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Did The Bachelorette get too real on Monday night? Not real enough? Or did the reality show’s handling of Eric Hill’s death strike just the right note?

Clearly it was a tough spot for ABC, which risked trivializing Hill’s legacy by including too much of him on a show with kind of a ridiculous premise.

On the flip side, editing him out would not do justice to the standup guy he revealed himself to be, even if it didn’t work out with Andi Dorfman.

What happened last night tried to strike a delicate balance, showing how Eric Hill left the show before he died in a paragliding accident in April.

Producers chose to show the argument between Eric and Andi, who he accused of not being sincere, which led to him leaving prior to the rose ceremony.

At the end of the episode, rather than show the rose ceremony (where Tasos Hernandez was eliminated), Chris Harrison sat down with Dorfman.

 

The show’s beloved host and star then proceeded to discuss Eric and the way he exited, which Andi wishes she could have done differently now.

Dorfman had many kind things to say about Hill, even if they did not part on the best of terms, something she said is “a tough pill to swallow.”

Harrison said producers had been “carefully and respectfully wading through this, trying to do the right thing,” even if it made for tough decisions.

But The Bachelorette almost didn’t air Eric’s elimination, he revealed, before producers realized it would’ve been “inappropriate and insensitive” not to.

“Originally, we even had [last night’s episode] just regular with the rose ceremony cut and the cocktail party as usual,” with Eric’s exit being edited out.

However, “We all sat down and watched it and it just didn’t feel right whatsoever and it seemed inappropriate and a little insensitive,” Harrison said.

“We adjusted according to just the mood in the room from all of us watching.”

“We’ve really made a lot of game time decisions with respect to how we feel and how everybody feels at the time and what we feel is right.”

As for what sent Hill packing on The Bachelorette Season 10 Episode 4?

“I feel like Eric stepped in something that every guy who’s ever dated ever has stepped in,” Chris said. “It was wrong place, wrong time and wrong sentiment.”

Why? Because Andi was “tired” and “emotionally on edge” after the show “had kind of taken its toll,” Harrison explained, which didn’t help matters.

“So when Eric came in and said what he said, which wasn’t horrible, I think any other day, in another situation, it wouldn’t have been nearly that big of a deal.”

“Right then, I think Andi was just emotionally done.”

Will the show air footage of Andi and the remaining contestants learning of Eric’s death? No Bachelorette spoilers here, because no one knows yet.

“The answer is I’m not sure yet. I’m not sure what we will see and how we will officially deal with it…we’re not 100 percent sure,” Harrison admitted.

“We’re going to feel this out as we kind of have this entire time,” the host reiterated, “and we will just try and do what we feel is right and respectful.”

How do you think they’re handling it so far?