Chris Lambton of ‘Bachelorette’: No regrets

By CANDACE HAMMOND
October 15, 2010

	Dennis resident Chris Lambton, 33, says he’s “very happy” about his decision to pass on an offer to star in the next season of ABC’s “The Bachelor.” One of two finalists on “The Bachelorette,” Lambton is back working in his family’s Cape business, E. Lambton Landscaping.CHRISTINE HOCHKEPPEL/Cape Cod Times

In a medium where people get a lot of attention for behaving badly, Cape native Chris Lambton distinguished himself as a gentleman.

One of two finalists on the recently wrapped sixth season of ABC’s “The Bachelorette,” Lambton, of Dennis, charmed not only bachelorette Ali Fedotowsky, but legions of admiring fans.

On the reality show’s website, those fans describe Lambton as “gracious,” “good-hearted,” “a fine man in every way,” “a nice down-to-earth guy,” a man of “strong values” with a “heart of gold” — and oh, by the way, “the most gorgeous man alive.”

While Lambton did not get the opportunity to pop the question to Fedotowsky (Ali chose Roberto Martinez, to whom she’s now engaged), the man one fan anointed as “the perfect husband for all women” did get asked to be the next “Bachelor” — an honor he turned down last month.

In Dennis last week, where he works for the family business, E. Lambton Landscaping, Lambton, 33, talked to the Times about his decision, his experience on “The Bachelorette” as one of 25 contestants, his views on love and more.

Q: How are you feeling about not being the next “Bachelor”?

A: I am very happy with my decision. No regrets.

Q: In the end, why did you say no?

A: I just realized, while watching the show, that love is too personal to put on TV. I’d rather find my soul mate in private. Also, the idea of breaking up with 24 girls over the course of a few weeks was way too stressful for me. The producers wanted me to do it pretty badly. My family told me they’d back me 100 percent no matter what I decided, but it’s not my style and not the way I want to find love.

Q: Any regrets about having done “The Bachelorette”?

A: No, none whatsoever. I was myself the whole time. I was happy with what they showed. I was always me. I made a lot of new friends, got to go to some great places. I’d had a tough few years when my mom (Marjorie Lambton) was sick and passed away, and it was a way to step away from things for a while and have some great adventures. It was completely out of my comfort zone, and sometimes it’s good to push yourself like that. I still consider Ali and Roberto really good friends.

Q: How weird is it to date on camera?

A: Believe it or not, you forget the cameras. For the first week or so, it’s kind of different, but eventually they become like a tree. That said, it’s bizarre to date with 15 million voyeurs.

Q: Do you think you really loved Ali or was a lot of it being wrapped up in the show and isolated from your real life?

A: It’s hard not to fall in love when you’re walking on a beach in Tahiti. It’s surreal. I did have feelings for Ali, that was real, but it’s not how I’d date in real life. Normally, I come home from a great date and can’t wait to call my family, can’t wait to introduce her to them and see if she can hold her own.

Q: Is dating harder or easier now?

A: Now I have to think if this girl likes me for me or is it because she wants to be in a magazine, so in that sense it’s harder.

Q: How did the experience of celebrity feel?

A: The far reach of the show and the random people who watch it blow me away. I was working in Wellfleet this summer and these people were sitting on the deck, and one of them yelled to me, “‘Hey, are you Chris L.?” Sometimes I’ll be in an airport by myself, and guys, girls it doesn’t matter … they’ll come up to me. People are very respectful, though.

Q: Has doing the show provided opportunities for you that you wouldn’t have had otherwise?

A: It’s helped me in a lot of different ways. It’s given me a platform to be able to give back. When my mom was sick, our family got a lot of support from Compassionate Care ALS (ccals.org). I’m their unofficial spokesperson, and the show gave me a soapbox to stand on. At the Compassion Care ALS website, there’s a story about my mom, and I’m helping as much as I can. We sell Lambton Landscaping T-shirts like the one I wore on the show, and a percentage goes to CCALS. It’s amazing — we’ve sent shirts to the Philippines, Switzerland, all over the world. The reach of the show is incredible. We’ve sold over 1,000.

It’s been great in other ways, too. I’ve gotten to go on some cool trips. I’m going to L.A. soon, going to Chicago for a Bears game, and got to go to Fenway when Ali was throwing out a first pitch. It was funny how many of the players watched the show. Dustin Pedroia told me he and his wife both watched. So it’s been fun.

Q: What’s next for you?

A: I have no idea. I just go a week, a month at a time.

Q: Do you feel a little like Dorothy in “The Wizard of Oz” — after going to the Emerald City that there’s no place like home?

A: (Laughing) Yes. Here I’m surrounded by an amazing family and great friends. I have such a great support system. The hardest part of the show was having to go 10 weeks without talking to them. When we came to the Cape for the hometown date, that was the first time I’d seen them since I’d left. My family keeps me grounded. Two days after I got back from finishing the show, my brother was on me about getting back to work. I told him, “I just got back!” He said, “You just got back from Tahiti — get to work.”