Thursday, February 11, 2016

The Bachelor"s Olivia Caridi to Haters: "You"ve Made Me Stronger Than Ever"

Fans of The Bachelor know that every season, there’s a villain, and this season’s villain was 23-year-old news anchor Olivia Caridi.



On Monday’s episode, much to the joy of fans and most certainly the other contestants vying for that final rose, bachelor Ben Higgins gave villain Olivia the axe. 


MUAH-HAHAHAHAHA!


Olivia had angered the other ladies with her arrogance, standoffishness and rude comments, and after some of them complained to Ben about her evil ways, he began to question his once-strong feelings for her.


Because The Bachelor loves an over-dramatized diss, Ben left a dejected and teary-eyed Olivia stranded on a desert island (seriously) as he rode off into the horizon on a speedboat with Emily.


Now that she’s off the show, Olivia is speaking out about her experience.


She posted a photo to Instagram of herself with her BFF on that desert island in the same swimsuit she wore on the show, looking pretty damn happy, we must say.



In the caption, she shared the grueling experiences she had on the island after being abandoned:


“So I’d like to thank my best friend @rachelantigua for renting a kayak and picking me up on the island in the Bahamas. It was very cold out there for a while, I just made a tent with some of the rocks near the blowhole and slept near some sea crabs and turtles for comfort and friendship. I caught fish with my hands for meals. It was very difficult. But my friend just anchored near the shore days later and we floated back to the mainland during sunset. It was idyllic.”


Olivia’s got jokes! Even if you loathed her, you kinda gotta love her for making light of what seemed like a pretty shitty situation, even for a woman who compared her fellow contestant to a Teen Mom.


Since Olivia was cast as this season’s shrew, she had her share of haters, and she now has a message for them:


“But for real — thank you to the lovers and supporters, both friends and strangers, who have reached out. I am eternally grateful. For the haters, you’ve made me stronger than ever before. The girls on this show see your comments and they have feelings. Think twice before sending an insensitive message. Words hurt, and they kill, too. Don’t be mean behind the screen. #AntiBullyingMonth”


Now, this sounds like an entirely different Olivia than the one we saw on the show. Because love her or hate her, that was a pretty solid thing to write. 


Certainly her detractors will accuse her of simply trying to make herself look good, but hey, it’s still a positive message and she’s not just talking about herself.


She closed her comment on a high note, admitting that she’d made mistakes and she’s owning up to them, but moving ahead.


“This has been one of the most interesting experiences of my life. I’ve learned a lot about myself. Good things and tough lessons. We’re all human. We make mistakes. Learn from them. Let them make you wiser. Be imperfect, flawed, and quirky. And own it. Never trade your authenticity for approval. Don’t be afraid to stand alone. Anyway, rant over. Can’t wait for adventures ahead!”


This is probably one of the most mature responses that could’ve been offered after such an experience. We don’t know if a publicist wrote it or she’s enlisting her journalistic knowledge on how to shape public opinion, but we have to admit, the girl did it right.


If you’re the type who likes to skip to the back of the book to know the ending, check out our Bachelor spoilers (yeah, we know what happens).