Not everything is coming up roses for Ben Higgins and Lauren Bushnell, as viewers witnessed in the first two episodes of Freeform’s Ben & Lauren: Happily Ever After?.
In the October 11 premiere episode, Bushnell became distressed over Higgins’ Bachelor runner-up JoJo Fletcher’s unending presence in their lives, and on last week’s episode, the couple faced tension over the decision to have a televised wedding. With this much arguing, fans may get the impression that the Bachelor magic is nearing its expiration.
“Yeah, [the show’s edit is] not always fair, and we’ll watch it and be like, ‘It’s not like that!'” Higgins, 28, tells Us Weekly exclusively of seeing his and Bushnell’s seemingly constant bickering on the show.
Bushnell, 26, really felt the criticism following the series premiere, which featured her reluctance to attend Fletcher’s “After the Final Rose” taping. “You know, the first episode was tough because I think people were like, ‘Oh, gosh, Lauren, you were so confident on The Bachelor, and now you come off as insecure,’” the flight attendant admits to Us. “I am a human being at the end of the day. I’m no different! I have struggles. I have insecurities. Ben and I have struggles.”
Her fiancé is also hoping to shift the public perception of them a bit. “I am excited for them to see Lauren’s funny side, her goofy side. I’m excited for them to see my side that’s not as bland and vanilla. Because that’s us!” he insists. (No offense, Ben, but we’ll believe it when we see it.)
To decide whether or not Lauren is actually goofy and Ben is truly vanilla, watch Ben & Lauren: Happily Ever After? on Freeform Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET.