RECAP: Shawntel Newton Returns To 'The Bachelor'

by UInterviewJanuary 17, 2012, 12:00 amNews >

By now, fans of The Bachelor know that Brad Womack left quite a trail of broken hearts in his two-season wake, and one of them is back to find love for the second time — an increasingly common trend. This time Shawntel Newton, a 25-year-old funeral director who was dumped by Womack in 2010, wants to win the affections of Ben Flajnik.

"Ben's everything I want in a guy," Newton admitted when she arrived on the show, after having called host Chris Harrison to beg to be a part of Flajnik's season when he was dumped by Ashley Hebert on The Bachelorette. "If I didn't do this, I would always think 'what if,' and I don't want to live my life like that. In ways this could be a total fairytale, so here I am."

However, Newton's mid-season arrival at a house-wide cocktail party attended by Flajnik and the remaining 18 bachelorettes was not happily received. After crashing the party, she delivered her pitch. "When I found out you were the bachelor, I was not happy. So I decided that I have to know. I want to be at the rose ceremony, and if you are willing to give me a rose I'd be really happy. If not, don't give me the rose and we'll end it now."

After featuring the meltdowns of the competing women, especially Courtney, who threatened to quit if Newton was allowed to stay, and Jaclyn, who made her feelings known with the succinct, "Scram, bitch," the show revealed Flajnik's decision at the rose ceremony. "I appreciate you coming all this way to find love," he said. "I just can't hand out this final rose tonight," he said, sending Newton home with contestants Erika and Jaclyn.

Though Newton was less than understanding, she directed some of the blame toward herself. "There was a connection there with Ben, and I think he just wasn't being man enough to accept that," she said. "That's great that he's trying to be fair, but … I don't think fair comes into play. I just feel so dumb."

You can see how Flajnik's love connections continue to play out Monday nights at 8 p.m. EST on ABC.