Why Britt Nilsson Was The Realest Contestant On This Season Of ‘The Bachelor’

Britt Nilsson was either passionately loved or hated by every fan in Bachelor Nation. The gorgeous waitress from Los Angeles squashed competition for the first half of the show, only to be ridiculed and labeled as “Fake” by the other women as the season wore on. Though she had a few petty moments on screen, I cannot for the life of me understand what about Britt was supposed to be “Fake.” Was it her hair? I’ll consider that theory. Otherwise, nope. Sorry. Not buying it. Britt was the realest damn contestant on that show. Here’s why.

1. Any self-respecting person thinks critically about their relationships.

Near the end of her time on the show, Britt was flip flopping a lot. First she hated Arlington then she loved Arlington. First she was crazy about Chris then she was bitter towards Chris. And you know what? I think that’s perfectly natural in the early stages of a relationship. You are still learning who the other person is. The honeymoon phase only lasts so long and then you are left to decide whether your lifestyles actually could work together. The only people who don’t think critically at this point in a relationship are people who are just desperate to end up with someone, regardless of actual compatibility. Britt was indecisive because she wasn’t just in it to win it – she was in it to find a love that worked for her. That’s real.

2. Like anyone else ACTUALLY wanted to live in Arlington.

So Britt was the only one who openly admitted to disliking Arlington (Besides Jade on the one-on-one date. How did we all just conveniently forget about that?). But there is ZERO chance the other girls actually liked it. Sorry. No way. Not buying it. Every single one of those women went through the phases of being initially horrified by Arlington, then rationalizing that they would be there with Chris so it wouldn’t be so bad. The only difference is that Britt processed that out loud. Yeesh. We were all thinking it, she just said it.

3. Some people are just more excited about stuff than other people.

So Britt doesn’t express happiness the way most of us do. She jumps around and squeals a lot. You know what? I think it’s cute. And she’s definitely not alone in the way she feels joy – I know people in the real, live world who do the exact same thing. Some people are just naturally more excitable than other people. I’ve worked with people who get Britt-in-a-hot-air-balloon style excited over ordering new pens to the office. It’s not a fabricated response – it’s real. And it’s refreshing as hell. We need more people on earth with that level of excitement.

4. She had her irrational moments.

I am the first to admit that Britt’s outburst on the three-on-one date was uncalled for. But give me a single relationship where both people are composed and entirely rational at all times. It would be a relationship between robots. The fact of the matter is, love makes us crazy. Britt’s emotional outburst was one of the realest things I’ve seen on the show, even if it got her kicked off. She lashed out and did something that might actually hurt her chances at winning, because she was feeling real emotion. Something we don’t often see on the show.

5. She actually cried a totally normal amount.

Uhh if my boyfriend was dating twenty-nine other women I would be a hot mess too. Not to mention if I were ridiculed and shamed by someone I considered a friend on national television. Britt’s tears only came off as self-involved because she was the obvious front-runner. But with great favoritism comes great responsibility. There was a target on Britt’s back from the moment she accepted the first impression rose – I don’t think any level of sincerity could have saved her from being the object of everyone’s insecure jealousy.

6. She didn’t end up with Chris.

I am a firm believer that if Britt had played her cards right (I.e. suppressed her real feelings and said everything Chris wanted to hear), she would have won the show. She was gorgeous, Chris loved her and she was the obvious front-runner for most of the season. But she needed to be real about what she wanted. And that set her apart. If anything, the break up between Chris and Britt made the most sense of all. She was an independent thinker who knew what she wanted out of life. Chris was a whiney little man-child who made decisions based on what the other girls told him. She deserves better. And in real life she would have realized it – just the way she did on the show.