The Golden Bachelor alum Theresa Nist has revealed the real reason why she won't be appearing on Bachelor in Paradise this summer.
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"The whole journey was, 'Yes, I'm so excited! I want to do this. I want to tell you who I'm interested in,'" Theresa recalled during a recent appearance on "The Ben & Ashley I: Almost Famous Podcast."
Theresa continued, "And then I went back to the producers and I said, 'You know what? I realize that I was just so excited about seeing these women again and having a great reunion more than anything else, and I can't promise you that there would be a match.'"
Theresa revealed that she "actually went through all the testing" to go on Bachelor in Paradise's tenth season, which premieres Monday, July at 8PM ET/PT on ABC.
"I was already there and they asked me to pick the guys [I liked], and then I went back and said, 'I really can't do it,'" Theresa explained.
"But then I actually went back and said, 'Okay maybe I should give it a shot,' and then I didn't get it."
Ben Higgins asked, "So you went through the testing, you wanted to go on the show, they said no. Is that what happened?"
"Yeah, I wanted to go on the show and then I went back to them and said, 'I changed my mind. I don't want to do it.' And then I went back and said, 'You know what? Maybe I'm being foolish,'" Theresa shared.
"And then they ultimately did not select me."
Ashley Iaconetti chimed in and said, "If you're not [fully] in, they're not in."
Theresa agreed and said, "I'm going to say that that was the reason. Because I said I didn't want to do it, they said, 'No, this girl is not committed.' So I feel that's the reason I'm ultimately not on the show."
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When asked to explain her initial hesitation for giving Paradise a shot, Theresa replied, "I kind of thought it just wasn't really for me."
Theresa said she didn't think it would be fair to use Paradise as an opportunity to strengthen her friendships with The Golden Bachelor ladies.
"And I really didn't want to go on and pretend or just make up something... I thought I'd be much better off just watching it and enjoying [Leslie Fhima] being on the show. So yeah, it just didn't feel right," Theresa explained.
Ben, however, pointed out how, in his opinion, all the cast members go on Paradise with the understanding they may have to "fake it" in order to hang out with their friends and enjoy the vacation.
"I've learned so much about myself throughout this entire experience, and one of these things is that I have to be true to myself, so that really is true for me," Theresa said.
Theresa suggested that public backlash following her divorce from The Golden Bachelor's Season 1 star Gerry Turner also made her reluctant to join the Paradise cast.
Theresa said fans weren't happy with her after she and Gerry announced their decision to get a divorce in April 2024, just a few short months after they got married on an ABC wedding special.
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Theresa also admitted that none of the men from Joan Vassos' The Golden Bachelorette season are her type.
Theresa therefore didn't think she was going to be a match with any of the senior bachelors on the spinoff.
"I thought about each person who could possibly be on the show, and I went through the whole machinations of having a relationship with that person, and I thought it wouldn't work," Theresa recalled.
"I just thought, 'I don't want to take that person away from anybody else who may really be interested in that person.' And nothing against anyone who's on it, I'm just looking at me and this person together."
RELATED LINK: 'THE BACHELOR' COUPLES NOW: WHO DID 'THE BACHELOR' STARS AND THEIR BACHELORETTE PICKS ACTUALLY END UP MARRYING? (PHOTOS)
But Theresa acknowledged she "must be foolish or naive" since Ben had said everyone goes on Bachelor in Paradise for a fun experience rather than a sincere desire to find lasting love.
"Maybe I'm too honest. I don't know!" Theresa quipped, before adding, "Maybe there is something wrong with me... Maybe this is something I need to get over!"
But Theresa, who already has "a well-paying job in finance," said she doesn't need to go on Paradise and be paid for something that doesn't feel authentic and genuine.
"They are looking for true love, and I don't know if I can get there! I don't want to fool anybody... I just wish it wasn't the kind of show where you had to make a love match, where that was the goal of the show," she noted.
Theresa apparently believes that she'd probably "be welcomed with open arms" on a different style of show.
Theresa confessed she may have FOMO when Bachelor in Paradise airs this summer, but for the time being, she is happily dating someone.
"I think it's a good decision. I think it's good that I'm not on the show," Theresa concluded.
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The season filmed in Costa Rica and will feature The Golden Bachelor and The Golden Bachelorette alums, in addition to the usual younger generation of bachelor and bachelorettes from the franchise.
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About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski
