Brendan Morais and Pieper James quickly became villains on Bachelor in Paradise due to their calculated plan to gain followers at Natasha Parker’s expense.
However, according to former Bachelor in Paradise star, Connor Saeli, Brendan and Pieper’s scheme is not uncommon at all and plenty of fan favorites within the franchise have allegedly done similar things.
Connor Saeli claimed Brendan and Pieper’s clout-chasing actions aren’t rare
Connor Saeli recently spoke with US Weekly’s Here for the Right Reasons podcast and discussed the Brendan and Pieper scandal. Connor aimed to offer up personal insight, having participated in Bachelor in Paradise himself.
When talking about Brendan, Connor lightly condemned him by saying, “Obviously, Brendan was in the wrong for coming on there and ‘planning’ something out beforehand.”
Regarding Brendan’s consequence of losing tons of followers due to his actions, Connor went on to say, “It’s tough for me because I know of other people that have done the same thing before and have not gotten in trouble for it. They just haven’t been like, outed, I guess.”
Connor’s sentiments are similar to Blake Horstmann’s recent statements on Brendan and Pieper in that Blake expressed how many castmates come on the show for fame and followers, but the shocking aspect of Brendan and Pieper’s situation was that the producers actually outed the couple by airing their private conversations about eagerly building their following through the show.
Connor says every Bachelor in Paradise cast member thinks about gaining fame and followers
Interestingly, Connor suggested that even some of the most popular members of the franchise have had similar schemes and ulterior motives behind the scenes.
Connor stated, “Obviously, it’s very frowned upon and I don’t think someone should do it, but at the same time, people do it every season. I understand fans and everyone are upset, but you gotta think, like, some of the fan favorites from this show have done the same thing, like, literally done the exact same thing.”
While Connor appeared confident that there are stars in The Bachelor franchise that have done the exact same thing of going on the show simply for followers, he wouldn’t spill the beans on who exactly he was referring to.
Connor acknowledged that some people do go on the show with the intent to find love but he feels even the most genuine people have at least thought about the way the show could build their platform and following.
He explained, “I don’t think that’s everyone’s main thing they’re going for, but it’s definitely in everyone’s mind. And those conversations do happen pretty frequently down there on the beach. I don’t really think I was ever involved in any conversations about it, but, like, things were always brought up in regards to that.”
While plenty of Bachelor in Paradise stars may desire a following, Brendan and Pieper also came under fire for the disrespectful way they conducted themselves and tampered with Natasha’s experience, which plays an even bigger role in their fall from grace.
Bachelor in Paradise airs Tuesdays at 8/7c on ABC.