Back-to-Back Bachelor in Paradise Breakups End With an Unexpected Departure

Tonight's Bachelor in Paradise finale featured a number of failed relationships, but surprisingly, two of the splits ended with what just might be a greater love than anyone saw coming.

By Ryan Gajewski Oct 06, 2021 1:21 AMTags

Bachelor in Paradise's James Bonsall finally found someone to join him on his journey back home, even if it wasn't exactly the person he would have initially expected. 

On the Tuesday, Oct. 5 finale of the ABC dating show, each of the couples were faced with the difficult decision of whether to leave together or call it quits. For James, who had been on the beach since day one but never found a solid connection, things had been looking promising with himself and Anna Redman, one of the last women to arrive. 

However, things apparently looked more promising between James and his new bestie Aaron Clancy. Before leaving the beach, James grabbed some one-on-one time with Anna, who had just told the camera she was looking forward to continuing their blossoming relationship back home. 

After Anna admitted to James she'd like to "see where this can go," he replied, "I don't think I'm in a place right now where I can see us falling in love. We owe it ourselves not to adjust our standard of what we're looking for."

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A Complete History of Bachelor in Paradise Engagements

The pair parted ways, but not before Anna told him she felt "slightly led on." James then told the camera, "I came here to Paradise with every attention of leaving with someone... That's what I'm gonna do." 

ABC/Craig Sjodin

At that, he tracked down Aaron, who hadn't yet spoken with Tia Booth on how they both were feeling about the upcoming fantasy suites. Somehow, James convinced Aaron to abandon Tia and instead head back to San Diego with his fellow bro.

"My man, I love you," James told Aaron in front of the other guys. "I don't know where you're at with Tia—we came in together, we gotta ride out together." 

It took Aaron a moment to agree, but he was quickly on the same page and hurriedly pulled Tia aside. "I have to do this fast," Aaron told her. "I actually care about you, but James is waiting right now, so we're about to bounce back to SD."

This led a stunned Tia to reply, "Are you s--tting me right now?" After Aaron smiled and said he needed to get her phone number, Tia quipped with a laugh, "I hate you. I hate him."  

Everyone watched as James hilariously carried Aaron on his shoulders as they made their way to the vehicle. "I came in here looking for a big love story, and I just found a best friend, and that's big facts," James told the camera. "Maybe I did find love in Paradise with an unexpected person with Aaron, but that's the way the cookie crumbled."

Other couples had split prior to James and Aaron's big exit, including Mykenna Dorn ending things with Ed Waisbrot, and Becca Kufrin breaking Thomas Jacobs' heart.

Check here to find out if any of the couples got engaged, and keep scrolling to reminisce about the people who didn't end up making it to the finale.

Ivan Hall

Eliminated: Week Six

Was this the same Ivan Hall we all rooted for on Tayshia Adams' season? After he snuck out of his Paradise hotel and used a producer's phone to contact Alexa Caves, who was about to join the show, Ivan was contrite in admitting his lapse in judgment.

"It was wrong of me—I shouldn't have gone around the system," Ivan told Wells Adams. "My mind was just in a weird place, and I was wrong. You know, love makes you do weird, crazy things. I made a mistake, and it was a giant mistake."

Joe Park

Eliminated: Week Six

Joe Park and Natasha Parker initially had some chemistry on their date, but his close friendship with Brendan Morais appeared to be a sticking point. Alas, Dr. Joe never really bonded with anyone else. 

Demar Jackson

Eliminated: Week Six

Demar Jackson took Chelsea Vaughn on a one-on-one date, but the late arrival ultimately just didn't have enough time to establish a strong connection with anyone.

Blake Monar

Eliminated: Week Six

Blake Monar clearly clicked with Tia Booth, but she decided to instead give her rose to James Bonsall, explaining that James made more of an effort to win her over.

