Who Is Ben Smith? 5 Things to Know About the ‘Bachelorette’ Contestant

Credit: ABC/Craig Sjodin

Who Is Ben Smith? 5 Things to Know About the ‘Bachelorette’ Contestant

Is Ben Smith about to sneak his way into Tayshia Adams’ top two? The Bachelorette fan-favorite returned during part one of the season 16 finale on Monday, December 21. Tayshia, 30, initially sent Ben, 29, packing during the December 15 episode after she met his sister and their family friend — Top Chef's Antonia Lofaso — during the hometown dates. Tayshia subsequently solidified her final three: Ivan Hall, Brendan Morais and Zac Clark. During their goodbye, Tayshia was upset that Ben didn’t show any emotion. The personal trainer returned during Monday’s episode and revealed that he was still in love with Tayshia, something he failed to mention during the hometown dates. "I know I'm supposed to be long gone, and I know you sent me home already, but the way that that ended, I was so completely caught off guard, I just didn't even know what to do or say. And I'm sorry for that,” Ben began after he showed up at her room at the La Quinta Resort in Palm Springs. “For two days after, all I've been saying is 'What the f—k just happened?' I didn't even see that coming. And the feelings that I've had for you, I've been describing this entire time. I just didn't know what it was, but I'm in love with you." [jwplayer Vwf5IoP1-l3ahXupL] Ben added that he knows he “blew” it by not revealing his feelings sooner. “But I am in love with you,” he continued. “Like, the life we could have together. The thought of that, it keeps me awake at night. And I'm not sure what to do right now, I'm not sure what I'm asking for. I don't even know what I'm doing. I just couldn't leave. But I just had to tell you. Like, I see a life with you." Tayshia, who was visibly emotional, walked away, unsure of what to do as Ivan and Brendan waited for the rose ceremony. (Brendan, meanwhile, self-eliminated during the fantasy suite dates.) The Bachelorette season 16 finale airs on ABC Tuesday, December 22, at 8 p.m. ET. Scroll through for more on Ben: Hear the Us Weekly editors break down the most surprising celebrity births during the pandemic in under 2 minutes!

Credit: ABC/Craig Sjodin

Who Is Ben Smith? 5 Things to Know About the ‘Bachelorette’ Contestant

Is Ben Smith about to sneak his way into Tayshia Adams’ top two? The Bachelorette fan-favorite returned during part one of the season 16 finale on Monday, December 21. Tayshia, 30, initially sent Ben, 29, packing during the December 15 episode after she met his sister and their family friend — Top Chef's Antonia Lofaso — during the hometown dates. Tayshia subsequently solidified her final three: Ivan Hall, Brendan Morais and Zac Clark. During their goodbye, Tayshia was upset that Ben didn’t show any emotion. The personal trainer returned during Monday’s episode and revealed that he was still in love with Tayshia, something he failed to mention during the hometown dates. "I know I'm supposed to be long gone, and I know you sent me home already, but the way that that ended, I was so completely caught off guard, I just didn't even know what to do or say. And I'm sorry for that,” Ben began after he showed up at her room at the La Quinta Resort in Palm Springs. “For two days after, all I've been saying is 'What the f—k just happened?' I didn't even see that coming. And the feelings that I've had for you, I've been describing this entire time. I just didn't know what it was, but I'm in love with you." [jwplayer Vwf5IoP1-l3ahXupL] Ben added that he knows he “blew” it by not revealing his feelings sooner. “But I am in love with you,” he continued. “Like, the life we could have together. The thought of that, it keeps me awake at night. And I'm not sure what to do right now, I'm not sure what I'm asking for. I don't even know what I'm doing. I just couldn't leave. But I just had to tell you. Like, I see a life with you." Tayshia, who was visibly emotional, walked away, unsure of what to do as Ivan and Brendan waited for the rose ceremony. (Brendan, meanwhile, self-eliminated during the fantasy suite dates.) The Bachelorette season 16 finale airs on ABC Tuesday, December 22, at 8 p.m. ET. Scroll through for more on Ben: Hear the Us Weekly editors break down the most surprising celebrity births during the pandemic in under 2 minutes!

Credit: Courtesy of Ben Smith/Instagram

1. He’s Been Open About His Eating Disorder

Ben got candid with Tayshia about his battle with bulimia. “I had an eating disorder for 15 years,” he said on the December 1 episode. “I found out what girls were when I was 15, I realized they don’t like the fat kid. So, I stopped eating, I started working out all the time, lost like, 70 pounds, and had bulimia for, like, 10 years when I was in my 20s. It’s hard to hide something for so long. I kept it from everybody.”

He also opened up about his mental health issues, revealing he had more than one failed suicide attempt in the past.

Credit: ABC/Craig Sjodin

2. He’s Never Been in Love

During his emotional plea to Tayshia, Ben admitted he had “never felt this feeling” before.

Credit: Courtesy of Ben Smith/Instagram

3. He’s an Army Vet

Ben, who attended West Point, served as an Army Ranger. He left active duty after suffering a back injury.

Credit: Courtesy of Ben Smith/Instagram

4. He Lives in California

Both Tayshia and Ben reside in California.

Credit: Courtesy of Ben Smith/Instagram; Inset: ABC

5. Chris Harrison Approves … But Rachel Lindsay Doesn’t

While the host praised Ben for his openness — and revealed they hit the gym together in Palm Springs — the season 13 Bachelorette slammed Ben on her “Bachelor Happy Hour” podcast.

“Ben 1,000 percent wants to be the Bachelor,” she said. “I beg producers, please don’t do it. We’ve been here before with the person who is so desperate to be the lead. It never works out. When they want it so badly, when they’ve been planning for it, calculating, made certain moves to get to that point and then you give it to them, it always messes up. There are so many great men from the Clare [Crawley]/Tayshia season. Don’t pick him. I don’t want to see it.”

When asked about Rachel’s diss by TMZ on Monday, Ben simply shrugged.