Chris Harrison: Andi shows "more vulnerable side" on "The Bachelorette"
"The Bachelorette" is about to return, and this time Andi Dorfman is looking for love and handing out roses.
The 26-year-old assistant district attorney from Atlanta -- who famously told off Juan Pablo Galavis on the last season of "The Bachelor" before walking off the show -- is back as the newest star of the ABC dating series.
Chris Harrison, host of "The Bachelor" and "The Bachelorette," hints viewers will see a different side of Andi when her season premieres Monday night.
"Coming off Juan Pablo's season I think we saw her as this really tough, no-nonsense attorney and we were all proud of the way she handled him," Harrison told CBS News. "But the softer, more vulnerable side is what I've gotten to know and the self-deprecating sense of humor that I see as she's gone through 'The Bachelorette" has been really refreshing."
Juan Pablo, he added, "has been a cocktail joke a little bit" throughout this season -- but his actions also had a serious effect on Andi.
"What happened to her definitely made an impression on her," Harrison noted. "And on a serious note, she got pretty far in the show -- hometowns, and going on the exotic dates -- and realized this isn't the guy I thought he was. So she definitely still has those fears of going through this and getting to know somebody, maybe falling in love and realizing he's not the guy I was falling in love with. She definitely still has that fear and that vulnerability."
He also credits Andi's sincerity and openness as being important as she looks for love.
"To make [this show] work you really have got to give yourself to the process. I know it sounds little cliche, but that's one problem with Juan Pablo -- he wasn't comfortable being 'The Bachelor.' He fought it every step of the way and that's why it stumbled and kind of fell at the end. He never really felt comfortable in those surroundings. She really has embraced it and let herself go and the crazy thing and scary part is that can lead you to be hurt in the end. But you have to do that if you want to find love.
ABC revealed the roster of men competing for Andi's affections earlier this week, and Harrison (who spoke to CBS News prior to the death of contestant Eric Hill) promised the 25 of them are "worthy of who she is."
"She's a very successful woman -- strong, beautiful, knows what she wants, she's serious about it, and I think these guys are too. I think they've taken their cues from her, and I think they realize she's a catch," he said.
Fans will get to see Andi meet the guys when the show begins, and Harrison -- who's seen 27 seasons worth of first impressions on "The Bachelor" and "Bachelorette" -- knows a thing or two about making a good one. It's why he's teamed up with the Academy of Periondontology for their "Love the Gums You're With" campaign to promote good gum health.
For Harrison, the key to making a good first impression (aside from having good oral hygiene) is to just be yourself.
"I think people just put too much pressure on themselves in those big situations, whether it's a date or going on a job interview, and they just try something crazy that they've never tried before," he said. "I see it on the show, people parachute in or ride in on a motorcycle or do something crazy, try and sing a song -- and if you've never done it before, this isn't the time to do it on network television."
"The Bachelorette" premieres Monday at 9:30 p.m. ET on ABC.
