Bachelor in Paradise fans saw a different side of Brendan Morais this week and it’s a side they didn’t like.
Brendan stole the heart of viewers after self-eliminating himself on Tayshia Adam’s season of The Bachelorette, but fans are now turning on him after he admitted for the first three weeks he was “navigating” Paradise, hoping Pieper James would make her way to the beach.
Brendan Morais downplayed his situation with Pieper James when confronted by Natasha Parker
Brendan arrived in Mexico during week one and formed an early connection with Natasha Parker, a contestant who appeared on Peter Weber’s season. While Natasha struggled to initiate her first kiss with Brendan, there was a reason why his head was somewhere else.
Before Pieper even arrived, the beach was buzzing with rumors and the rest of the Bachelor in Paradise cast was clearly aware that Brendan and Pieper had a history.
As soon as Pieper arrived, her date card read, “Choose someone you feel a spark with” and she didn’t have to pull anyone else on the beach before asking Brendan on the date.
Despite Natasha confronting Brendan prior to his date with Pieper, he downplayed the situation, called it casual, and told her they weren’t dating prior to Paradise.
When Natasha asked Brendan why come to Paradise if he already felt a strong connection with Pieper, he replied, “Who said it was strong enough?”
“Yes, we’ve hung out a few times and we’ve talked a few times. But it’s super casual,” he assured her. “And this is the opportunity for us to have meaningful, deep conversations, kind of like we’ve already have in our short time here. You’ve always been, like, so incredibly understanding and what we have is what we have, and the time we spent has been great.”
“It needs to be explored and that’ll kind of determine how we navigate the rest of this,” he finished.
Brendan Morais admitted he was hoping Pieper James would come
However, on his date with Pieper, Brendan was singing a completely different tune.
Pieper made it clear that she was in Paradise for Brendan, and Brendan only. “I’m not really here to be in drama. I’m not here to, like, be a part of any of that. Like, I’m here for you. I’m like, hoping to just pick up where we left off. And keep pushing forward.”
Even Pieper felt Brendan was downplaying the relationship, she thought when she walked on the beach, they would go right “back to where they left things.”
He explained that he couldn’t tell the others that he was waiting for her but admitted, “I was navigating this in a way to potentially, hopefully, be here while you’re here.”
It definitely struck a nerve for viewers when Pieper replied, “Thanks for playing the game.”
Natasha was not happy as Brendan and Pieper returned from their date displaying a clear comfortability that resembled a relationship.
The rest of the beach didn’t agree with it either as they felt if Brendan and Pieper already had a connection, they only came on the show for screen time and to grow their platforms.
Natasha pulled Pieper immediately for a chat the next morning and the newest arrival to Paradise revealed some new details that conflicted Brendan’s previous version.
Not only did she admit they saw each other more times than Brendan had explained before, but she saw him right before his flight to Mexico.
Bachelor in Paradise viewers are angry at Brendan Morais
Pieper’s arrival not only made the other contestants mad but angered Bachelor Nation.
While Bachelor Nation loved Brendan on The Bachelorette, after the latest episode of Bachelor in Paradise, he’s lost a lot of supporters.
With Pieper and Brendan secluding themselves to laugh about the situation they’ve put themselves in, it’s clear they’ve cemented their spot as the villains of this season.
As the episode progressed, Brendan’s true colors continued to spill. Fans could hardly contain themselves when Brendan commented that he wasn’t keeping Natasha from anyone because she had no other prospects on the beach.
Tune in to Bachelor in Paradise to see how this all plays out.
Bachelor in Paradise airs on Mondays at 8/7c on ABC.