Bummer, Whitney & Connor From 'Paradise' Split Because Of This Common Reason

Ugh, y’all, another Bachelor couple has called it quits, and I’m sad about it. Why did Whitney Fransway and Connor Saeli break up? Their storyline on Bachelor in Paradise was short but sweet, and fans were left wanting more of this adorable couple. But unfortunately, they ended things for a pretty understandable reason: they moved too quickly into a relationship.

On Sept. 19, Saeli told People that he and Fransway broke up one week prior after two months of dating. “We rushed into a relationship,” he explained. “And we realized that we just weren’t connecting anymore.” They lived in different cities (Saeli in Dallas, Fransway in Los Angeles), and ultimately, this played a role in their split. “We realized the relationship was moving really quickly,” Saeli explained. “We almost skipped over those beginning of relationship steps, like really getting to know each other. We were basically thrown into a long-distance relationship, and the fact that we had to be private about it [as the show was airing] made it even harder.”

Saeli and Fransway met at the wedding of Krystal Neilson and Chris Randone on June 16, which was featured on Season Six of BiP. They hit it off from their very first conversation. “There was something mutual that we both felt,” Saeli told People. “There was a spark between us and we both wanted to explore it.” Saeli briefly dated Caelynn Miller-Keyes on the set of BiP, but when Miller-Keyers ultimately chose to leave the beach with Dean Unglert, Saeli was left alone. He expressed an interest in seeing Fransway again, but decided to leave Paradise once she didn’t show up.

In a twist of fate (or more likely, a genius move by BiP producers), Fransway arrived in Paradise just after Saeli left. Realizing he wasn’t there, she decided to go after him, and the two reunited at a hotel in Mexico. “I was so excited to see her show up at my room,” Saeli told People. “After that we got to spend a couple of days together in Mexico to get to know each other, and it was really cool.” Then, Saeli went with Fransway to her home in Los Angeles. “After Mexico, I ended up flying to L.A. [Fransway’s hometown] with her,” he explained. “I got to meet a bunch of her friends and it was cool to see her life there … things were going really great.”

But after a few months, both Saeli and Fransway felt a strain on the relationship. Saeli told People that they “started having some serious talks in terms of seeing a future” when they attended the wedding of Rachel Lindsay and Bryan Abasolo on Aug. 23. Then, a few weeks later, they decided to break up.

It wasn’t one specific thing that caused the relationship to end — instead, it was the speed of the relationship and the dynamic between Saeli and Fransway. “It was 100% mutual. We’re just not right for each other,” Saeli noted. “I think we’ll be great friends. She’s definitely a person I want in my life.”

And fans of the couple shouldn’t despair — Saeli told People he’s not ruling out the possibility of reconnection. “That’s something we’ll see in time,” he said. “You never know what could happen down the road.” Although it’s tough to see this couple split, you have to give them props for handling the situation with maturity. Sometimes, things just don’t feel right, especially when they happen way too quickly.