JoJo may be in love with Ben on The Bachelor, but that doesn't mean her family is, too. Now that their daughter is one of only two women left on the show, do JoJo's parents support her relationship with Ben on The Bachelor ? As a fellow skeptic, I was digging the hesitance the contestant's family showed when they met Ben during JoJo's hometown date, but now that she could be the one he proposes to, they'll have to decide if they are ready to accept Ben Higgins into their lives in a major way.
Personally, I thought that Ben was very inarticulate about his feelings for JoJo when he got cornered by JoJo's older brothers Matt and Ben during the hometown date in Dallas. (But honestly, when is Ben not inarticulate in his feelings?) Yet while JoJo's older brothers were the most vocal family members about their disapproval of Ben, getting the OK from JoJo's parents is way more important. Right now, he's on the right track. JoJo's mom, Soraya Fletcher (currently of wine drinking fame), asked Ben during their hometown dinner what sets JoJo apart from the other women, and his answer was surprisingly good. Ben said that he was the most himself with JoJo — more so than with anyone else he has ever met. Now, if that's not a way to a mother's heart, I don't know what is. Soraya also encouraged JoJo to not hold back her emotions if she cared for Ben, saying, "If you like him, JoJo, you've gotta go 150 percent on this one." So clearly, JoJo's mom is Team Ben — at least for the sake of her daughter's happiness.
JoJo's father Joe has also been pretty supportive of Ben. Perhaps he was just responding to how overwhelmed Ben looked after the brothers aggressively approached him about his true intentions, but JoJo's dad actually defended Ben at one point. He said that he believed Ben was being honest and truthful about his feelings for JoJo, regardless of what his sons thought.
While JoJo's parents seem like they will be supportive of Ben and JoJo if Ben chooses her, it'd certainly be better if the entire family was open to her finding love on reality TV. JoJo's brother Ben Patton was on the TV show Ready for Love long before she met Ben on The Bachelor. While I understand why Patton was concerned that JoJo had only been on two dates with Ben, the fact that he had his own shot at reality TV romance makes me suspicious that he and Jojo's other brother were so harsh toward Ben only because they knew it would make for great television.
How I would have loved to have been a fly on the wall when JoJo's siblings watched the Feb. 23 episode where Ben told both JoJo and Lauren B. that he was in love with them (and took all three ladies to the Fantasy Suite — regardless of what went down in there). I'm pretty sure if Ben does pick JoJo, her parents may welcome him into the family, but he's still going to have some trouble dealing with her big bros.
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Image: Jean Whiteside/ABC
