Between The Bachelorette and Dancing with the Stars, Hannah Brown has been a reality television fixture in 2019, so it’s no wonder that she won the People’s Choice Award for Competition Contestant. In her acceptance speech, Brown thanked TV viewers for accepting her, which she says “affirms that it’s okay to be vulnerable and put your heart out there.”
While some may argue the premises for these shows are contrived, there’s little doubt that the emotions Brown experience while appearing on these series were legitimate. Ultimately, it’s that same vulnerability she put on display that helped viewers relate to her. Take a glance back and some of her most vulnerable moments on TV this year.
Admitting She Had Sex
When it comes to sex on The Bachelor franchise, intercourse is generally implied with Fantasy Suite scenes rather than stated outright. However, when contestant Luke Parker made some decidedly unprogressive comments about how he wouldn’t date Brown if she slept with any of his fellow suitors, Brown didn’t hold back, unleashing her famous “I f*cked in a windmill” monologue.
Look, it couldn’t be easy for Brown to confess to having sex with soon-to-be Bachelor Peter Weber, especially knowing how many Americans - much like Parker - were liable to slut shame her for it. Nevertheless, she owned what she did without making apologies, all the while maintaining her Christianity and self worth.
Finale Mess
Ask any fan - seeing engaged Bachelor couples break up months after the finale is a fairly common occurrence. Still, Brown didn’t even get weeks to bask in the glow of her new relationship, as a large part of the finale was devoted to her finally learning that her fiancé, Jed Wyatt, had been dating someone back home for the entirety of their relationship. Accordingly, she took off her engagement ring and broke it off.
Again, she probably worried about looking foolish in the moment, but the self-respect she demonstrated was commendable. Brown proceeded to be vulnerable one last time by asking Tyler Cameron, a man she previously dumped on national television, if he wanted to get a drink and catch up. While Cameron didn’t reject her outright, the tabloids cleared up his apparent hesitation a few days later - he was dating model Gigi Hadid.
Busting Bottles
Following all that relationship drama, it’s no surprise that Brown could use an opportunity to vent. On the fourth episode of Dancing with the Stars, her dance partner Alan Bersten brought her to a rage room where she smashed bottles of wine with a hammer in an act of catharsis, acknowledging that she was picturing the bottles as her ex-boyfriends.
Did she look a little unhinged? Sure. But Brown’s willingness to embrace her alter ego “Hannah Beast” and then channel some of that anger into her Paso Doble routine showed that she’s willing to turn the pain she’s experienced in front of millions into something more productive.
Tackling Dancing with the Stars Criticism
Believe it or not, one of the critiques Brown received from judge Carrie Ann Inaba was that she needs to “open and up and let it go raw.” Bersten agreed that Brown can be “insecure.” For as vulnerable as Brown has been, the judges and her partner clearly want to see more of that side from her.
This time, Brown broke down and cried off camera, though she did share her emotions via an Instagram post acknowledging that she found the grind of being on Dancing with the Stars challenging, especially since she came into the show “broken and confused” following her stint on The Bachelorette. She pledged to continue trying to give more of her true self in the final weeks of the competition.
Dancing with the Stars airs Mondays at 8 p.m. EST on ABC.
Next: Hannah Brown on How Difficult Life Has Been Since the Bachelorette Finale
