Carissa From ‘The Bachelorette’ On Why She Really Left The Show
Carissa Croft came out strong in The Bachelorette premiere, receiving the twinkly wifey edit, and sharing a beautiful moment with Brooke Blurton on the red carpet. But with so many frontrunners this season, Carissa eventually fell behind.
In last night’s episode, Carissa decided to leave the mansion and the show. “I did feel a connection there [with Brooke] from the moment we first met. I don’t think that we’ve had enough of an opportunity to build on that. It’s really hard to be vulnerable, especially in an environment where there’s so many people dating the same person,” she said in a confessional. “I don’t know where I stand anymore.”
Carissa then pulled Brooke aside to tell her she had decided to exit the series.
“When I met you on the red carpet, I felt an instant spark with you,” she began. “But then the next morning, hearing you went on a single date and have these intense connections that people are forming with you… I just don’t know if I can do this.” Brooke tried to empathise, but ultimately Carissa said, “I just can’t fall in love this way. I can’t do it like this”.
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In response, Brooke said, “I did honestly think that we had a lot of potential and I really wanted to get to know you. I think you are a really beautiful person.” Unfortunately, Brooke and Carissa were not meant to be.
The cocktail party ended abruptly before the rose ceremony, due to Brooke being left upset over Carissa’s departure.
We spoke to Carissa after she left the mansion to find out what prompted her early exit and who she hopes will win Brooke’s heart.
On why she chose to leave The Bachelorette:
“Initially on the red carpet, I did feel a connection with Brooke. I was really looking forward to seeing how that might develop, but getting time with Brooke to build on that was so much harder than I thought it was going to be. By the time that I did get the opportunity to get to know her, I’d already formed really strong friendships in the house, and some of those friends had by that point already developed romantic connections with Brooke.
“So, all of a sudden, I realised that I didn’t feel like I could pursue her in that environment because, basically, I felt like I’d be doing the wrong thing by the others in the mansion. It was almost like going for your friend’s girlfriend — it just didn’t feel right.”
On becoming conflicted after forming close friendships:
“It was important for me to be authentic and be genuine in this experience. As soon as I realised that I couldn’t give Brooke what she deserved, I didn’t want to take that away from someone else who really wanted to be there. The main thing was just that I had developed friendships and I hadn’t developed a connection with Brooke, and by that point I couldn’t see myself giving her what she deserved, so the best decision was to leave,” said Carissa.
“On TV, it’s really focused on everyone’s relationship with Brooke, but we’re all forming connections within the mansion. I found that hard, how do you you navigate having strong friendships and dating the same person? It’s something I didn’t anticipate and I found it too challenging. Especially as I didn’t already have a connection with Brooke, I was having to create one when my friends already had feelings. It was too much.”
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On whether she has any regrets about leaving after seeing Brooke’s reaction:
“It was really hard to see Brooke upset. I think that those conversations are never easy — ending any relationship of any kind is never easy, it always hurts. But I did the right thing by Brooke at the end of the day,” she said.
“I’m actually proud of myself overall for taking the courage to have that really difficult conversation with Brooke, and just honour myself by being open and honest with her.”
On having to pull out of a single date with Brooke:
“I was actually offered a single date early on, but I had an injury,” Carissa told Punkee. When asked if her solo date with Brooke was rescheduled, she replied “No,” adding that “basically because of my injury, I just had to let it go”.
“It seemed like Brooke was trying to give different people different opportunities, and because I got that extended time [after the go-kart group date] that was my shot with her. A single date would have given that extra time. Who knows, maybe if things had worked out differently, we would have got to be able to form a connection early on. It’s hard to say, really.”
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On not being able to go on group dates that involved physical activity:
“I injured myself, which meant I couldn’t go on any of the active dates, which made it harder as I was missing out on time [with Brooke] because of my injury.”
On whether she agreed with her portrayal on the show:
“There’s so much that they cut out. I got portrayed during the really challenging times when I was struggling a bit. On the episode when the intruders came, that emotion wasn’t because I was threatened by the intruders, it was because I had already formed those close friendships. I was really sad that the people I cared about — and who really wanted to be there and hadn’t gotten the opportunity to get to know Brooke — were going home. After that rose ceremony, me and a bunch of the girls went into the movie room and cried. It was so hard.”
On whether she noticed any of the contestants becoming romantically entangled:
“From what I noticed, everyone was there for Brooke, but who knows what I didn’t see. There was conversations off-camera that we didn’t see, but from the people I was close to, everyone was there for Brooke.”
On who she hopes will win Brooke’s heart:
“At the end of the day, I want Brooke to end up with who she’s right for. Whoever is the right person for Brooke, I hope they win. When I was in the mansion, the person who stood out the most to me was Darvid. He just had a really grounding and loving energy, and he seemed genuine. He just came across as someone I could see Brooke ending up with.”
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The Bachelorette airs Wednesday and Thursday nights at 7:30pm on Channel 10.