Rodney Mathews revealed that he wasn’t exactly excited to sign onto Bachelor in Paradise right away.
Rodney first made his splash in the franchise as a fan favorite on Michelle Young’s season of The Bachelorette. Although he made it as one of her top contenders, Rodney was sadly eliminated during the week 7 rose ceremony.
For the current season of Bachelor in Paradise, viewers noticed that Rodney wasn’t one of the top contestants to enter the beach on night one — but instead came in as a “hot commodity” a few episodes after the premiere.
Rodney has most recently seemed to have lit a spark with fellow contestant Lace Morris, which came after his first love interest, Teddi Wright, left the show before he had the opportunity to ask her on a date.
Although it seems as if Rodney is making the most of his Paradise experience, he recently admitted that the nature of the show wasn’t exactly his scene.
While appearing on a new Bachelor Happy Hour podcast episode, hosts Mike Johnson and Bryan Abasolo asked Rodney why he was apprehensive when first asked to join the cast of Paradise.
Rodney Mathews says he was hesitant to join Bachelor in Paradise
Rodney revealed that The Bachelorette was “crazy enough” for him, and he couldn’t even imagine being on a beach full of other contestants and potential love triangles. Although producers asked him repetitively to be a part of the spin-off, his response was always, “No, I’m good, thank you.”
“I just really didn’t think it was for me because I just didn’t know how I would react in that environment,” he said, adding, “I’m so built on just, you know, being a one-woman man.”
He said that he was the last person to sign on for Season 8 and it ultimately “took a lot of convincing.”
Rodney says former Bachelor alum changed his mindset on BIP
After hearing peers tell him to “give it one more shot,” Rodney had a change of heart when it came to joining the Paradise cast.
He said he had many phone calls with other Bachelor alumni who said they either regretted not taking the opportunity when offered a BIP slot or ended up finding the love of their life on the Paradise beaches.
Through all of the conversations, convincing, and prayer, Rodney said his mindset changed. Although it may not have been an easy “yes” for Rodney, he said that at the end of the day, he is grateful for the experience as a whole.
As the show heads into this week’s episodes, viewers can stay tuned to see if Rodney and Lace’s connection will continue to heat up or if the new arrivals will put a wedge in their potential relationship.
Bachelor in Paradise airs Mondays and Tuesdays at 8/7c on ABC.