When Jared Haibon's ex Ashley Iaconetti showed up on Bachelor in Paradise this summer, the shit hit the fan. See, Ashley I. was still very much in love with Jared, despite him making it clear he did not reciprocate romantic feelings. That, and Jared was trying to build a relationship with Caila Quinn.
Jared and Ashley hooked up briefly on season 2 of Bachelor in Paradise and remained close friends after the show. And when Ashley got to Paradise this time around, she had no problem coming between Jared and Caila, causing friction for the couple. Now, Jared admits that he would've reconsidered joining the show had he known Ashley would be showing up midway through.
“If I had any idea that Ashley was coming into Paradise, even if it was a small percentage, to either be with me or get over me, I would never have gone to Paradise," he told the The Huffington Post on the site's Here to Make Friends podcast this week. "So I think that was one of the things I was most frustrated by.”
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But Jared and Ashley had actually discussed the possibility that they could end up on the show together. “We talked a lot about it," he said. "And then she got a phone call about the possibility of her going on, so she was more understanding the more we talked. We both decided that we needed to make this decision individually, and that if we went, we would be going for other people. I knew that she had an interest in Wells, and I had mentioned Caila to her... I honestly thought everything was gonna be okay.”
That was definitely not the case. Ashley sobbed multiple times about her unrequited love for Jared and how wrong Caila was for him. “I had a lot of frustrations towards the things Ashley said and did, and discussed her approach and her unwillingness to try to move past myself until Wells came," he said. "It was a very troubling time for awhile between Ashley and myself." But the two were able to get past it. "We talked through everything and I’m still friends with [her]," he said.
And how did Jared fare with Caila? They split after six weeks of dating post-show. "I think there was just so much that happened in Paradise that it was very difficult to move past," he said. "Even after the show, I think we had a lot of difficult times." But, in true Jared form, he was able to mend his relationship with Caila, too. "Caila and myself are still friends," he said. Jared may not have come to Paradise looking for amicable friendships with his exes — but ultimately, that's just what he got.