The Golden Bachelor alum Leslie Fhima has claimed Nancy Hulkower and Gary Levingston had "a history" before Bachelor in Paradise and she was shocked by it.
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"Nancy had made it clear to everybody -- she announced before she went on the date -- to us all that were sitting there, 'I just want you to know that Gary and I have been talking a lot and we have a history, so that's why I picked him [for a date],'" Leslie claimed during a recent appearance on the "Bachelor Happy Hour" podcast.
Leslie told the podcast's co-hosts Serena Pitt and Joe Amabile, "I was like, 'Okay, I mean, you can pick whoever you want.'"
Leslie speculated that Nancy and Gary were probably more like "DMing or texting" rather than talking in-person or on the phone prior to filming Bachelor in Paradise.
"I don't know, but she had said, 'We have a history,'" Leslie claimed.
"So I was kind of taken aback a little bit because I didn't know that happened, although [Kathy Swarts] did tell me numerous times, 'Gary is only here for Nancy.' So I did hear that a lot."
So Leslie said "of course" Nancy was going to ask Gary out if the pair had some type of pre-existing relationship.
"I'm not claiming anyone at this point [in the show], and none of the Goldens are claiming people," Leslie recalled.
"And so, you know, [I said], 'I hope you have fun,' and I hope he picks me at the Rose Ceremony! What can I say?! I don't know. I mean, we're all friends, and it's a weird position to be in."
Leslie said the Goldens had no idea if new people would be arriving soon or not.
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RELATED LINK: 'THE BACHELOR' FRANCHISE COUPLES NOW"We didn't know anything, so again, Gary is a doll and I really respected him as a friend. We had a great day, and it's his journey, too! So I don't know," Leslie reasoned.
When Gary had a rose to hand out at the Rose Ceremony, he gave it to Leslie, and so Nancy was eliminated.
"I knew what we had; I knew our connection was really strong," Leslie shared.
"And I knew our date was amazing. I had no idea what [Nancy and Gary] were doing. When they came back... I had gone to sleep, and so I didn't know."
When asked if she talked to Gary about his "history" with Nancy afterward, Leslie couldn't remember.
"I think we sat down and had a conversation about it a little bit," Leslie said.
"I did bring up the fact that they have the same faith. I am Jewish and he's Christian, and so [I asked], 'Does that play [a role in dating]?' And he said, 'No, I dated a Jewish woman before.'"
Leslie elaborated, "So I think we had a conversation like that, but I don't remember saying, 'Did you have a strong connection with Nancy before the show?' I don't think I asked him that."
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Chris Conran, for example, took heat for being fake and disingenuous with Jessenia Cruz on Season 7 of Bachelor in Paradise when he dumped her for newcomer Alana Milne.
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Chris and Alana were inseparable and all about each other, and so the couple was accused of having had a pre-show relationship and strategy for the Paradise process.
Brendan Morais also faced backlash for leading Natasha Parker on during Bachelor in Paradise's seventh season.
Brendan allegedly used Natasha her as a placeholder while he waited for the arrival of Pieper James, whom he had apparently dated for about two months "without labels" before filming began.
Natasha, who had developed strong feelings for Brendan along the way, called the bachelor "a liar" and a "manipulative" clout-chaser.
Nancy and Gary, however, dodged any type of criticism or negativity on Paradise this year.
Gary was especially beloved by Bachelor in Paradise's Season 10 cast, and he and Leslie happily and proudly left the show hand in hand when they got eliminated during the fifth Rose Ceremony of the season.
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About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski
