Screengrab via ABC

‘I could’ve handled things better’: Lauren Hollinger reflects on her controversial ‘Bachelor’ behavior after her shocking self-elimination

Spoiler alert: It wasn't red velvet...

Her journey on season 28 of The Bachelor might have been short lived, but Lauren Hollinger sure made a statement during her brief stint on the beloved competition series.

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Looking for love with the one and only Joey Graziadei alongside her sister, Allison Hollinger, Lauren made quite the impression from the moment she stepped out of the limo and onto the porch of the Bachelor Mansion, holding two cans of beer and challenging Joey to a shotgun race. The brunette beauty beat The Bachelor himself by a long shot, with Joey letting out a large belch immediately after. The duo then shared some laughs together, however, things began to go even further and further downhill as the night progressed…

Later in the evening, Lauren and Allison admitted to Joey that they were sisters in a joint conversation on the couch, however, the 28-year-old seemed to prefer the latter, locking lips with Allison instead of Lauren. Because of this, Allison received the first rose of the night and Lauren received the last rose of the night at the inaugural rose ceremony of season 28, telling her sister “go f**k yourself” in front of all of the other contestants shortly after. Yikes!

With the premiere coming to a close, fans of The Bachelor franchise saw a much more vulnerable side of Lauren Hollinger within the second episode of The Bachelor season 28, seeing her struggle with grief during a group date where she was required to dress up as a bride. With her father passing away just a few months prior, the Pennsylvania native was seen struggling with the idea that her father would not be in attendance at her wedding, seemingly putting a damper on the whole day.

Not feeling like her best self, Lauren quit the hit competition show during the cocktail party prior to the rose ceremony. This self-elimination occurred just moments before smashing a cake on the floor, something that she was hoping to eat with Joey as a redo of the wedding date that she cried during.

In hindsight, what does Lauren Hollinger have to say about her controversial actions on season 28 of The Bachelor? She spilled all of the tea in an Instagram post today (January 30) — keep scrolling to see for yourself…

Sharing a series of photos alongside both Maria Georgas and Allison Hollinger, the registered nurse wrote, “Well that’s a wrap! I’m truly grateful to have had this opportunity and met all these wonderful people. In hindsight, I could’ve handled things better but I’m human. Please respect my privacy at this time as I will be testing out all red velvet cakes in Philly until further notice. Wishing Joey the best of luck in his journey… Now everyone go support my bestie @allisonhollinger

While Lauren might not have found her perfect match (no pun intended) in tennis professional Joey, she was born for Bachelor In Paradise! We cannot help but hope that Lauren — as well as her sister Allison, should things not work out with Joey — return to our television screens, this time on the shores of Mexico.

Until then, catch brand new episodes of The Bachelor every Monday on ABC, or stream them the following day via Hulu. With a storm brewing between Maria Georgas and Sydney Gordon, the remainder of season 28 is sure to be jam-packed with juicy drama…


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Author
Melanie Rooten
Originally from Southern California and currently residing in Music City, Melanie graduated from the University of Oklahoma with a BA in Journalism before beginning her career as a music and entertainment journalist. Beginning to write for We Got This Covered in August of 2023, where she primarily serves as a reality TV writer, she has also contributed to Holler, Music Mayhem, Country Now, Country Chord, Celeb Secrets, Celeb Secrets Country and Decider throughout her career thus far. When she is not writing, Melanie enjoys going to concerts and music festivals, binging her favorite television shows, spending time with her friends and family and cheering on the Oklahoma Sooners (of course).