BACHELORETTE villain Brayden Bowers' close friend has insisted the star did not join the show for fame and Instagram followers.
Brayden became the center of drama during last week's episode after castmate Adrian Hassan told Charity Lawson he was treating the show like "spring break," and didn't sign on to the series for the right reasons.
Now, the travel nurse's best friend is speaking out on the claims.
"He's talked about a couple of times how he's had a couple of bad relationships. Before this we would joke- he was like, 'Oh, I'm not gonna be with anybody until it's the girl that I love,'" Caleb Webb told The U.S. Sun in an exclusive interview.
"I think he's 100 percent on board with something like this.
"He's going on there and everybody's interested in the same thing and has roughly the same intentions."
Read More on Bachelorette
Caleb noted that it was another friend who got him on the show, and that Brayden didn't even apply himself.
After rounds of interviews in which Brayden brought up his "rough history with relationships," he joined the show for a "different experience," Caleb insisted.
"He's very much the type of person who, if it's something that he's not familiar with, he'll dive headfirst and give anything a try.
"And if it ends up being something that is what he's looking for in a relationship....then I think he's doing it more so for that type of a reason," Caleb explained, while adding Brayden isn't big on social media and wouldn't be on the show for more followers.
Most read in Entertainment
'CUT THE SCENES'
Despite Adrian thinking Brayden was on the show for the wrong reasons, the 24-year-old contestant received the first impression rose the night of the premiere.
He then made it through the second rose ceremony, even after Bachelorette fans thought Charity, 27, was going to send him home.
Brayden got fired up - and packed his bags to go home - after hearing about the group date where the men were forced to watch Charity's make-out session with Joey Graziadei to break the Bachelor Nation record for the longest kiss.
Caleb, who served in the U.S. Army with Brayden, watched the episode with the reality star and was able to get his friend's side of the story.
"I think it's kind of interesting how they cut the scenes in order to fit a storyline, because of course they have to keep it interesting.
"But I can also understand as far as his frustration goes, he also knows that that's kind of the name of the game on this show.
"Everybody is trying to get their chance with Charity, everybody is trying to get that one-on-one time and see if they have that sort of chemistry," Caleb elaborated, referring to Brayden's outburst over Charity kissing Joey.
"So I think when they see that sort of thing, it kind of rubs [them] the wrong way. I think that was the initial reaction.
"But he's also very confident in himself and I think looking forward, everybody will see more of his confidence."
Caleb said that despite Brayden's "bad edit," he believes fans will see a "better side of him" in the coming weeks.
A 'GENUINE' GUY
The preview for the July 10 episode of The Bachelorette shows Brayden going on a one-on-one date with Charity at a baseball park.
He tells her: "I really like you. This is real."
The clip then cuts to Brayden defending himself to the other suitors.
"The only doubt that I have is an engagement," he shouts.
Caleb told The U.S. Sun that Brayden was ready for a relationship and that Charity seems to be a good match.
"I mean he went on this looking for somebody. He's at the point where he's ready to try again and luckily, as far as what goes on in the show... Charity seems to be that same type of a person," Caleb shared.
"I think that the two of them would be really, really good together.
"Their personalities, from what I can see and what I know of him personally - I don't know her personally - but from what's shown on TV, I think they would mesh really well together."
The fitness enthusiast explained that the first episode was "more toward his actual personality" than the second week.
He reasoned: "The way that they cut the scenes, it made it seem like he's like this angry person who's territorial.
"Like, he had that first impression rose from the first episode and he was super happy- that's him.
"The second episode, it seemed like they cut all the scenes where he was like, 'I'm not happy with her kissing all these guys and stuff,' and they made him out to be this super bad guy, and that's not him at all."
Caleb insisted: "He's definitely authentic in his intentions.
Read More on The US Sun
"He's more genuine and empathetic with other people's feelings than that for sure."
The Bachelorette drama continues every Monday at 9pm ET on ABC.
ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7tbTEZqqupl6YvK57xKernqqklravucSnq2hwZWuCeoOTaJmam5iaubC%2BxK2rnmWmnrmtrcinZJuqka6xprqMm6awnaKoeqOtw2acnaGkYrOztcSnm2abnJa2rr%2BO