Last night’s episode of “The Bachelorette” got extremely intense incredibly fast when contestant Chad Johnson became violent toward another contestant and disrespected bachelorette JoJo Fletcher.
The episode provoked a furor on social media among fans who muttered their hatred toward the real estate agent. For her part, Fletcher addressed the episode in one of her weekly blog posts for People, explaining what she thought happened after suitor Evan Bass took the stage to perform some standup comedy.
During the set, Bass slyly accused Johnson of using steroids. When he walked back to his seat, Johnson appeared to grab Bass by the shirt, ripping it and thrusting Bass backwards.
“[Chad] was clearly upset by what Evan said up there on stage,” Fletcher wrote. “I didn’t realize that everything Evan was saying was about Chad … So when Chad stepped up there, he was angry. And now, watching it back, I understand why. But that doesn’t excuse what happened when they left the stage.
“Watching it back now, it scares me,” Fletcher continued. “I had no idea what was happening back stage with the guys. I do know that violence is never the answer. Putting your hands on someone else is never the way to resolve conflict. And boy was that some conflict.”
In the episode, Johnson explained that Bass had pushed him as they were both squeezing down the same row after Bass’ performance — Johnson was walking to the stage, while Bass was climbing back into his seat, conveniently located next to Johnson. But backstage, Johnson punched a door and threatened Bass, prompting other men to step in.
“No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t shake it,” Fletcher added. “After speaking with Chad, I was SO confused. I mean, obviously Chad can be intimidating, but maybe there was truth to what he was saying? At this point, I hadn’t seen what the other men had been experiencing except for the little scuffle in the seats of the theater.”
But the animosity didn’t stop there. During a group date, Bass issued Fletcher an ultimatum — either he goes, or Johnson goes, explaining that he couldn’t stay in the house as long as the violence persisted. However, Fletcher couldn’t decide and offered Bass a rose, which visibly shocked Johnson, prompting him to ask her, “You’re seriously vibing this guy right now?”
“Never in a million years did I expect what happened next,” she said about that moment. “Seeing that side of Chad after I handed Evan the rose was really upsetting. And, to be honest, I was really questioning Chad and his motives.”
Monday’s episode left off with Bass asking host Chris Harrison to step in because he felt that the newly implemented security guards at the mansion weren’t enough protection. The exchange ended with Harrison asking Johnson to figure out a way to end the animosity — but something tells us he didn’t quite understand what Harrison meant.
After all, the previews for Tuesday’s episode show Johnson lashing out at someone — or something — while Bass is bleeding.
Read Fletcher’s entire recap here.
Watch tonight’s episode of “The Bachelorette” at 8 p.m. ET/PT on ABC.