Kaitlyn Bristowe and Britt Nilsson say it wasn’t that weird to have two Bachelorettes

The producers of “The Bachelor” and “The Bachelorette” turned the world of reality dating upside down this spring, with a big change to their process. Instead of just one woman being selected from the hopefuls on Chris Soules’ season of “The Bachelor” to lead the show on “The Bachelorette,” they chose two, Britt Nilsson and Kaitlyn Bristowe. The two women will meet with the men of “The Bachelorette” on Monday and Tuesday night, and eventually the men will vote on which woman will be this season’s “Bachelorette.” Well, that’s just “awkward,” as Kaitlyn put it. Here’s what the ladies had to say about their shared show.

On whether they hesitated to do the show:

Britt Nilsson: It’s a huge decision. I did take time to think about it. But overwhelmingly, I just felt like it was the right decision. I felt like it was the next step. And I saw love happening on the first season, and I felt like it was an amazing opportunity. So, I wanted to weigh it out because it is such a big deal but I felt like it was good, yes, from the beginning.

Kaitlyn Bristowe: It was definitely unexpected and I was shocked. And yes – I was kind of just beside myself because I didn’t know what to think. I wasn’t excited about it, but I just really had to take a step back and think of the light at the end of the tunnel.

On whether there was any fighting between them:

Nilsson: You know what? It actually ended up being pretty cool that we were there. We were pretty good before, like we were hanging out towards the end of Chris’ season. And Kaitlyn’s amazing. So, there was a lot of moments where we would just kind of look at each other like oh, my God. It was actually a little bit nice to have someone’s support. And I’m glad it was Kaitlyn on the other side. We just laughed a lot.

Bristowe: To be honest, it felt like it took the pressure off a little bit, which is a weird thing to say, because I think there’s more pressure on the guys. Like who do they go to first, and they don’t even know us. And soI feel like it’s just the pressure off us and more pressure on the guys.

On the topic of whether or not the new setup is sexist:

Nilsson: When they told me there was two [of us], I didn’t see it as sexist or degrading at all. I mean, I didn’t think it had to do with us being women. I just thought that they couldn’t decide, so there was two. I know they’ve done that for men as well in a previous season. So, I didn’t see it as degrading. I honestly kind of thought of it as a compliment, like we’re both so great. I like Kaitlyn a lot, so being put on the same level with her, I was like, I get it. And it’s interesting. It’s kind of more like how a real relationship would unfold where you’re choosing each other.

Bristowe: I wouldn’t have done it if I thought it was the most degrading thing in the world. In the “Bachelor”and “Bachelorette” world, at what point do you say. it’s crazy to do that? I think it was just a little twist and turn that they decided to do. And I just think the main thing we all have to think about was the end result and finding one person.

On whether they’d hold it against men who voted for the other Bachelorette:

Nilsson:I’ve dated a bunch of people, right? And obviously, not every single one had worked out. So, I don’t think that’s a deal breaker. It would definitely be a consideration. It would be something I would be aware of. But no, I don’t think it’s a deal breaker at all. I think that actually Kaitlyn and I are fairly similar and I understand why a guy would like Kaitlyn. So, that doesn’t turn me off at all.

Bristowe: No, not at all. They’re put in a tough position where they barely know these two women and they have a short amount of time to even just sit down and chat before somebody else comes to steal us away. So, you know, I think if somebody voted for Britt and then continued to stay if it was me then, I don’t know. I would have a better chance to get to know that person and I wouldn’t hold it against him.Britt’s lovely.

What did you think of the big premiere? Did the two Bachelorette format work for you? Was your favorite part the guy in the cupcake car, as ours was? And most importantly, who do you think is going to get sent home tonight? Check out a few of our favorite moments below.

Even the folks at ABC think this set up is awkward, as they point out on the Bachelorette site right next to this clip where Britt says she likes one of the guys, only to have him express a clear preference for Kaitlyn moments later. Ouch!

But at least we know ABC has a zero tolerance policy for randomly grabbing one of the women’s asses. Even on TV, you can’t just do that. The show often features contestants getting a little tipsy, but Ryan M took it a little too far.