In a group of 30 men on their best and most polite behavior as they try to win the heart of a discerning Bachelorette, it can be hard to stand out from the pack.

Tanner Pope from Dallas, TX never had that problem. From day one, whether you were appalled or amused by his antics, you have to concede one thing: the man made his mark on this season of The Bachelorette. For his outlandish entertainment value alone, the foot-loving Texan ("Tanner Toes," affectionately) will be sorely missed as this season goes on.

After his elimination this week, Tanner took time to talk to the media about his much-discussed foot fetish, why he started the "Wes has a girlfriend" rumor, what inspired him to strip down to his "manties" for Jillian, and more.

Early on, you told Jillian you suspected other men had girlfriends. Why didn't you name names?
Tanner: I think that when me and Wes first moved in to the bunkhouse, there was a lot of conversation going on. I never knew whether to take him seriously. He's joking around about, "Hey, I got a girl back home." I didn't know whether to take that serious because I didn't know him very well. The whole girlfriend thing may have gotten blown out of proportion. I never wanted to tell Jillian because I wasn't 100 percent sure.

Was Wes the only guy you suspected of having a girlfriend?
Tanner: I just didn't know at that point. It was really unclear to me. My conversation up to that point had been strictly small talk. I'm not gonna start a rumor, but there's definitely some stuff going on around here that's not right. I don't know if the other guys had a girlfriend, but it was always in the back of my mind that Wes may.

How were feeling the night that you were eliminated?
Tanner: I didn't know Jillian was gonna cut me that night. I didn't know what was going on. It was just really tense in there and it's so hot in those rose ceremonies. I had already had some cocktails. I was definitely uncomfortable.

What was your reaction to Ed leaving?
Tanner: That was a complete shock to me because I figured Ed was one of the frontrunners. You could tell when Ed was around, Jillian had an extra little sparkle. He said he had to leave, he has a great job with Microsoft. But supposedly he comes back so obviously there's something going on. [At this point a publicist breaks in to say: "We don't know that. You don't know that."]

Who do you think is the right guy for Jillian?
Tanner: Wow. There was some awkward kissing going on. Everybody has their favorites. I thought Kiptyn might win at first, but I don't know. It's hard for me to tell. For the most part, 99 percent of the guys are there for the right reasons. Maybe a couple of them slipped through.

Does being on the show get you recognized around town?
Tanner: Dallas is kind of the mecca for reality show junkies, especially "The Bachelorette" and "The Bachelor" [fans]. It is crazy, and I've taken lots and lots of pictures with girls and their feet. They're like, "Hey, how do you like my feet? Take a picture with me and my feet." I've taken pictures of girls with nasty feet, and it doesn't bother me at all.

It doesn't creep them out?
Tanner: Hell no! The people that think that's it's creepy, either:
a) Have ugly feet themselves, so they automatically hate it because I like pretty feet. Or:
b) They think it's creepy because they hear the word "fetish." It's taken out of context. You don't see the part where it's me and Jillian actually having a normal conversation. All you see through the "editing" is me and her talking about feet or me rubbing her feet. Or I'm doing the Toe Suck dance or talking about tweezing.

You're a Texas boy. What was it like to travel all the way to Canada for the show?
Tanner: I had never been on a train or a subway so for me to be able to go to Canada and experience all that was phenomenal. It was awesome. The scenery overtook me.  It was absolutely so pretty. We didn't get to experience it because we're stuck in the hotel and have no access to the real world but it's a good country!

Tell me about the perfect foot. What is your idea of the perfect foot?
Tanner: It's really this simple. It was a lot of embellishing on my part. I like a girl's pretty feet, it's that simple. It's feminine, whereas guys' feet, we don't take care of our feet. High arches and all that is great, but it's not a dealbreaker. Painted toes is what it takes to have hot feet, and Jillian had them.

Have you always liked feet?
Tanner: My brother also has the same fetish, if you wanna say that. It's not really a fetish. Fetish sounds dirty to me. Jillian always had fun with it, or else I wouldn't have done it.

When dating, how long does it take for you to see a girl's feet?
Tanner:  Hopefully it's the summertime and I wouldn't have to deal with asking to see the feet. She'll be wearing flip-flops or out at the pool, and I'll get a glimpse of them that way.

What do your feet look like?
Tanner:  My feet are nicely -- I've never gotten a manicure, which I never would. I think that's a feminine thing to do. I've never gotten a manicure, pedicure or anything. I was asked by Jillian who had the ugliest male feet. I had never seen another dude's feet [in the house at the time], and I said Sasha. At that point, Sasha was the hairiest guy, so I figured he had the ugliest feet, so I rolled with that. But anyway, I'll show you a picture of my feet anytime.

What size feet do you have?
Tanner:  14-15

Why did you decide to strip down to your underwear?
Tanner: You get probably half the part on that due to the editing. We were all talking about what we wear. I just felt like I've been the comedian of this whole thing, I'm gonna bust out and show my "manties." That's what I call them. I'm not scared to show what I was wearing, and I just went with it.

Tanner, did you stuff your shorts?
Tanner: Negative, sir. I was just blessed. All the guys knew it 'cause we had outdoor showers. They called me King Dong. I did tricks with my wiener at one point. Some guys would shower with their swimsuits on, and I wasn't about to do that. I just had fun with it. People would be outside barbequing and cooking a steak. I'd be out there with my sausage ding-a-ling hanging out. It was all in good fun.

What's your secret to your killer body?
Tanner: I started running a lot about a year ago. I pretty much worked out about three days a week since 2005. You just got to watch what you eat. I got to have my cheat meals twice a week. Chicken, almonds, honey, peanut butter. You got to stick with. I knew Jillian had a killer body and I knew I had to be next to her on the camera, so I was like, "Daddy's gotta look good."

What has the response been from family and friends?
Tanner: The first episode I watched with my family. They absolutely loved it, they had a great time. My mom has cried a little bit here and there, she gets stressed out. She sees previews of me dropping my pants. My dad is the opposite, he just said have fun with it and that's what I did.


-Meghan Carlson, BuddyTV Staff Writer
Image courtesy of ABC