The entire conceit of Bachelor in Paradise is figuring out if you like someone by dating them in front of other potential prospects and constantly rotating partners. Still, Aaron Clancy completely lost it when Tammy Ly played by Paradise's own rules and kissed Thomas Jacobs after previously receiving Aaron's rose. Episode 4 ended in a cliffhanger with Aaron confronting Thomas while Tammy remained undecided about who her rose would go to. "I'm trying to figure it out," she said, as is her right to do.
At this point in the season, people have been in Paradise for about a week, so it's understandable that Tammy is still sorting out her new feelings for the two men. But she's apparently not going to be able to do so in peace. In the promo for the Aug. 31 episode, Aaron seemingly threatens Tammy over potentially giving her rose to Thomas. "You completely sacrificed everything we had built and you will regret it like no other, I promise you," he tells her. Yikes.
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Part of Aaron's frustration comes from witnessing Tammy kiss Thomas, but there really isn't a whole lot Tammy could have done about that since they're all grouped in one small resort area. Aaron came in with a dislike towards Thomas after their time together on The Bachelorette, but Thomas has actually been pretty chill thus far in Paradise. He's seemingly just there to see if he can find a connection like everyone else. But when Tammy tried to follow her heart and get to know someone, not only did Aaron freak out, but his friends did too. Tre Cooper called her a "human trash bag" and another contestant called her a "dog." (It's unclear who made the dog comment, but Tre claimed on Twitter that it wasn't his voice.) Even Thomas called her a "villain" for making out with him. "No I'm not," she protested. And she's not!
Tammy can kiss whoever she wants on this show; she's not in a relationship with anybody, despite Aaron angrily proclaiming that Thomas "stole my girl." Tammy isn't anyone's "girl." She's a woman exploring her feelings to see if she wants to date any of these men in the real world. She has the agency to do that in any manner she wishes, and she didn't deserve the slut-shaming she got on the beach or last night from viewers.
It’s 2021 and we’re still slut shaming women? #bachelorinparadise pic.twitter.com/IOiiXOlt3I
— Tammy K Ly (@whoistammykay) August 31, 2021
Tammy wrote on Twitter that she and Tre and Aaron are cool now, but she was disappointed with the reaction to her exploring her options on a show literally all about that. "Normalize not having to OWE something to someone just because they 'gave' you their rose," she said, adding, "We are all just here trying our figure it out to find our best person."
That's been the point of this show for seven seasons, and now Tammy has to decide who to give her rose to — Aaron or Thomas. But either way, it's not a binding contract for her or the person who receives it. Sometimes a rose is just a rose and a kiss is just a kiss, and everyone just needs to chill out about it and let a girl live.