There were catfights and compliments, heartfelt apologies and even a Mexican standoff.
The title of Wednesday's Bachelor Canada episode - Women Tell All - said it all. Sixteen bachelorettes did just that during Citytv's lively special, taped Nov. 3 at Sidney's Mary Winspear Centre before a studio audience.
While fans will have to wait until next Wednesday to find out who, if any, of the two finalists - Bianka, the romantically cautious Mississauga, Ont., registered nurse, or Whitney, the purposeful Calgary admin-strative assistant -bachelor Brad Smith chooses as his potential fiancée, last night's gabfest provided plenty of interim entertainment.
"All of these women took a huge leap of faith in love and themselves for a chance to meet Mr. Right," declared host Tyler Harcott, whose duties included putting Whitney, the de facto villainess, in the hot seat before bringing on Brad himself.
"I'm more nervous than I was on night one," confessed Brad, referring to that long first night referenced in clips when 25 bachelorettes arrived in limos to meet him at the Bear Mountain mansion, where the girls lived for two months.
With trademark flair, Harcott eased the girls and boy through terrain as emotionally bumpy as it could be ridiculous.
How many bachelorettes had "fake boobs," he wondered, prompting a show of hands after a segue from a related clip.
And if you were wondering whether Gabrielle, the trash-talking Oakville, Ont., law student, is as mean-spirited as she first appeared, or whether sexy and driven Whitney, who raised hackles with remarks like "Brad's mine!" and "I hate this girl and I want her gone," is really that ruthless, Women Tell All offered colourful clues.
"She's the devil. She's evil, very evil," Gabrielle famously snarled. She didn't appear to have changed her tune last night.
"Why don't you just say what's on your mind?," quipped Harcott after a clip recalling Gabrielle's infamous putdowns.
They were so provocative Winnipeg med student Laura F. thought Gabrielle was "a plant" to stir things up, he noted.
"The amazing thing about Gabrielle is she did own up. She honestly is the sweetest person in the entire world," said Kara, the Delta, B.C. grad student who reflected on her own elimination last week after a skeet-shooting date in Nova Scotia.
"It was tough seeing that episode," she admitted.
The showdown between Whitney, a lightning rod for controversy, and her competitors was a guilty pleasure.
"You're a sneaky little cockroach," snapped Gabrielle after Whitney claimed: "I never directly said anything negative toward any girl."
While the audience registered its disapproval - as did an unsmiling Ana, who said, "I'm not clapping" - when Whitney made her entrance, some expressed unexpected sympathy for the bachelorette who seemed emotionally fragile.
"I wasn't the only person, regardless of what anyone says," maintained Whitney, her voice cracking as she answered criticism for making harmful remarks.
"It was a tough situation for me and I apologize. I truly do, to any one of you I offended."
When Britany, the nurse from Swift Current, Sask., praised her as "a great person," Whitney even shed a tear.
"I knew this was going to come in handy," she said, smiling faintly as she accepted a hankie.
"There's that saying, 'Good things come to those who wait.' I don't believe in that," said Whitney, striking in a dark, slitted minidress, in defence of her reputation as an unbridled go-getter.
"If you want something in life, go and get it."
When Gabrielle rolled her eyes, Whitney snapped: "You can roll your eyes all you want. A lot of things you say are arrogant."
She wasn't the only one who criticized Gabrielle for her cutting remarks.
"Do you feel happy with the way you acted?" Britany said. "I think it's more like bullying. It shows your own insecurities."
The crowd cheered when Gabrielle apologized and they hugged.
Brad wasn't always feeling the love last night.
"To be honest, I thought they would have had a different bachelor," said Melissa Marie, the Playboy model and single mother.
"He's a nice guy but there's a lot of nice guys out there. Just sayin."
He seemed choked when Tia, the Ottawa marketing co-ordinator, recalled telling him she "wasn't feeling a strong connection from the start" while they were in Mexico.
He vehemently denied Tia's claim.
"You never said that to me, ever," Brad said. "It didn't happen. I'm not going to argue."
Replied Tia: "It's the truth and I don't know why you're denying that."
Ana jumped into the standoff, questioning Tia's motivation.
"Then why did you keep accepting the roses?" Ana asked. "I honestly think Tia was kind of two-faced."
Brad grew misty-eyed expressing regret over how he unceremoniously rejected Edmonton-based waitress Laura B. in Paris.
"You don't understand the value of the person you are," he said. "Any guy who's lucky enough to be your boyfriend is going to be the luckiest guy in the world."
Chantelle, the vivacious and virginal young Alberta pastor, reaffirmed her reputation as a fan favourite.
"Chantelle is one of the most beautiful people you'll ever meet," said Newmarket, Ont., yoga instructor Michelle B., noting no one judged the perky teetotaller for her choices. "I know she changed my life."
Chantelle couldn't resist asking Brad if he would have given her a rose had she not left because of her grandfather's death.
"I would have but I think the path that leads after would have been uncomfortable for both of us," he said. "I think how you live your life is amazing and if I were to kiss you and not end up with you I would have been disrespecting you."
The audience cheered when Harcott told Chantelle "We are all richer for having you in our lives."
Other highlights included a "deleted scenes" reel set to honky-tonk music that included clips of Brad choking on champagne, Gabrielle wondering aloud who Mother Teresa was ("She was, like a nun?") and Bianka laughing convulsively over the antics of a flatulent horse during a romantic carriage ride.
To see Women Tell All and more, visit
bachelorcanada.ca. [email protected]
