Bachelor's Chris Harrison: Someone Called Michelle's Exit "Better Than a Box of Chocolates"

Bachelorfans, rejoice: Michelle has finally been sent home.

After viewers watched the 30-year-old hair stylist act possessive over Brad week after week, he finally realized that she was too volatile for a relationship. Host Chris Harrison tells TVGuide.com that Michelle's stormy exit affirmed Brad's decision.

Harrison gives us the scoop on what we didn't see after the elimination and why he felt bad for the girls who had to pose for the Sports Illustrated swimsuit edition. Plus: He previews hometown dates. 

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Brad finally got rid of Michelle.
Chris Harrison: Someone said it was better than a box of chocolates. One of the things we cut out from the show was Brad talking to the camera, saying that was a terrible goodbye. For her to just bolt and not say anything was pretty crappy. It affirmed what he thought about her and the decision he made. I'm looking forward to seeing her and talking to her at the Women Tell All and dig a little deeper.

What did you think of the photo shoot?
Harrison: It's probably the cruelest thing we've done to anybody — after an hour of sleep to surprise the women [with] one of the most iconic magazines in the history of print. Normally if you tell women, "Hey, you're going to be in Sports Illustrated," then they would know to stop eating for three months. But they absolutely owned it and had fun with it.

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How early did Brad wake the women?
Harrison: Brad didn't go to sleep because when he had let Britt go, it was almost 1 a.m. and then he had to do a couple of interviews. He walked over to the girls place at 2:07 a.m. The girls, after the emotion of saying goodbye to Britt, went to bed at about 1 a.m. so they slept literally about an hour.

Do you think their exhaustion is what made the rest of the group date so tense?
Harrison: They were tired emotionally, but they're also done with each other. At this point, the novelty of living together, traveling together is over. It's so serious between the girls that are left that they don't want to see each other, they don't want to see each other making out [with Brad], and they don't want to be vying for roses and time anymore.

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Why do you think Ashley got the rose on the group date?
Harrison: He wanted to give Ashley the rose because she was the most insecure, but stepped up and owned it. She was a trooper that day. To put it in female terms, too, she was worried about the size of her boobs and instead she even took off her top and used the seashells and was funny about it. She put everyone at ease. As the date went spiraling down the tubes, I thought he might pull back and be like, "Nobody's getting a rose," but he stuck to his guns and gave her the rose.

Are you surprised Britt got sent home mid-date?
Harrison: Brad summed it up best: "I'm sitting on the most beautiful beach in the world and I have no desire to kiss this girl." You also have to think what he's comparing it to. He knows what he has with these girls and what he felt with Emily and Shawntel, and then he sees what it's like with Britt and it's not the same. He easily could've kept her until the rose ceremony, but he made this promise to himself that when he's done, he's done.

What can we expect from hometown dates next week?
Harrison: Brad meeting little Ricky with Emily is tenuous, emotional and stressful. Their relationship is so different than [his with] the other girls because they're dealing with so many issues already. Brad struggles with Shawntel's career as a mortician in a humorous way and Brad really wanted to fit in with Chantal's family in Seattle. [Chantal's dad's] an ex-NFL player, so Brad really wants to impress him and be a guy's guy, but he stumbles on the whole manliness thing.

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