It’s a new season of Bachelor in Paradise, and this season’s cast is largely filled with former contestants from Katie Thurston’s, Matt James’, Peter Weber’s, and Tayshia Adams’ seasons (with some surprising additions, of course).
One surprise addition to the cast in the second episode was Demi Burnett, who appeared in Season 6 of Bachelor in Paradise (before the pandemic). BiP viewers will remember that Demi previously left the beach engaged — but who was she engaged to?
Demi made a splash this season when she arrived in Paradise with a date card and immediately gave it to Brendan Morais, who had been getting along very well with Natasha Parker before Demi’s arrival.
“I definitely was like, ‘Uh oh,’” Natasha said during a confessional. “Whatever is gonna happen will happen, and you’ve just gotta be you and trust him.”
Source: ABC
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But the date ultimately didn’t go well — and Demi was caught up with Brendan’s previous fling with fellow Bachelor Nation member Pieper James before coming on the show.
“Why would he go on a date with me if he’s so obsessed with Pieper? Like, I’m not gonna be a second choice,” Demi said.
Ultimately, though, Brendan later told Natasha that Demi didn’t “set my soul on fire.” Looks like Demi will have to pick from any of the other suitors on the show.
Before coming to last season’s Bachelor in Paradise, Demi revealed she had started to date women again and was casually seeing Kristian Haggerty, whom she met through a mutual friend. While the pair were not exclusive before Demi came on the show, Kristian ended up joining the season to pursue a relationship with Demi — and by the end of the stay, the pair were engaged.
It was a big moment for Bachelor Nation, which hadn’t seen a same-sex couple up until that point.
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But unfortunately, despite most of Bachelor Nation rooting for them, the pair revealed in late 2019 that they were no longer engaged and had decided to break up.
“What has always been at the forefront of our relationship is love and care for one another. Our priority is doing what is best for us. With a heavy heart full of love for one another we have decided it is best for us to take a step back from our relationship,” they posted in identical statements on Instatgram.
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“We ultimately want what is best for us in the long run and for us right now, that means being apart and growing individually,” the statement continued. “We have felt so much love and support from you all as you’ve followed our journey together and for that we are grateful. We will forever be proud of the impact our love story has made and we hope it has helped others feel more accepted and confident within themselves. We hope it reminded others they aren’t alone and don’t need to be ashamed of who they are.”
They made these posts at the end of October 2019, and while some hoped they would reconcile, both of them have seemingly moved on — and now Demi is back in Paradise looking for love yet again.
While Brendan might not be the man for her, Demi is surely hoping her second stay on the beach will bring her similar results to the first one.
You can watch how it all plays out when Bachelor in Paradise airs on Mondays and Tuesdays at 8 p.m. EST on ABC.