Jesse Palmer Reveals Who He Thought Would Win 'The Bachelor'

Jesse Palmer Reveals Who He Thought Would Win 'The Bachelor'

Home / Entertainment / Jesse Palmer Reveals Who He Thought Would Win 'The Bachelor'

By Kelly Coffey-Behrens on March 8, 2023 at 9:00 PM PST

On the latest episode of "The Bachelor", fans watched in shock as Zach Shallcross sent Kat Izzo home ahead of hometown dates.

After the episode aired, host Jesse Palmer admitted that at one point in time, he actually thought Kat would end up with Zach's final rose.

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Jesse Palmer Speaks Out On Kat Izzo

Jesse Palmer Reveals Who He Thought Would Win 'The Bachelor'
Instagram | Jesse Palmer

The host of the reality show recently spoke to US Weekly, admitting that he thought Kat would go all the way to the end and end up with Zach Shallcross.

“If I'm being honest, there was a time that I thought Kat was The One,” Jesse Palmer said. “Having talked to Zach on camera [and] talked to Zach off camera, I really thought it was Kat at the end. And so I knew how difficult these decisions were becoming for him, and I knew how hard he was taking the goodbyes, obviously. I knew that was going to be a really tough one.”

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When Zach sent Kat home, Jesse admitted he watched it all go down as he stood in the background with the producers. “I’m with the producers watching the goodbye at the castle in Budapest, and I just saw his face when he was standing out in front of the castle and I thought, ‘Man, I just gotta go out there and give a guy a hug.’ He needs someone just to kind of be there with him for this moment,” the host of the show said.

“He’s always been so great about allowing me to kind of share that space with him just a little bit to try to help," he added. "But, you know, I know I wasn’t the only person surprised at Kat going home at that point. And I know that was one of the toughest decisions that Zach has had on his entire experience.”

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Kat Izzo Breaks Silence

Kat Izzo on The Bachelor
Instagram | Kat Izzo

Bachelor Nation watched as Zach Shallcross sent Kat Izzo home during the latest episode of "The Bachelor". But they weren't the only ones who were shocked at the decision.

“I did [feel blindsided]. I definitely could reflect on where my feelings were at in that moment, and they were feeling off. But I wasn’t thinking that that was gonna be something that overtook our relationship,” Kat Izzo told the magazine. “We had one hard week, but we also had five good weeks. So I thought that was going to be something to show my family that like, ‘Yeah, sometimes we’re not perfect. Sometimes we struggle. But he’s wanting to love them through that.’ I was hoping that was going to be him. Unfortunately, it wasn’t. But it’s OK.”

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The 26-year-old went on to admit that she thought Zach was "the one" for her. “I think that he showed me characteristics that I would definitely pursue even outside of here, like, his goofiness and his presence was something I like really was so drawn to,” she continued to say. “And even up until the point that we left, I was like, ‘What? You’re supposed to be my husband.’ But it’s OK! I mean, I never didn’t feel those feelings. Even when I was wanting to give up because it was hard, I was like, ‘Nope, this is my person at the end of this.’ I would never give up on it.”

“The Bachelor” continues Mondays at 8 p.m. ET on ABC. The episodes are available to stream the following day on Hulu.

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