Paradise didn’t end happily ever after for everyone — just ask Mike Johnson. The Bachelorette alum candidly discussed the reason behind his split with Bachelor in Paradise costar Sydney Lotuaco, something that never made it to air.
“I broke it off with Sydney. I felt a couple things,” Johnson, 31, said on the “Bachelor Happy Hour With Rachel & Ali” podcast on Thursday, September 19. “I felt like she didn’t find me sexually attractive [and] I felt like our connection was just not there whatsoever.”
The Texas native continued, “I think that we both were trying, and I think that Sydney is a diamond. When I say a diamond, I mean that. She is absolutely spectacular and very, very hard to crack — and that’s what I mean by diamond. I call her ‘ruby’ as well. But that diamond wasn’t for me. So I broke things off with her, and I went to the wedding [of Krystal Nielson and Chris Randone].”
He noted that the split was “respectful on both sides” and “mutual.”
Johnson became a fan favorite after appearing on The Bachelorette’s 15th season, where he vied for Hannah Brown’s affection. After being eliminated before hometowns week, he joined the season 6 cast of Bachelor in Paradise. He told “Bachelor Happy Hour” cohost Rachel Lindsay that he chose to go on the summer spinoff because he “was single and still wanted to be in a relationship.”
The Air Force vet arrived in Paradise with a date card, which he used to take out Caelynn Miller-Keyes. However, he revealed on the podcast that “what America doesn’t see is that it was a toss-up between Sydney and Caelynn, and then Katie [Morton] was my second option of who I wanted to go on a date with.”
“It was like dead even between Sydney and Caelynn, and then Katie,” he continued. “I chose Caelynn over Sydney just because Sydney is quiet and I felt like at the end of the day, I would at least have a fun time with Caelynn. We had a great time. I knew I wanted to talk to Sydney [after my date with Caelynn], because I told Sydney — even before going on the date with Caelynn — ‘Hey, I’m gonna go on this date with her but I still want to talk to you.’ So, as soon as I got back the next day, I was talking to Sydney and I wanted to be with Sydney.”
Johnson was in talks to be the next Bachelor, with a source previously telling Us Weekly he was “being seriously considered.” His casting would have been a historical choice as the franchise’s first and only diverse lead was Juan Pablo Galavis, a Venezuelan soccer player, in 2013. Lindsay, meanwhile, is the only person of color to star on The Bachelorette.
Though Peter Weber was announced as the Bachelor during Bachelor in Paradise’s season 6 finale, Johnson admitted that he has gone out with Demi Lovato. As for the status of their relationship, he stated on the podcast that they are “two people exploring each other.”
“I think she’s amazing. She’s incredibly humble,” he said. “When Demi and I are together, it’s laughter and we talk about real s–t. Like, she’s a down to earth woman and I respect that so much.”
