BIP's Kristina Schulman: Why I Gave Blake a Second Chance

Kristina Schulman is getting real about Blake Horstmann. The pair, who hooked up one night at Stagecoach, reconnected during Bachelor in Paradise, while Blake was facing a ton of drama. At the beginning of the season, Caelynn Miller-Keyes revealed he also slept with her at Stagecoach in April, the night after he slept with Kristina. The 30-year-old also pursued Hannah Godwin and flew to see her before BiP had begun filming.

However, when Hannah chose to pursue Dylan Barbour over Blake, Kristina, 26, kept him around by giving him her rose, and each week, they grew closer. The dental hygienist ended things with Blake during the Monday, September 9, episode, and he was left heartbroken. But why did she give him a second chance to begin with?

“That’s a good question,” Kristina, 26, told Us Weekly exclusively at the taping of the Bachelor in Paradise reunion in Los Angeles. “I think it’s because I have been there. I came down day two, and I’d already heard and seen everything that was going on and I saw him so broken already that I thought he didn’t deserve what he was getting to that magnitude.”

Blake Horstmann and Kristina Schulman Bachelor in Paradise — Kristina Schulman and Blake Horstmann of ‘Bachelor in Paradise.’ ABC/Craig Sjodin (2)

She also noted that she knew Blake had good intentions: “He wanted to find someone, and I think he deserved the chance to stay and find that.”

After he went home crying, the Bachelorette alum took to Instagram to open up about the experience.

“To say paradise was rough for me is an understatement. I have no one to blame but myself for that. It’s not easy putting yourself and all of your mistakes out there for the world to see,” the former sales rep captioned a photo of himself standing in the ocean. “No matter the differences all of us had on that beach, I will always have respect for each and every one of you, being brave enough to be yourselves and chase the love we all feel we deserve.”

He also added that everyone on Bachelor in Paradise is “human and not characters on television” and thanked those who supported him by sending nice words throughout the season. “Those have helped more than you will ever know,” he wrote. “I hope that this is not the end of my story and I can look back at this summer and be grateful for the lessons learned and the friends made.”