I don’t think there’s been an episode of The Bachelor or Bachelor In Paradise in which Ashley Iaconetti has been seen on camera and not cried. It’s just a rule — Ashley comes, she cries, she conquers. I was down with her oh, the first two seasons that I had to endure it, but now it’s a little stale. Fortunately, according to the Bachelor In Paradise promos, JoJo castoff Wells Adams is coming to her rescue. Bu, is this really a match made for Paradise? The hosts of Bustle’s Bachelor Nation podcast, Will You Accept This Podcast? are split on whether Wells and Ashley are made for each other post- Bachelor in Paradise.
Wells is just a nice guy — he lives in Nashville, he works as a radio DJ, and he has a bloodhound that he named Carl and created an Instagram account for. By all accounts, Wells is a thoughtful, caring, and all-around good person. Ashley is also a good person — she’s smart, she’s a great writer (she has a journalism degree, for those who don’t know), and when she’s not crying, she’s super fun. But, Ashley also lacks a sort of basic understanding of who she is. Bustle Associate TV Editor Martha Sorren argues that until Ashley is sure and steady in her own skin, she should not be dating Wells. I would extend that to, she should not be dating anyone at all. Ashley needs to completely get over Jared before she can get under anyone else.
Romper TV Editor Allison Piwowarski has a different approach — she thinks that Ashley and Wells are actually a very complementary couple and that they have the potential to go the distance, Bachelor In Paradise-wise. I think that on a planet in which both of them were their best selves, sure! They would be great together. But, even if Wells were the nicest guy on Earth and Ashley was still in her current state of not being over Jared, it wouldn’t work. It can’t! No relationship that starts while one of its members is still mentally in an old relationship can sustain itself.
And that leads me to another question — when will Ashley get over Jared? I’m hoping that she drops the “I hate Caila” act (though, to be fair, I don’t really like Caila all that much, either) and just leaves Jared to make his own mistakes in Paradise. Jared should also stop leading Ashley on. On Bachelor In Paradise 2, Jared basically told Ashley that he didn’t want to be romantic with her and they could just be friends. Then Ashley admitted to Chris Harrison when she got on the show that she and Jared were best friends and they had also done some hooking up. If Jared knew that Ashley was so into him, he should have never allowed that to happen. It’s not fair to Ashley.
Here’s the thing — any viewer with a pulse can see that Jared is much more into Caila than Caila is into Jared. Let him get his heart broken, Ashley, and then don’t be there to pick up the pieces! Move on in your life! Be your best self! All that other stuff! Whether or not Ashley’s answer is Wells, Ashley needs to work on herself before she dives deep into loving any other man.
For everything Bachelor Nation, check out previous episodes of Bustle's Bachelor Nation podcast.
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