Outdoorsman Kyle Higgins, 26, of Colorado didn’t get a rose on Monday night’s Bachelorette premiere, but he says he has no regrets about going on the show and trying to woo Ali Fedotowsky.
Kyle spoke with the media this morning about his short time with Ali, plus his inside perspective on some of the more colorful characters we met, including Justin “Rated R” Rego and Craig M. from Toronto, who both rubbed viewers — and the other guys — the wrong way.
Check out the highlights of Kyle’s post-Bachelorette chat.
On his remark that he’d like to eat the First Impression Rose and let it become “part of him”:
“It was a joke! I was just joking around with my friends, with the guys there. I really don’t know … I didn’t even remember saying it ’til I saw it, I didn’t think I could say anything that clever.”
On Justin “Rated R” Rego:
“I felt like he was lying to Ali all the time. When I was around him he was just completely different than when he was next to Ali because I saw him talking to Ali a few times when I was in the house. The things he would say to her, it was almost like you were sitting next to one of your best buddies who was hitting on a girl — you could just tell he’s telling lies.”
On who he voted for as the guy who was “there for the wrong reasons”:
“I did vote for Justin just because he did kind of rub me the wrong way. He just kind of seemed arrogant to me, so I put his name down. He wasn’t one of my favorite guys there. I actually rode over in the limo with him and I thought he was all right until all the cameras got around him.” 
On Craig M., the cocky Canadian:
“I didn’t think he was that bad. When I watched the episode it kind of surprised me because I actually really liked him — him and I got along. I spent probably the majority of the night with him. I thought he was a good guy, I thought he was cool. Watching the episode and the previews, his character shows a little bit of a different story. But I was only there for a night and I only hung out with him that one night. So he could drastically change for all I know. But while I was there I liked him.”
On the fishhook he gave Ali as a gift:
“I bought it specifically for her. I actually was going to use the one that I had since I was little, but then I was like, if this doesn’t work out, I don’t want to lose something that’s been good luck for me since I was tiny.”
On what he thinks of Ali:
“Even though it might not be me in the end, I wanted to wish her the best of luck throughout the whole thing in finding what she really wants because I know she was there, obviously, for all the right reasons. I do think that if I could have had some more time with her and kind of showed her who I was a little bit more, she would have picked me. But then again, we were two completely different personalities. I don’t know if it was meant to be or not, but I do think if I would have had more time I maybe could have wooed her a little bit.”
On who he thinks is the perfect guy for Ali:
“The perfect guy for her, from my experience, I believe his name is Jesse. He was just a really nice guy. If I had to pick a guy for her, I would pick Jesse. He seemed like a genuinely nice, true guy. You could tell some of the guys were there for the wrong reasons but he wasn’t one of those guys.”
On whether he has any regrets from being on the show:
“I don’t regret it at all. I’m 26 years old and I’ve probably had one serious relationship out here in Colorado. The relationship I was in was a really good relationship until the end. I guess finding love was something I wanted to do again. I kind of thought this was my chance. I don’t regret going out there. I had a good time. At the end when I seemed upset, I’ve never done anything in my life when I set a goal and wanted something and … I expected to go farther and maybe win the thing. I failed, is what I felt like. I wanted to be there at least halfway through the show. When I got let go, it surprised me. I felt like a failure, I guess.”
Senior Writer, BuddyTV
Meghan hails from Walla Walla, WA, the proud home of the world’s best sweet onions and Adam West, the original Batman. An avid grammarian and over-analyzer, you can usually find her thinking too hard about plot devices in favorites like The Office, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, and How I Met Your Mother. In her spare time, Meghan enjoys drawing, shopping, trying to be funny (and often failing), and not understanding the whole Twilight thing. She’s got a BA in English and Studio Art from Whitman College, which makes her a professional arguer, daydreamer, and doodler.
