Getting real. Ashley Iaconetti and Jared Haibon opened up about the “backlash” they faced from Bachelor Nation following a surprise appearance on Bachelor in Paradise. The married couple, who share son Dawson, joked that people are “tired of us” while hosting the Wednesday, October 12 episode of “The Ben & Ashley I Almost Famous” podcast.
“Bachelor Nation wants more of us … not,” Ashley, 34, told listeners, while revealing that her normal cohost, Ben Higgins, was unavailable so Jared, 33, was forced to fill in. “We got a lot of backlash — or we didn’t really get a lot of backlash but a lot of you out there did not want to see a married couple on the beach.”
Jared chimed in, noting that it was “pretty evident” people were not happy with their brief storyline on the show. “It just makes me sad,” the father of one admitted. “I think we thought when we both went down to Paradise that we were just gonna go down and we’d be one of the former couples that always goes down and we’re there for a little while, we’re not going to get much screen time, it was more for us and then we had the opportunity to hang out and go on a date. Even when we were still down there, I think you and I both were under the impression that we’re not gonna get shown that much.”
Clearly, Jared’s initial thoughts weren’t accurate as the two had a televised date during the Monday, October 11, episode of Bachelor in Paradise, with a major focus on the couple getting alone time to reconnect in the Boom Boom Room while they were away from their baby boy. They also went on a one-on-one beach date.
Ashley, for her part, revealed that she knew “certain storylines” would be used. “I knew that they wanted to do the whole, ‘Are they gonna utilize the Boom Boom Room?’ And I knew my farts were going to play a big role,” she shared, noting that fans claimed the couple was “boring as hell.”
While Ashley said that fans “thought we were filler content,” Jared thought the backlash stemmed more from people’s frustrations about “how stretched out the show is right now.” He explained, “Let’s be honest, we’re going into episode five tomorrow — this is the third week. There’s been one rose ceremony.”
Ashley also confirmed that fans wouldn’t see another rose ceremony until the Monday, October 17 episode, adding, “We leave on Monday! OK, everybody happy? We’re gone!”
Jared went on to send a message to the “very loud minority” of viewers who thew shade at their appearance on the show.
“Be honest with us and yourselves, you don’t watch the show for love,” the Bachelorette alum shared. “Which is totally fine, you watch it for drama. As long as you can admit that, then it’s fine.”
Overall, the couple was content with how they were portrayed on the show.
“For me, watching back that date meant a lot and it gave me a lot of happiness because I remember having that conversation with Ashley and how great it felt to be able to say some of those things that, frankly, are tough to say because they’re awkward,” Jared explained. “In that environment, they’re not awkward because you’re forced to talk about them.”
Ashley added, “The fan reaction isn’t going to take away that moment for us.”
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