Paradise lost? Several Bachelor in Paradise duos called it quits during parts one and two of the season 8 finale … but which duos aren’t closing the door on a possible reconciliation? Us Weekly has exclusive answers.
Andrew Spencer, for his part, left Mexico solo after romances with Teddi Wright, Jessenia Cruz and Ency Abedin went south. The Bachelorette season 16 alum told Us ahead of the Tuesday, November 22, reunion airing that he has tried to connect with Teddi following their brief relationship — but she hasn’t been receptive to the outreach.
“I wanted to really just say my whole piece about the whole Teddi thing [during the reunion]. And I think that was huge for me ‘cause that was a lot that I’ve been holding in for so long that I never got to really say and I never got to say to her. So I know she didn’t come and I know we haven’t talked, so I was hoping that maybe this message gets to her and she just knows how I feel and it was, like, that was my closure to her,” Andrew explained. “This is how I felt and this is what I want you to know. And at the end of the day, I just wanna be friends. We had [a] good time. I don’t think there’s any ill will or maliciousness towards each other but there’s so much weight carried to Teddi and Andrew.”
While he noted that he would be open to speaking to Teddi if she was the one to reach out, one of Andrew’s castmates — Brittany Galvin — told Us that she’s also interested in the fellow Chicago resident.
“I mean, not gonna lie. I find Andrew very attractive and we’re very good friends. I’d be open to it for sure. … we’re really good friends right now. So if the friendship turned into something else, I mean, that would be amazing,” Brittany told Us. “When you get each other like that, it makes it so much better for a relationship ‘cause then you could be honest with each other. I feel like when you’re friends first, then you can tell it how it is, where if you just fall in love with them, you’re kind of scared to say how you feel.”
When asked about Brittany’s remarks, Andrew told Us that he needs a “break” from dating in Bachelor Nation.
“Brittany’s amazing, like, we hung out a lot. We’re good friends. She hooked me up with this yoga studio. I’ve been doing yoga. Just been working on myself,” he said. “And she’s a great person. I mean that could definitely, possibly be something leading down the road, but for me right now, I just want to be a bachelor. A normal bachelor without f—king having to look over my shoulder thinking I have to do another show or worrying about what someone’s gonna say about me or people taking photos of you, which just sucks.”
While Brandon Jones and Serene Russell — who got engaged on the finale — and Michael Allio and Danielle Maltby are the only two couples that are still together who left the beach in a relationship, Kira Mengistu and Romeo Alexander told Us that they are giving things another shot. Some of their costars, however, aren’t so sure.
“I think they’re honestly doing it for clout and just trying to capitalize on the fact that they were on Paradise,” Hunter Haag told Us.
Scroll through for an update on the biggest Bachelor in Paradise season 8 couples:
Paradise lost? Several Bachelor in Paradise duos called it quits during parts one and two of the season 8 finale … but which duos aren’t closing the door on a possible reconciliation? Us Weekly has exclusive answers.
Andrew Spencer, for his part, left Mexico solo after romances with Teddi Wright, Jessenia Cruz and Ency Abedin went south. The Bachelorette season 16 alum told Us ahead of the Tuesday, November 22, reunion airing that he has tried to connect with Teddi following their brief relationship — but she hasn’t been receptive to the outreach.
“I wanted to really just say my whole piece about the whole Teddi thing [during the reunion]. And I think that was huge for me ‘cause that was a lot that I’ve been holding in for so long that I never got to really say and I never got to say to her. So I know she didn’t come and I know we haven’t talked, so I was hoping that maybe this message gets to her and she just knows how I feel and it was, like, that was my closure to her,” Andrew explained. “This is how I felt and this is what I want you to know. And at the end of the day, I just wanna be friends. We had [a] good time. I don’t think there’s any ill will or maliciousness towards each other but there’s so much weight carried to Teddi and Andrew.”
While he noted that he would be open to speaking to Teddi if she was the one to reach out, one of Andrew’s castmates — Brittany Galvin — told Us that she’s also interested in the fellow Chicago resident.
