The Bachelorette's West is finally warming up to Ashley Hebert.
After making a quick first impression on last week's premiere, the 30-year-old prosecutor was able to spend more quality time one-on-one on Monday's episode to open up to Hebert about his wife's untimely death.
"If you're going to know me, one of the biggest parts of that is my past and the fact that I was married before and my wife passed away," Adam "West" Lee said on Monday's show, which featured a series of dates set in Las Vegas. "I've dated a few girls after [my wife] Sarah passed away who didn't respond well to my situation, so that's a worry for me."
During his emotional conversation with Hebert, 26, Lee told his new leading lady that he only had eyes for her, but worried she'd be turned off by his reserved attitude.
Calling wife of nine months Sarah's death "the hardest thing I've ever gone through," Lee told Hebert that Sarah had a "history of seizures" when she drowned in their bathtub in 2007. Undisclosed by Lee was the fact that Internet blogs later revealed that Sarah had attempted suicide and authorities found alcohol and marijuana in her body, and that Sarah's mother accused her daughter's husband of contributing to her death, but he was later cleared of any involvement.
PHOTOS: Bachelor stars' scandalous pasts!
Four years later, Lee says he's ready to love again. "Being here is a huge deal for me because I'm ready to put myself out there and fall in love again," he reasons to Hebert, who took the news of her suitor's past surprisingly well. Says Lee: "She reacted about as well as she possibly could have. She was supportive, sympathetic and she just seemed like a very caring person. I love that in a woman."
The skeletons in Lee's closet weren't the only bombshells dropped on Monday's two-hour episode.
After Hebert nearly swapped vows with cell phone salesman William (to test his worth as a mate), masked suitor Jeff came thisclose to revealing his face…and a giant secret.
Stealing Hebert away during the pre-rose ceremony cocktail party, 35-year-old Jeff recapped the last six years of his life in startling detail to Hebert.
Also previously married, Jeff told Hebert that his ex-wife found him on the floor having seizures at age 29 and he later suffered a devastating brain hemorrhage. "It was a long recovery. I ended up getting divorced, and now…I've never been happier," Jeff told Hebert as he prepared to take off his mask, only to be thwarted by Matt, who came seeking alone time with the bachelorette.
But perhaps the greatest revelation of all came when smarmy Bentley started to show his true colors.
"She's obviously a beautiful girl, she has a great body, amazing butt and rocking legs, and having her tickle my pickle, I mean, that would be amazing," the Denver businessman and father told the camera while Hebert was out of earshot on their Vegas date. "The competition makes it exciting, I mean competing for her, and that's the extent in terms of my interest. She's just not my type."
Later, Bentley summed up his interest more succinctly: "[I'd] rather be, like, swimming in pee than trying to plan a wedding with her!"
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By Allison Corneau for UsMagazine.com. For more Channel Surfing, click here.