Kendall Long

Eliminated: Week Five

It had been clear for a while that Kendall Long only had Joe Amabile on the brain, and so she clearly hadn't enjoyed watching him canoodle with Serena Pitt. Finally, Kendall pulled her ex aside to make her feelings clear, but Joe wasn't on the same page. 

"The reason I came out here was because I knew it was over between us," Joe told her. He added to the camera, "If she truly wanted me back, she should have told me before I got here, before I started this, because I really, really loved her." 

Kendall ultimately walked away, getting quite emotional in the ride home. "Joe is my person," she said. "I just feel absolutely broken. This is the hardest thing I've ever been through, and it just keeps going."

Pieper James

Eliminated: Week Four

Pieper James made no effort to conceal the fact that she wanted to join Brendan Morais on the show in order to boost her social media following, as she told him she was "excited for the future possibility of making more money."

She also told Brendan defensively, "I have an entire masters degree in marketing—I think I can figure out how to get a few more followers."

Just before they voluntarily ended their time in Mexico, Pieper was heard telling Brendan, "I told you I didn't want to come—I told you."

Brendan Morais

Eliminated: Week Four

Brendan Morais probably stayed far longer than he should have, given that Chris Conran was sent packing last week for less offensive behavior than Brendan exhibited. Finally, Brendan read the room, and he voluntarily exited the beach. 

"If Natasha wants to talk for the 17th time about the relationship that we had, we can talk some more, but I think it's just a pathetic attempt to intimidate me," he said.

"If you have any dignity left, you should just walk out the door," Demi told the camera about Brendan and Pieper. Thankfully, that's what happened.

Jessenia Cruz

Eliminated: Week Four

Perhaps Jessenia Cruz now regrets immediately dropping Ivan Hall for Chris Conran? Jessenia and Chris' fast connection spurred rumors that they had previously established a connection prior to the show, and then Chris was shown the exit after his co-stars suspected the same thing about himself and Alana Milne.

Regardless, once Chris was gone, and Ivan was busy exploring things with Kendall Long, it was clear Jessenia's time had run out. That said, given where the episode left things, it appeared that Kendall was still focused on Joe and might be ready to head home as well. Perhaps Ivan just can't win. 

Demi Burnett

Eliminated: Week Four

Things went quite well for certain couples tonight, including Maurissa Gunn and Riley Christian, who enjoyed a date involving plenty of whipped cream. Other folks weren't so lucky.

During the rose ceremony, Demi Burnett stuck her tongue out as Kenny Braasch, who had previously joined Demi in the Boom Boom Room, gave his rose to Mari Pepin, which spoke volumes.

"Tonight's rose ceremony is terrible for me," Demi told the camera. "Kenny was using me to get over Mari, then went back to Mari. I feel like a [censored]."

Deandra Kanu

Eliminated: Week Four

Although Deandra Kanu was a popular member of the cast, and she received attention from previous contestants Karl Smith and Chasen Nick, she never quite developed a real connection. 

"This week, we had a lot more rivals than I thought we would, and a lot more drama than I thought we would," Deandra said before heading home.

Tammy Ly

Eliminated: Week Four

Tammy Ly, who recently took to social media to lament how things turned out for her, gambled with love and ultimately lost. After clicking with Aaron Clancy, she irked him by making out nearby with his nemesis Thomas Jacobs, who opted for a relationship with recent arrival Becca Kufrin.

"I trusted you because you reassured me," Tammy tearfully told Thomas just before the rose ceremony. "I trusted you with everything, and now I feel like a fool for trusting you. Everyone told me [not to], and I believed you."

Chris Conran

Eliminated: Week Three

It's unclear whether Chris Conran just happened to be the recipient of ire that had already been building on the beach toward Brendan Morais and Pieper James bringing their own previously ignited romance to the show.

But for some reason, "Grocery Store" Joe AmabileRiley Christian and others decided to confront Chris following his one-on-one date with Alana Milne—but not Brendan or Pieper—as Joe/Riley and Co. expressed anger toward Chris for jilting Jessenia. Chris' co-stars remained convinced that he and Alana had a pre-show arrangement, and perhaps Chris, who wasn't widely known among Bachelor Nation, was an easier target to pick on than Brendan.

