Tia Booth will wash ashore in Paradise with a purpose: Find closure with ex Colton Underwood.
“I feel like me and Colton are kind of at a point where we don’t know what can come of it,” she confessed to Us on set of Bachelor in Paradise. “I look forward to having a conversation with him and kind of figuring out where we are and what’s going on. Then, we can move forward from there.”
Last winter, the Arkansas native and the former NFL tight end briefly dated before he started his proverbial journey for Bachelorette Becca Kufrin’s heart. Though Booth originally told pal Kufrin she was over their fling, she later revealed on the July 16 episode that she still harbored feelings for Underwood. (Both women vied for Arie Luyendyk Jr.’s on The Bachelor.)
“When I think about Colton being at this point now, it makes me sick at my stomach,” Booth told Kufrin after the hometown dates. “Knowing that you got to meet his family and knowing that he’s still here in this, makes me sick.”
Now, for Booth and Underwood, the future remains unknown. “I feel like we don’t really have any closure,” she admitted to Us. “The last time we talked was before he went on Becca’s season.”
Heading into Paradise, she sought advice from friend Raven Gates, who met boyfriend Adam Gottschalk last summer on the soapy spinoff.
“Raven told me to just be completely open-minded because she did not expect to fall for Adam,” revealed the physical therapist. “She didn’t really know anything about him and she wasn’t going into it with anyone in mind. She just told me to go into it, like I’ve said, with a positive outlook, knowing that it’s going to be a great summer and to go on dates with people.”
Emphasis on people. “Last time, on The Bachelor, it was so much pressure to go after one person . . . you’re worried about that relationship,” she added. “I’m excited to meet all kinds of people and make friends and just see where it goes.”
She’s open to new experiences — and new wardrobes. Hopefully. “I don’t think I packed enough!” Booth joked. “As I was going through everything, I’m like, ‘OK, if I stay the whole time, I’m going to have to borrow clothes from someone else!’”
For more from Booth, watch the videos above!
Bachelor in Paradise premieres on ABC Tuesday, August 7, at 8 p.m. ET.
