Warning! The following contains spoilers for The Bachelor episode that aired Monday, January 18. Read at your own risk!
The Bachelor had a shocking exit in its latest episode, as frontrunner Sarah Trott pulled herself from the competition vying to be "the one" for Matt James. The exit came after Trott received criticism from the other contestants for dominating James' time, and taking away opportunities for other women to forge a connection.
Sarah Trott may have had an inkling she wasn't the most popular woman in the house when she left The Bachelor, but it's possible the episode's airing revealed some comments from other women like Victoria Larson she wasn't aware of. After the episode aired, Trott posted to Instagram to address the episode and share a message with fans.
We see the quote ‘women supporting women’ all the time on the internet but what does that really mean? To me, it means sharing encouragement instead of judgment. Refraining from negative comments even when it’s sometimes easier to say something mean instead of something nice. It means supporting a female owned business and paying full price. It means supporting a younger woman in your industry and offering guidance and support when appropriate. It means valuing community over competition. It does NOT mean you have to pretend to like everyone always. That’s impossible. But it DOES mean being a good person, keeping your head up and refraining from degrading another human being. You never know the internal battles another person is going through. At the end of the day, please just be a decent, kind individual.
The caption was accompanied by a picture with the words "Real queens fix each other's crowns," which is relevant to the statement and could be a jab at "queen" Victoria Larson. With that said, the controversial Victoria wasn't the only woman critical of Sarah Trott, as others like Anna Redman and Kit Keenan were upset with how much Matt James was tending to Sarah Trott. The drama began when Trott felt faint during the rose ceremony but continued through the episode as she expressed concern about whether she could handle the show's challenges.
Those challenges were Trott seeing Matt James with other women, despite having forged a strong connection with him early in the competition. The contestant admitted she should've been prepared for that coming into The Bachelor, but Bachelor Nation has shown time and time again over the years that the actual experience of watching somebody dating multiple people is very different from just watching from home.
Additionally, Sarah Trott wrestled with her decision to join The Bachelor while leaving behind her father, who was diagnosed with ALS. Trott openly questioned whether being on the show was the right thing for her to do given the severity of the disease and the general uncertainty of how much time she'd have left with her father. Ultimately, she decided to remove herself from the competition, noting that Matt James deserved the best and didn't feel like she was at her best given her emotions. It's a shame to see Trott leave, given her early chemistry with Matt James, but ultimately, people sometimes have to do what's best for themselves.
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