The Bachelorette alum Becca Kufrin has set the record straight on whether she and Blake Horstmann were really talking and considering rekindling their romance before she chose to appear on Bachelor in Paradise's seventh season.
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Following Becca's split from Garrett, Blake said on the August 20 episode of the "Reality Life With Kate Casey" podcast that he and Becca "did kind of chat here and there" and "were back in touch within the last, like, six months."
Suggesting he and Becca were possibly getting back together, Blake, 32, added, "It kind of came down to if she was going to do Paradise or not... I would be willing to talk, of course. But we'll see how Paradise works out [for her]."
But Becca is telling a different side of the story regarding her dynamic with The Bachelorette 14 runner-up.
During a Thursday appearance on Joe Amabile and Natasha Parker's "Click Bait with Bachelor Nation" podcast, Becca addressed Blake's recent claims.
"I've seen all of the articles out there that are circulating. Umm, listen, Blake and I have always been friends. We've always been supportive of one another," Becca explained.
"In terms of the 'talking,' yeah, I mean, we've been in touch very sporadically, but nothing that I would say would warrant... a potential relationship."
Becca insisted the term "talking" sounds very misleading, adding, "The conversation [Blake] had seemed very misleading."
Becca admitted her "phone was blowing up" on the morning Blake had made such comments on Kate Casey's podcast.
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"My friends and my family were reaching out, and they were like, 'Are you and Blake together? What's going on? What's happening?' And I had no idea. So of course I looked into the articles and listened to some of the podcast, not all of it," Becca said.
RELATED LINK: 'THE BACHELORETTE' COUPLES NOW"And yeah, it was interesting for me, as a listener."
Joe therefore pointed out how it seemed Becca and Blake were "talking" before her Bachelor in Paradise stint -- but not romantically.
"Correct," Becca confirmed.
"Like I said, Blake and I have always been on great terms. We've been friends for a while. It's no shock because, like, I've done his podcast. He came on my tour when I was touring for a few shows."
She elaborated, "So nothing romantic [happened] that I think people should be running with right now, if that makes sense."
Rumors have swirled about Becca and Blake dating and flirting for months now, and Blake admitted during his podcast appearance that once Becca and Garrett ended their engagement, he wondered if anything was "still there" with Becca.
As a result, Natasha asked Becca if she'd consider dating Blake in Paradise had they reunited on the beach in Mexico.
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"No," Becca replied, "No."
Becca said another "interesting" part of Blake's interview was when he claimed The Bachelor production wouldn't want to see Becca and himself together and may try to keep them apart.
"That show can change you and those producers get a hold of you," Blake alleged.
"The show doesn't like me, the show doesn't want to see us together. She has, like, the ABC podcast ["Bachelor Happy Hour"]. That's kind of her thing. She is very much involved in that show. We'll see."
Blake -- who appeared on Bachelor in Paradise's sixth edition and came across like a playboy -- also said on his Instagram Stories in July he didn't want to appear on Paradise's seventh season for the sake of his mental health because he believes the franchise "breeds toxicity and emotional abuse."
Becca explained on "Click Bait" of the whole situation, "[He] made it seem like we're not together because of production or whatever, and at the end of the day, like, we're two grown adults that make our own decisions."
"If we're not together, then it's because we chose not to be together. Right?" Becca added. "It can't be put on anyone else. So that was the only part where I was like, 'What the hell?'"
Bachelor in Paradise previews have shown Becca building a connection with Katie Thurston's The Bachelorette villain Thomas Jacobs. She is reportedly going to appear on the show's upcoming Tuesday, August 31 episode.
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In one clip of a future episode, Becca gushes about how she can't stop smiling around Thomas while the pair is on a date.
A source recently told Us Weekly, "If he and Becca were meant to be then that's something that would eventually happen, but he's not looking back. Blake supports Becca no matter what."
Blake told his followers on Instagram Stories that he believes The Bachelor producers don't have cast members' best interest in mind and he wouldn't be willing to risk his well-being for "some followers and [social-media] engagement."
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One month later, fans questioned if Becca and Blake were back together or if something was going on between the pair due to their obvious flirty dynamic on Instagram.
But a source told the magazine in May that Becca and Blake were "both single" and not dating one another.
"Becca and Blake are just friends," the source said, adding that just because the former couple has been seen "flirting with each other," it "doesn't mean they're dating."
In addition, The Bachelorette exes "run in the same group and hang out from time to time," according to the insider.
Shortly after announcing on September 1, 2020 her engagement to Garrett had ended, Becca made a "last-minute decision" and moved to Los Angeles, CA, to embrace a "new adventure" in her life.
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And after competing on Becca's The Bachelorette season, Blake had flings with The Bachelor alums Caelynn Miller-Keyes and Kristina Schulman.
Blake was also romantically interested in Hannah Godwin on Bachelor in Paradise's sixth season, but she chose to pursue a relationship with Dylan Barbour instead.
Becca and Blake's breakup on The Bachelorette finale in August 2018 was excruciating to watch considering Blake said he was madly in love with the show's leading lady at the time.
Blake was admittedly "blindsided" by Becca's decision to dump him because he appeared to be her frontrunner all season long.
"I truly thought that if it came down to me proposing, that she wouldn't say no," Blake told Entertainment Tonight in 2018. "I thought what we had was real."
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"It made for some really hard days, but I had a great support system. My family was amazing. We talked through a lot of things and they were there for me," he said at the time.
Becca starred on The Bachelorette after having her heart broken by Arie Luyendyk Jr. on The Bachelor's 22nd season, which wrapped in early 2018.
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About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski
