Did Brayden Bowers 'manipulate' his co-stars? 'The Bachelorette' Season 20 villain confesses to 'playing a game' in 'Men Tell All' episode
BURBANK, CALIFORNIA: 'The Bachelorette' villain Brayden Bowers acknowledged that he was playing a game and manipulated the other cast members during the show during the 'Men Tell All' special episode.
Brayden established himself as the bad boy of Season 20 of the ABC dating show quite early on and he was often criticized by his co-stars and viewers alike. The 'Men Tell All' reunion episode of 'The Bachelorette' brings a unique type of anguish.
Fans wait weeks for the "villains" and other obnoxious contenders to be eliminated, only to see them given another two-hour exposure on the MTA. The major story of the night this season was Brayden Bowers, the season's unambiguous villain.
A lot has been left unsaid, but not for long. The men are back together for a dramatic reunion TONIGHT at 8/7c on ABC & stream on Hulu. #TheBachelorette #MenTellAll pic.twitter.com/U43rzoZFwN
— The Bachelorette (@BacheloretteABC) August 14, 2023
Did Brayden Bowers 'manipulate' his Bachelorette co-stars?
During the August 14 'Men Tell All' episode, the California native appeared to disclose his approach to the show. "I have to be smart. I have to play a game," he explained, adding, "I got to manipulate everyone."
Later in the episode, Charity Lawson and Brayden met to discuss his assertion that she wasn't completely honest with him during his time on The Bachelorette.
"I feel like I was my 100 percent authentic self to you the whole time," she told him. An earlier excerpt revealed considerably more conflict between them.
Charity was seen in the episode seated alongside host Jesse Palmer. Jesse got right to work, asking Charity what she wanted to say to Brayden. "Honestly," she told Brayden, "I do not like how you decided to navigate our relationship, and our connection on the show."
"I feel like I was 100% my authentic self to you the whole time. I don't think I ever put on for anybody in this house," she added.
Brayden looked to be attempting to clear himself of any responsibility for their relationship's demise. "From the very beginning, I wasn't sure if the environment was the best environment for me," he quickly said.
"The only thing that I took out of it is that I really liked you. There was that spark that you want when you meet someone," he added.
View this post on Instagram
Bachelor Nation calls out Brayden Bowers' behavior
Fans took to Twitter to call out Brayden Bowers for his behavior during the show and the episode. One fan wrote, "Me the entire time Brayden’s in the hot seat ."
Slamming the network for giving Brayden the platform to speak, one viewer wrote, "WHYYyyyYyyyyyyYyyyyyy are spending soo much time on Brayden?! And giving him more air time … I’m not understanding."
Another said, "I wish Aaron B was here so we could have that confrontation with him and Brayden."
One asked, "Did they actually just send Aaron B to Fiji so he couldn’t go to the Tell All and scream at Brayden some more."
Me the entire time Brayden’s in the hot seat #TheBachelorette pic.twitter.com/UllsXSiXvZ
— TheBachBabes (@TheBachBabes) August 15, 2023
WHYYyyyYyyyyyyYyyyyyy are spending soo much time on Brayden?! And giving him more air time … I’m not understanding 🙄😩😩👀 #thebachelorette
— Hannah Cole † (@hannahxcole) August 15, 2023
I wish Aaron B was here so we could have that confrontation with him and Brayden #thebachelorette
— Ashley T (@AshTalksBach) August 15, 2023
Did they actually just send Aaron B to Fiji so he couldn’t go to the Tell All and scream at Brayden some more #TheBachelorette #bachelorette
— Molly (26) (@OfHouseHeldman) August 15, 2023
One user tweeted, "Brayden is one of those people who think being “real” and “honest” excuses everything you say even when its s**tty or mean or d**kish. It doesn’t. Knowing when to modulate your tone and words is maturity. Blurting everything out is childish."
Another person slammed the contestant and wrote, "I’m so sick of the Brayden showwwww."
Brayden is one of those people who think being “real” and “honest” excuses everything you say even when its shitty or mean or dickish. It doesn’t. Knowing when to modulate your tone and words is maturity. Blurting everything out is childish #thebachelorette
— Here for the right reasons (@_KiaTV_) August 15, 2023
View this post on Instagram
Who is 'The Bachelorette' contestant Brayden Bowers?
Charity Lawson had a positive first impression of Brayden Bowers, a 24-year-old travel nurse from San Diego, California, despite her brother Nehemiah's warnings about his red flags.
He was often the center of attention because of his extravagant fashion choices, which featured enormous, dangling earrings.
He is a traveling mental nurse at the moment, but he wants to go back to school. He had originally planned to enroll in medical school, but he has since changed his mind and wants to be a nurse practitioner instead.
'The Bachelorette' airs Mondays at 8 pm ET on ABC.