BACHELOR in Paradise fans are eagerly awaiting the arrival of former Bachelorette Becca Kufrin on this season.
Bachelor in Paradise airs Mondays at 8pm on ABC.
Blake Horstmann 32, was the runner-up on season 14 of The Bachelorette, which featured Becca, 31, as the leading lady.
Although the pair aren’t together, Blake admitted during an interview with Kate Casey that the pair were in touch before Becca’s BiP stint.
Speaking on Real Life with Kate Casey, he said:
“We did kind of chat here and there, and we were back in touch within the last, like, six months,” Horstmann said, noting “it kind of came down to if she was going to do Paradise or not.”
He went on to explain that he was “shocked” by her split with ex-fiancé Garrett Yrigoyen.
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“I always thought they would never break up. So like, I completely put her out of my head. It was never something, like, ‘When they break up …’ because I never thought they would,” he admitted during the podcast.
“When they did, it was, like, this weird thing of, ‘Well, I wonder if there’s anything still there?'”
In July, The Sun exclusively reported that Kufrin has a relationship with Thomas Jacobs – the villain from Katie Thurston’s Bachelorette season – in the new Bachelor in Paradise season.
A source explained: “She was involved in a bit of a love triangle for a minute but chose Thomas.
“She didn’t fully know how Thomas would be portrayed on the show, so she didn’t realize he was the cause of so much drama.”
However, despite doing her best to find love, the couple “don’t end up together” and “both leave the show single.”
“The producers will emphasize their romance a lot, too, since she just went through a really public breakup. And this is Becca’s first time really putting herself out there since the split. She’s still a Bachelor Nation staple.
“People will root for her even though there will be backlash to choosing Thomas,” the informant added.
Thomas was sent home by Thurston after he was accused of “using” her in his bid to become the next Bachelor.
After The Bachelorette finale, Kufrin and Yrigoyen moved to Carlsbad, California, where they engaged.
In August 2020, the couple called it quits after two years together.
At the time, a source told E! News that their engagement was also called off.
The insider said: “Becca is still very upset with Garrett’s comments and the controversy surrounding it.
“Their lifestyles don’t mesh anymore. Garrett wants different things, and they came to a realization that they aren’t compatible anymore.”
The news of their split came after Yrigoyen made controversial comments on social media about cops amid the Black Lives Matter protests.
Kufrin spoke up for her support for the BLM movement, while Yrigoyen voiced his appreciation for the “thin blue line.”
According to the informant, the pair were already “living separately.”
The source explained: “Garrett is doing a backpacking trip in the wilderness with his buddies and is taking time for himself. They are trying to keep it low-key because they are still working things out, but the relationship is definitely done.”