Love in the Wild contestant Jenny Blatt was eliminated after her partner "Ben" Benjamin Clark chose to keep the other female contestant in his trio, Michelle Sacco, instead of continuing to pursue the relationship they had developed following a twist in which the six remaining guys were able to select one of the six new "surprise women" -- who joined the show also to compete in the hopes of finding love.

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On Thursday, Jenny, a 27-year-old from Philadelphia, PA, talked to Reality TV World about her short-lived Love in the Wild experience -- including whether Ben ever gave her any indication he was going to choose Michelle over her prior to the Couples Choice Ceremony, whom she had her eye on other than Ben and attempted to pair up with, what her thoughts were on Michelle and whether she'd be a good girl for Ben, and when she believed Ben was acting like "a terror."

To read Tara Locke's interview, click here. Check back with Reality TV World soon to read what Cina Luks had to tell us.

Reality TV World: What was your reaction when Ben chose over you at the Couples' Choice Ceremony? Were you surprised or did you see it coming at all beforehand? Did Ben give you any inkling he was interested in Michelle prior to that moment?

Jenny Blatt: Yeah, Ben and I had a conversation about it prior and I wasn't shocked. I guess in my conversation with him, at that point, I kind of knew that we didn't have anything romantically. We were sort of just buddy-buddy, like mates, we got along really well. But, the spark wasn't really there.

So, at the oasis, I was kind of just trying to feel Michelle out and see, you know, if she would be the best choice for him or if I thought somebody else would be a better fit for him. So, I wasn't shocked that he didn't choose me, but I was a little bit worried for him if he chose her. I just didn't trust her.

Reality TV World: Yes, I was going to ask you if you had any insight as to why he did end up picking Michelle. Would you say it was just a physical attraction and that maybe Ben was reaching to find more than that -- reasons as to why they'd be a good match?

Jenny Blatt: Yeah, I think that at first, he was super attracted to her and was, like you said, he was definitely trying to pick her brain a little bit and see if there was anything up there. I think that at first, he thought that she was just all glam and glitz and swimsuit-modelesque but didn't have very much upstairs, and I think that he really was just trying to make there be something, so.

Reality TV World: So it sounds like you didn't really think at the time that they had a chance to build a good solid relationship, right?

Jenny Blatt: Right. I didn't think she was there for the right reasons, so I didn't think they were going to build a solid relationship at all.

Reality TV World: Just to clarify, you've mentioned how you thought Ben kind of just saw you as more of a friend. Were your feelings the same way for him or do you think maybe you were crushing on him a little bit more than he was on you? What are your thoughts on that?

Jenny Blatt: Yeah, I think in the beginning, I was definitely crushing on Ben a little more than he was on me. I think had the new girls not come into play, he might have started to feel that crush on me, because we were sort of connecting. And I think he would've seen that I had a lot to offer, but you know, things had happened in the lean-to.

The whole romantic sense of it really wasn't there, so by the time I realized that we really weren't going to have that kind of a connection, at that point, we were going to the oasis. So I didn't really have a chance to spend -- put myself out there for anybody else, so I was kind of screwed in that sense once I realized that Ben and I really didn't have that romantic thing.
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Reality TV World: How do you feel about Ben now? Are there any hard feelings between you two or did you just let things go? And do you think there's a chance at a friendship?

Jenny Blatt: Oh Ben and I are fine. We're fine now. We talk a bunch. I don't really hold any grudges, so there aren't any hard feelings. He did what he had to do. I told him to do what he had to do.

It wasn't "Mates in the Wild;" It's Love in the Wild. So the fact that we were chummy-chummy and friendly was great, and could we have probably won being that way? Yes. But it wasn't -- that's not why we were there, so, I don't have any hard feelings against him, no.

Reality TV World: The show didn't show much of you trying to get to know and talk to other guys besides Ben. Was that accurate or were you still shopping around a little bit and having conversations with other guys but viewers just didn't see it?

Jenny Blatt: Yeah, I was sort of shopping around. They didn't show any of that. I had had several conversations with [Aaron "Chase"]. But like I said, when I was in the oasis, on the third episode, I didn't have a chance to get back to the cabins really and chat with him more.

And in the second episode, he was at the oasis with [Ali Leitza], so while him and I got along really well the first week and we were sort of becoming friends and chatting a bit, it just didn't work out because we were both away from the cabins for those second and third weeks. I also chatted a bit with Mike Sweet and I guess that's kind of it.

Reality TV World: You don't seem to have anything negative to say about Ben, but looking back, considering Ben picked Michelle, do you think he turned out to be the same guy you thought he was prior to Michelle joining the show? Did your opinion of him change overtime?

Jenny Blatt: [Sighs] Um, I think that he pretty much stayed true to himself. He didn't really lead me on that much. I think he was sincerely confused whether he should choose the practical girl or the wild card, but I don't really think that the "true colors, negative" came out. I think he pretty much stayed true to himself just like I did.

