As a contestant on The Bachelor, it can be difficult for the women to really connect with the man whose heart they're trying to win over because they have to share his time with so many other women there with the exact same goal.
Despite the fact that Alexe, one of the women in season 29 with Grant Ellis, won the first impression rose and had a one-on-one date with Grant early in the season, she was eliminated from the competition and she says that she felt like she was at a "disadvantage" in the competition.
Alexe says she was "waiting" for the right time to open up to Grant
After bringing a llama to meet Grant Ellis at The Bachelor mansion in the first episode, Alexe won the first impression rose and had the very first one-on-one date of season 29 of The Bachelor. Despite having such an early opportunity to make a connection with Grant Ellis, Alexe says she feels like she was at a "disadvantage" by getting alone time with him so early.
Alexe spoke to PEOPLE about her experience on the show after March 10's Women Tell All special and said that she was "waiting" to get to hometowns before she opened up more to Grant and made more of a connection with him but unfortunately, Alexe didn't quite make it to hometowns and wasn't given the chance to make the connection she really wanted to.
According to the eliminated Bachelor hopeful, going on the very first date of the season -- and having it be such a fun, quirky date at that -- meant that it was harder for her to get deep with Grant. She told PEOPLE, "I think it did play in a disadvantage because it's the first time meeting that person, and you're not going to trauma-dump everything on the first [date], especially when you're sitting on the ground at the mall."
She went on to say that she didn't share much personal information with Grant in the weeks afterward because she was waiting until the hometown dates in order to really show who she is and make a connection with him that way.
Unfortunately, Alexe also didn't get another one-on-one date during the season, meaning that she wasn't really given any other chances.
She went on to tell the publication that when she shared some more personal things about herself with Grant Ellis, she wanted to make sure that it was when they were having a longer conversation and had more time to get to know each other rather than a short conversation.
But Alexe, who says that she believes everything happens for a reason and that she doesn't necessarily regret the way she handled her time on The Bachelor, says that she feels like the reason she didn't have more chances to connect privately with Grant was because he already had his focus set on other women and the two of them just weren't meant to be.
"I'm glad I didn't share that part of myself because I'm a big oversharer, and I need to learn to keep some things for the right people," Alexe told PEOPLE.
Alexe shared advice for other women going on The Bachelor
Alexe told the publication that her experience with being sent home on The Bachelor made her feel like her decision to be herself and not try to change how she acts to get closer to Grant was the right one. She shared that being herself is what made Grant like her enough to score her the first impression rose and first one-on-one date in the first place and she has no regrets about being true to who she is on camera.
"I was just weird and quirky and whatever. I don't give up, and he appreciated that. And the fact that the public's response is the same -- I think it's a big message of just be who you are and it'll shine through. It doesn't matter if there's cameras around you," she shared with PEOPLE.
The Bachelor airs Monday on ABC at 8 p.m. ET.