Coming from experience! Desiree Hartsock joined Us Weekly’s “Here for the Right Reasons” podcast to recap the Monday, January 18, episode of The Bachelor — and shed some light into how Sarah Trott may have been feeling before she exited the season early.
“Viewers are too quick to say, ‘You signed up for it,’” the season 9 Bachelorette dished. “You don’t sign up for something that you are unaware of how you are going to react. As viewers, it’s very easy to look at someone and be like, ‘I wouldn’t do that.’ But you don’t know because you’ve never been in their shoes. So, it’s important as viewer to think like that.”
During Monday’s episode, Sarah made waves with the other women after she crashed their group date for more time with Matt, 29. After getting backlash, the former broadcast journalist isolated herself from the other contestants for two days and when she tried to apologize, the ladies wouldn’t hear it. Sarah subsequently eliminated herself from the competition for Matt’s heart.
Desiree, who met husband Chris Siegfried on her 2013 season, told Us that she “admired” Sarah for being able to “identify” that the show isn’t for her.
“She took her own mental health more seriously than just getting the man. I think that was very brave,” the wedding dress designer said. “I don’t think it’s fair for the girls to attack her in that sense, but we’re are also seeing a side of Sarah that they didn’t see. They didn’t get to see her crying about other things like her father [who is battling ALS]. They are only seeing the time she’s taking away from them.”
While Sarah is gone, Matt still has more than a dozen women left — and more arriving next week. The Wake Forest alum has also been open about the fact that he’s never been in love before, which concerns Desiree.
“I’m worried for him, to be honest. Just because a lot happens [on the show] and if you’re experiencing love with multiple people for the first time falling in love, imagine what he’s going to have to process,” she said on the podcast. “And will he able to process the difference of love and lust and being able to process, like, is this a lasting relationship? Or is this just someone I like because we have great conversations?”
For a complete recap of Monday’s episode of The Bachelor with Desiree — including why she thinks it’s a disadvantage that Matt’s never been on the show as a contestant before — listen to this week’s “Here for the Right Reasons” podcast.