How The Bachelor's Kelsey Responded to This Week's Dramatic Episode

By Maggie Panos
ABC
ABC

The Bachelor can be awkward at times, but the past two episodes were exceptionally uncomfortable. Spoiler alert: controversial contestant Kelsey Poe left rose-less this week, but the drama started on last week's episode. Let's review before we get to Kelsey's reaction to Bachelor Chris Soules's decision to let her go.

Realizing she might be in danger of being kicked off, Kelsey showed up on Chris's doorstep — this is against the rules, but pretty much everyone does it anyway — to tell him "her story." Kelsey's husband died suddenly in May 2013, and while I think we can all agree that being widowed at 28 is absolutely terrible, Kelsey came off as borderline delusional on the episode. Of course, ABC could be guilty of some fancy editing (cue the villain music), but Kelsey also said some undeniably creepy things to the camera after sharing her story with Chris. She also collapsed of a panic attack at the end of the episode. Here's the footage of her telling Chris about her widowhood, making out with him, then saying to the camera: "Isn't my story amazing? It's tragic, but it's amazing."

As you can see, this doesn't look good for Kelsey. Three days before the episode aired, she preemptively posted about it on Facebook:

Then during the episode, she posted this:

She then tried to clarify her comment about her own "amazing" story:

Then things got personal:

And she posted a note from her sister:

Three days before the next episode, she posted this:

Then this:

This week's episode picked up right where things left off: in the middle of Kelsey's panic attack. She recovered — after joking with the paramedic that her emergency should definitely secure her a rose — and indeed, she made it through the rose ceremony. She earned the dreaded two-on-one date with Ashley I., and both girls were confident. However, after Ashley I. told Chris that she and the other girls thought Kelsey was "fake," Chris ended up asking them both to leave. Here's Kelsey confronting Ashley I. about what she said to Chris:

Kelsey, who had seemed incredibly confident about her destiny to be with Chris, let a single tear escape before Chris took off in a helicopter, leaving her with her nemesis, Ashley I., in the middle of a desert with only a bed to comfort them. (I'm not making this up.) The day after the episode aired, she posted a link to a story about a viewing party she attended for the episode:

The article (which you can read here) contains quotes from Kelsey, who addressed the crowd. Here are some of the highlights:

  • She called her experience "a rough ride," but a "blessing in disguise."
  • Regarding her husband's death: "He died at a young age. That wasn't amazing. That was tragic. That still breaks my heart. What's amazing is the love that I had with him. What's amazing is that he helped me become who I am today because of the man that he was and the character he had. What makes my life amazing is that I picked up the pieces of my shattered life and I put them back together. I still have the capacity in my heart to love again."
  • On her tough moments on the show: "That's humanity. It can't all be roses, dress up, hair weaves, and fake lashes."
  • On her upcoming trip to France: "I'm blessed with the ability to express myself and use my words. I noticed my blog was starting to have an impact. But if you're going to be a writer, you might as well be a writer in Paris."

This isn't the last we'll see of Kelsey; she'll appear on a special two-night episode of The Bachelor next week, talking to Chris Harrison about her experience. If you're in need of more information — and aren't we all? — here's where to find the rest of the contestants on social media.