New Bachelorette: "I'm No Trista"
How does Meredith Phillips compare to ABC's original Bachelorette, Trista Rehn? The 30-year-old makeup artist and catalog model seems eager to distance herself from her fame-crazed predecessor. "Trista and I are very different," she says. "I went into this situation being myself, totally. I was very realistic and I wanted to make it my own. I wasn't trying to follow up Trista's show. I wanted it to be my own, and I think that's one reason I'm so happy at this point."
By happy, Phillips means she's "very, very happy" with her chosen suitor. "It exceeded my expectations," she says of the show's result, which is obviously top secret. However, the brunette looker does hint at a new twist, which occurs in the first rose ceremony. "I had to hand out 14 red roses — and a white rose to the person I wanted to get to know better." Hmm...
Back to Bridezilla. Um, we mean Trista. If Phillips marries her main squeeze, will they televise their nuptials like Mr. and Mrs. Ryan Sutter? "I don't know," she hedges. "That's something we really need to talk about. My first instinct is to be honest with you and say... I'm not really sure.
"I mean, that's a lot for me," she continues. "It's also something that's very private. You look back on your wedding day, and I'm not sure if I want television cameras there or not. I'm not sure I want a disposable camera there, for that matter!"
Sounds like Miss Meredith has moved way past Bob Guiney, who rejected her in last season's Bachelor. (You know, after they visited her recently deceased grandmother's grave on a date.) Now that Bob's split with Estella Gardinier, has she considered calling him?
"I don't have time to call anyone," Phillips laughs. "I call my mom. That's about it. I've been extremely busy... You know, I definitely had strong feelings for Bob, but obviously, it didn't work out. But [that's] much to my benefit, huh?"
The Bachelorette
debuts Jan. 14 at 9 pm/ET on ABC.
