This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Community Corner

Corona del Mar's Ryan Park: Time with 'Bachelorette' was 'very real'

Ryan Park is teased and called camp counselor by the other guys on "The Bachelorette" reunion show.

Tonight is the big finale for ABC's The Bachelorette. Who will Ashley Hebert choose?

J.P., the construction manager from New York? 

Or ...

Find out what's happening in Newport Beach-Corona Del Marwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Ben F., the winemaker from Sonoma?

We know it won't be Corona del Mar's Ryan Park. He got the boot a couple weeks ago. And then Ashley rejected him again last week when he made a surprise visit to Fiji. He ended up wandering around and sitting on rocks as Ashley flew in a helicopter above.

Find out what's happening in Newport Beach-Corona Del Marwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Sunday night was a chance for the guys to spill the beans on the Bachelorette: the Men Tell All Reunion show. All the bachelors who were sent home were invited to look back on all the funny, embarrassing and emotional moments. Host Chris Harrison called it "The most controversial and talked about Bachelorette ever."

Well, I certainly talked about it more than I ever have before (of course, I hadn't ever talked about it). 

All the big issues were addressed on the reunion show: Bentley the jerk; the masked wierdo; the drunk, passed out guy. Even our own Ryan was a huge part of the show. 

Host Chris Harrison asked Ashley in a previously taped interview what she thought about some of the more notable bachelors.

"I could really separate some of the boys from the men and Ryan was definitely one of the men," she said. 

Harrison asked Ashley why, since he was one of the frontrunners after getting the first impression rose in the beginnng, did she break up with him after the first one-on-one date.

"When he said, 'You don't want to meet my parents?' it was like a dagger to the heart," said Ashley. "I wanted to see someone with a lot of emotion, happy, sad, and I never saw that from him."

Harrison also asked Ashley about Bentley.

"He played me," she said. "I never knew it was going on. It hurts me that people can be so negative."

Some of the highlights from the show were the out takes of Ashley's dates. On her date with Ames she was served a plate of local cuisine— larvae and crickets—and on Ben F.'s date they had to beat bamboo sticks filled with rice. But CdM Ryan gets an "A" for best potential boyfriend when, on their first and last one-on-one date Ashley got a toe cramp while doing tai-chi with Ryan and he tried to help her. Even Chris Harrison called him "a gentlemen". 

Harrison also brought up some interesting topics from viewers. The vaseline jar on the nightstand when Ashley called into bed crying after Bentley left.

"I have this weird thing with vaseline. I like to put it on my lips before I go to be and all around the outside of my lips," said Ashley.

Yeah Ashley, that's weird. Use Chapstick. Only grandmas still use vaseline. 

More dirty-minded viewers commented that when Chris Harrison came to Ashley's hotel room to tell her Bentley had come back noticed that there was a fruit dish on the coffee table with a banana and two oranges. A joke by the crew members and also food porn for farmers I guess. 

Viewers of the special also got to see a preview of the new Bachelor Pad which airs next Monday. A house full of bachelors and bachelorettes vying for $250,000 including some of Ashley's men, Ames and Blake. Looks like Blake has turned out to be quite the ladies man.

"You lie, you cheat, you're a sociopath!" said one Bachelorette in the preview clip.

Sounds like a house filled with my ex-boyfriends.

Harrison started another segment of the show with: "One guy seemed to fire you all up and that was Ryan Park." 

They showed clips of Lucas calling Ryan a "goober" and J.P. saying that "he's the guy that's 95 percent full of (doggy waste)."

Ryan responded to the bullies, "I've never been in a place where people think I'm annoying. Watching it back I can say I was a bit over-excited."

Lucas, the oil distributor, chimed in, "We thought you were putting on a show. Jumping up and down. I consider you a camp counselor." 

I never went to camp with a counselor that looked like Ryan. Sign me up!

Stephen, the personal trainer, stood up for Ryan.

"Why attack him for his personality?"

The bachelors were speechless. Way to go Stephen! Put those bullies in their place and perhaps start a new bromance with Ryan. 

The biggest laugh of the night was when William, the cell phone salesman was put in the hot seat by Chris Harrison. Embarrassing moments regarding the roast and his final date with Ashley were brought up. It seemed everyone was disgusted at his performance at the roast and why he would hurt Ashley, the one who he is trying to impress. 

Stephen: Why are we all here?

William: Because we're all single and can't find a girl to date. 

Roars from the audience. Haha William you are so funny! Okay, whatever, he is still a jerk. 

Next up Ryan Park was in the hot seat. He was looking extra cute with his black suit, white shirt and baby blue satin tie. Which look perfect with his eyes. 

Harrison showed a montage of Ryan on the show. During the speech where Ryan discussing water heaters to Ashley, Ryan holds his head down and laughs in embarrassment. He started perspiring, wiping his head with his shirt sleeve during the scene when Ashley was sending him home. 

Harrison: It seemed like that was hard to watch for you.

Park: I got the short end of the stick. By the time I got my first date, Ben and J.P. had their second date. 

Ryan also joked, "Who wouldn't tune out. I was talking about water heaters."

Some of the bachelors, especially Blake, commented that he got a lot of alone time with Ashley even though he didn't go on a date with her. 

Ryan told Harrison: "Going into this show I wanted to be prepared. I bought a lot of books, Questions to Ask Before you Get Engaged, Questions you ask before you get Married. I had pages and pages of notes. My time was with Ashley was very real. I kept a journal."

The other bachelors giggled. Yes giggled like little schoolgirls. 

Harrison: How do you find love? (Seriously Chris! You are going to put him on The Bachelor!)

Ryan: I believe that when you really are opened to finding love, true love will come along. The Law of Attraction will be in place. (Ryan must also be reading the Secretalong with all those engagement books — You are so Oprah!).

Ames was put in the hot seat next. He got the biggest applause from the audience (which was all women). Harrison gave him a gift: pink boxing gloves.

"We will allow you to take one free shot at Ryan," Harrison said.

Ashley came out at the end of the show. She had darker hair now and says she has found love. 

Ryan told Ashley: "I feel very fortunate the time I did get to spend with you."

At the end of the show, Chris Harrison quickly auctioned off Jeff's infamous mask. Ames bet $1,500, but was soon outbid by an older lady for $2,000 which will be donated to the orphanage in Thailand. 

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?