Shaking in his flip-flops? Dean Unglert rehashed his apprehension upon meeting Caelynn Miller-Keyes’ ex Connor Saeli after their Bachelor in Paradise love triangle.
“I was like, ‘Hey, man. It’s nice to meet you. You’re even more handsome in person [than] you are on television and from a distance,’” Dean, 28, recalled during the Wednesday, September 11, episode of the “Viall Files” podcast. “We didn’t really talk much, and then the reunion happened and he tried to talk s–t.”
According to the Bachelorette alum, Connor, 24, questioned Caelynn, also 24, about why she left the show with Dean. In turn, the “Help! I Suck at Dating” podcast host took the high road. “Connor is this really incredibly good-looking dude. I was terrified. I was, like, building him up, and then after the show, I shook his hand and I was like, ‘Hey, it’s nice to officially, formally meet you,’” Dean explained. “He leans over and he goes, ‘Nice to meet you too, man. I would really love to see the van sometime. I’ve been thinking about doing the van life myself.’ And I go, ‘Bro, you can’t say that because you’ve been talking s–t about my van nonstop on the Bachelor in Paradise.’”
Dean later DM’ed Connor to wish him the best of luck, at which time Connor reiterated that he was envious of the California native’s lifestyle. “Are you jealous of it, or do you wanna talk s–t about it?” Dean asked on the podcast.
The Bachelor Winter Games alum emphasized that the two are “fine” after the drama and he would “love” to show Connor the ropes when it comes to his alternative method of travel. “You seem like a great guy. I wanna be friends,” he said. “Let’s be van buddies.”
Dean connected with Caelynn early in season 6 but broke up with her before filming concluded because he did not want to commit to a relationship. He returned during the September 3 episode — after the former Miss North Carolina USA started a romance with Connor — to win her back. Dean and Caelynn departed the beach together.
Connor and Dean exchanged pleasantries via Twitter after the Bachelorette season 15 contestant insulted his fellow reality star’s vehicle. “Sorry van, didn’t mean to disrespect you,” Connor tweeted on September 3, to which Dean replied: “It takes a big man to apologize to a van on twitter. Connor is that big man, both literally and figuratively. I stan.”
The Bachelor in Paradise finale airs on ABC Tuesday, September 17, at 8 p.m. ET.
