Wes Hayden, The Bachelorette’s “baddest boy of them all,” just wrapped up a guys’ weekend in Austin with some other former contestants from the show.
“Tanner [Pope,] who lives in Dallas, drove up while Mike [Stagliano] and David [Good] and the rest of the guys flew in to have a good time and see me,” Hayden tells PEOPLE. “I loved hanging out with the guys. We had a great time.”
Amid rumors that Ed Swiderski was cheating on "The Bachelorette," this season's chosen man was spotted enjoying a late-night snack with his fiancée Jillian Harris in Las Vegas on Friday night.
The couple chilled out over drinks and appetizers at the restaurant LAVO around 11 p.m., says People.com. During their 90-minute stay, Jillian and Ed noshed, drank wine and held hands while talking. And they apparently had an incredible view, seated on the eatery's outdoor patio high above the Vegas strip.
After a heart-wrenching elimination, Reid Rosenthal returned to Hawaii on the season finale of The Bachelorette at the last minute to try and win back the affection of Jillian Harris. And he thought it would work, he told host Chris Harrison on Tuesday’s “After the Final Rose” special.
But as more than ten million viewers witnessed, Harris let the 30-year-old Philadelphia realtor down gently, confessing that she was in love with somebody else — Chicago computer software consultant Ed Swiderski.
Even though two months have past since the finale was shot in Hawaii, Rosenthal confesses to PEOPLE that his feelings for Harris haven’t gone away. “When I saw her [at the "After the Final Rose" special], feelings came back,” he tells PEOPLE. “But everything happens for a reason. That’s the way I think in life and just knowing that makes everything easier.”
via: People Magazine, http://tvwatch.people.com/2009/06/29/the-bachelorettes-tanner-p-they-called-me-king-dong/
While the P in Tanner P stands for Pope, it could have just as easily stood for podophiliac (aka foot fetishist) and prankster as he was simply one of the most amusing suitors to ever step foot in The Bachelorette mansion. Post-eviction, the 30-year-old financial analyst discussed Jillian’s feet and his own “manties” from his home in Dallas, Texas. — Carrie Bell
You didn’t seem that bummed out when you didn’t get a rose.
I pretty much knew it was coming. We didn’t have any chemistry. We went the friendship route. It wasn’t that disheartening, but you hate to lose a good girl like that. So smart, attractive, successful — and her personality and everything.
It was a bold move to drop trou on a group date.
We were all talking about what we wear [to bed] and I just felt like, I’ve been kind of the comedian of this whole thing. I’m just going to bust out and show her my manties.
Everyone seemed impressed with what they saw. Be honest, did you stuff?
Negative. I was just blessed. All the guys knew [already] because we had outdoor showers. They called me King Dong.
You were also very open about your foot fetish.
Fetish sounds dirty and risqué to me. I just think it’s hot when a girl has pretty feet. But it’s not a deal breaker.
You were the one who told Jillian that someone had a girlfriend back home. Why not go all the way and name names?
When me and Wes first moved into the bunkhouse there was a lot of conversation going on. He’s joking around about, “Hey, you know, I’ve got a girl back home.” I didn’t know whether to take that seriously or not. The whole “girlfriend” thing may have gotten blown out of proportion, so I never wanted to tell Jillian 100% [that it was Wes]. But there was definitely stuff going around that was not right, and I felt like I needed to let her know.
Why ultimately come clean to the others that you were the snitch?
That’s the right thing to do. I didn’t want that blame to fall on, like Juan or Dave or somebody else. It was my responsibility so I took it.
How do you feel about Wes considering he may have been there for the wrong reasons?
Wes has obviously got some things going as far as his band. But we were actually good friends on the show. Wes is a good guy. He’s a talented singer. I don’t go that route whenever I approach a girl but that’s who Wes is.
What was your reaction to Ed’s decision to leave?
That was a complete shock because I thought Ed was one of the front-runners. Him and Jillian had something real special. When Ed was around, her eyes sparkled. We were in the middle of Canada, and he pretty much said, “You know what? I’ve got to leave. I’ve got a great job at Microsoft.” I understand completely, a great job like that, but I don’t see how he got himself in that situation. He knew he was going to to be gone for up to two months.
Now that you are back home, how have people responded to your taste for toes? And are they like, “It’s Tanner from The Bachelorette with the big you-know-what!”
Yes, with the big package. Dallas is kind of the mecca for reality show junkies, and I’ve taken lots and lots of pictures with girls and their feet. They’re like, “Hey, how do you like my feet? Take a picture with me and my feet.”
At the time, I remember there being some tension in the house, but not that much! Remember — anything that I don’t see — I don’t know about… so I had no idea of the magnitude of conflict that was going on. It’s times like those that I really wish I had a secret little camera to get the inside scoop. That way I would have stormed right in there and put a stop to all that nonsense. On to a more positive topic … the dates this week were over the top… literally! My date with Ed was truly the definition of “living on the edge.” At the time, Ed seemed so easy-breezy about going over the edge of that building, but he later revealed to me that he was a nervous wreck! The best part about Ed moving into the house was his house attire — Ed would lounge around the mansion like he owned the place, wearing a silk robe and cucumber eye masks (and later on, drinking blended margaritas at 8 a.m. with Robbie!) For the record, some of the kisses on the western date were really awkward (sorry guys!). But I totally appreciated how the guys were all really going for it, and I had fun being a good sport! I am so not an actress, so the scene work was nerve-racking for me. It wasn’t until the last scene that Robbie D was finally able to calm my nerves a bit. He put me at ease, and dealt with his scene with such class. I was really proud of him, and had a blast acting with him. That’s why I gave him the rose. Actually, thinking back, I was also very proud of Tanner for sporting that ridiculous costume. The poor guy was last to be “outfitted,” and that was all that was left He was such a good sport about it — even when I made fun of his furry chaps. That week, unfortunately, ended with me having to deny Sasha the rose on our date. This was an extremely hard situation for me. I knew at the time, there were other men in the house that were “less perfect” for me, but I also knew it wasn’t fair to keep Sasha if I didn’t feel the connection. Sasha is such a great guy, and I was touched by all that he shared regarding his accident. Still, I wanted to be fair, and that meant ending the date with disappointment for both of us.
Thank you again, for tuning in every week. As time goes on I can promise you even more romance, laughter, adventure and yes… even more kissing … (sigh)
Yours truly,
Jilly