A dejected Chris took a moment to chat with Alana, where he let her know he felt no choice but to leave the show. "I feel like this is where I leave Paradise, and it sucks," he shared. "I wanted to see if you'd be willing to come with me." 

He then packed his things and left the beach without saying goodbye to the others. 

Alana Milne

Eliminated: Week Three

Alana Milne, we hardly knew ye. Shortly after returning from a romantic date with Chris Conran, Alana learned he was leaving. Although she made it clear she didn't want to exit with him, since she wasn't ready to start a committed relationship, she also decided the situation on the beach had become too tense for her to enjoy sticking around. 

The other stars watched as Alana silently carried a single bag with her across the beach and then left the show, getting into a waiting vehicle. Moments later, Chris hopped in as well, clearly expecting a sympathetic response. He wasn't getting it.

"Chris, this is not your car," Alana bluntly told him as she delivered the line of the night. At that, he quietly stepped out of the car to find another ride. Ouch. 

Tre Cooper

Eliminated: Week Two

On Tuesday, Aug. 31, Tre Cooper was the first cast member to exit from Bachelor in Paradise on episode five. He and Tahzjuan Hawkins had been paired up since the get-go, but it became clear Tre was no longer feeling the connection, and so he let Tahz know he was voluntarily walking away, and she didn't really try to convince him to stay. 

Tahzjuan Hawkins

Eliminated: Week Two

Tahzjuan Hawkins left almost immediately after Tre departed during episode five, as she also chose to leave prior to the rose ceremony. Tahzjuan's exit was so abrupt that she didn't even say goodbye to anyone, and Wells Adams had to announce at the start of the rose ceremony that her rose was no longer on the table. 

Connor Brennan

Eliminated: Week Two

Perhaps this was the week's least surprising departure, given that Connor Brennan's lone romance was with Maurissa Gunn, and that relationship was cat-astrophic as soon as Riley Cooper stepped foot on the beach. You could say it was the day the music died. 

"It just feels no matter what I do, I'm just not good enough," Connor said tearfully on the ride home. "I just want somebody to choose me, you know?"

Chasen Nick

Eliminated: Week Two

Chasen Nick appeared to be the leading contender for Deandra Kanu's rose until she stunningly gave it to Ivan Hall. The only other two roses up for grabs this week were the ones from Mari Pepin and late arrival Becca Kufrin.

Unfortunately for Chasen, Mari's rose oddly went to James Bonsall, while Becca took a chance by giving hers to Aaron Clancy, despite having little time to chat with him and the fact that Becca was surprised by Aaron being five years her junior. That meant Chasen's time on Paradise was incredibly brief. 

Karl Smith

Eliminated: Week Two

Karl Smith never quite found a connection. He immediately fell for Deandra, but after she accepted a date from Chasen, Karl seemed more focused on sparring with his competition, and things came to an abrupt end.

"It sucks how things had to end up, but I'm just glad she didn't end up with Cheesy Chasen," Karl said on the way out. "I'm always going to try to protect the people that I care about, even if it means that I don't get to win it."

Kelsey Weier

Eliminated: Week One

Kelsey Weier said adiós to paradise after week one after failing to find herself in a beachside relationship.

Serena Chew

Eliminated: Week One

Serena Chew's stint on Bachelor in Paradise was short-lived as she was eliminated during week one of season seven.

Victoria Larson

Eliminated: Week One

After not securing a significant relationship with anyone on Bachelor in Paradise, Queen Victoria Larson was sent home.

Victoria Paul

Eliminated: Week One

This was more of a self elimination as Victoria Paul quit season seven of Bachelor in Paradise after being confronted with rumors about her relationship status. Following her departure from BiP, Paul clarified her romantic situation, writing on her Instagram story, ""@teddyrobb and I broke up in May and we've remained great friends."

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