...so is there really any hope for the rest of us?
Yesterday was a sad day in Bachelor Nation.
I feel like I'm saying this every day, you know? Couples break up. Bachelor in Paradise stars are suspected of collusion (not naming names, but *cough* Jade and Tanner). On Monday, Peter the Pilot gave his group date rose to someone who wasn't even on the group date. That might not quite be on the same level of scandal as the whole Draft Kings possible collusion thing, but it's still unsettling. Worst of all, I have to see pictures of Tyler C. with women who are not me. Okay, so that's just a me scandal, not a national scandal, but it hurts all the same! Despite all this, nothing could have prepared me for this. Yesterday, Kendall Long and Grocery Store Joe announced their breakup in a statement on BachelorNation.com. The other news in this story is that BachelorNation.com is actually a reputable news source. Color me surprised.
According to Bachelor Nation, Kendall and Joe, whose full name is Joe Amabile, wrote in a joint statement, "We have decided mutually to go our separate ways. Joe has made the decision to move back to Chicago while Kendall will be remaining in her hometown of Los Angeles." They went on to say how important family was to them, and they couldn't imagine starting their own families without them. They ended their statement with, "We appreciate all the love and support everyone has given us throughout the relationship."
You're very welcome, Kendall and Joe! So sad to see you go.
You may remember Kendall from Arie's season of The Bachelor as the taxidermy girl. In her intro package in the first episode, she told America that her hobby was taxidermy, and she couldn't get enough of stuffed animals, or more accurately, stuffing animals. Yikes. I thought she seemed kind of weird, but she emerged as one of my favorites from the season when she stood up to mean girl Krystal with enough poise and grace to make even Meghan Markle jealous. I attached a clip below if you're interested in watching this iconic moment.
Joe went on Becca's season of The Bachelorette and made quite a name for himself on the first night. We were all shocked when Becca sent him home at the end of the episode, but it seemed like everything was going to work out for him when he met Kendall on season 5 of Bachelor in Paradise. The two broke up at the end of the season, but reunited after the show ended and, up until yesterday, had been together ever since.
I can usually see Bachelor breakups coming from a mile away, but honestly, this one surprised me. Kendall and Joe both seemed so level-headed and posted such cute Insta pics. Joe even posted a picture of them together on New Year's Eve.
I am SHOCKED, CONFUSED, HURT...okay, maybe it's not that bad, but I am sad about this one. Here's to Kendall and Joe finding true love. Bachelor in Paradise round 2, anyone?