Bachelor in Paradise’s Joe Amabile and Kendall Long’s Relationship Timeline

Credit: AFF-USA/Shutterstock

Bachelor in Paradise’s Joe Amabile and Kendall Long’s Relationship Timeline

Not quite Paradise. Joe Amabile and Kendall Long’s Bachelor Nation journey will continue when they both return for season 7 of Bachelor in Paradise after calling it quits on their nearly two-year romance. The grocery store owner and the taxidermist met on season 5 of the beach spinoff during the summer of 2018. While they didn’t leave Mexico as a couple, fans learned during the reunion, which aired that September, that they were giving their romance another shot. Amabile and Long subsequently moved in together in Los Angeles but announced their split in January 2020. One month after they announced their split, Long admitted that she was blindsided by the breakup. “I did not see it coming,” she said on her “Down to Date” podcast in February 2020. “Every relationship has issues but I feel like — with Joe and I — we were best friends. Everything was fun, we were getting a dog together. We had just moved in … Ultimately what happened was that Joe felt like he would have a better [life] in Chicago.” Long added that she thought she was going to marry Amabile. [jwplayer drUQxLTN-l3ahXupL] “If anyone knows me, I’m not the person that plans my wedding and I was literally doing that with Joe,” she said. “But something weird about ending something with some that you thought you were going to marry [is] you almost feel like you have such a better idea of what you’re looking for.” While the twosome briefly sparked reconciliation speculation (keep scrolling for more on that), they both decided to give finding love on TV another shot during the summer of 2021. While Amabile is part of the initial cast of BiP season 7, Long is set to join later on in the season. “I forgot all of what Paradise is about and it is a wild ride, and this season is insane. It really is. … It almost was, like, every day got more and more intense,” he said on his “Click Bait” podcast in July 2021 ahead of the premiere. “It was a lot different than my first time. It was wild.” Scroll through for Amabile and Long’s complete timeline:

Credit: ABC/Paul Hebert

Summer 2018

After Long competed for Arie Luyendyk Jr.’s heart on season 22 of The Bachelor, she met Amabile after his brief appearance Becca Kufrin’s season 14 of The Bachelorette. They developed feelings for each other while filming BiP season 5.

Credit: ABC/Paul Hebert

September 2018

While they split before the season ended, the pair got back together on the September 2018 finale.

“I feel like the one thing with Joe is that he’s just very honest and genuine and puts it all out there with who he is. He doesn’t really hold back,” she gushed to Us at the time. “That was one thing that I really appreciated here on Paradise. I just cracked up so hard. … He’s just a great guy. He’s an amazing man. So just had to follow what I was feeling.”

He added, “I’m happy with her. I trust her. …  We just like being together. It feels right.”

Credit: ABC/Paul Hebert

April 2019

The twosome announced in April 2019 that they signed a lease together in L.A.  

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January 2020

Fans were surprised in January 2020 when they announced their split.

“We have decided mutually to go our separate ways. Joe has made the decision to move back to Chicago while Kendall will be remaining in her hometown of Los Angeles,” Amabile and Long said in a joint statement at the time. “Our family and friends have always been an extremely important element to who we are as people. We can’t imagine continuing our lives without them closer, especially when thinking of starting a family of our own one day. We both respect each others’ decision and still have a great deal of love for each other. We appreciate all the love and support everyone has given us throughout our relationship.”

Credit: ABC/Paul Hebert

April 2020

After an Instagram user suggested Long wasn’t “that into” Amabile, she fired back, “Let’s not assume my feelings. I loved him enough to see a marriage and a future. A lot is private.”

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May 2020

After fans caught the former couple Venmoing each other for sushi in May 2020, the Dancing With the Stars alum played coy about their status.

“We remained close friends and we probably always will, I think,” he exclusively told Us at the time. “She’s from L.A. and I’m from Chicago, so it just became too big of a hurdle at this time in our lives, but we remain close. We still talk almost every day.”

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October 2020

Several months after they were caught hanging out, Long got candid about their status during an interview with Us.

“I love Joe. I mean, he’s just a great person and we’ve really went through a lot together and we have so much, we see strength in each other,” the Just Curious author said. “So if I’m having a hard day, I can talk to him and, you know, I hope he feels the same way. I’m not really sure what’s going to happen down the line. … We have a good relationship. It’s not romantic right now.”

Credit: Courtesy of Kendall Long/Instagram; Courtesy of Joe Amabile/Instagram

May 2021

Shortly before they both left to film BiP season 7, Long admitted it would be “so hard” to return to the show if Amabile was there too.

“I would not want to watch him fall in love with someone else. That would suck so much,” she said on the “Almost Famous” podcast. “I still have a tremendous amount of love for him. … I would just be signing up for another heartbreak [if I returned to BiP].”

Credit: ABC/Paul Hebert

Summer 2021

During a promo for BiP season 7 that aired in August 2021, Long and Amabile both questioned why each other was there before they were seen embracing. His relationship with Bachelor season 23 alum Serena Pitt was also teased in the commercial.

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October 2021

After leaving Bachelor in Paradise, Long returned on the October 5 finale to get closure from Amabile. He went on to get engaged to Pitt.