Jake Pavelka and Vienna Girardi scored major headlines in June when they split, but host of “The Bachelor” and “The Bachelorette” franchises, Chris Harrison, thinks the former couple is going to regret the very public way they handled their break-up.
“They both made such major mistakes,” Chris told Billy Bush on Monday for Access Hollywood and “The Billy Bush Show.”
Chris said he thinks both parties are equally to blame for the messy way their split was handled – Vienna sold her story to a tabloid, Jake told his to People and the two sparred in a reunion on national television that saw Vienna storm off in tears.
“I think she’s young, she’s inexperienced and I think she made mistakes that later on in life, she’ll be like, ‘OK, that was silly,’” Chris said. “He’s done incredibly silly, kind of self-centered things.
“I think they both threw dynamite into this well,” the reality host continued. “I don’t think there’s a winner or loser. You have a couple that broke up. I don’t think there was anyone in the right or wrong here. They both have plenty of blame to go around.”
When asked if the two parties loved the fame that came with being on “The Bachelor” franchise, Chris told Billy one of them sure did – Jake — but the other was more along for the ride – Vienna.
“I don’t think she wants [fame], I don’t think she hates it and doesn’t enjoy it, I think she enjoyed some of the things that they did,” Chris told Billy. “Jake obviously much more so — loves the limelight, loves the Hollywood life, whether you call him a fame wh***, whatever, which Vienna did, I think that might be a little strong, but he definitely enjoys what has come his way after the show.”
Beyond “The Bachelor,” his stint on “Dancing with the Stars” Season 10 and his upcoming role on Lifetime’s “Drop Dead Diva,” Jake will return to his “Bachelor” roots later this summer. Chris revealed the pilot will make an appearance on ABC’s next arm of the franchise – “The Bachelor Pad.”
“He does have a small part in the show…. He is involved in a very small way,” Chris said. “But he’s not a cast member of the show.”
The show brings together former cast members from both “The Bachelor” and “The Bachelorette,” but don’t expect fancy wine-style evenings.
“It’s not really a wine show, it’s more of a margarita show,” Chris said. “It’s late summer, don’t think too hard, fun television.”
“The Bachelor Pad” premieres on ABC on August 9.
Copyright © 2024 by NBC Universal, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
This material may not be republished, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.