Joe Amabile, or Grocery Store Joe as he is more affectionately known in Bachelor Nation, and Kendall Long met during season 5 of Bachelor in Paradise. Though they decided to split before leaving Mexico, they later revealed during the BIP reunion that they had quietly gotten back together.
Despite their seemingly happy relationship, the pair split in January 2020, with their choice of residence being the biggest factor in the breakup. While they moved in together in Los Angeles, Joe felt he was better off living in Chicago and Kendall didn’t want to move there. And so, another one bit the dust.
There was tension over where they would live
Their separation announcement also hinted at tension behind the scenes when it came to their choice of where to live. In a mutual statement, they said, “Our family and friends have always been an extremely important element to who we are as people. We can’t imagine continuing our lives without them closer, especially when thinking of starting a family of our own one day.”
The couple appeared to still be on friendly terms just a few months after the split, even sparking rumors of a reconciliation. In May 2020, Joe told Us, “We remained close friends and we probably always will, I think. She’s from L.A. and I’m from Chicago, so it just became too big of a hurdle at this time in our lives, but we remain close. We still talk almost every day.”
Kendall claimed she wouldn’t want to see Joe fall in love on BIP
In a quote that didn’t age well, Kendall told Ashely Iaconetti during the Almost Famous podcast in May 2021 that going on Bachelor in Paradise and seeing Joe would be difficult, and she “would not want to watch him fall in love with someone else.” As for going on Bachelor in Paradise, she concluded, “I would just be signing up for another heartbreak.”
Well, apparently Kendall is a masochist because she did show up on season 7 of Bachelor in Paradise, only to watch her ex fall in love with someone else. While Kendall appeared to come back to Mexico to rehash things with Joe, he was only interested in pursuing Serena Pitt.
Kendall self eliminated after watching Joe and Serena fall in love
Kendall couldn’t handle this, and decided to eliminate herself from the show on September 21, but not before pulling Joe aside for an awkward conversation that gave many viewers secondhand uncomfy feelings.
Kendall told him she was having a hard time moving on, and in a super cringy moment told him she loved him, asking for reciprocation. When she didn’t get it, she left. Joe rightfully claimed that if she had wanted him back, she should have asked before the show started.
Kendall crashed Joe and Serena’s engagement
While Joe went on to enjoy a relationship with Serena Pitt, later proposing during the finale, Kendall couldn’t leave things alone, and came back to the beach again, before Serena showed up! She rehashed the same conversation they already had multiple times, even claiming they hadn’t broken up “for a lack of love.”
Fans were rightfully pissed and expressed their annoyance on Twitter with the only way Bachelor Nation can: lots and lots of memes. Many felt Kendall was arrogant to assume Joe and Serena even needed her blessing.
Joe and Serena are still happily engaged and Kendall is still influencing on Instagram.
Bachelor in Paradise is currently on hiatus.