Bachelor in Paradise: Kendall Long Explains Why She Returned to the Show
Bachelor in Paradise star Kendall Long explains why she decided to return to the show after her breakup with fellow contestant Joe Amabile.
Kendall Long is revealing why she returned to Bachelor in Paradise following her split with Joe Amabile. Kendall started her journey on The Bachelor franchise in Arie Luyendyk's season, where she was the third runner-up. Even though she didn't find love on the show, Kendall quickly became a fan-favorite due to her quirky, offbeat personality. She also appeared on BIP season 5, where she met Joe, another fan-favorite who was sent home on night 1 of Becca Kufrin's season.
Kendall and Joe originally split in week 5 of their first BIP season but started a relationship after the summer 2018 show ended. The pair stayed together until January 2020 when they decided to call it quits. While Kendall was happy living in Los Angeles, Joe wanted to be closer to his family in Chicago. Even though they're not together anymore, Kendall still had nice things to say about him following their breakup. "If I’m having a hard day, I can talk to him and, you know, I hope he feels the same way...We have a good relationship. It’s not romantic right now," Kendall said about her ex. Now that the two are both appearing in season 7 of BIP, fans are learning why Kendall decided to return to the beach.
Even though her relationship with Joe didn't work out, Kendall is ready to try again. "She went on for another chance at finding love since she knew it could possibly work out for her again," a source told Us Weekly. "It’s been over a year-and-a-half since they broke up, so she was ready to fall in love." This might have come as a surprise to some since Kendall originally said she didn't know if she would return to reality TV following her breakup. But she did say, "If [The Bachelor] could work for me once, maybe it could work for me twice," in November 2020.
Bachelor in Paradise is known for creating drama between its contestants, so it's not surprising the show would try to bring both Kendall and Joe on. Kendall allegedly didn't know that her ex would be on BIP, but she had a feeling the producers were inviting her there because Joe was there too. "Kendall was not expecting Joe to be on Paradise but can’t say she was surprised," said the source. "She had a feeling he was going to be there since he still has ties to the show [through the podcast] and was single at the time." While it isn't the most ideal situation to be dating other people in front of your ex, at least Kendall and Joe seem amicable.
Kendall and Joe have always been popular with the Bachelor franchise's fan base, so having them back on TV will be fun, even if they're not together anymore. Bachelor alums are known for scandalous breakups, so at least Kendall and Joe ended things based on a difference of where they wanted to settle down instead of falling victim to something more dramatic. Bachelor in Paradise season 7 will definitely be full of drama, romance and heartbreak no matter what happens.
Bachelor in Paradise airs Mondays and Tuesdays at 8pm on ABC.
Source: Us Weekly