Behind-the-scenes of the Men Tell All! Us Weekly’s “Here for the Right Reasons” podcast is breaking down Katie Thurston’s reunion with her castoffs – and revealing what you didn’t see on TV.
While viewers saw Cody Menk and Aaron Clancy, who both live in San Diego, touch on their feud during the broadcast — with Aaron accusing Cody of making it clear via social media that he was only on The Bachelorette for fame — the two men made amends before the cameras stopped rolling, Us Weekly can exclusively report. Cody also revealed at the taping that he checked into treatment post-show, noting to his castmates that he was nearly three months sober.
“Cody and I are cool. He has apologized to me in a lot of ways for the things, maybe, you guys didn’t see that he did that made me not like him,” Aaron told Us exclusively after the taping. “Everyone does things for a reason — he was going through some issues, and he was doing some pretty bad things because of those issues. And that’s what kind of catalyzed him going to rehabilitation. That’s his business. I’m not one to share that, like, without his blessing.”
Aaron added that Cody’s previously undisclosed substance abuse struggles were at the core of their issues.
“I’m glad he was open with it. And I support anyone trying to better themselves,” he said. “Because I hope, one day, maybe they’ll do the same for me. So, I’m happy Cody is on a better path.”
Cody, for his part, marked his milestone on July 20, days after the taping in Los Angeles.
“Celebrating 3 months sober today! I’ll be posting telling more about my story next week but one thing I can tell you is this is happiest I’ve ever been 😌,” he wrote via Instagram.
Connor Brennan was also in the hot seat during the MTA — for very different reasons. After revealing during the broadcast that he reached out to his exes to inquire about his kissing skills (since Katie dumped him over their lack of chemistry), a woman in the audience named Tara offered to kiss him.
“I literally was so flustered, like, my heart was pounding,” the teacher told Us about the makeout. “I don’t even know what I said or did. … I was just like, ‘What is this world?’”
While Connor is set to appear on season 7 of Bachelor in Paradise, he seemingly confirmed his single status by making out with the woman, who has since been identified as Tara Kelly.
“If a beautiful woman like that walks up on stage and wants to kiss me, I’m going to kiss her. She’s gorgeous,” he told Us.
Since the Men Tell All aired, an alleged casting call for Tara’s role has surfaced on social media — that reads in part, “At the end of the segment with him, a young attractive woman (possibly you) from the audience would stand up and say something to the effect of ‘I saw your kissing on the show. I think you’re very cute and I KNOW that you’re not a bad kisser. I’d love to put that theory to the test right now!’”
Connor, for his part, reacted to speculation that Tara was “a plant” from ABC, commenting on BachelorNation.Scoop’s post, “I mean I didn’t mind.”
He later shared footage from the moment via his own page, writing, “Good morning to tara kelly and tara kelly only😳🌹👀.” In the comments section, the Nashville resident added, “I will accept no tara kelly slander on this, my own instagram post!!”
Tara, an aspiring musician, for her part, replied, “Good morning, Tiger 🌹.”
Sign up for Us Weekly's free, daily newsletter and never miss breaking news or exclusive stories about your favorite celebrities, TV shows and more!
For more from the Men Tell All — including details of how Jason Tartick pranked fiancée Kaitlyn Bristowe into thinking they were going to get married on stage — listen to Us Weekly’s “Here for the Right Reasons” podcast