Leo Dottavio left Bachelor in Paradise last night the opposite of a hero. He tossed a drink at Joe Amabile (Grocery Store Joe) and almost threw a punch before production intervened. Not hours later, Dottavio is still throwing stuff around on the internet. He apparently sent an aggressive private message to former Bachelor in Paradise contestant Amanda Stanton after she tweeted about him, and tweeted at Tanner Tolbert, also a former contestant, asking if Tolbert wanted to fight.
"Hey buddy why don’t we settle this old school? Put some gloves on step in the ring?" Dottavio wrote to Tolbert. Previously, Tolbert tweeted that he liked "rats" more than "snakes," a reference to the fact that Kevin Wendt had "ratted" Dottavio out in a previous episode of Bachelor in Paradise.
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Dottavio is actively disputing Stanton's claim on Twitter, claiming that he never sent her a direct message. (The accusation is that he called her a "piece of shit" for tweeting about his work at WaterWorld.) Dottavio has been sharing a photo of an Instagram direct message from Stanton that appears to be in support of Dottavio — he's using this as proof that he didn't send a message to her, although Stanton didn't make it clear on which medium Dottavio sent the message. Regardless, Dottavio also tweeted directly at Stanton in a message any Twitter user can see. In this tweet, he called Stanton a "faux ass celeb" and warned that her tweet wasn't "too classy."
Just got a lovely DM from Leo calling me a “piece of shit” & that my tweet about him last night is going to “come back to haunt me”...so i guess he can never blame “editing” #BachelorinParadise
— Amanda Stanton (@amandastantonnn) August 29, 2018
Oh hi again @ABCNetwork maybe it wasn’t enough that @leodottavio was threatening @amandastantonnn? How about this threat against @ttolbert05? pic.twitter.com/io2kNuz5OC
— Ashley Spivey (@AshleySpivey) August 29, 2018
Evidence boys and girls that’s what we calllll evidence? So wait what dm?? pic.twitter.com/NPD6w71ql3
— Leandro Dottavio (@leodottavio) August 29, 2018
Going after my livelihood cause of unsubstantiated claims from my college days isn’t too classy miss. I don’t even know who you are but it’s pathetic. Faux ass celeb. Find some other way to stay relevant.
— Leandro Dottavio (@leodottavio) August 29, 2018
Dottavio has been at the center of yet another Bachelor controversy since former contestant Bekah Martinez shared multiple anonymous accusations of sexual harassment against him on social media. She later sent a detailed list of accusations she'd received from fans to the website Jezebel. Accusations ranged from unsolicited "dick pics" to claims that Dottavio had been overly flirtatious with teenaged women at WaterWorld. Dottavio has since taken leave of his job at WaterWorld, which he claims he did of his own volition. Previous reports suggested he was removed from his position following an official investigation into his behavior. Following the accusations, Dottavio told The Blast that he is seeking legal action against Martinez. He has also threatened legal action against a Twitter user who claimed that her friend had received 20 unsolicited photos of Dottavio's genitalia. Refinery29 has reached out to Dottavio for additional comment.
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In his apology, also provided to Jezebel, Dottavio argued that none of the women going to Martinez had come to him regarding their concerns about his behavior. He then claimed he'd changed his ways since his time in college, and that he'd welcome the opportunity to change and grow.
"I would love an opportunity to right my wrongs and speak to any woman that wants to tell me how and when I made them feel uncomfortable," he concludes. "I want to take this as an opportunity to better myself and the treatment of women in my life."