ABC 'Bachelor in Paradise' is expected to return in 2021.
A fan-favorite of Bachelor Nation may soon be packing her bags and heading back to paradise for another shot at love. Kendall Long recently spoke with Us Weekly about the possibility of returning to Bachelor in Paradise, the show where she met ex-boyfriend Joe Amabile.
“I try to live as if I’m not depending on The Bachelor, Bachelor World to find my future husband because then I’m just holding off my love life,” Long told the publication. “But I had nothing but amazing experiences and it worked for me. And if it could work for me once, maybe it could work for me twice.”
Long finished third on Arie Luyendyk’s season of The Bachelor before finding love with Amabile on Bachelor in Paradise. Despite leaving paradise separately, the former couple rekindled their relationship before the reunion special. They announced their split in early 2020, with Amabile returning to his hometown of Chicago.
Long prefers Bachelor in Paradise to The Bachelor, declaring, “Paradise was so fun!” She prefers The Bachelor-spinoff’s diversion from its predecessor’s format.
“I also liked it because there was, like, half guys and half girls,” said the author of Just Curious: A Notebook of Questions. “It wasn’t so much all these women going for one guy. I think that dynamic could be a little stressful at times. So I liked that it was more of an even playing field.”
Despite being open to returning, she is not planning on it. “I’m not trying to put all my eggs in the Bachelor basket. I’m still dating, still single, so,” said the Los Angeles-native.
Bachelor in Paradise did not air this year with production delays amid the COVID-19 pandemic. It is expected to return in 2021.
Chris Harrison Has Assured Fans ‘Bachelor in Paradise’ Will Return
Bachelor Nation’s longtime host, Chris Harrison, has assured fans that another season of Bachelor in Paradise is on the horizon. He recently spoke with Heavy while promoting his Manly Bands collaboration.
“Man, your lips to God’s ears,” Harrison said when asked if Bachelor in Paradise will return next year. “Obviously that is our goal, that’s our plan and that’s our wish. We want to get back on schedule. We are back on schedule for the most part now as soon as we finish up Matt’s season of The Bachelor. You know, we’ll be back in our regular orbit.”
When the show returns, it will have four seasons of the dating competition’s original format from which to pull. Some familiar faces will return, but new contestants will also be pulled from the seasons of Peter Weber, Clare Crawley and Tayshia Adams, Matt James and a yet-unknown Bachelorette.
“So we’ll have, you know, a great crop,” said Harrison. He added, “So it’s going to be an embarrassment of riches of people, some we don’t even know yet because they haven’t been on the show.”
The Bachelor is set to return on January 4, with The Bachelorette expected to film and air in its typical schedule. Bachelor in Paradise will likely return in the summer of 2021.
Long and Amabile Announced Their Split in January 2020
After meeting on Bachelor in Paradise, Long and Amabile dated for a year and a half. She described their relationship as “a great experience.”
On January 28, 2020, the former couple announced their split to Bachelor Nation. Their statement read, “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.”
The former Dancing with the Stars contestant returned to his hometown after realizing he did not see a long term future away from his family and friends. With her life and career established in Los Angeles, Long decided to stay on the west coast.
When speaking with People about their split, Long admitted that she “did not see it coming.”
“Every relationship has issues, but I feel like — with Joe and I — we were best friends. Everything was fun, we were getting a dog together. We had just moved in,” Long explained. She added, “Because of where we ultimately want to end of being in our future, we can’t be together.”
While she admitted to originally seeing a wedding in their future, she told the publication that their relationship taught her what she wanted in the next one. Long and Amabile have remained friendly publicly and neither is in a known relationship.
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