The Bachelorette: The Men Tell All featured Xavier Bonner admitting he was in love -- and is still in love -- with Charity Lawson, Brayden Bowers facing backlash from his peers, and Charity expressing regret over not dumping Xavier sooner during the Season 20 episode that aired Monday night on ABC.
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The following bachelors showed up to reflect on Charity's The Bachelorette season: Spencer Storbeck, Adrian Hassan, Peter Cappio, John Buresh, James Pierce, Caleb Balgaard, John Henry, Michael Barbour, Aaron Schwartzman, Tanner Courtad, Sean McLaughlin, Brayden Bowers and Xavier Bonner.
Aaron Bryant, Joey Graziadei, and Dotun Olubeko did not make an appearance since they are Charity's Final 3 bachelors and the conclusion of her season has yet to air.
The Men Tell All special was hosted by The Bachelorette host Jesse Palmer.
THE MEN ATTACK BRAYDEN AND HIS INTENTIONS
Sean told Brayden that he was "manipulating" Charity during the show by telling her that he really liked her but then talking behind her back about how she was fake and couldn't be "off" as The Bachelorette star.Sean accused Brayden of making excuses for why he "couldn't get there."
Brayden said once he got to the point where he realized he wasn't going to be ready for an engagement, he voluntarily left.
Michael therefore asked Brayden why he came back to talk to Charity, and Brayden explained how he had quit in an extremely heightened emotional state and so he didn't want to leave under those circumstances. He also said he didn't get to tell Charity everything that he wanted to when they first broke up.
Adrian said everyone had signed up to watch Charity kiss other guys and so Brayden had no good reason to be angry and upset about it.
"I feel like he was showing Charity one side and showing us another side," Adrian said.
"I never called her classless. That's not something I said," Brayden insisted.
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Brayden asked The Bachelorette to "show the tape," but the footage wasn't on hand. Many of the other bachelors and members of the audience, however, believed he had said it.
Brayden said it surprised him how the men, including his so-called buddy Tanner, had talked about him behind his back without really confronting him about their feelings or issues with him.
"Throughout the entire journey, the one person who made it about themselves was Brayden. It was really just the Brayden show. Once that energy was gone in Washington, we were all here for her," Sean said.
James and Tanner called Sean out for stealing Charity during the Barbie afterparty after he won the date and had alone time with her. Tanner said he never wanted to punch somebody so badly in the face before.
Peter, who went home on Night 1, announced how it hurt his feelings that all the guys wrote "FP" on social media early in the season, which apparently meant "f-ck Peter."
Peter said it hurt his feelings and embarrassed his family and friends, but the guys argued it was just an inside joke and Peter never would've known that was about him. The only reason Peter found out was because Brayden told him.
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The bachelors explained how they teamed up against Peter because he was allegedly rude and arrogant on the first night of filming.
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Xavier, however, acknowledged it was immature of himself to have joined in on the social-media joke, and so he apologized to Peter for doing it and admitted to having made a mistake.
BRAYDEN SITS IN HOT SEAT NEXT TO JESSE
Brayden said what bothered him watching the season back was seeing how deeply Charity cared for him since they have a lot in common and The Bachelorette star never held any of his reservations about getting down on one knee against him.Brayden said he just wanted to leave the show and not make it about him -- but the other guys made it about him.
In terms of his apology to Charity, Brayden said he didn't care about taking anyone else's time; he cared about speaking to the woman whom he had been dating and wanted to apologize to.
Jesse pointed out how the men had chased Brayden outside to the bus once he returned to the show to talk to Charity during a group date.
"I was going to beat them up. I was about to throw down. I'm not an aggressive person… but I wanted to fight them," Brayden confessed.
Jesse announced that Brayden will be appearing on Bachelor in Paradise this year, and ABC aired a sneak peek of Brayden making out with Kat Izzo from Zach Shallcross' The Bachelor season on the beach in Mexico.
Brayden called Kat "a great kisser," and Kat, in turn, gushed about how Brayden looked hot and had some real depth to him. She also compared him to a sweet Golden Retriever.
XAVIER IS STILL IN LOVE WITH CHARITY
After watching back his journey on The Bachelorette, Xavier said it was tough. Xavier explained how he just wanted to be honest with Charity and he stuck his foot in his mouth and made a mistake "instead of making her feel like she's the only woman for me."When Xavier told Charity that he was falling in love with her during his hometown date, he was expecting her to say it back in order to reassure him.
When Charity didn't openly reciprocate those feelings, Xavier -- who is apparently afraid of unrequited love -- said he became fearful of getting hurt and so he put walls up and just "melted."
After Charity walked Xavier out on The Bachelorette, he was shown telling her that he loved her.
