‘Dancing With the Stars’: Hannah Brown Thought ‘The Bachelor’ Was ‘For Losers’ Before Being Cast

Hannah Brown had a very different opinion of the type of people who were on The Bachelorette before she agreed to do the show. She said that she thought the contestants were “losers” in a recent interview.

“I didn’t aspire to be on The Bachelor. I didn’t watch the show. I thought it was for losers truly,” The 25-year-old told Marie Claire. She didn’t clarify if she still holds that opinion about the men she met on the show, but she certainly isn’t upset that her romance with Jed Wyatt or Tyler Cameron didn’t work out.

“I say this not in a bad way, but this is kind of my consolation prize,” Brown says about being single and having the freedom to do what she wants. “But it’s the best consolation prize I could have.”

The first post-Bachelorette opportunity she jumped on was to compete in Dancing With the Stars. And she’s taking it very seriously. “It’s not just about winning the Mirrorball,” she said. “I want to be in this competition as long as possible because I know I need this growth.”

So far, the show hasn’t been easy for her. “Rehearsals have been really hard for me,” Brown said. “And it’s not just trying to learn the cha-cha. It’s all the emotions that come with just being in this experience and the experience I’ve been in the past year.”

There have been some romance rumors about Brown and her dance partner Alan Bersten, but she denies those and says he’s been a big support. “I’m so thankful that Alan has been there and has been patient with me. It has been tough,” she said. “I’m really excited to see the growth that I have to just move forward doing the show.”

Now that she’s become famous through her realty television appearances, her social media following has exploded. And that’s been a big adjustment for her. “Getting Instagram followers when I got back home was freaking me out,” she said.

“Everybody gains followers, but it was like, ‘Okay, I’m about to have a life with another human, and that’s what I’m going to be focusing on.’ And that didn’t happen,” she continued. “So now I have all these random humans who are really interested in me and what I have to offer. And I’m like, ‘I actually have a lot to offer, don’t I?’”

Fans can watch Brown’s continued growth as a person and a dancer on Mondays at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.