Is Kelsey's "Amazing Story" That Bad?

It was obvious that Monday's Women Tell All special edition of The Bachelor would involve a lot of Kelsey Poe. And why wouldn't it? She was a big draw for the middle of the season, especially when ABC painted her to be the villain of the group. Kelsey's career as The Bachelor bad girl started off with a whiny camping trip, really hit its stride when she had a panic attack that may or may not have been real, and ended with that glorious confrontation with Ashley I. in the middle of the badlands the day she got eliminated. It's been a long journey for Kelsey, but is it too late for things to turn around for her? Now that Kelsey's explained her "amazing story," it seems she may have gained a few more people on her team.

When Kelsey first took the hot seat, the other women couldn't tear her down quickly enough. Anytime Kelsey spoke, one of her fellow contestants was right there, ready to explain why she was, once again, full of you-know-what. But once she got into the nitty gritty of it and explained why she so famously called her story "amazing," and I'd be lying if I said that it didn't tug at my heart strings a little bit. Because I could see that, even if I've doubted her at times, Kelsey is clearly still mourning her husband, and the amazing part of her story isn't that she is amazing for surviving all of it, but that she got to find the kind of love she shared with Sanderson at all.

And although she didn't exactly win over all the women sitting in front of her, she definitely seemed to win over the audience. People stopped mocking her and started taking her seriously, and was it just me, or did a few select audience members have tears in their eyes? Without ABC's crazy editing, Kelsey could've been a more sympathetic "character" this season, but maybe it's not too late for her to be redeemed.

Do I think Kelsey has made a miraculous transformation to fan favorite? Absolutely not. But do people understand her a bit more? It's definitely looking that way.

Image: David Moir/ABC