On week four on "The Bachelor" Monica Spannbauer was sent packing by Ben Flajnik. The 33-year-old dental consultant made a big splash on the first night in the house by arguing with the emotional Jenna Burke and cuddling with Blakeley Jones during the cocktail party. But after a highly charged first episode, Spannbauer settled in to a calmer role in the mansion. In a recent conference call interview, she spoke about her feelings for Flajnik, her thoughts on being eliminated and what Courtney Robertson is really like.
Monica Spannbauer Thought Ben Flajnik Was 'Kind of Boring'
On that first night Spannbauer did become the instant villain when she locked horns with fellow contestant Burke. She mentioned to the blogger that she had not yet developed feelings for the bachelor causing Burke to question her motives for being on the show. But what viewers didn't know was that unlike most of the other women, Spannbauer had never seen the series before. So she had no previously formed opinion of Flajnik before getting out of the limo. So for her to not be falling for a guy she had not yet spoken to, was not all that unrealistic, even in "The bachelor" world.
Spannbauer explained, "I literally came in knowing four things about this man. And the first night we did have a chance to talk. And I thought he was kind of stuffy and kind of boring. And as I got to know him he's really fun. Like I said in my exit thing, he's quirky and he's funny. He's definitely a guy I'd want to hang out with. Just not a guy I want to date."
Monica Spannbauer Was Not Surprised to Be Sent Home
During the course of the weeks she was on the show, her feelings did not develop any further. When it came down to her last cocktail party, she was not surprised at the end result. She recalled, "Through a conversation that Ben and I have had, which obviously was off camera, I suspected I was going home."
Spannbauer also cleared up one thing viewers may have wondered about her attire that evening. "For the record, that's why I wore this ridiculous dress… It was a joke. I've had this dress for 15 years and it has huge red roses on it. I knew I was going home that night… I just had this intuitive feeling. I felt like he wasn't feeling anything for me as much as I wasn't feeling for him. And if it was going to come out, it was going to come through that conversation that night. So I made a joke to everybody, 'I already got my rose. It's on my dress.'"
Monica Spannbauer Says Courtney Robertson Was a 'Weird Duck'
While she knew she was not the right girl for Flajnik, Spannbauer did have strong opinions on someone else who should not be victorious, Courtney Roberston. To most viewers of the show, the 28-year-old model from Arizona has become the mean girl in the house that no one else likes. And Spannbauer said that assessment is not far from the truth.
She stated, "Courtney was not shy about making it very obvious to the rest of us women that she felt better than us. She's kind of a weird duck. She had to take a four-hour nap before every event. So if Ben takes her, I hope he's aware of it."
She continued, "Courtney's going to pull out any gun and any ammo necessary to make this work for her because it is a competition in a way. But when feelings become involved, which a lot of these girls have feelings, I don't think it's a competition anymore. It just becomes about you and him and how this is going to be. And everything Courtney does is despite the women." Spannbauer added that's her actions seem to be with the purpose "to hurt everybody and not necessarily get Ben."
Monica Spannbauer Was Afraid of Love
Spannbauer admitted she came on the show just to see what would happen and was skeptical she could find a connection. In fact she has said she is has a fear of love. She expressed, "I was married and I went through a divorce. Things like that defeat you a little bit. And you always wonder if you ever going to find that right person. So I'm a little bit afraid of it. I'm afraid to be hurt. I'm afraid to open up. I'm just kind of afraid of it. But I feel like I'm getting to that point to where whether you fear it or not, you just survive it and you're fine. You get over it. You live. This too shall pass."
And so "The Bachelor" helped Spannbauer get past this hurdle in her life. She divulged, "I came in with a lot of rules and a lot of expectations. And I really didn't think it was ever going to pan out. But the one thing I learned about myself is in kind of a sappy way, how to see me in a different light. And even if you've had failed relationships that doesn't define you as a person. What defines you is the people in your life and how you react to things. And found myself through this show which is a cool thing for me."
Watch "The Bachelor" on Monday nights at 8 p.m. EST/7 p.m. Central on ABC.
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