Krystal From 'The Bachelor' Gets Real About Being The Villain Of Arie's Season

Once the "villain" goes home on The Bachelor, her elimination usually signals a somewhat disappointing transition into more serious dates and less of the entertaining antics we tune in for. Luckily, even after Krystal's departure from Season 22 of The Bachelor, we had an episode set in Tuscany to distract us from her absence. Removed from TV world for now, Krystal's reaction to being the villain on The Bachelor actually makes a lot of sense, reminding us that some TV baddies don't always have evil intentions in mind.

Speaking to Refinery29, Krystal explained that while she did know how the show worked, she didn't anticipate the rocky adjustment to simultaneously dating the same guy as multiple other women:

I knew the context of the show. However, being there — I really think what got to me [was] in Tahoe, we had our one-on-one, and I just felt such an amazing connection with him. Then, to see him, as I'm talking to him, grab another girl's hand, felt really disrespectful to me and our relationship. I understand that's the name of the game. However, I would never tolerate that in real life. But this show wasn't real life. It wasn't a real dating experience. That wasn't real, but my emotions were real. It was just finding that uncharted territory.

Krystal makes a totally valid point about the bizarre Twilight Zone that is the filming of The Bachelor. You're separated from your job, friends, and family, and your sole purpose is to suddenly win the heart of this guy. That intense situation could make anyone lash out in weird ways, but if you don't watch how you're reacting carefully, it could hurt you in the long run.

For Krystal, she soon became aware that staying so focused on how she would be edited had made her the villain:

When I was in Tahoe, I knew that I would be on a two-on-one. I knew that was going to happen. And then, when I got to Paris, or when I was in Fort Lauderdale, I knew that was the edit. I knew that's what I was gonna be. And I just didn't care anymore. I think I cared so much about how I'd be perceived that I really got in my head about it.

Although her onscreen tirades about glitter truth bombs have probably landed Krystal on top Bachelor villain lists for the rest of her life, becoming that meme-able contestant was never her plan. While producers are notorious for nudging the women to act a certain way and — in the case of Corinne Olympios — really let their freak flags fly, Krystal told Refinery29 that all of her expressions were genuine.

I was only encouraged by production, I'd say, to really feel. And I came in, I wanted to feel. I wanted to be emotional. I really put my emotions out there.. I poured myself [out], even in my interviews, I really gave a lot... there's a really beautiful side to filming... It allows us and all the women involved [to] have so much time to be taken away from work, and shopping, and running errands, and just the busyness of life. Just to focus inward on your feelings and your connection with the guy, and your own journey. We all just had this beautiful process of self-discovery along the way.

While it seems that Krystal has no hard feelings about her villain edit (and kudos to her), my bet is that she's had enough time to cool off from the initial shock of her portrayal that she has decided to just roll with it. She called her storyline as the villian the "element of spice" that I think was crucial to the early weeks of Arie's season:

I think [the storyline] added something controversial... I remember filming it at the mansion, being with the girls, and saying, 'This is going to be [the] most boring season, because there is nothing going on.' We were all like, 'This is going to be bad.' We were concerned that there was nothing going on! It was boring. And then things changed very quickly.

After hearing Krystal's side of her Bachelor experience, I'm willing to pull a Kendall and be the empathetic viewer who gives her a second chance. It's tough living the post-show life of a Bachelor villain, but Krystal seems to have done so with grace so far.

The Bachelor airs on Mondays at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.