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When asked how he felt about Charity now, Xavier told Jesse, "I was in love with her. It was really difficult to move on from that because those feelings don't just go away."
"I think about our time together literally every day," he continued, "so I had to get a therapist because I felt like there was some work I had to do on myself in order to be ready for somebody who is my forever person."
When Jesse asked how Xavier thought Charity felt about him now, Xavier had no idea. Xavier said he just wanted Charity to be happy and thrive in the future.
Xavier confessed that he was nervous to face Charity again and reunite with her.
CHARITY FACES HER EXES
Charity announced that she was actually happy to see all of the men and not nervous at all. She said she was excited to be there, reunited with most of the guys from her season.Charity told Brayden that was a pleasure meeting him but she didn't like how he had talked about their relationship to the other guys, such as wanting to see her turned off from being the Bachelorette.
Charity insisted she was 100 percent authentic and herself throughout the process and she gave Brayden more grace than she probably should have.
Brayden said he could've handled the process better and he stayed because he felt a spark with her. He said he was grateful to have met her and spent time with her.
Sean thanked Charity for showing grace and class, and he said she made all of the men better.
Tanner said The Bachelorette was one of the best experiences of his life and he had no questions for her.
And John said he felt like they had a strong connection and so his elimination caught him off-guard. Charity told John that he had done nothing wrong and he's an awesome man.
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CHARITY CONFRONTS XAVIER
Charity admitted it was hard to see Xavier again because she never saw their breakup coming. Charity said Xavier should've told her about his cheating much earlier and it seemed like he was never serious about potentially getting down on one knee.Xavier told Charity that he had no doubt in his heart that he wanted to be with Charity but he couldn't suppress the doubts he had in his mind.
Xavier said he would've been loyal to Charity but he couldn't express himself in the right away. Charity, on the other hand, scolded him for withholding the information about his unfaithfulness until Fantasy Suites.
"I hate to say it, but I don't think I would've brought you to that point [of Fantasy Suites] because I would've known that you were not right [for me]," Charity admitted to Xavier.
"You were saying, 'I don't want to cheat on you.' Well instead of saying, 'I don't want to cheat, say you won't cheat,'" Charity said.
"If you truly love and care about me, you just won't do that. It's that simple."
Charity said she couldn't believe Xavier had dropped the L-bomb on her when he was leaving. She reminded him that he had ample opportunities to express himself before that moment and so she had no idea what was going on.
Xavier explained that he "really loved" Charity at that point and not knowing how she felt about him in return really messed him up.
Charity recalled giving Xavier a lot of verbal reassurance, but she explained how she wasn't just going to toss out the words, "I love you." Charity said Xavier just didn't trust himself to be committed or solid in a relationship.
Xavier shared how he has a fear of commitment and marrying the wrong person and so that fear consumed him. Xavier said he should've focused on the beautiful relationship he had blossoming and he sometimes cries over what he lost.
Xavier said it was rough to watch that conversation go "so horribly" and that his goal wasn't just to have sex with Charity in the Fantasy Suite. Xavier said his goal was to deepen his connection with Charity that night because he genuinely saw her as his future wife.
Xavier got a little emotional and admitted, "I still have those feelings." He said he needed closure because their romance ended so abruptly and messed him up.
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THREE BACHELORETTES GIVE CHARITY ADVICE
Trista Rehn, Desiree Hartsock and DeAnna Pappas joined The Men Tell All special to talk to Charity and praise her for how well she handled and conducted herself throughout Season 20.Trista will be celebrating 20 years with Ryan Sutter in December.
DeAnna said she's in a transitional phase and is single again.
Charity asked Trista how she made it work for so long after the show, and Trista replied, "Forgiveness."
Desiree also told Charity to prioritize her relationship and ignore critics and unwanted comments. Deanna then told Charity to always believe in herself, control her emotions, and feel deserving and worthy.
The Golden Bachelor star Gerry Turner also appeared on The Men Tell All and gushed about how he's excited for his journey to find love again.
JESSE TEASES THE BACHELORETTE 20 FINALE
The Men Tell All ended with a preview of Charity's final days in Fiji."It was more emotional and more heartbreaking than you could even imagine," Jesse teased.
Charity apparently welcomes Aaron Bryant back and says she's "in love" with all of her Final 3 bachelors.
The Bachelorette airs its three-hour finale episode next week. He said it's going to be one of the "most intense" and "most heartbreaking endings in Bachelorette history."
"It's the dramatic conclusion that is absolutely going to shock you to your core," Jesse said.
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Click here to read spoilers about Charity's The Bachelorette season and who Charity picked as her winner.
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About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski