I never thought I'd say this, because he came out of the gate so charming, but Jordan Rodgers is my least favorite Bachelorette contestant. I know. This is a completely reversal for me, who couldn't stop singing his praises Week 1. I picked him out as an early favorite, and even though, unlike JoJo Fletcher, I didn't have a First Impression Rose to give away, if I had, he definitely would've gotten mine. Right off the bat, everything was working for me — the hair, the body, the personality, the confidence, his affect on JoJo, all of it. But as the weeks have gone on and we've gotten closer to the finale, the shine has really come off Jordan for me.
While at one point I would've wholeheartedly cheered for him to be the last man standing at the end, now every week I tune in hoping to see him get eliminated. (And that's huge, coming from someone who figured out early on that their couple name would be JoJoJo. Not getting to use that portmanteau would be a horrible waste.) Unfortunately, however, JoJo still seems to be under that same spell that I fell victim to at the beginning. Since I can't change her mind, I'll focus on trying to change yours. Right this way.
1. He Doesn't Seem To Be Pursuing JoJo
This feels like an insane thing to say about a Bachelorette or Bachelor contestant, but I feel like Jordan is playing hard to get? I never get the vibe that he's actively going after JoJo or at all concerned about her comfort. It feels like he knows he isn't in danger of being eliminated and is just keeping her on the hook, which makes me worry he isn't really interested.
2. He Only Talks About What He Wants To Talk About
Have you noticed this? Even when JoJo asks him a direct question, Jordan is a slippery critter, and always finds a way to evade, or throw the pressure back on JoJo. It's a tactic I've had used on me in my real life, and it's remarkably effective: I tell you about a concern I'm having, and you make me feel so bad for asking that I drop the subject and somehow feel guilty even though I never got my initial thing dealt with.
3. That Interaction With James Taylor
Granted, the original exchange was off-camera, so I have no idea who is or isn't in the right on that, but it's the way Jordan acted afterward that really sealed the deal for me. James was super upfront and mature about his conversation with JoJo, in a way that really impressed me. By clamming up and shutting down and just bing a total brat, Jordan did the exact opposite. To borrow the same terminology that James used, it was pretty entitled behavior, and if that's how Jordan is when he doesn't get his way, then no thank you.
4. This Preview Doesn't Make Him Look Good
We've only seen previews for Hometowns so far, with the full episode airing Jul. 18, but it seems like Jordan calls Aaron Rodgers out. To me, it looks like Jordan is implying that Aaron is estranged from the entire Rodgers Family, which is blowing up his spot in a way that I find pretty unattractive. At the end of the day, this is national television, so a little discretion goes a long way.
5. His Ex-Girlfriend Claims He Cheated On Her
Once again, we don't have any proof either way, but Jordan's ex-girlfriend Britney Farrar posted on Instagram suggesting that he hadn't been faithful. As if that wasn't enough once again, we got to see Jordan's response to the cheating rumors on the show, and it didn't make me feel any better. He basically said it was flirty conversations and nothing more, but that emotional infidelity stuff is a slippery slope.
At this point, I've kind of resigned myself to the fact that Jordan is going to win, because he's so clearly been the front runner since the beginning. But hey — just because JoJo likes him, doesn't mean I have to. Jordan... I'll be watching you.
Images: ABC (3); Giphy (2)