Katie Is Shading Her Bachelorette Exes On IG For 12 Days Straight
And she’s using the powers of Red (Taylor’s Version) to do it.
Katie Thurston is getting into the holiday spirit in an unexpected way this year. On Nov. 12, the former Bachelorette star shared that she’d be kicking off the season with “12 Days of Messy,” aka she’ll be shading her Bachelorette exes on Instagram for 12 days straight. And I could not be more excited. In the words of Marie Kondo, I love mess.
It seems that Thurston — like everyone else on Nov. 12 — was feeling some sort of way after hearing Red (Taylor’s Version). When a fan DM-ed her to suggest, “label ur [sic] contestants as songs on Red,” she decided to go for it. And for her “12 Days Of Messy,” she plans to dedicate one song each from Taylor Swift’s re-released album to 12 of her Bachelorette exes.
For day one, Thurston posted Swift’s “We Are Never Getting Back Together,” and dedicated the tune to her ex-fiancé, Blake Moynes. The couple announced their breakup on Oct. 25, explaining that they were “not compatible as life partners.” So staying firm in that decision makes sense — even if the song is undoubtedly shady.
Thurston later posted a clarification on her Stories — explaining that the ~mess~ was not meant to be taken seriously. “And while we are early into 12 days of messy, this is all in good fun and a celebration of @taylorswift. It’s only gonna get more chaotic,” she wrote, per Us Weekly.
So far, she’s been making good on that promise. On Nov. 13, she shared her next pick: Andrew Spencer. For him, she chose “Run,” one of Swift’s vault tracks with Ed Sheeran. And the lyrics were a little on the nose if you ask me. Swift sings, “...Piece of paper where I wrote / ‘I’ll wait for you.’” (ICYMI, Spencer left Thurston a note that literally said, “I’ll be waiting for you,” before exiting the show.)
For day three, Thurston took a lighter approach and decided to roast contestant Aaron Clancy for his bromance with James Bonsall. She dedicated Swift’s song, “Girl At Home,” to this duo. The lyrics, specifically, “Don’t look at me, you got a girl at home,” seem to be a reference to Clancy and Bonsall focusing their attention on each other rather than romancing the Bachelorette.
On the fourth day of messy, she addressed one of her season’s villains, Thomas Jacobs. Though they’ve since made amends (and Jacobs has since redeemed himself on Bachelor In Paradise), Thurston still poked some fun at their contentious relationship on her season by choosing Swift’s self-explanatory “I Knew You Were Trouble.” (Becca Kufrin, Bachelor Nation sweetheart and Jacobs’ current girlfriend, reportedly unfollowed Thurston after this post, per Us Weekly.)
Thurston went back to safer territory for day five, posting about Mike Planeta, who is easily one of her friendliest Bachelorette exes. In the interviews after Thurston’s season aired, both Thurston and Planeta have only had kind words for each other, and her Red (Taylor’s Version) song choice for him reflects that.
She chose “Holy Ground,” a tune that’s more romantic than sad or shady. But I can’t help to wonder if the title was a reference to Planeta’s faith? He talked openly about his religious beliefs on the show.
On her sixth day of messy, Thurston shared a post of Brendan Quinn. Although their relationship wasn’t heavily featured on the show, her post hinted at a more serious connection between the two of them. She picked “The Last Time” for their relationship, a heartbreaking song about wanting your partner to prioritize you.
Considering Thurston eventually sent Quinn home because she felt like their relationship wasn’t progressing fast enough, claiming it was due to Quinn’s lack of effort, this song was pretty accurate.
For day seven, Thurston shared her highly-anticipated pick for Michael Allio: “I Almost Do.” In the song, Swift sings, “It takes everything in me not to call you / And I wish I could run to you / And I hope you know that every time I don't / I almost do.” (Um, is this Thurston shooting her shot?) At the very least, it seems like she’s been thinking a lot about Allio in the time since their split.
Considering Allio left a flirty comment for Thurston on Instagram in July 2021 — ICYMI, he wrote, “Can’t say what I’d like to 🔥😳🔥” on a photo of Thurston in lingerie, per Cosmopolitan — maybe that door isn’t totally closed just yet.
No word yet on how Thurston’s exes are taking her messiness, but I doubt they’re too offended. It honestly seems like she has no ill will toward any of them (at least, so far). For now, I’m just waiting to see what song she chooses for Greg Grippo. Would “All Too Well” be all too real?
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