“I mean, not gonna lie. I find Andrew very attractive and we’re very good friends. I’d be open to it for sure. … we’re really good friends right now. So if the friendship turned into something else, I mean, that would be amazing,” Brittany told Us. “When you get each other like that, it makes it so much better for a relationship ‘cause then you could be honest with each other. I feel like when you’re friends first, then you can tell it how it is, where if you just fall in love with them, you’re kind of scared to say how you feel.”
When asked about Brittany’s remarks, Andrew told Us that he needs a “break” from dating in Bachelor Nation.
“Brittany’s amazing, like, we hung out a lot. We’re good friends. She hooked me up with this yoga studio. I’ve been doing yoga. Just been working on myself,” he said. “And she’s a great person. I mean that could definitely, possibly be something leading down the road, but for me right now, I just want to be a bachelor. A normal bachelor without f—king having to look over my shoulder thinking I have to do another show or worrying about what someone’s gonna say about me or people taking photos of you, which just sucks.”
While Brandon Jones and Serene Russell — who got engaged on the finale — and Michael Allio and Danielle Maltby are the only two couples that are still together who left the beach in a relationship, Kira Mengistu and Romeo Alexander told Us that they are giving things another shot. Some of their costars, however, aren’t so sure.
“I think they’re honestly doing it for clout and just trying to capitalize on the fact that they were on Paradise,” Hunter Haag told Us.
Scroll through for an update on the biggest Bachelor in Paradise season 8 couples:
Credit: Stewart Cook/ABC
Jacob and Jill
Jacob told Us that he’s “super excited” about where things could go with Jill.
“Jill really gets me and it’s just really fun and amazing to have a connection with someone that was in Paradise. Even if it wasn’t, like, the awe-inspiring moment where it’s, like, love at first sight like Brandon and Serene. To me, love is, it’s a back-and-forth type of thing,” he said. “So you just don’t know if you have it right in the moment and you’re saying to yourself, ‘Oh, is this my soulmate? Oh, my God. I don’t know if it is.’ And you have doubts. But later down, we just started talking. We talked on the phone every other day, like, outside of Paradise. It was really just, it’s fun. And again, we said to ourselves, no pressure whatsoever, but we’re open to having a relationship.”
Jill added that the twosome are “exploring” a relationship and focused on communication.
“It’s infancy right now, so we just have to see. We have to explore more. We have to have more conversations, go on dates, spend some quality time together and then decide from there. But so far, things are good,” she explained, adding that she hopes to get to know Jacob on a “deeper” level. “On the beach, I didn’t get to know him terribly deeply, but even last night [at the reunion], we had such a great conversation. I just think spending more time together. We’re gonna have to do a couple trips, so I think a couple trips are in the future for sure. And then we’ll see what happens from there.”
Credit: Stewart Cook/ABC ; Ricky Middlesworth
Brittany and Tyler
Brittany told Us that Tyler “hasn’t responded” to her after she reached out “multiple times” following BiP.
“There [was] a complete lack of communication throughout our entire relationship, which honestly had a hinder at things. But I did express to him that I needed some time to kind of process everything that happened. And when I wasn’t given that time, I feel like it kind of started to build away at me,” she explained. “And I felt, almost felt suffocated in a way. And it just sucks because he is such an amazing guy. And I just kind of knew my answer and I really didn’t know how to put it into words — into a way that wasn’t going to hurt him. But the reality of the situation is someone’s always gonna get hurt in the end. There’s never gonna be a right time for a breakup, nor is there gonna be a correct way to go about it. And I just didn’t wanna waste my time and energy and especially didn’t wanna waste his for something I didn’t see playing out in the future.”
Credit: Craig Sjodin/ABC
Teddi and Andrew
Andrew told Us that he thinks his former flame has “moved on” after he “reached out” when filming wrapped. He added that he doesn’t plan to try to contact Teddi again but would “absolutely” be responsive if she reached out.
“Ball’s in her court and obviously, if we ever saw each other organically in the same vicinity, without a doubt, I’m not gonna sit here and see her across the bar and turn around,” he said. “I’m gonna go talk to this woman. Hey, I got game. I ain’t gonna lie to you. I’m not bad! I am not the guy you saw in Paradise.”
Credit: Stewart Cook/ABC
Brandon and Serene
The pair have begun wedding planning but are also taking time to enjoy their engagement.
