Ali Fedotowsky

Ali Fedotowsky hated Vienna Girardi so hard on The Bachelor. Heck, her biggest complaint about star Jake Pavelka was that he didn't get rid of Vienna.

But Ali, whose real world job was so demanding that she had to leave the show, but who's been doing interviews 24/7 since, says she's over that now.

"When I was in the house, did I think Jake and Vienna could have a long-term relationship? No, I didn't think that at all," Ali Fedotowsky recalled to ET.

"I was confused about him picking me and her. But now that I've had a chance to see them interact, I think they could have a lasting relationship."

Despite their clashes on the show, Ali says she has no hard feelings about Vienna Girardi: "I do think she is a decent person." Wow! That's progress!

Ali Fedotowsky took herself out of the running on The Bachelor. Where does she stand on his final two women now that she's buried the hatchet with Vienna Girardi?

Of Tenley Molzahn, Ali says she is "innocent, sweet, nice and much more conservative. Vienna, by contrast, is "liberal, outgoing, likes to have fun and be silly."

As for whether Ali regrets leaving to be the next Bachelorette for work - especially after Jake confessed that she was the frontrunner before voluntarily bailing?

"When I saw Jake at the Women Tell All, I felt a lot of regret," she says.

"It was sad ... Sometimes when I am sitting at my desk at work, I think I made the right choice. What I can say is that if I have to choose between love and work again, I might chose love. I have to start focusing on that more."

Your tagline for her season of The Bachelorette, ladies and gents. She's been downplaying speculation so far, but bank on it. Anyway, regarding next week:

Who should Jake pick on The Bachelor season finale?

Ali Fedotowsky was Jake Pavelka's leading candidate on The Bachelor before she voluntarily left to pursue a starring role on ABC's The Bachelorette this summer.

Oops, we mean to pursue her career back in "the real world."

In a new interview, Jake repeats his claim that the departed Ali was his "frontrunner" on the program before she was forced to choose between him and her job.

Speaking to ET Online ahead of tonight's Women Tell All special, Jake said of Ali Fedotowsky: "That night, when she left, she was ahead of all the other women."

"I can't tell you if she was going to be The One, but, that night, if somebody had said, 'Gun's to your head. Pick a girl,' it would have been her," the pilot added.

But, despite her not-at-all staged plea to return to the show approximately 12 minutes later, "we had a long way to go and I forced myself to close that book."

He says he did not invite Ali back when she requested to because he had already moved forward with the three remaining women. Not even a full episode later.

"The transitions from hometowns to exotics, that's where you really start to get intimate with them, and I'd already done that with all three of the women," he said.

Translation: He was getting so much tail in the fantasy suite on last week's episode that it wasn't fair to the other girls he was naked with at the time she called.

It is truly astonishing just how much natural drama and spontaneous plot twists occur absolutely unscripted on The Bachelor. What are the chances of all this?

Career girl Ali has to leave the show for her job ... even though she presumably took time off to go on the show in the first place. All of a sudden it's an issue?

Then - what are the odds - when she returns to her hectic life at home, there's a camera crew there to catch it all and she immediately regrets her decision.

Ali can't even bear to go on ... you can always get a great job, but you can't always find love on a reality TV show with a complete stiff like Jake Pavelka!

She's filled with "anxiety" and "can't focus on work." It's tough, finding the work-life balance. As is scheduling time for all the talk show interviews she's done.

Anyway. Should Ali be the new star of The Bachelorette?

Fresh off her drawn-out, not-at-all-staged departure from The Bachelor, rumors that Ali Fedotowsky will be the next star of The Bachelorette are already surfacing.

There has been no word from ABC, but it seems like a done deal.

Everything is lining up for this to happen. First, Ali became a fan favorite. Then, she voluntarily left the program, only to beg to come back on that fake phone call.

All a clever ruse to have Ali leave at the peak of her popularity, make fans think she coming back, only to have her "rejected" by Jake and leave us wanting more.

The only question is whether ABC offered her The Bachelorette spot ahead of time and orchestrated her whole "work-related" exit or if that part was actually real.

Either way, Ali Fedotowsky will be The Bachelorette. Bank on it.

Do you think Ali Fedotowsky will make a good Bachelorette?

The PR tour has already begun, albeit subtly. The announcement may even come during this coming week's "Women Tell All" reunion special. Gotta kill that time somehow.

Yesterday, Ali told Ellen DeGeneres that she would be "flattered" if asked to star on The Bachelor sister series. Host-pimp Chris Harrison says "she definitely has a shot."

"I think she would be a fantastic Bachelorette. I like women that have loved and lost, have learned a lesson, and you have Ali, obviously beautiful, a very down-to-earth, career-driven woman who learned a great lesson about love."

Loved and lost? She left, then pretended to want back on the show 40 seconds later! A great lesson about contrived reality TV is more like it, but more power to her!

Is Ali Fedotowsky a good choice as The Bachelorette?

On last night's episode of The Bachelor, Ali Fedotowsky made an emotional call to Jake Pavelka. Or at least held a phone to her ear and pretended to cry.

One week after she left The Bachelor for professional reasons, the 25-year-old made a passionate plea to return Monday. Jake reluctantly shot her down.

Ali explained that she couldn't sleep or focus on work, and that she made a huge mistake. She says she was "pretty shocked" Jake didn't want her back.

"One of the reasons it was OK for me to leave was because I thought if he really cares about me, then he is going to come and find me," Ali laments.

She tells Ellen DeGeneres in an interview Tuesday that she thought he'd "fly to get me that would be amazing... I thought we had something great."

Chris Harrison feed you that line, Ali?

The face of rejection ... and possibly the next Bachelorette.

Following Gia Allemand's elimination on Monday's episode, Ali Fedotowsky is reluctant to predict the recipient of Jake Pavelka's final rose this season.

Although she's "really good friends" with Tenley Molzahn, she says she was "startled" by the connection Vienna and Jake have. It is rather startling.

"I didn't realize that was happening behind the scenes or when I wasn't around. They look like a good couple. I actually think it could be Vienna."

The Bachelor spoilers we've read favor Vienna Girardi as well. Yech.

As for rumors she might become The Bachelorette, Ali says: "That would be so nice. I would be so flattered. If [ABC] asked, that would be so great."

Wonder if she'd choose work over that gig. Somehow we doubt it. If you ask us, this was a clever ruse to orchestrate exactly such a starring role.

Anyway, with Ali out, who should Jake choose?

Jake Pavelka traveled to St. Lucia with his three remaining women on The Bachelor last night. Despite the best efforts of Gia Allemand and a last-ditch do-over request by Ali Fedotowsky, he narrowed the field to just two lucky ladies:

Tenley Molzahn and Vienna Girardi.

How did he arrive at this painstaking decision? As always, THG endured Jake's trials and tribulations on The Bachelor to recap the action in our point system:

The "shocking return" of Ali Fedotowsky was the hyped event this week. She lies in bed with promotional pics of Jake that Mike Fleiss gave her when he wrote this. Or she printed online because she's a stalker. Either way, Plus 30.

Back in San Francisco, Ali pretends to lament her decision.

Jake often calls Gia "deep." What does that even mean? Minus 6.

Jake says he'd return to St. Lucia on a honeymoon as it has "a lot of meaning." Hard to top the place where you slept with three girls in one week, it's true. Plus 5.

Gia: "When I look into Jake's eyes, I get lost." Jealous. Minus 3.

A Fantasy Suite card is delivered, they hop in the tub in the suite and Jake says "Gia has grabbed on to my heart so hard." He could not be more awkward. Plus 4.

Minus 8 because we really should have added "take a sip every time Tenley says 'my ex'" to our Bachelor drinking game. We could've been so trashed last night!

Jake says he can't wait to watch his first sunrise with Tenley Molzahn. Plus 6 because with these two, that probably actually is what they were thinking about.

In the span of about like minutes Jake refers to Vienna Girardi as light, fun, immature, and "nurturing." LOL wut. This is your future wife, Jake?! Minus 17.

Vienna Girardi mauls Jake Pavelka. No wonder she's in the finale.

After inhaling Jake's face aboard a pirate ship, Vienna busts out her finest Wal-Mart lingerie and closes the suite door. Plus 3, because at least she goes for broke.

Re: the fantasy suite concept: Do girls put out when he's "dating" two others? We're guessing definitely Vienna and maybe Gia. No bone zone for Tenley. Even.

Twist alert! Ali calls Jake (cameras just happened to be rolling) and says she'll "forever" regret her decision. Until she stars on The Bachelorette, that is. Plus 7.

Jake's absurd reasoning for not taking her back: he's so much closer to the other three girls since Ali left. Dude, this happened like yesterday afternoon. Minus 14.

A half hour of filler ended the episode, but Plus 4 for the over-dramatic, music-free cut to commercial while Ali cried. That's when you know it's emotional!

TOTAL: +11. SEASON: +12. Roses: Tenley, Vienna. Gone: Gia, Ali (again).

Who should Jake Pavelka give his final rose to?

Having taken herself out of the running last week, Ali Fedotowsky returns to The Bachelor tonight ... at least over the phone. Who would have guessed?

We did. Not only because The Bachelor spoilers we've been posting all season long predicted it, but because THIS SAME SCENARIO HAPPENED already.

Just last summer, even. Ed Swiderski left The Bachelorette to return to work, then flew back unannounced and asked Jillian Harris for a second chance.

He went on to win. Will the cute, blonde Ali Fedotowsky achieve a similar shocking, not-at-all staged comeback victory? That's another question entirely.

One thing's for sure, though. When she calls Jake Pavelka tonight and asks to return to The Bachelor, he puts on his best "trying to look shocked" face:

Cameras happen to be both Ali's and Jake's rooms at 6:05 a.m. What are the odds? About the same as him being told how to emote via cue cards while picking up.

How will this potential reunion go down on The Bachelor? Will Ali be granted a second chance? Or has he already moved on to Vienna Girardi and Tenley Molzahn?

Follow the jump for an epically cheesy clip from tonight ...

Will Ali Fedotowsky return to The Bachelor after her dramatic, not-at-all-staged exit on Monday's "shocking" episode? All signs obviously point to a contrived yes.

Ali, a 25-year-old advertising account manager with Facebook in San Francisco, Ca., abruptly left at the end of this week's Bachelor episode to return to her position.

After Fedotowsky's boss gave her an ultimatum - quit the show or lose your job - Bachelor star Jake Pavelka wouldn't "guarantee" he'd give her the final rose.

So Ali up and left ... but for how long?!?

"We haven't seen or heard the last from Ali," host / pimp Chris Harrison says. "I think everyone saw that it was unresolved when she left. You could tell that they both definitely were falling in love with each other, if not already."

"Tey're definitely not done talking about this with each other."

SO SAD: Chris says Jake "has strong feelings" for Ali Fedotowsky.

"Jake said it was tough to watch her leave again last night," Harrison recalled. "I asked if he considered promising Ali that she was the one so she would stay, and Jake said, 'Well, she wasn't the one. She was one of the front runners.'"

"He said she needed to decide on her own and he didn't want to be desperate and beg, but he really didn't want her to go," and Ali certainly struggled with the choice.

"She loves her job and we tried to make it work, but in the end her boss said you've got to choose," he says. "Do you want to do the show or do you want your job?"

He adds that fans shouldn't give her a hard time: "You want to be the romantic, but you can't fault her for loving her career." Especially not in this economy, right?

That leaves Vienna Girardi, Tenley Molzahn and Gia Allemand fighting for Jake's final rose ... unless Ali makes a surprise return, as hinted in next week's preview.

Who should Jake Pavelka choose on The Bachelor?

Jake Pavelka toured the hometowns and met the families of his remaining four women on The Bachelor last night. From New York to Oregon, everything went well.

Until Ali Fedotowsky dropped the biggest bombshell in Bachelor history, that is. Well, except for last summer on The Bachelorette when the same thing happened.

The story editors really need to step it up. As always, THG endured Jake's trials and tribulations on The Bachelor to recap the action in our exclusive point system:

Gia Allemand says Jake's unlike anyone she's dated. Yup, he's that dull. Minus 3.

Erick, Gia's brother, is like a poor man's Pauly D from Jersey Shore. Plus 4.

Gia confesses was with a "bad guy" who cheated on her with all her friends. Wow, so Carl Pavano is not only wildly overpaid, he's a complete jackass. Minus 7.

Jake pretends to deliberate while looking at pictures from ABC.com.

Visiting New England in the late fall, Jake tells Ali that it comes to cold, "I'm a big baby." Replace "cold" with just about anything and that would be true. Plus 5.

Ali drags poor Jake to ... her deceased grandmother's empty house. To borrow one of the simplest, but most profound Liz Lemon quotes: "Dealbreaker!" Minus 3.

Ali's mom says she Googled Jake. THG ranks #1 when one does this. Plus 30.

Jake to Tenley: "I run everything I do by my parents." Groan. Minus 8.

Jake to Tenley: "You have to be a we." Swoon. Plus 9.

Tenley choreographs a ballet dance for Jake set to a traditional wedding march. We can't decide if genuine cuteness trumps extreme awkwardness, so ... Even.

Jake asks Tenley's dad for his blessing - while dating three other girls - and gets it! Why? Because he's "a man of integrity." On The Bachelor. LOL. Minus 48.

Farewell, Ali Fedotowsky ... or will you return?

For once, Vienna Girardi was not the focal point of the entire episode. Plus 12 for that, but an obligatory Minus 7 because her dad has some major screws loose.

The "bombshell" is Ali Fedotowsky going all Ed Swiderski on Jake Pavelka's Jillian Harris. She's gotta go back to work! Minus 100 for the absurd hype this got.

But Plus 86 for Ali crying in the hallway; Jake leaning over the banister. Ali pulling out of the rose ceremony, and Jake's remark: "All I have right now is hope."

