'The Bachelor': Chris Soules On Why He Gave 'Crazy' Ashley S. Another Chance!

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ABC

By now you all should know Ashley S. -- the most bizarre and, dare we say it, bats--t crazy contestant vying for Chris Soules' heart on this season of The Bachelor.

The blonde hairstylist, who's full name is Ashley Salter, first caught our eye when she made our list of the 11 most cringe-worthy limo exits in the premiere episode. We originally thought she was just a penny-obsessed eccentric, but viewers quickly realized that the unfocused glaze in her eyes was just the tip of the outrageous iceberg.

Many fans were shocked when Soules offered Salter a rose on the second episode of the season, due to the fact that the blonde spent the majority of their group date wildly waiving a paintball gun around and sputtering incoherent sentences. Our favorite being, "Like that's how I feel, it’s like boom. Boom like the truth. Boom!"

But when ETonline sat down with The Bachelor at the Television Critics Association’s winter press tour, Soules revealed the real reason why he gave Ashley S. and her nonsensical rants another chance.


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"Well there's another side of that story that didn’t make it to TV," Soules explained. "Prior to the rose ceremony, I don’t know if I came up to her or if she came up to me, but I wanted to talk to her after that whole night because it was pretty out there."

And by "out there," Soules is referring to Salter's obsession with the "mesa verde," her long, awkward pauses and her bizarre unsolicited advice: "You don’t want to loose the whole world, right? But actually, you want to gain the whole world. You don’t want to lose your soul."

"We [talked] and she apologized," the Iowa farmer continued, "It's a tough situation to be in and things happen, people act differently -- clearly Ashley S. is a little crazy."


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Since premiering on the show, Salter, a Brooklyn-native, has gone on an epic rant about the comparisons between love and onions, picked a pomegranate from a tree because it made her feel "powerful" and tried to distract another woman away from The Bachelor with a yellow rose.

Despite her outlandish behavior, Soules defended Salter -- whom he called a "fireball" -- and revealed why she was worthy of another rose. "I did talk to her and I'm like, 'Okay, let's give her another chance,'" he said. "I think she's a great girl and she really is a really funny, witty, smart, beautiful woman that has a tendency to get a little crazy."


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Although Soules did not offer a explanation for the blonde's eccentric behavior, The Bachelor explained that their un-aired moments are the reason she will be appearing in tonight's third episode. "There's a different side to Ashley that I do like," he said.

Whatever you say, Chris.


Catch Ashley S' wild antics when The Bachelor airs tonight at 8 p.m. on ABC.

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