The Bachelorette star JoJo Fletcher's journey to find love begins in a matter of hours, and now that filming has wrapped, the star herself is able to open up about it all.
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Preview clips of The Bachelorette's upcoming twelfth edition have already been released by ABC, and it appears JoJo, a 25-year-old real estate developer from Dallas, TX, will take a ride on an emotional rollercoaster.
During a Friday conference call with reporters, JoJo talked about her experience on The Bachelorette following her brutal split from The Bachelor's Season 20 star Ben Higgins. Below is a portion of her interview.
Did you ever find that guys were not there for the right reasons during the course of the show?
JoJo Fletcher: It's hard for me to say whether someone was there for the right reasons or not. I really went into this trying to get to know these guys for who they were. I will say that I was cautious of some men and I definitely addressed those concerns, but I would say overall, this group of guys was incredible and genuine and a really great bunch this season.
Could you confirm your bio information that's out there about you now? What's your current job and things like that?
JoJo Fletcher: I have a Bachelor of Science and my major was Medical Humanities. I did medical sales right out of college. I thought I was going to become a doctor and go to medical school, and then I think I just lost passion for that. So then I went into medical sales.
And actually, I started my own company, my LLC [called JHF Realty Development], right before my season with Ben. So, it's active but I haven't been able to do a ton of work using that company's name.
So what I do now, is I own a couple of rental properties back at Baylor's campus, where I used to go to college. And right before I came onto Ben's season, I bought a house to flip. And then this whole thing took off! So, I've been pretty busy in not being able to get down there and finish up that house, but I have my rental properties that I manage.
What was the decision-making process like behind agreeing to become the star of the next The Bachelorette? You said the offer came after about a month. What were the pros and cons that went through your mind?
JoJo Fletcher: Well, I will clarify this for just a second. [Producers] never offered me the spot until about a week before the finale. That's when I was actually offered the spot. I think they started calling me, asking what I'd think about it -- there was never anything set in stone until maybe just a couple of days before.
So, as they started to casually bring it up, that's when I started thinking about it. And I needed to make sure that I definitely was over my relationship with Ben, that I was in another position to try this out again, because it's something that I don't take lightly. It's serious and it's serious for the guys who come onto the show.
RELATED LINK: 'THE BACHELORETTE' COUPLES NOWSo, I really took that time to just think about it, and as the next month went on, I realized I was at a place where I was so excited to give love another chance. I think that was the main thing that made me want to do this again, is that I knew that I found love before, and this time around, I was hoping to find it again.
Were you surprised you were asked to be the Bachelorette since The Bachelor's runner-up is rarely cast as the franchise's leading lady?
JoJo Fletcher: Oh yeah, absolutely! People always ask me, "Did you expect this to happen?" And zero percent of me was even thinking about this. It wasn't on my radar. I was actually shocked when I got the phone call saying they were even considering me.
Yeah, it just never crossed my mind. It's not something that I was thinking about going into last season. It was just very surprising to me, and that's why I think it took me a little bit longer to have to, kind of, think about it. So, yeah, I was definitely shocked.
What were the Top 3 characteristics you were looking for in a guy on the first night?
JoJo Fletcher: Somebody who could make me laugh, who could ease my nerves in a stressful situation, somebody whom you have some sort of comfortability with, and you definitely want that spark and that instant connection.
But that wasn't something that I was zoning in on. It's just somebody that you could tell was there to meet me. You can tell if some guys get hammered the first night. I don't blame them for that, but the ones that were actually interested in asking me questions and getting to know me, that was important as well.
Ben went into The Bachelor not wanting to kiss many women in the beginning. Did you set rules for yourself before filming of The Bachelorette began?
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So that's what I did. I didn't want to set any rules because, really, when you set rules, you get in your own head and then it doesn't really work out anyways. So on this [show], I was just kind of going with the flow.
Check Reality TV World's The Bachelorette 12 page for more from JoJo's pre-season interview.
About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski
