Chris Harrison on New and Improved Bachelor Star: After "Intensive Therapy," Brad's "Different" Now

Reality romance show host weighs in on heartbreaker's return to TV. Is he really the most eligible man for the job?

We love Ali's runner-up and all, but we really have to side with Chris Harrison on this one: "Chris Lambdon just wasn't right to be The Bachelor." (C'mon, who seriously wants to see Chris L. breakin' the ladies' hearts?!)

But why return to previous Bachelor bad boy Brad Womack? Does he really deserve a romance redo? Our own prize guy Ryan Seacrest chatted with Chris on his radio show this morning, and according to The Bachelor rose master, Brad fans (or haters, either way!) are in for a pleasant surprise:

Brad's like a totally new dude. No, really.

"We really like Brad," Chris said early Tuesday on On Air with Ryan Seacrest. "And as much as the audience was angry with him, over the last year...he's been proving [himself] over and over and being very persistent. [Brad said,] 'I'm in therapy, I've been doing a lot of soul searching, I'm a different guy, I want to come back and prove I believe in this process and prove that I can and am willing to do this.'"

And once the Bachelor producers realized Chris L. was the wrong guy for the job, Brad became a real contender. "We started looking at other guys, and again Brad called and said he wanted to do this. So we said we have an opening, let's do it!"

On Monday, Brad stopped by Ellen to discuss his journey from beloved Bachelor to hated heartbreaker—and back to Bachelor once more, opening up about the "intensive therapy" he's undergone to be sure all those lovey-dovey issues are a thing of the past. And Chris Harrison can attest!

"He says himself that he agrees that he was a commitment-phobe, and as much as he said the right things and said he was ready, he was not and admits that was a jerk thing to do," Chris told Ryan of Brad's last-minute Bachelor bailout his first time around.

Adds Chris: "He wanted apologize to DeAnna Pappas and Jenni Croft, the two girls he left. But Brad feels like he has dealt with his issues, which you'll hear about in the first episodes, and feels like he's ready to do this now."

Still doubtful? Try to look at it this way: "There are great guys, very successful and just really suck at relationships," laughed Chris. "But he seems to have turned it around."