Chillin' with Kovacs (from Bachelor Pad)

Okay, okay, I know it's the off-season for The Bachelor and I'm supposed to be giving you a break from all my Bachelor-related drivel. But if I got to hang out with someone from the show, that would be drivel-worthy, right? Because, I totally did...

Hey, look at that! It's me... with Jesse Kovacs from Jillian's season of The Bachelorette and from the first season of Bachelor Pad.


The radio station I've been doing Bachelor recaps for hosted a Girls' Night Out event and he was the special guest. Before the event, they hosted a VIP party with Jesse. And apparently I'm a VIP!  (Shut up. It does not stand for "Very Irritating Person".)


I really didn't know what to expect. For as much as I'm willing to share on my blog... or the fact that I have zero fear of public speaking... when I actually have to interact with three-dimensional humans, I get a little nervous. Fine, a lot nervous. Which either results in me saying nothing at all... or saying something completely outside the realm of social convention. Luckily, Savannah agreed to go with me. Whew! Because otherwise I probably would have sat in my car for a half hour trying to work up the courage to go in alone.


Except Savannah's kids got pneumonia and, because she's done such a good job of teaching them to share, she got it too.


So, an hour before the VIP party, I was dateless and dangerously close to just going home. But, I'd bought a new jeans. And, after a considerable amount of begging on my part, my friend Brittney graciously moved a couple of things around in her schedule and was able to meet me and make sure I didn't cower in the corner the whole time. She couldn't get there right at the beginning though, so that's why I sat in my car for a half hour trying to work up the courage to go in alone.


Luckily, it was a pretty small gathering. Like, 20 people. And Jesse? Seemingly regular.


I know, I know. "But Audreya... you spent his whole season of the Bachelor Pad saying he was part of the Douchebag Triumvirate..."  Well, yes, I did. But mostly because he's skinnier than me. Yeah, let's go with that.
Anyway, I did expect him to be rather cocky or "too cool" for the whole thing. I just imagine most of the people who go on this show are all "Of course you want to meet me. I was on The Bachelor!" I was only around the dude for an hour, so -who knows- maybe he is like that... but he didn't come off that way. Just seemed like a cool enough guy. Not shy but not "in your face" either.


Everyone at the party got a chance to ask him a question in a Chris Harrison "sit across from each other and tell me your deepest, darkest secrets" format. I don't remember all the questions, but the one that stuck out to me was why he went on the show. Answer: He was approached to be on the show, he didn't apply. That's the case with almost all the men -and a lot of the women- who are on the show. A talent agent or someone from the production company sees them out and about, thinks they have the right look and don't seem like a dud, so the agent asks if they'd be interested. He thought it would be something fun to do.


Super awesome side note: Brittney was approached when she lived in Austin. She went through the casting process and was getting ready to fly to LA to be on Brad's (first) season. But she met a guy right before she left, she had that "feeling" about him, so she backed out of The Bachelor. Good thing, since she married that guy a few months ago! Nevertheless, she and Jesse had fun chatting about how Brad is a douche. Jesse's words, not mine. Except, after Brad's second season, I totally believe it. He's still incredibly hot, but...


Anyway, of course I used my question to ask about the behind-the-scenes stuff. As I've said before, there are two kinds of people who watch The Bachelor: the hopeless romantics who want to watch a love story and tend to believe most of what they are see on the show... and the people who like a good train wreck and watch for entertainment value more than anything else. Obviously I'm the latter. Plus, I enjoy seeing what they spliced together, skewed a certain way, etc. I'm under no delusions that reality TV is real. Jesse confirmed that.

I asked him how much of it was a producer saying "Go here, say this..." or "Ask so and so about this..." He said a huge part of it was. That, from the first night, there was a guy on set with a laptop, crafting each cast member's "story line" as different things played out. And that they were constantly being told "Hey, you and Dave should go over here and talk to Jillian..." and that sort of thing. Again, all stuff I already knew, but just nice to hear it from someone who lived it.