Jamie's Many Explanations As To Why He's Not The Villain On 'The Bachelorette'

- The Bachelor -
Jamie's Many Explanations As To Why He's Not The Villain On 'The Bachelorette'

Oh, Jamie, honey, haven't you ever heard of quitting while you're ahead? Ever since Week 2 of Michelle's Bachelorette season aired, Jamie Skaar has been doing everything he can to make sure fans know he's not the bad guy, despite his two faced behavior at the second rose ceremony. But someone might want to tell him that Jamie's explanations as to why he's not the villain only make him look more guilty.

In case you forgot, Jamie got the first one-on-one date of Michelle's season, and really wowed her with his supportive sense of adventure and his vulnerability. He got a rose before the rose ceremony, and was already guaranteed a spot into the next week when he decided to stir some shit up and question Michelle's previous relationship with Joe. He then proceeded to repeat something he heard from a friend about Michelle hanging out with some "light skin baller" (yeah, we won't even get into that one), and confront Michelle about it by presenting it as something the entire group was concerned about, despite the fact that multiple men told Jamie point blank that they don't care. (Shout out to Mollique and Nayte!)

Naturally, his actions did not go over well with Bachelor Nation, with many calling him the first villain of the season. And Jamie...is not taking it well.

The Initial Reaction

Image: Jamie Skaar/Instagram

After the episode aired, Jamie took to his Instagram stories to both thank fans for responding to his revelation about his family (he told Michelle during their one-on-one about his mother's life-long struggle with mental illness), and to touch on his supposed haters. "I learned early what ppl have to say about you says more about them then it does about you," he wrote in part. "And that understanding helps me to have compassion for every humans journey so I am sending love to ya'll [sic]."

Image: Bachelornation.scoop/Instagram

In the comments, as reported by the @Bachelornation.scoop fan account, Jamie also seemed to suggest that there was more to the story than what people saw in the episode, specifically when it came to what the other guys were saying about Michelle at the rose ceremony. "I don't want to ruin your entertainment with reality. And there's this thing w/ a contract," he wrote, suggesting that once his Bachelorette contract is up, he'd be free to tell his side of the story.

The "Character" Defense

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Jamie posted on Instagram a day after the episode aired with a statement on "character." In the caption, he said he still supported the show and everyone who participated in the season, but what was truly revealing was the second photo in the post, which was a screenshot of a google result for the definition of "character." Clearly, Jamie was trying to say that the "character" he's playing on The Bachelorette isn't reflective of his "character" IRL. It's a lot, especially considering his offense is pretty mundane in the Bachelor world. (It's not like he had a girlfriend back home or anything.) But, I was willing to accept it because, as we know, editing can make or break you when you're on a reality show.

At this point, it's pretty clear that Jamie has fully committed to the "don't believe everything you see" defense. And while I'm sure he has some ground to stand on, even he can't deny that he brought in the rumor about her "light skin baller."

Thanking His Defenders

Image: Jamie Skaar/Instagram

On Tuesday, Nov. 2, a full week after the episode aired, Jamie took to his Instagram Stories to thank members of Bach Nation for apologizing to him for their judgements, posting what I am sure is a *very real* DM he received from a fan thanking him for accepting his apology. "Prolly have [sic] the ppl that DM'd me w/ hate msgs came back after to apologize," he wrote. "Bachelor Nation I'd like to take a moment to express my respect for you for that." He also continued to hint that his contract forbade him from telling the whole story, adding, "I'd love to respond and tell you all about my experience on the show but that's not allowed."

His Final Plea

Image: Jamie Skaar/Instagram

He ended his pre-episode defense by asking fans to try to be "respectful" in the comments because it hurt his family and friends to see "all the negative msgs." And, again, he cautioned fans to remember that reality TV isn't always real. "I hope that when you watch the show it's entertaining for you. If there's meaningful moments even better but remember when you turn off the tv we're back in the real world and it's not the same," he wrote.

Honestly, I get where Jamie's coming from. And, obviously, he's not wrong in saying that The Bachelorette is a TV show where words can get twisted and things can be edited to look a certain way. That said, reading between the lines, it's pretty obvious that what Jamie really wants to say is that people have been constantly attacking him online and that we should feel bad for him — he just doesn't want to share the evidence.

Maybe I'm being too harsh, and if I were seeing the DMs he's receiving I would feel differently, but based on these statements, I just truly don't understand why he feels the need to defend himself so much. The drama he's bringing on the show simply does not warrant all these implications of his own online persecution. And it's doing nothing to convince me of his innocence, and everything to make me feel completely over this storyline entirely.

Image: Bachelor Nation/YouTube

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