Monday night’s Bachelor In Paradise was classic, well, Bachelor In Paradise. Towards the end of the episode, “Week 5, Part 1,” one contestant decided that after pursuing a fellow member of Bachelor Nation, the person wasn’t for them. Rather than unveil the painful split in front of the entire beach, the first contestant pulled the second one to a secluded part of the set for a heart-to-heart. From there, the breakup was thoughtful and kind. On a show where Caelynn Miller-Keyes was dumped in front of 15 of her closest friends, on her birthday, the “Week 5” split was a master class in ending things.
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Yet, the dumper in this situation, Tayshia Adams, is getting so much hate from the Bachelor In Paradise fandom that her dumpee, Derek Peth, has intervened in her defense. This is not an isolated incident in Paradise season 6. Instead, it speaks to a much bigger problem in the ABC reality show family: The only thing standing between the women of Bachelor Nation and angry mobs of fans are the men who date them.
If you were to search “Tayshia” right now on Twitter, you would be met with words like “ugly” and “annoying as fuck,” along with allegations that Adams “ruined” the third member of her 2019 BIP love triangle, John Paul Jones. All because the phlebotomist considered a relationship with JPJ, considered a relationship with Peth, and then decided that, while Peth is a great guy, he’s just not “her” guy. This is precisely the name of the Paradise game. Remember, it’s a series built on the idea of dating around the Bachelor and Bachelorette leftovers until you find the right person for you. That means realizing someone who you found initially attractive isn't a perfect fit — like trying on a beautiful pair of shoes that just so happen to come in the wrong size.
Apparently, viewers won’t accept that Adams is following the admittedly chaotic rules of BIP (it’s a reality show for a reason).
This is where Peth had to step in. “Hey all, please be kind to Tayshia. She spoke her truth to me and I can never ask any more than that from anyone,” he wrote on Twitter. “We just weren’t a match in the end. I very much appreciate that we have a friendship.” If you look at the comments, Peth’s statement generated some genuine good will toward Adams, with people in his mentions calling her “a good person” and “a class act.” It’s difficult to imagine such kindness would have shown up on Twitter without Peth's encouragement.
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Hey all, please be kind to Tayshia. She spoke her truth to me and I can never ask any more than that from anyone. We just weren’t a match in the end. I very much appreciate that we have a friendship.
— Derek Peth (@PethDerek) September 3, 2019
I think it’s unfair to assume we should all be clean slates bent on getting engaged because we’re on a show. This is our lives and we’re all just people seeking meaningful connections. That’s what Demi and I are both doing and it should be respected.
— Derek Peth (@PethDerek) August 20, 2019
Unfortunately, this isn’t the first time Peth has begged Twitter to be nice to a woman he dated on Paradise. Earlier this season, he pleaded with his followers to respect Demi Burnett as she publicly came to terms with her fluid sexuality (and broke up with him along the way). “As you all watch this, I want to ask that you have as much empathy as you can for Demi. I’ve seen some really hurtful things being said that don’t reflect how I feel and I lived this,” he said. “I’m glad that you’re finally all able to see how open and honest she’s always been with me”
Again, Peth’s mentions are far more positive than the general Twitter discourse about Burnett’s very understandable Paradise behavior.
Rising Bachelor Nation sweetheart Peth isn’t the only Paradise 2019 guy to stick up for a beleaguered former flame. Even human lightening rod Blake Horstmann jumped into the social media ring of fire after he released his text messages with Caelynn Miller-Keyes. Horstmann attempted to use the texts to prove he didn’t treat Miller-Keyes has horribly as she claims he did on the show. The move exploded in Horstmann’s face, leading to an onslaught of vitriol for Miller-Keyes. Finally, Horstmann had to ask fans to stop.
“I am going to delete the text messages. I never wanted Caelynn to get attacked like this. Please stop attacking her,” he wrote on Instagram, erasing all evidence of their exchanges from his account.
It would be one thing if these Paradise women were running around Sayulita body slamming their romantic rivals like certain other people. But, they’re not — they’re just playing the game that all of us — viewers and contestants alike — have co-signed. It’s time we stop acting surprised every time Paradise rears its messy head.