‘Bachelorette’ Kaitlyn Bristowe: ‘I Don’t Judge Others By Their Choices’
Bachelorette fans have known since the start of the season that Kaitlyn Bristowe slept with Nick Viall. Anticipating the dramatic moment, Bristowe told an interviewer back in May that people would “relate” to her, even if she did receive some criticism. Now that the moment has arrived, Bristowe has gotten a great deal of social media hate.
She’s now pleading with the Bachelorette audience for some patience and understanding.
On her blog for People, Bristowe said intimacy is very private to her. But on The Bachelorette, nothing is private. She also emphasized that being responsible for so many relationships at once is very difficult. They progress differently. In order to survive as The Bachelorette, “you HAVE TO compartmentalize relationships.”
“At the end of the day, I am a 30 year-old woman who was trying to make this experience as real as possible. I challenge anyone to go through this on national television and not make a mistake. It’s impossible. And I know I’m not the first or last to go through something like this, and I would hope people could keep that in mind and not be so quick to judge. I don’t judge others by their choices be it having sex or practicing abstinence. To each their own.”
In a separate piece, People reported that Bristowe still insists people could understand her situation if they tried, but the drama of The Bachelorette gets in the way.
“I know so many people can relate, but it’s so easy for them to judge at the same time. It’s easier to judge than to relate to my situation!”
For his part, Nick Viall expressed his support for Kaitlyn and their choice to be intimate.
Sex is not shameful. Whether we admit it or not, sex is important part of many serious and meaningful relationships #TheBachelorette
— Nick Viall (@viallnicholas28) June 23, 2015
Despite what we have been led to believe, both men & women have an emotional connection to sex that we all should respect.#TheBachelorette
— Nick Viall (@viallnicholas28) June 23, 2015
Former Bachelor contestant Sharleen Joynt wrote on her blog that the Nick and Kaitlyn scenario — indeed the entire program — could have any number of producers pulling the strings. Contestants could be given copious amounts of alcohol or prompted repeatedly to use certain words during interviews. Joynt then took aim at the venom spewed towards Bristowe.
“As a friend of Kaitlyn’s, I ask you to ask yourself: if you believe you would make different choices in her shoes, does it make it alright to condemn her for hers?… Is Kaitlyn any different as a leading lady than she was as a contestant, when you liked her and were rooting for her?”
The Bachelorette airs Mondays on ABC.
[Image: abcallaccess.com]
