I need her to have a happily-ever-after. That’s all.
Based on Becca Kufrin’s relationship history, it’s clear she has a type: tall dark, and handsome. One other trend I’m noticing? Most of them have Bachelor Nation in common as well. Considering Kufrin is one of the franchise’s most popular leads, it’s not exactly a surprise that she’s open to forming a connection with others who share her proclivity for rose-filled journeys. She didn’t become the first lead to go back to Paradise for nothin’!
That said, Kufrin’s romantic past is pretty complicated, and that doesn’t even get into that time she dated 30-ish men at once as the Bachelorette. Even when looking solely at her more serious, long-term relationships (or rumored relationships), it’s clear that Kufrin’s romantic life has been full of ups and downs. And although her current relationship status is unclear (despite rumors suggesting that she’s taken by a certain Bachelor Nation villain — but more on that later), I’m hoping things are headed in a positive direction for Kufrin.
Maybe it’s because I’m still scarred from her televised breakup with Arie Luyendyk Jr., but I will always think Kufrin is a class act who deserves nothing but the best. A close look at her tumultuous history has only made me more confident in that. Here’s why.
After Garrett Yrigoyen won Kufrin’s season of The Bachelorette in 2018, the duo was (seemingly) happily engaged for over two years, a pretty successful run in Bachelor Nation. But things got rough when some of Yrigoyen’s views the Black Lives Matter movement and policing came to light in 2020, and they were a far cry from his fiancé’s.
For Kufrin, this disconnect highlighted serious problems in their relationship. “I was like… what's important to me? What's important to him?” she told Insider. “Are we going to be able to make a lasting relationship for a lifetime off of our differences? What kinds of conversations do we want to be having with those children? Can I still stay in this relationship and live with myself and feel that it's the right decision for me and my future children?”
Still, the decision to end their relationship wasn’t easy. Kufrin explained on a Sept. 2020 episode of Bachelor Happy Hour, “After many conversations, we came to this decision. It wasn’t something that we just arrived at one night. It wasn’t based solely off of one Instagram post or somebody else’s opinions or comments.” She added, “There’s much more to it. To any relationship, there’s a lot of layers, and it’s not for me to divulge details.”
Yrigoyen was also content to keep the details private. When asked about the reason behind their split, he explained, “...[O]ut of respect to her and her family, I’m only going to answer this question ever as, it just didn’t work out,” Yrigoyen explained during an Instagram Q&A in March 2021, per Us Weekly.
Blake Horstmann was the runner-up during Kufrin’s Bachelorette season. And although he did not take home the final rose, he and Kufrin did start talking again after her breakup with Yrigoyen in the summer of 2020. But that doesn’t mean they’re back on. (Sorry, Bachelor Nation!)
In August 2021, Horstmann explained his current status with Kufrin — and although he seemed open to the possibility of reconciling, he was unsure it would ever happen. “I would be willing to talk, of course. But we'll see how Paradise works out because she's going to Paradise. And I don't know, that show can change you and those producers get a hold of you,” he told the Reality Life With Kate Casey podcast. Hmm... OK.
Kufrin replied to those comments with a similar level of ambiguity. “Blake and I have always been friends. We've always been supportive of one another,” she explained on the Click Bait podcast. “In terms of the 'talking,' yeah, we've been in touch very sporadically, but nothing that I would say would warrant ... a potential relationship.” Regardless, she didn’t see how producers would play a role in their will-they-or-won’t-they relationship.
Kufrin is appearing on Paradise this season, and although her ~journey~ hasn’t been shown yet, previews hint at her pursuing a romantic relationship with Thomas Jacobs, the villain from Katie Thurston’s season of The Bachelorette. ICYMI, Thurston sent him home after Jacobs admitted to thinking about becoming the Bachelor before appearing on the show. (The horror!)
Since their time on the show, it looks like Kufrin and Jacobs have continued to spend time together, per Cosmopolitan.
No matter what the spoilers say, it will still be some time before we know for sure what actually goes down between Kufrin and Jacobs. The BIP finale won’t air until Sept. 21, but I, for one, cannot wait to see which way Kufrin’s love life takes her. No matter what, I’m feeling confident that she’ll “do the damn thing” without any regrets.
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