“I had never had anybody look at me like that before. It’s one thing to experience someone’s words and then experience their actions. I’m getting it all from him at the same time,” Serene gushed. “And then to see his reaction to me, something he can’t control and just, he wears his heart on his sleeve and I never have to guess how he’s feeling. And that’s something that I said I needed coming off of Bachelor. I was like, ‘I don’t want to do the guesswork. I want someone that’s gonna be intentional with me. Show me how they feel.’ And that’s exactly how you are.”
When it comes to a TV wedding, the duo told Us that they would “think about it,” noting that Jesse Palmer is on the shortlist for the officiant.
“I’m OK with Jesse officiating,” Brandon said before Serene added: “Jesse’s special to us. I’m like, ‘We loved each other enough to get married right there.’”
Credit: Stewart Cook/ABC (2)
Johnny and Victoria
Victoria has officially moved on with Greg Grippo, telling Us that the Bachelorette season 16 alum is her boyfriend — and might make the move to Nashville for her. Johnny, meanwhile, told Us that it “sucked” seeing the pair together, but he got “closure” when they took things public.
“I think that kind of put everything to bed for me and there was no more wondering and doubts. That was my closure,” he said. “So I’m glad we got to talk and I’m glad I got to wish her well, ‘cause that’s all I really want.”
He added: “Right now that chapter’s over in my life. I want to step back, rebuild myself, and God works in weird ways.”
Credit: Stewart Cook/ABC
Michael A. and Danielle
The twosome are still dating, with Michael dropping an L-bomb at the reunion. Things are long-distance for now as Danielle prepares to leave Nashville for Ohio where Michael lives with son James.
Credit: Stewart Cook/ABC (2)
Genevieve and Aaron
“I’ve turned the chapter. I think she has as well,” Aaron told Us. “We definitely talked [at the reunion] and we’re both very confident in our decision that we just simply can’t communicate in the proper way and we’re not right for each other. And I’m completely at peace with that. And I think she is too. But yeah, we still have a lot of love for each other, obviously. And she has a friend in me for life.”
Genevieve added that the duo are “not compatible.”
“There’s a little part of me that wonders if it was outside of Paradise, if it could work. There is a little part of me that wondered that when I left. But I think that everything happened for a reason,” she said. “And he’s a good person. I believe I’m a good person, and we just didn’t mesh well.”
Credit: Stewart Cook/ABC
Kira and Romeo
While they have their critics, Romeo and Kira told Us that they’ve “gone on some dates” and are exploring things.
“Any long-distance relationship can be difficult. I wouldn’t say that it’s been smooth sailing, but we’ve managed to work through everything so far and that’s the great thing,” Kira said.
Romeo told Us: “I just got an apartment in New York and [Kira] moved to L.A. We’ll do the bicoastal thing.”
“There are a lot of flights from L.A. to New York,” she added. “And we’ll sort of see how the relationship progresses and maybe in a while, we’ll decide to maybe make the move. We’ll see.”
Credit: Stewart Cook/ABC (2)
Rodney and Eliza
“It absolutely should have been Rodney. When I came down to the beach, I wanted [it] to be him. He was the person I was most excited to see. Just as much as I think he wanted it to be me, I wanted [it] to be him too from day one. It didn’t work out that way,” Eliza told Us. “I am remorseful for that because I did want it to be him. In my head, it was supposed to be him. And that’s what I said ‘cause I mean it. Of course, things didn’t work out that way, but going in, he’s always who I wanted it to be.”
While she admitted that she “never stopped having feelings” for Rodney, she said that she needs “a break” when asked whether they could give things another shot.
“I just need time to process and reflect on the entire situation. Further down the line, I
don’t know, maybe, but right now I just want to take some time for myself, do some healing, do some work on myself and then we’ll see,” she said.
Rodney, for his part, seems to be against giving things another shot.
“To be honest, I hope she finds her person. I don’t know if that door is still open for us. I think it might have been closed already,” he said.
Credit: Stewart Cook/ABC (2)
Justin and Eliza
After ending things with Rodney on the beach, Eliza traveled to see Justin, but he said he wasn’t interested in pursuing things.
