Chris Harrison Says "Don't Believe Brad!" TV DivaGal Exclusive!

By Delaina Dixon | December 22, 2010 | Entertainment

Yep, you read it here first. Even host Chris Harrison has a hard time believing that new/old Bachelor Brad Womack is sincere in his quest to find love among 25 would-be rose recipients when The Bachelor returns Jan. 3.

Brad, the infamous Bachelor who dumped both women at his final Rose ceremony in 2007, left millions across America screaming at their TV sets. It sent Brad running for therapy, he has said, and shying away from the dating scene for the past three years.

Now that the Texas bar owner has returned for round two, the TV DivaGal is seriously wondering, should we even bother to give Brad a chance to prove he’s changed his wayward ways?

Here’s what Chris had to say about that in our exclusive one-on-one!

This season is being branded as very controversial. Do you agree?

In my mind it’s not controversial at all. I never had a problem with what Brad did in the first place. I kind of had the impression that he walked away because it just wasn’t right, and he wasn’t in love. Fine, if you didn’t feel it, you didn’t feel it. I would rather you walk away than have a fake proposal. I think it wasn’t until later that Brad realized why he did what he did. Brad really found out it was because he was flawed and dealing with abandonment issues with his father. Him coming back is controversial for the fans. There’s a lot of skepticism and even a little anger that Brad is our Bachelor.

Should viewers believe that Brad is sincere this time about this process and finding love?

No, you should not believe him. I didn’t, nor did the girls. You definitely can’t take the guy for what he says. I told Brad this and for the 50th time, he told me he was a changed man. I said I heard that right before you walked Jenni Croft and DeAnna Pappas up that aisle. The thing about this season is there’s really only way for Brad to prove that he’s different, and that’s not going to be until the very end of the process.

So that sense of skepticism is evident from the women this season?

The women got out of the limo skeptical. That’s what kind of sets this season off on a roller coaster ride. That first night, Brad’s just getting hammered. I think, deep down, he might have thought it would go like that, but I don’t think he was prepared for how mentally exhausting this would be for him. Not only constantly being the Bachelor, but proving every step of the way that he’s genuine and sincere. And while the girls wanna believe and they got kind of caught up in it, there’s always this underlying thought, “Is this real?” I think their skepticism was very real.

Didn’t the Bachelorettes think there’s no way the show would let Brad not pick someone in the final Rose ceremony?

There’s no such thing as the show would never let him. There’s no contract or gun to his head. That’s the great part of our show and the scariest part. All those other reality competition shows, you know at the end there’s going to be a winner. On The Bachelor, you have no idea how it’s going to end, and that’s why it’s so compelling. A network as powerful as ABC has no decision how the show ends.

Of course, Brad has already revealed he’s in love.

Yes, he’s in love. I think he did an incredible job. I’m a friend of Brad’s and going through this was very difficult for the both of us. I really wanted him to succeed, and I knew he was struggling.

Is the woman Brad has chosen someone you could see him building a future with and marrying?

Well we’ll have to see if they are together. Just because he’s in love doesn’t mean that it’s happily ever after. You’ll have to wait and see how it ends. But I will say this, he’s in love right now.

Tune in tomorrow for Part II: Chris’ thoughts on DeAnna’s still lingering feelings toward Brad; on former Bachelor Jake Pavelka and what it’ll take to get a person of color starring on the show!

photo credit: ABC