Spoiler alert! This story will discuss plot lines that haven’t aired yet on Bachelor in Paradise, as well as who might end up together at the end of Season 7. Proceed at your own risk!
When Kendall Long descended the stairs to Bachelor in Paradise, it looked like things could get messy between her and ex-boyfriend Joe Amabile. It wasn’t clear if Long wanted to reunite with Grocery Store Joe or find closure for their nearly two-year relationship but, either way, Amabile was already happily coupled up with Serena Pitt. Other than a short, albeit tense, conversation between the former couple, Long’s arrival to Paradise was largely overshadowed by Clout-Gate.
While both of last week’s episodes of Bachelor in Paradise centered around couples being accused of going on the show just to grow their Instagram following, surely the drama between Kendall Long and Joe Amabile isn’t finished. But when their storyline does pick back up, Long likely won’t be among the viewing audience. Long went on the Talking It Out podcast and told hosts Mike Johnson and Bryan Abasolo why she hasn’t watched much of Season 7:
I haven’t really watched it. Even not watching it, you get bits and pieces of everything that’s going on, people send you things, you get comments. My parents are watching it. So I get, like, little tidbits of things, and it’s kind of like you have to almost re-live things again. And it freaking sucks. It’s hard. I think it’s part of where I am now is kind of like processing through everything again, and it’s fun, sometimes it’s not fun.
Knowing what we do about Season 7’s rumored ending — that Joe Amabile and Serena Pitt get engaged — my heart breaks for Kendall Long and how hard it must have been to watch that happening in front of her eyes. According to Reality Steve, Long will end up leaving the beach early for that reason, and who could blame her?
To her credit, when Kendall Long learned that Joe Amabile was on his way to finding love with Serena Pitt, Long seemed to respect that and said she wanted to give herself the same opportunity for another chance at love. But Grocery Store Joe had a pretty big advantage in that department, as she explained on the podcast:
Ultimately, I feel like trying to pursue a relationship while having my ex on the beach was really difficult for me. I think the one thing that Joe had was that he was able to start a relationship with Serena, kind of pursue that before I came on. … I was like dang, there’s so many memories here, there’s so much that happened here, and my ex is here, and we didn’t break up because I hate him, like he’s a good person. And so I was really battling those emotions, and I just didn’t have the luxury of being able to develop something away from him.
While this week’s episode looks to continue the drama with Brendan Morais and Pieper James, I’m sure the cameras will find Kendall Long again soon, and I’ll have my wine and tissues ready when we see what leads to her early exit from Paradise. Bachelor in Paradise continues at 8 p.m. ET Tuesday, September 14, on ABC. Be sure to check out our 2021 Fall TV Schedule so you don’t miss the upcoming premieres of all your favorite shows!
