“Chantal quite possibly would have been our Bachelorette, if she hadn’t not, quote-unquote,’ fallen in love with some goofball in Seattle,” Bachelore/Bachelorette creator and producer Mike Fleiss tells Entertainment Weekly. “I’m sure they’ll be together forever.”
When Chantal turned ABC down, the network had to go with their second choice — Ashley.
“She’s kind of cool, she’s spunky and she’s got a lot personality,” says Mike.
“It’s also the first time we had an actual professional woman as a Bachelorette,” adds Mike. “She’s not a party planner, she’s a dentist!” Ashley will finish up her studies at the University of Pennsylvania after filming The Bachelorette and before she starts practicing.
“That’s a good step for us,” says Mike. “I think it’s a cool good lesson for young ladies out there to see an accomplished woman still struggling to put the personal side of her life together. That’s something a lot of women can relate to. She will be a different kind of Bachelorette!”
You can say that again! But what about Chantal — how is her love life working out with her new man, Jeff Razore?
“I think because of my experience, it’s allowed me to be where I am now and be in a relationship,” Chantal tells People.
BFFs — would you have rather seen Chantal as The Bachelorette instead of Ashley?