While it's rather lame of Ali to up and leave, she probably made the right choice. Jake is pretty lame, and it's hard to get a new job in this economy. Plus 24.

In the promo for next week, the phone rings and it's ... Ali! Who would have guessed? Oh wait, us. Since this already happened on The Bachelorette. Minus 8.

TOTAL: -12. SEASON: +1. Roses: Tenley, Gia, Vienna. Gone: Ali ... or is she?!

Who should Jake Pavelka give his final rose to?

Ali Fedotowsky hates Vienna Girardi so hard on The Bachelor. Chris Harrison, the show's venerable host-pimp, says that attitude may come back to bite her.

On this week's episode, the Ali vs. Vienna war raged on. Ali in particular just can't deal. But Chris warns that the two ladies need to get over their bickering.

Otherwise, Jake Pavelka may just shun them both!

"Vienna and Ali are two of Jake's favorites," Harrison said. "The funny thing is, those two are beating each other up so bad, Tenley is just skating through."

"[Tenley Molzahn] is so sweet and maybe she doesn't outwardly show it, but I think she realizes, 'Hey, you guys just keep on fighting amongst yourselves!'"

Ali Fedotowsky and Vienna Girardi look so nice here, but ...

Ali Fedotowsky, Harrison adds, "has to forget about Vienna and worry about herself." He says she needs to realize, "'Enough with the bickering, cattiness."

"If I'm going to do this, I need to be with Jake. If Jake likes [Vienna], then so be it. I can't judge why she's here, and I just need to take care of myself.'"

Adds Harrison, "The quicker she realizes that, the better she will be."

Ali and Vienna Girardi "think that they're so different, but they aren't," Harrison adds. "I mean, their personalities, on the surface, appear to be different."

"But they are really caring, loving people. They think, if Jake likes Vienna or if Jake likes Ali, he can't possibly like me, but in actuality they don't realize how similar they are because obviously they don't get to see how they are on a date."

Who should Jake pick among his final four?

Vienna Girardi has The Bachelor all but wrapped up, if last night is any indication. Jake Pavelka is wrapped around her finger and the other girls are at their wits' end.

As always, THG staff members endured Jake's latest trials and tribulations on The Bachelor to recap all the action for you with our exclusive point system below ...

Tenley Molzahn gets the first of three one-on-ones with Jake. She tries to act very squeaky and cute. Plus 5. But Minus 7 because so does Jake, and he's a dude.

Corrie punks Ali by saying she and Vienna will be going on the two-on-one. In reality, it's Gia and Vienna, but Ali has a full-on hissy fit in front of Vienna. Minus 3.

Jake's #1 wife requirement is that she have his back, no matter what. That and Chris Harrison orchestrating unrealistic dates for him the rest of his life. Plus 4.

Nice turtleneck, Jake. Minus 2.

Okay, Jake, a little to the left... perfect! Stand there and act natural!

En route to her date with Jake (and third wheel Gia), Vienna Girardi pronounces the Castello vineyard "castle." Who says you can't judge a book by its cover? Plus 8.

Jake on dating two girls at the same time: "It's almost awkward." Not unlike our reaction every time he's on screen and tries to ad-lib off the cue cards. Minus 3.

Upset that Jake and Gia are alone together, pathetic Vienna desperately wanders through the estate in an attempt to find and cock block her "boyfriend." Plus 9.

Later, the girls go to bed ... until Vienna slips out for a rendezvous in Jake's room. A rendezvous Jake didn't know he would be attending. Obsessed much? Minus 4.

Jake on Vienna: "I definitely had dirty thoughts." Cringe. Minus 13.

Gia Allemand makes a strong impression. Team Gia/Tenley! Plus 3.

Corrie's date involved the two of them sitting silently in a rowboat, waiting to make a move. At least the outdoor scenery was nice during this nonsense. Minus 6.

This is Vienna Girardi. The other girls hate her so hard.

His date with Ali Fedotowsky? Not much better. We get it. You live in San Francisco and it's awesome. You hate that Jake likes Vienna too. Just STFU you catty ...

... okay, that blue dress is looking damn good on her. Even.

Why do the girls talk about Vienna 24/7 and rarely say what they like about Jake? Ali is the worst, and it's all growing tiresome. Minus 5, and Minus 6 more for the filler quotient this week, as this could've been condensed into one hour easily.

But at least that meant time for a host-pimp fireside chat, so Plus 3.

LOL at Vienna's hair during the rose ceremony. WTH is that? Plus 8.

TOTAL: -11. SEASON: +13. Roses: Tenley, Ali, Gia and Vienna. Gone: Corrie.

Who should Jake choose among his final four ladies?