TORONTO - Let the heartache begin.
The first edition of "The Bachelor Canada" has whittled the field down to 16 ladies vying for the affection of former CFL player Brad Smith, but at least one of the rejected ladies admits she "couldn't wait to get out of there."
Brazen bachelorette Rebecca Harrison — who went by Bubba — was among the nine women sent packing at the end of Wednesday's premiere.
She left in tears after the rose ceremony, despite cocky posturing that included snipes at her romantic rivals and references to Smith as "B-Rad."
In a conference call with reporters Thursday, Harrison admitted to joining the show largely to launch an acting and comedy career.
"I went for exposure. Also I was single, so I figured it was good — I can get exposure and possibly find love," said Harrison, blaming her teary departure on too much alcohol.
"I got one of the two, exposure. The most important part."
Whitney, an athletic beauty from Calgary, emerged as the early front-runner among 25 eligible bachelorettes who took part in a tumultuous meet-and-greet marked by tears and bickering.
Smith gave Whitney the "first impression" rose, and handed out 15 more by the end of the episode.
The 27-year-old Harrison showed no signs of disappointment Thursday, calling the beefy green-eyed Smith "too pretty for me," while speculating on what attracted him to Whitney.
"I nicknamed her 'The Python,' she has some serious guns on her man," she said in a free-wheeling post-mortem peppered with vulgarities.
"She was in good physical shape, she was kind of good looking, why wouldn't he be interested? She seemed kind of nice."
Harrison predicted that Stephanie, a 32-year-old model/neuroscientist from Montreal, would make it to the finale.
"She seemed very genuine and very sincere," said Harrison, a blond ringer for actress Emma Stone.
And then there are the women who are not genuine or sincere. Harrison agreed that reality shows have a reputation for attracting attention junkies.
"Let's be real here, a lot of people go on reality shows to get that exposure," she said. "How many of 'The Bachelor's actually ended in love?"
The first big group date is slated to air next week.
"The Bachelor Canada" airs Wednesdays on Citytv.
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On the web: http://www.bachelorcanada.ca/
