The Bachelorette alum Dale Moss has revealed why his Bachelor in Paradise participation was a "last-minute" decision.
|
ADVERTISEMENT
|
He added, "I didn't even make the final decision until four or five days before we had to be there."
RELATED LINK: 'THE BACHELOR' FRANCHISE COUPLES NOW: WHO IS STILL TOGETHER?? (PHOTOS)
ABC had announced Dale's casting earlier this month. He'll be one of the first 16 cast members to arrive on the beach on Day 1 when Bachelor in Paradise premieres Monday, July 7 at 8PM ET/PT.
Dale -- who is returning after a five-year hiatus from The Bachelor franchise -- explained how he tends to shut down after relationships by diving into work and traveling, and so Bachelor in Paradise presented a unique opportunity for him to open his heart again.
"I'm 36-years-old; I know what I want in a relationship, and I know the things I want out of life. But the reality is, I'm never going to have those if I don't put myself out there and try new things," Dale said.
Dale pointed out how he feels "very secure in life" and in his career at this time, which made him feel ready to look for love again.
"The only reason I was able to [do Paradise] is because I felt like I was able to move through the previous relationship in a healthy way, and honestly, I'm just happy with who I am," Dale noted.
Dale got engaged to Clare Crawley less than two weeks into filming The Bachelorette's sixteenth season, which aired in Summer 2020, but they had an ugly split and publicly announced their breakup in October 2021.
Dale proceeded to have a romance with HGTV host Galey Alix, but they called it quits on their romance in Fall 2024. Dale told Joe Amabile and Serena Pitt that things just didn't work out and parting ways "was the right decision" for the both of them.
Dale said while Bachelor in Paradise is "not a normal environment" to meet someone, it "definitely forces you to put yourself out there. There is no hiding or shutting down when you're on something like this, and for me, that was a major thing."
Dale also explained how he "felt really comfortable with the idea of a new production team" for Bachelor in Paradise's tenth season.
RELATED LINK: 'THE BACHELOR' FRANCHISE COUPLES NOW"This was going to be an entirely new Bachelor in Paradise, and I think that's one of the biggest things for me as to why I was willing to do it," Dale shared.
"It was just fresh and new, and so I think everybody is going to have a new experience. I think that is something that is so cool... You're walking into this fresh slate."
RELATED LINK: 'THE BACHELORETTE' COUPLES NOW: WHOM DID 'THE BACHELORETTE' STARS AND THEIR BACHELOR PICKS ULTIMATELY END UP WITH?! (PHOTOS)
Dale said he planned to just be himself and just have fun on the beach.
"I did ask the question, 'Am I too old for this?' But that wasn't really much of a sticker. In my previous relationships, many of them were with someone who is older than me," Dale said.
"I also feel like, just with lifestyles and different things, you're going to meet people from all walks of life, so that wasn't really a pressing thing. And also, I think if anything, I was going to be more clear on what I wanted and what worked for me and what didn't."
Dale said no matter what people see of him on the show this summer, he's "really happy" with how he showed up to look for love.
"I didn't feel pressure in any way, shape or form. Going on the show, I was fully prepare to leave at any given point if there was someone there who I wasn't connecting with," Dale insisted.
ADVERTISEMENT
"I've been out of the loop, so it was a completely new experience for me, and I think just on the personal side, it was just a big thing opening up, letting go and trusting," Dale said.
Dale admitted he had to fight some insecurities on the show -- and let go of control, which was difficult for him -- but he "loved the experience" and it was "one of the best experiences" of his life.
"I was excited for people to get to know me," Dale acknowledged, before concluding, "So the commitment came really late in the game, but it was a liberating and freeing experience."
RELATED LINK: 'THE BACHELOR' COUPLES NOW: WHO DID 'THE BACHELOR' STARS AND THEIR BACHELORETTE PICKS ACTUALLY END UP MARRYING? (PHOTOS)
Following Clare and Dale's split post-The Bachelorette, Clare claimed Dale had devastated her and blindsided her with a supposed "mutual statement" online.
Sources told E! News at the time that Dale wasn't ready for that level of commitment and refused to move to Sacramento, CA, for his fiancee, who needed to remain close to her mother as she battled dementia.
Reports also swirled that Dale had cheated on Clare, although he firmly denied those rumors.
Clare admitted during an August 2023 appearance on "The Ben and Ashley I: Almost Famous Podcast" that she had begged Dale to stay with her as her mother's health was failing.
"That relationship brought out the worst in me. It crushed me. It crushed my spirit. It crushed in so many ways who I was as a woman," Clare said.
Clare said she hit an all-time low in her mental health at the time and felt completely "depressed," especially because Dale had left her when she was putting her mother in hospice care.
"He basically said, 'That's not my problem.' And I begged him to please not leave me in that moment," Clare alleged on the podcast.
"It got me down for a moment, but looking at it -- literally sitting there -- I was going, 'Why am I begging this man to have human decency? Why am I begging this man to care? This is not what a real man does.' I don't even care, not even a real man but a real human."
ADVERTISEMENT
RELATED LINK: 'THE BACHELOR' FRANCHISE COUPLES NOW: WHO IS STILL TOGETHER?? (PHOTOS)
Interested in more The Bachelor news? Follow our Bachelor Nation News Page on Facebook or join our The Bachelor Facebook Group!
About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski
