The Bachelorette alum Rachel Recchia has clapped back at her ex-fiance Tino Franco for shading her Bachelor in Paradise stint and continuing to talk about her in the media.
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During a chat with Courtney Robertson on her "After Reality" podcast in August, Tino -- Rachel's The Bachelorette winner -- said, "I'll probably watch [Paradise] because I heard rumors that [Aven Jones] and [Tyler Norris] and a couple of the guys I liked from my season went down."
He added of Rachel, "If she thinks she can find love [on TV] after everything she's been through, I mean, good for her... There's no quit in her. I'll be watching, but focusing my rooting on the boys."
Rachel was asked about Tino's comments on the Tuesday, September 26 episode of former The Bachelor star Nick Viall's "The Viall Files" podcast.
"I just don't understand, why am I not allowed to move on?" Rachel lamented to Nick. "And why am I not allowed to find love in this environment?"
Tino also claimed on the "After Reality" podcast that Rachel had reached out to him to talk but he ignored her phone call.
"I think, some odd year ago, she tried to call and I just was kind of like, 'I don't know if we'll ever get to the point where we have something to talk about, but this is way too soon for me.' But personally, I don't think there's anything for us to talk about," Tino alleged.
Rachel, however, denied ever seeking Tino out for a conversation after they announced their breakup on The Bachelorette: After the Final Rose in September 2022.
"I will say, I did not reach out. I didn't," Rachel claimed on "The Viall Files" podcast.
"I do think it's interesting that a call is the only thing I guess you can't provide, like, a receipt for. Because I tried to scroll back, I was like, 'Did I call him? I don't even know, maybe I did call him, I don't know.' I went back and I was like, 'Oh you can't even go back that far in your calls.'"
Rachel continued, "To my knowledge, I didn't [reach out to him]. I would love to have a conversation if he's ever open to it. I'm not willing to die on that hill if he thinks I called him."
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Rachel had called off her engagement to Tino and broke up with him once she discovered he had been unfaithful to her by kissing another woman when they were going through challenging times. Rachel was also disappointed when Tino failed to fully explain himself or offer a sincere apology for his betrayal.
Tino brought Rachel up a second time during a Saturday, September 23, interview on the "Dave Neal Show" on YouTube.
"She's perfect for somebody, it's just not me. I really think she will be an excellent partner to somebody else," Tino shared, betting Rachel will likely meet her ideal partner "in a couple of years when she's a little bit further removed from the public eye."
Rachel also touched upon Tino's YouTube comments during her conversation with Nick.
"The two quotes that hurt me, and I'll be honest -- I'll say this on the record: I don't have control over how my time on The Bachelor ended. I just don't," Rachel explained.
"And to hear [Tino] say, 'If she thinks she can find love, good luck,' all the while talking about how easy it's been for him to be dating again and move on, [that hurts]."
Rachel went on to share another one of Tino remarks that bothered and upset her.
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Rachel also said that she feels Tino is recently pushing more blame onto her for the demise of their relationship. Rachel said Tino used to be completely ashamed of his actions, whereas now he seems to think his betrayal wasn't that big of a deal.
Tino, for instance, vented to Courtney about his "punishment was so absurd," and he compared backlash from fans to getting "the electric chair."
Tino also said he didn't think his kiss with another woman was "definitively cheating," although he admitted it "wasn't cool" to do.
RELATED LINK: 'THE BACHELOR' COUPLES NOW: WHO DID 'THE BACHELOR' STARS AND THEIR BACHELORETTE PICKS ACTUALLY END UP MARRYING? (PHOTOS)
And on Saturday, Tino pointed out how he got "slammed" and received an "ass-whooping on national TV" for what he had done to Rachel.
"Which is fine because that's how I was raised," Tino said on the YouTube show. "You do something lame, you get your ass whipped, you pick back up and you keep going. Take your punishment!"
Tino also revealed the chances of him joining Bachelor in Paradise this season were "probably zero." He noted how ABC would've had to pay him a lot more money than $35,000 to do the show.
If the network offered Tino a lot of money, he joked, "I'd be like, 'S–t on me, whatever.'"
Although Tino has yet to find his person, he said he doesn't regret his breakup with Rachel because staying together would've been a waste of time for them both.
Back in October 2022, Tino spoke to Nick on "The Viall Files" podcast about how he "really, really loved Rachel through the whole process" and he still thought about her every day.
"It's just after everything that has transpired, I think the best way to put it is -- I've moved on. We really, really fell extremely in love and it was something beautiful that I haven't experienced," Tino explained.
Tino, however, came to realize there "is somebody who is just more compatible for" Rachel out there.
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Rachel had extremely emotional journeys on The Bachelor's 26th season as well as her own The Bachelorette season.
The Bachelor 26 star Clayton Echard had slept with both Rachel and Gabby and expressed his love for them in the Fantasy Suites, only to brutally dump them -- simultaneously -- for the woman he was supposedly "the most" in love with, Susie Evans.
On The Bachelorette's nineteenth season, Rachel thought she had found her happily ever after with Tino, but the pair broke up during a "Happy Couple" visit in August 2022 because Tino had kissed another woman at a bar in July.
"I hope people who have made a mistake like me don't think they're doomed to that fate or to that [identity] because they had a low-character moment," Tino told Nick Viall after the scandal made headlines.
"I certainly believe it doesn't mean you're doomed to low character forever."
During his "The Viall Files" interview, Tino recalled why exactly his relationship with Rachel had fallen apart and why he ultimately cheated on the flight instructor.
Tino also revealed he had locked himself in a bathroom before his After the Final Rose appearance to cry and he initially thought -- after his cheating scandal -- that Rachel wanted to work things out with him.
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About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski
