No one has a better seat to the drama on Bachelor in Paradise than Wells Adams — and Us Weekly caught up with the bartender to spill the tea (or this year’s most popular Paradise drink, the Jorge Special).
First up is Brayden Bowers and Kat Izzo’s relationship, which came to dramatic end when Kat went on a date with Tanner Courtad without checking in with Brayden during the Thursday, October 12, episode.
“I don’t think that she handled things very well with Brayden,” Wells told said on the Friday, October 13, episode of Us‘ “Here for the Right Reasons” podcast of Kat. “From my eyes, they were one of the strongest couples on the beach before [Tanner and Tyler Norris] got there. So I was very, very surprised that she didn’t at least be like, ‘Hey, let’s go talk about this beforehand.’ I also hated — and I love Kat — but I hated when she came down dressed up for the date and he was like, ‘Hey, you look beautiful.’ And she totally dismissed him. That broke my heart for Brayden.”
Wells went on to compare Brayden, who was labeled a villain on Charity Lawson‘s season of The Bachelorette, to Dean Unglert.
“I did not like [Brayden] coming into this season … I think most Bachelor Nation [felt the same way] and I love being proven wrong. Every season, it happens. He reminds me a lot of Dean,” he explained, adding that both men are “out there” and true to themselves. “And to put it in context, Dean is one of my best friends, not even in Bachelor Nation, just in life. So I love Brayden. I love that he has this redemption story. I think it’s great. It’s a good life lesson. Sometimes you really cannot judge a book by its cover or whatnot. You got to give people a second chance.”
Following a brief engagement to Tino Franco, former Bachelorette Rachel Recchia is also getting a new shot at love on season 9 of BiP.
“[Former leads] are treated differently [by fellow contestants on BiP], but they also have been treated differently because they were the lead,” Wells told Us. “[On Paradise], there’ll be people that went home night one or were there for the first rose ceremony [who] meet someone like Becca [Kufrin] or Rachel who have done so much television [and] it is a little bit of like, ‘Oh my God, look at this.’ Hannah Brown coming down [last week] was a very good example of that. They all think that she’s the second coming of Christ.”
Rachel’s experience also differs as she dates in front of her exes, including Tyler and Aven Jones.
“I think Aven was weird for her,” Wells told Us. “I don’t know if Tyler was weird for her at all. I think she was excited to see both of them, but I think she was nervous to talk to Aven and excited to talk to Tyler.”
Still to come for this season of BiP is Wells’ “Paradise Truth Box” twist.
“The big wrinkle in this season is the Paradise Truth Box. I wonder if people are going to be mad at me. I’m the facilitator of this. I am interested to see how the audience and how the cast respond to this because it’s an opportunity for people to say whatever they want without any repercussions,” Wells explained. “Which could be considered what’s bad with Twitter. You can be a keyboard warrior and stuff, but it also allows people to actually tell their truth, which I think is a very good thing, especially when it comes to wanting to take your relationship to the next level.”
Wells added, “And it allows people to express liking somebody else without the, ‘Oh my God, you’re trying to steal my guy thing.’ And that can also help create relationships that probably should be and helps dissolve relationships that probably shouldn’t be.”
Bachelor in Paradise airs on ABC Thursdays at 9 p.m. ET. For more from Wells, including what he wishes he told Will Urena on the beach — and to hear from Brayden and Kat — listen to Us Weekly‘s “Here for the Right Reasons” podcast.
