It's only been a week since bachelor Ben Higgins commenced his quest for true love on ABC's "The Bachelor," but this season "Perfect Ben" isn't just thinking about himself.
Fans of the show fell hard for Higgins after he vied for the affections of Kaitlyn Bristowe on "The Bachelorette" last season. He left the show without the final rose, which would go to suitor Shawn Booth, and Higgins returned to life as a software salesman. That was till he was lured back to primetime as this seasons bachelor.
On the surface it may appear the 6-foot-4, 27-year-old hunk is simply looking for a soul mate in an unconventional dating environment, but just when fans thought Ben couldn't get any more perfect, he does. He has a philanthropist side that he literally wears just below his sleeve.
"I was back in my hometown of Warsaw, Indiana doing my prepackage for the show, and a guy that goes to church with me called up and said, 'Would you like to come and check out my bracelets?'" Higgins revealed to HNGN and a small group of reporters at an ABC event for Television Critics Association in Pasadena, Calif., over the weekend.
"He explained that [for] every bracelet sold, this organization, MudLOVE, donates money for African water wells. So he gave me a bracelet with my favorite word on it, 'Hope,' and I walked out. A lot of people ask a lot of 'The Bachelor' in terms of what to wear and to do, but he didn't even ask me wear it," added Higgins.
During the car ride home, Higgins decided that small gesture would be repaid tenfold and he would wear the bracelet for his entire run as "The Bachelor."
What are the pros and cons of a relationship formed like this?
It is untraditional, I don't think my grandpa whose 90th birthday I am going to next week would look at this and go, "Yeah, when I was a kid this is how..." I get that, but so are dating apps and websites. Even going into a bar is different than it was 100 years ago. There are so many different ways to meet people today. This does have its problems. Personally I got to meet a lot of incredible women, and the women also knew who they were coming to date. When they showed up to the mansion they knew they were getting to meet me, so they could look up anything they wanted and my backstory. At some level they could say I at least find an interest in this man. As I got to know these women, I got to know a bunch of different women from different backgrounds and places in the world, that's a pro. That doesn't always happen in life. There are cons because it's not easy to date multiple women at once.
How do the cameras impact that?
It's interesting, at first, and I think the women could speak better about it now, but when I did "The Bachelorette," that first night is insane. It's hard and sometimes awkward, you're sitting there and there's a camera around, but it's life and they kind of just move with you. It's hard at first, but you get used to them very quickly. My goal with the women was when we were in conversation I could tell their eyes were trained to spot where everyone was at. I said take a second and a deep breath, look around, that's fine, see your surroundings, and I think it made it easier. That's just life, life with cameras is different, but it's life.
Could you see yourself doing more television after this?
I'm just open to what's next. I will say that, but I'm not thinking about that a lot right now as this just premiered. This is very much my life right now, and I want to make sure I enjoy it and soak up every opportunity. I get to go to parties with some of my favorite people from TV, and I don't want to be thinking about what could be next. If nothing is next, I'm OK with that. I've got sales, I had a great life, and I'm fine taking that and living it.
Have you had conversations with Kaitlyn since you filmed, and how are those conversations different from before you started filming?
Shawn is one of my best friends, he was on the season and even afterwards, so I'm really happy for them, and they came on "Bachelor Live" last week. It was the first time I'd seen both of them in person since saying goodbye to Kaitlyn, and they are so happy and supportive of me. They're really two of the most incredible people I've ever met, and we have a great friendship. That's what I like, anytime you have a breakup and you can stay friends and have respect for each other, I think life is better.
Do you think too much stock is put on the happy ending in the show and there having to be a marriage? Isn't the purpose of the show really to bring you together?
When I talked to my family and friends and told them I was asked to be "The Bachelor," my comment to all of them was this isn't dating in a vacuum to me. If at the end I don't feel like this woman is the right one for me for the rest of my life, I will not be proposing, and I'm OK with that. But yes, the show does give you an opportunity to meet somebody, great, but it isn't dating in a vacuum, and there is no forced marriage at the end. If it was, it would be too weird and I would never have done it.
What do you think of yourself when you watch yourself?
It's a whole array of emotions. Sometimes I have that feeling of, oh Ben, you can do this. But I am learning things about myself like little quirks that I have. I noticed the other day that when I approached the women I say, "You guys" a lot. They're not guys, they're girls. I know that now, but I wish I could've watched it back then. So there are those kinds of things. But honestly I try to stay true to myself, and I felt like I did. If I do, then watching shouldn't be as hard.
But are you the perfect Ben?
I'm not perfect by any means (laughs).
Do you have a stylist for the show or is this all you?
There's a really great man named Cary Fedman who's the stylist that helps me out. What he does I really appreciate, because I wear a lot of henleys and T-shirts and jeans, so I'll meet with him and he'll make sure whatever clothes I'm wearing matches my lifestyle but will just enhance it. Like adding a pocket square with a suit jacket, I've never worn one until the show. Now I do.
With regard to the bracelet, what is about the word "Hope" you like?
Everybody needs a little hope.
