Kendall’s Last Night On Bachelor In Paradise Was So Emotional

One Bachelor in Paradise arrival that fans didn’t quite understand was when Kendall Long showed up on the island, as her ex Joe Amabile had already been coupled up with Serena Pitt when Kendall made a beeline for him. Though Kendall wanted to explore her unresolved feelings for Joe, his and Serena’s blossoming romance proved too strong and too difficult for her to witness. During the Sept. 21 episode, she finally headed home.

“Being here has brought back a lot. I go back to thinking about how we first met here,” Kendall said after watching her ex kiss someone else. “One thing I know for sure is that I will always love Joe,” she added before grabbing him for a conversation.

During their talk, Kendall told him that she was struggling to see him move on and still considers him her best friend. The painful conversation ended with Joe asking Kendall, “Why did you come here?” She revealed that she still loved him and returned the question. When he replied that he knew their relationship was done before they entered Paradise, Kendall made the decision to self-eliminate.

On the car ride home, she said, “Joe’s my person,” adding, “I feel absolutely broken.” Meanwhile, Joe expressed in a confessional that if she wanted him back, she should’ve told him before the show started filming.

For those who forgot, Kendall and Joe’s previous two-year relationship began on the shores of BiP in Season 5. Though the two briefly broke up during their season because Kendall wasn’t ready for commitment, they eventually got back together and proclaimed their relationship status during the Season 5 reunion special. They even took a major step forward when they moved in together in LA. When they split in January 2020, it came as a shock to fans — and to Kendall. On her Down To Date podcast, she shared that she felt blindsided by the breakup and thought they would end up married.

Joe, who was visibly upset when he first arrived on the island, eventually coupled up with Serena and explained why his former relationship ended: Kendall didn’t want to move to Chicago. In an interview with Entertainment Tonight, Kendall said she thought Joe wanting her to move to Chicago was an ultimatum. “I didn’t really wanna have a relationship like that,” she said.

Kendall had many chances to try and mend her relationship with Joe on the island. Before tonight, they already had a much-delayed “closure” conversation when they rehashed why they broke up. Kendall blamed “logistics” as the reason but seemed unwilling to budge on her stance about not moving to Chicago, leaving fans confused about the purpose of the belabored conversation. Since then, Kendall coupled up with Ivan, who gave her his rose. Her unexpected exit left him in a tough spot, which will play out next week as he continues to pursue Chelsea Vaughn.