Bachelor in Paradise star Jonathon Johnson has shared behind-the-scenes details about the shocking moment he received Golden bachelorette April Kirkwood's rose.
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"I was like, 'I just want to go home. Nobody is here for me anymore. It's time for me to leave.'"
Jonathon, who clearly had interest in Kat Izzo, said he "didn't realize that the opportunity with Kat was even there" after her fight with Dale Moss.
"I wasn't trying for Kat's rose; I wasn't trying for April's rose. I just wanted to enjoy my last night with the people I enjoy spending time with," Jonathon explained.
Jonathon packed his bags and was probably practicing his final words, but then April ended up giving her rose to Jonathon at the Rose Ceremony in a surprise twist that prevented his ouster.
"I didn't even try with April, like I wasn't trying for a rose. That night of the Rose Ceremony, [Leslie Fhima] had come and pulled me for a chat, and she was like, 'Hey can we talk?' and I'm like, 'That was random, but yeah, I guess so,'" Jonathon recalled.
Jonathon said his chat with Leslie was "super nice" and she was "being super reassuring" and "super sweet" to him.
"She was like, 'Are you going to go for anyone?' And I was like, 'No, tonight's my night. I'm going home and I'm just trying to enjoy it the best that I can,'" he said.
Jonathon said Leslie had expressed surprise that none of the younger ladies were pursuing him because he seemed like a catch. Leslie apparently admitted that she'd go for him if they were similar in age.
Jonathon shared how that conversation with Leslie was everything he needed in that moment.
"And then April also comes and pulls me for a chat and she's like, 'Hey, how's your night going? Leslie filled me in... How are you feeling? How are you doing?'" Jonathon shared.
RELATED LINK: 'THE BACHELOR' FRANCHISE COUPLES NOW"And I pretty much repeated the same thing. I was like, 'I know it's going to be my last night. I'm just enjoying my time with everybody, having a good time. I don't think anybody here is for me.'"
RELATED LINK: 'THE BACHELORETTE' COUPLES NOW: WHOM DID 'THE BACHELORETTE' STARS AND THEIR BACHELOR PICKS ULTIMATELY END UP WITH?! (PHOTOS)
Jonathon explained how he simply wasn't pursuing anybody and none of the women were pursuing him.
"I think it's a mixed thing, like, they're not going to pursue somebody whom they feel is not into them back," Jonathon reasoned.
Jonathon said once the Rose Ceremony commenced, he was "smiling like an idiot" because he was "happy for" his friends.
"I'm like, 'Yes, everybody is good! They all seem like they're in a relatively good place,'" he recalled.
"And then [April] calls my name and I'm like, 'Me?' She's like, 'You.' And I'm like, 'No, no, not me.' Literally, my bag was packed; I was so ready. And [she] calls me down and I'm like, 'No way.'"
Jonathon shared how April -- who had competed on Gerry Turner's The Golden Bachelor season prior to Paradise -- said "really nice" and "sweet" things to him after handing him a rose.
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"And I keep telling anybody that asks me what it was like having the Goldens. I'm like, 'The Goldens saved Paradise for me.'"
Once the Rose Ceremony came to an end, Jonathon said his next thought was, "I hope to God somebody I can date can come down."
RELATED LINK: 'THE BACHELOR' COUPLES NOW: WHO DID 'THE BACHELOR' STARS AND THEIR BACHELORETTE PICKS ACTUALLY END UP MARRYING? (PHOTOS)
The Bachelor 28 alum Lea Cayanan then stepped on the beach in Costa Rica hoping to find love.
Jonathon revealed that he and Lea were actually friends and had hung out prior to filming Bachelor in Paradise. He said they had hung out in group settings multiple times and he found her to be "hilarious" and "great."
Jonathon also acknowledged how he and Kat became good friends in Paradise and had "great banter and conversations."
"I was just trying to be there through a difficult situation with Dale," Jonathon said, adding how he wanted to make sure Kat was okay after her fight with Dale and "it wasn't anything deeper than that."
Jonathon explained how he didn't want to be Kat's second choice and he didn't exactly feel like himself in Paradise.
"I'm watching it back and I'm like, 'Wow, you were really just in your head,'" Jonathon lamented on the podcast.
In a preview of Bachelor in Paradise's next episode, Dale and Jonathon appear to get in a confrontation over Kat.
Prior to appearing on Bachelor in Paradise, Jonathon had competed on Jenn Tran's The Bachelorette season. He finished in third place on The Bachelorete's 21st season.
RELATED LINK: 'THE BACHELOR' FRANCHISE COUPLES NOW: WHO IS STILL TOGETHER?? (PHOTOS)
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About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski
