wasn't a competition."

This isn't entirely surprising; the cliched phrase is practically the catchphrase for the latest installment of The Bachelorette. The words are spoken by different people several times an episode, as some of the beefed-up beaus accuse others of being less interested in winning Harris' heart and more concerned with the exposure the ultra-cheesy dating show provides. For Monday's episode, in which 29-year-old Harris found out that some of the guys may already have girlfriends, if any viewer took a shot of vodka every time someone said "he's not there for the right reasons," they would likely have died of alcohol poisoning before the hour was up.

Of course, cliches and grand romantic gestures are just par for the course for The Bachelorette; they're part of what makes the show such a success with viewers. But there's still the sense that if you spoke to any of the participants off camera, they would revert to their normal selves.

This is what makes Harris' repeating of "there for the right reasons" a bit unsettling. She can't possibly be this cheesy in real life, can she? Weren't there times when she wanted to roll her eyes at all the serenading and premature declarations of love?

"Oh, absolutely," the native Albertan says. "All the time! I signed up for it knowing that it is super cheesy, but there's times where you're like, 'I don't want to do this! I can't believe I signed up for this!'"

Not a moment later, however, Harris is back to spouting the romantic adages so prevalent on The Bachelorette.

"But, in the end, you know the whole thing about how you have to slay a couple of dragons to get to the prince?" she says, referring to her oft-repeated attitude on love. "I really do think that if I want to find what I'm looking for, which is something so incredible, I don't think it's going to come easy. I think it comes in a forum like this, where you have to go through some ups and downs and you have to go through a bit of drama, and you're much, much more grateful for what you have in the end."

Granted, Harris is still under contract, so it isn't as though she will admit The Bachelorette is hokey and sets up unrealistic expectations. However, it is hard to believe that the best way to find love is through a reality dating show where romance becomes a competition - especially when the previous 14 seasons of The Bachelor and The Bachelorette have resulted in 13 breakups and only one marriage.

Harris acknowledges the show's shoddy track record, but insists that she tries to avoid getting swept away by the over-the-top romanticism and keep her expectations realistic.

"People get engaged on this show, or they get proposed to or they start a long-term commitment, when, in real life, they might only be at that point where they say, 'I really like you and I really want to start a relationship with you.' A lot of those relationships don't work," she says. "I think there's a lot of pressure. I don't know how people have dealt with it in the past, but all I know is that if there is a special somebody, I feel like I have a good head on my shoulders and all I can do is hope for the best."

But as earnest and enthusiastic as she is toward the entire Bachelorette process, there are still moments when Jillan Harris The Person finally comes through, like when she talks about going back to her old life when the show is over.

"I am a little bit of a ham so I always thought I would love being the centre of attention, but I can't wait for the day that comes that I can just sit in my backyard and crack a beer and sit with my special someone and I don't have to do an interview or be on TV again!" she says, laughing.

Harris admits that she's struggling to adapt to her newfound fame.

"The hardest part is accepting that everybody has an opinion and they're entitled to their opinion," she says. "I wish that I could reach out to every blogger and ever viewer and explain to them why I did what I did."

She does try to clarify a few things. Why did she eliminate Juan, the corny bachelor with whom she seemed to hit it off?

"Juan is an absolute doll. He's successful; he's gorgeous; he was there for the right reasons." (That's two.) "Juan said so many wonderful things and cared about me so much, but I felt like our relationship was just a little too serious and I'm looking for something a little more playful."

OK, but perhaps a more pressing question would be: why hasn't she dumped Tanner P., who exhibits a near-pathological obsession with her feet?

"If that's the worst thing I have to deal with in a husband, then that's fine," she insists. "The thing is, Tanner's heart is in the right place. He's there for the right reasons."

(Aaand that makes three.)

All mocking aside, however, it's difficult to begrudge Harris the glee she feels about how The Bachelorette will end. Her methods may be unorthodox and it may be too early to tell if it will last, but for the moment, she seems happy.

"The final outcome of the show, I'm extremely, extremely happy about," she gushes. "I don't know how to put into words how happy I am. I'm at a place I've never been in my entire life."