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Reality TV World: It seemed like Ben and Shauna Dillard kind of hit it off during last week's episode. But at the Couples Choice Ceremony, he chose to stay with you over her after a little hesitation because he said you deserved to remain in the competition after all you had been through together. Do you think Ben really liked you and stayed at that point because you had a connection or do you unfortunately think he might've just been doing the polite thing given the situation?

Jenny Blatt: There was a little bit of scheming going on there that they really didn't show much of. I kind of -- I don't know if I'm allowed to say this -- but I kind of told him to go chat with her, because I felt like that was really our only chance to stay together as a couple.

If [Summer Mack] chose [Ryan Smith], then Shauna would have no other choice but to either ask him or Ben, and if Ben showed her a little bit of interest, then we could totally swing that in our direction. So that was really why he chatted her up.

Reality TV World: The show showed your reaction after Jenny McCarthy revealed the twist in which each guy was going to be paired up with two girls and you seemed pretty annoyed justifiably. Could you elaborate on how you were feeling in the moment and did you initially think Michelle was going to be tough competition or not at all?

Jenny Blatt: In that moment when the new girls came out, I was so -- it was such a stressful day to begin with, because there was that chance that we'd be going home or I'd be going home, so I think that all of these emotions were going through me like, "Oh what a relief! I'm not in the 'unmatched area.' I'm fine; I'm not going anywhere."

And then the six new girls popped in and I'm like, "Ugh, another twist. Really?!" Just when I thought that things were going to be somewhat normal, there they go again with another twist. So a lot of emotions were going through my head, which is sort of why I had that little mini breakdown at the vanity.

I was just like, "Oh my God. What a day." I think that seeing Ben's face when Michelle came over, I was a little nervous, because he looked like he was attracted to her. So yeah, I was definitely nervous that she was going to be competition for sure.

Reality TV World: Your trio obviously finished the adventure in first place, so would you say you three worked well together? Can you talk a little bit about what it was like to do the challenge shackled together? Was it as hard as it looked?

Jenny Blatt: Ben literally screamed at us the whole entire time during that adventure, like legit was flipping out on the both of us during the entire thing.

So, I mean, we won, so I guess we worked well together. But (laughs) he was a nightmare -- an absolute nightmare -- during that whole thing, and he admits it. We laughed about it later. I mean, it worked. But it was like the worst challenge out of the few that I did, not so much because it was the three of us, but because he was a terror.

Reality TV World: You mentioned you had held conversations with Chase and Mike during your time on the show. Were you attracted to either one of them at all? Did you feel a connection or would you say they were just kind of friendly, harmless talks?

Jenny Blatt: I was definitely attracted to Chase. I don't know what was going on in his mind, but I think I kind of screwed myself because I put all my eggs in one basket really with Ben. And while I was having conversations with other guys, it was sort of just like chummy. I did, however, tell Chase that I wanted him to pick me, but he went with Summer instead -- which is fine.

Reality TV World: Out of the six couples remaining, when you left the show, who did you think had the best shot of winning Love in the Wild or at least remaining a couple once the show ended? Did you think any couple in particular would probably make it?

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Jenny Blatt: Out of all the six couples, I mean, obviously ["Ken" Kenneth Barrington] and [Yanina Beccaria] were together since the beginning and they stayed so strong. So I guess my prediction would've been that they would've stayed as a couple.

I definitely didn't think that Ben and Michelle had a chance. I think that maybe Summer and Chase might've had a chance to stay together and [Jesse Wilson] and Ali, no way. So, that's just my prediction.

Reality TV World: Are you dating now or still single? And do you think being on Love in the Wild will help or hurt your dating life?

Jenny Blatt: I'm still single. I don't know if it'll make that much of a difference in my dating life. I think it was a really great experience, but one of the main things that I wanted to do was be myself on TV. So if a guy sees that and says, "Oh God, this girl's a nightmare," fine.

But if somebody can handle me, then that's great. I was just totally true to myself, so I don't think it will make that much of a difference. I am who I am, so we'll see.

Reality TV World: I have to ask about a comment you made in the premiere episode. (Laughs) You said you had a history of meeting "jackasses and doushbags." How bad exactly was your dating life? Would you mind sharing a little bit about that?

Jenny Blatt: Oh yeah. I literally always meet these jackasses and doushbags. I mean, I lived with a guy for like five years and walked in on him cheating on me in my apartment. I just feel like every guy that I meet is the same. No one's really genuine. They're always just after like the same thing and nobody really keeps my interest for awhile. So, I'm just kind of looking for something different.

To read Tara Locke's interview, click here. Check back with Reality TV World soon to read what Cina Luks had to tell us.


About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski
Elizabeth Kwiatkowski is Associate Editor of Reality TV World and has been covering the reality TV genre for more than a decade.