“After she came to my house, the show kind of portrays it as me saying, ‘I gotta choose myself,’ and she walks away, right? … When I was there, it left on it a ‘let’s take it day by day and see how this goes.’ Because I expressed that I was a bit concerned that she had both of us there. She made her choice and I was afraid of the flip-flop because she felt the pressure, which I understand, of the outside world that made her go with Rodney,” Justin told Us. “And I said, ‘Everyone makes mistakes. I understand the environment that we’re in, but you have to understand where I’m coming from as well, that you made your choice and now I might need a little bit of time to see if this can work.’ And all I asked her was some time to take it in the real world and see how if this can work. The cameras left, producers left. And she stayed at my house that night. And so we had a great night and I dropped her back off at the hotel and in my mind it was like, ‘OK, we’re gonna make this work.’”
Justin claimed that when Eliza went back to L.A., they “talked every day” and made plans to see each other. When he was set to be in California, however, things changed.
“I was like, ‘Hey, I’m gonna be out in L.A. if you don’t have any plans this weekend, I’m excited to see you.’ We made plans and everything and when I got out here, every day it was an excuse as to why we couldn’t meet up,” he said. “And so she dropped that line where like, ‘You hit me up at 11.’ It’s just not true. Every single day, my friend saw, ‘cause I was like, ‘Guys, is it me?’ I feel like somebody that I’m trying to make my girlfriend is kind of ghosting and I feel weird about it. And I expressed that to her.”
Justin explained that he felt like he couldn’t defend himself on stage at the reunion when she suggested he only texted her late at night. “I can’t pull my phone out when I’m there. It sounds good for the show. And I didn’t want wanna go there. I’m like, ‘Come on,’” he said.
He added that the door is “closed” between them: “On the show, she said, ‘I made the wrong choice,’ which is why she came to Baltimore to choose me. But then she’s on stage [at the reunion] saying she made the wrong choice and should have been him all along. And I said, ‘That’s exactly why I said, I have a hesitation in giving you a yes right now.’”
While things didn’t work out, Eliza told Us that she doesn’t regret going to visit Justin.
“Because that was right for me in the moment, and I led with my heart. So I don’t regret that for one second. In hindsight, me and Justin didn’t work out and that’s OK. But I don’t think I would’ve done anything differently because I was making the right choice for me in the moment,” she explained. “That doesn’t take away from Rodney and that I still wanted it to be him in the beginning. Yeah, we missed our mark. I think there was just so much miscommunication.”
Credit: Stewart Cook/ABC (2)
Kate and Logan
Logan told Us that he was in “complete shock” when he saw the comments Kate made about his car and finances.
“This was someone who I thought cared for me and who I thought we had gone through this long, difficult journey with. And I couldn’t believe that that’s what was being said behind closed doors to other people,” he explained. “And I had my moment to express that frustration [at the reunion] and let her know how proud of who I am and how my friends are proud of who I am, my family. After I got that out, it’s behind me. I want her to move forward. I don’t think she’s a bad person. I think she’s a good person. I think that was a very ugly moment. But I hope that that’s not who she is and that we can both move forward and be people we’re proud of.”
He added that he’s putting himself “back out there” to date someone who “matches [his] personality well.”
Kate, for her part, said that she doesn’t know if “a door is ever fully closed,” but doesn’t think she and Logan are “a match.”
“Let’s set the record straight and be real — I don’t care about the car you drive or the gym you go to. I care about you being driven and ambitious and showing up for me,” she explained. “That’s what all that was. … I am sorry, but I’m not sorry for wanting more from a partner. I’m so established in my life. I’ve built something really special. I need somebody who can meet me there and we can grow together.”
Credit: Stewart Cook/ABC (2)
Lace and Rodney
“Rodney and I are on good terms. I feel like we were pretty classy and mature about the whole situation, and I think we have a lot of respect for each other,” Lace told Us.
When asked whether they could reconnect down the line, she added: “He’s a great guy. Maybe, we’ll see.”
Credit: Stewart Cook/ABC (2)
Justin and Salley
“We’re friends. She’s great,” Justin said of Salley, who he hooked up with at Stagecoach before filming. “She’s awesome. Nothing but good things to say about her. Obviously, we get along.”
Justin then quipped: “I’m never going to Stagecoach ever again in my life, I’m done.”
