Bachelor in Paradise bachelor Rodney Mathews has defended his behavior on the Paradise beach against criticism he had hurt Lace Morris in the same way Eliza Isichei hurt him.
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But some viewers have criticized the outpouring of love for Rodney considering Eliza leaving Rodney to pursue a relationship with Justin Glaze was analogous to Rodney dumping Lace for a shot at love with Eliza during "The Split" twist.
"To be honest with you, I've seen some of those comments [about the hypocrisy]. At the end of the day, I'm always going to take any type of criticism. As much love as I get, I'll take the same amount of criticism as well," Rodney said during the latest episode of the "Talking It Out with Bachelor Nation" podcast co-hosted by Mike Johnson and Bryan Abasolo.
"At the time, down there on the beach, my relationship with Lace, to be honest -- and I think everybody knows this... who was there with me -- it just didn't compare to what I had with Eliza. It was a completely different level."
Rodney said his connection with Lace was unexpected while he had been waiting to the whole time to meet Eliza.
"With Lace -- and I'm glad that I did get to address this more at the reunion [taping on November 4] -- but yeah, with Lace, she is an amazing person and it was nice getting to know her. But she still was a pleasant surprise," Rodney explained.
"I did not know Lace; I was not aware of Lace before stepping onto that beach. I had no idea who she was or that she was even there."
"So it was really a pleasant surprise whereas on the flip side, obviously I knew of Eliza," Rodney confirmed.
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Rodney suggested that his heart belonged to Eliza even before he officially met her.
"Eliza was by far, clear and away, on the top of my list [of people I wanted to meet in Paradise]. And I knew at some point she would be there," Rodney said.
RELATED LINK: 'THE BACHELOR' FRANCHISE COUPLES NOWHowever, Rodney said he "wanted to obey the rules" of Bachelor in Paradise and not reach out to Eliza to try to spark a connection prior to the start of filming in June.
"We didn't want any mishaps," Rodney recalled with a laugh. "And so I was saving all my energy for when I see Eliza at the beach, and [I thought], 'I am giving her my all.'"
Rodney apparently thought he and Eliza could have a fairy-tale romance and make it in the real world, similar to what Becca Kufrin and Thomas Jacobs as well as Joe Amabile and Serena Pitt had experienced on the show last season.
"I wanted to have the love stories just like alumni we've seen be successful from this franchise," Rodney noted. "We knew the potential of that and that's why I went there with a hopeful heart. I'm a hopeless romantic."
Rodney therefore repeated that while "it was amazing getting to know" Lace, he had already been thinking about a potential future with Eliza.
"I knew who Eliza was and I knew that I wanted her and I knew I was going to fight for her and give her my all at the time," Rodney shared.
Rodney also revealed he had been honest with Lace and told her before "The Split" twist that he'd be interested in getting to know Eliza if she happened to join the Paradise cast at any point.
Even though Rodney has dealt with a bit of backlash, he said he's "grateful for all the love and support" he's received as well.
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Rodney said the cast being so deflated and discouraged after his exit was "insane."
"I never knew the extent until I saw my castmates and what they went through after I left and everything... We'd been through so much on that beach together," Rodney said, adding how everyone had kind of reached a breaking point around the time of his departure.
"Honestly, I'm just glad it's over so I can move on with my life."
On Bachelor in Paradise's eighth season, Eliza was in a love triangle between Rodney, with whom she had connected during "The Split" twist, and Justin, an "OG" bachelor who had previously been eliminated from the show but returned to the beach solely with the intention of pursuing Eliza and no one else.
The men fought to win Eliza over for days, and in the end, she gave Rodney her rose at the fourth Rose Ceremony of the season, which resulted in Justin going home.
Eliza and Justin's goodbye was very emotional, and then the next morning, Eliza was missing in action because she was in her bed crying, seemingly for hours.
Eliza told Rodney that she had felt pressured to give Rodney a rose and it simply "felt like the right thing to do" at the time. Eliza made it known that her heart really belonged to Justin and she wanted to chase after him.
The pair therefore broke up and Rodney said he felt devastated and embarrassed.
Eliza then flew to Baltimore, MD, with the hope Justin would give her another chance. However, Justin admitted to the bachelorette he had wanted to be her first choice, and so he rejected her request to reconcile.
"I just want somebody who is sure about me... and that's not what happened. You chose Rodney and that sh-t hurts," Justin admitted. "I was right there for you."
Eliza then headed home. She said if her apology wasn't enough, then there's nothing she could do about that. Eliza was at least glad she had been honest with herself and followed her heart.
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Click here to read Bachelor in Paradise reunion spoilers about Eliza, Justin and Rodney.
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About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski
