ABC
- Becca Kufrin surprised the cast of "Bachelor in Paradise" by joining the show on Tuesday's episode.
- Kufrin told Insider in January that she didn't think she'd ever join the spinoff as a contestant.
- "I could make a great bartender/therapist person to go to," she said. "But as a contestant? No."
- Visit Insider's homepage for more stories.
Former "Bachelorette" star Becca Kufrin surprised the cast of this season's "Bachelor in Paradise" when she rocked up to the beach at the end of Tuesday night's episode.
Kufrin is looking for love again after breaking up with Garrett Yrigoyen in September 2020. She and Yrigoyen, who she chose in her season finale, were engaged for more than two years before their split.
When chatting with Insider back in January, the reality star very convincingly told us she had no plans to go on the "Bachelor" spinoff.
"I don't think I would ever be a contestant on 'Bachelor in Paradise,'" she said with a laugh. "I could make a great bartender/therapist person to go to, but as a contestant? No."
Kufrin added that she loved "the production team and the crew" of the franchise so much that she'd want to be on the beach just to hang out with them, suggesting she might have a role similar to fellow alum Wells Adams' gig this season.
But Kufrin's appearance on the beach, though clearly a shock to her fellow "Bachelor in Paradise" contestants, isn't completely out of nowhere. The "Bachelor Happy Hour" host revealed to Insider in January that she was warming up to the idea of dating again after her split with Yrigoyen, although she wasn't planning to "solely look at people from the show" for future partners.
Craig Sjodin via Getty Images
"For a while I was like, so against even dating, I was not ready to date, I wasn't even ready to think about that," she said.
"I feel like I still want to take care of myself and listen to me and what I want, I don't think I'm 100% ready to really put myself fully out there," she added. "But I'm pretty good at listening internally, so I think once I know, the world will know."
Clearly, since Kufrin is giving love another shot on "Bachelor in Paradise," that's something she knows she's ready for now.
One thing the former lead did note is that if she were to do her "Bachelorette" experience over again, the very first question she would ask every contestant is who they voted for president.
"There's no way in hell they'd show that conversation," she added. "But for me, especially living through this past year, it would be so important to me."
Here's hoping that's a conversation viewers actually get to see play out in "Paradise."