“It never ceases to amaze me who watches this show and who loves it. I went up to Kesha because I’m a huge fan and I respect her very much, I’m like, 'Hey, I want to introduce myself,'” Chris Harrison told Refinery29 over the phone last week. The Bachelor impresario was thinking back to the evening his newest Bachelor Nation hit, singing competition/musician matchmaking service Listen to Your Heart, hosted pop star Kesha — along with folky bro singer-songwriter Jason Mraz and Bachelor Nation royalty Jojo Fletcher and Jordan Rodgers — as a guest judge.
“She’s like, 'Oh my God! I’m such a fan. I’m such a huge part of a Bachelor Nation! I would be the Bachelorette,'” Harrison continued with a still-surprised laugh. “I’m like, Wait. What. What world am I living in?”
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As Harrison continued to detail the behind-the-scenes secrets of Listen, it became clear Kesha’s Bachelor Nation extreme fandom — and Bachelorette bid — isn’t even the most shocking revelation to come out of the new series. Instead, Harrison’s voice swerved into its signature “This Is Serious” gravel when he pondered the future of new Bachelor lightning rod Julia Rae and her “love square” with Brandon Mills, Sheridan Reed, and Savannah Mullins.
Still, it sounds like a classic Bachelor Nation happy ending might be the ultimate ending of Listen to Your Heart (yes, that means we're talking proposals). Neil Lane, are you ready with that engagement ring? Here's what else Harrison had to say:
Refinery29: Is there anything you want to tease going into “Week 4?”
Chris Harrison: “Monday night is off the charts.I don’t know if we’ve ever had a moment like that with anybody like we do with Julia and Sheridan and Brandon. It is just fascinating.”
How do you think holding off on the performances influenced these relationships?
“As you watch, even Monday [night‘s episode], it’s not the performance you’re really into. It’s Sheridan, Julia, Brandon, Savannah. This crazy love square-triangle thing. These two, Brandon and Julia, they’re wild. Maybe they deserve each other. I’m not really sure what’s going on. I don’t know if we’ve had a character ever in the history of any of our shows like Julia.”
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If you’re just performing, or if you’re there using somebody just to stay, you’re going to be found out.
Chris Harrison
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You’ve met Brandon. What makes him such a hot commodity for the Listen women?
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“They all seem to think he’s incredibly attractive. He has that military background, he’s a Man’s Man. He has that kind raw attraction. You would probably know better than me, but the women seem to be taken by him.”
The Julia-Brandon-Savannah-Sheridan drama was signaled in the premiere. But are there any couples that have surprised you? Ryan Neal seems surprised by his relationship with Natascha Bessez.
“They’re definitely a couple you didn’t see coming. Jason Mraz was funny, because he was like, Ahh, I hope you’re okay being in the background, because Natascha’s the star here. They're both incredibly talented. That’s what’s cool about the show: When Rudi opens her mouth, I’m like, Damn. Are you kidding me? That girl has some pipes.”
There is obviously a lot of drama, but should we expect that Listen is heading towards a proposal like other Bachelor properties? Is Neil Lane coming with his briefcase?
“That’s the goal. The goal is to have a couple at the end of this that is madly in love, if not many. But at least one super power couple that wins this and will go off and create beautiful love and beautiful music together. That hopefully will include Neil Lane.”
What should fans plan to see as we head towards the finale?
“Each week the performances get bigger and more important. Obviously, the couples are now being pared down by the judges. They decide who stays and who goes. The level of drama, the level of intimacy, the level of everything, grows with these performances each week.
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“What also will change is these relationships. You can’t fake it. If you’re there just performing, or if you’re there using somebody just to stay, you’re going to be found out. With these judges, it’s really evident. When you see a Chris and Bri [type of couple] perform, you’re like, Okay, these two are into each other. There’s no question. When you see a couple that’s just not into each other, they’re just going through the paces, I don’t care how good they are — they’re going to be sent home.”
By the way, your outfit in “Week 3” was the snazziest I have seen you look in the three years I’ve been watching Bachelor Nation content. The textured jacket!
“That’s Cary Fetman. That’s always Cary Fetman, my stylist. He is an amazing man who’s been with me, well, I actually think since Trista Sutter's Bachelorette season. We thought, Let’s shake things up a little bit, like we do in Paradise. You’re on the beach, it’s not so formal, let’s have a little fun. We thought the same thing with this. It’s a little rock n’ roll. Let’s have some fun with it and loosen up.”
This interview has been edited and condensed.
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