John Paul Jones’ usually cool surfer dude vibes gave way to some seriously heated accusations on the Aug. 27 episode of Bachelor in Paradise, and his target was an unlikely one: good guy Derek Peth, who’s been seeing spikes in his potential Bachelor stock in recent weeks. So why are Derek and JPJ fighting, and how did things get so fiery so fast?
It all started because JPJ has been crushing hard on Tayshia Adams, who’s intrigued by his playful spirit, but quite honestly — as she tells Annaliese during Chris and Krystal’s wedding — she doesn’t think JPJ’s really lived enough life just yet. Last week, she told JPJ to sow his wild oats and not just focus all his attention on her, and so dude did just that, going on back-to-back dates with Tahzjuan and Haley.
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Tayshia, meanwhile, seems like she genuinely wants to make the most of her time in Paradise, and sets her sights on Derek, who she sees as a more mature man who actually has "his shit together." This new turn of events doesn’t sit with JPJ, however, who, upon seeing the pair hit it off, starts to slowly, then quickly, implode.
At the beach prior to Chris and Krystal’s big wedding, he weeps to Blake that Derek’s not a good guy, a sentiment that he carries with him to the wedding along with some fidgety nervous energy that definitely turns Tayshia off. He confronts Tayshia during the ceremony (not the best time, dude!) and tells her that he’s all in on her, but Tayshia rightfully tells him that it is neither the time nor the place for such discussions of the heart.
Slightly scorned, John Paul Jones decides to take matters into his own hands after the ceremony, pulling Derek aside in what may just have been one of the most dramatic moments yet this season. Among his accusations? That Derek is the “frat boy of the Bachelor world”; that Derek has taken advantage of his fans “sexually”; and that Derek is looking to drum up drama for his podcast. Importantly, also, JPJ accuses Derek of “insulting [his] intelligence.”
“You’re in this for fame, you take advantage of women, get out of my face,” John Paul Jones practically yells at Derek. The entire time, Derek attempts to get a word in edgewise, but JPJ isn’t having it. Meanwhile, Tayshia is hiding behind a column and sobbing while Nicole comforts her.
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Later, back at the beach in front of bartender Wells, JPJ lobs the same complaints at Derek again, this time focusing most of his energy on Derek's supposed aim of promoting his podcast (or finding podcast guests in Paradise? It's unclear).
So what is this fight actually about?
It’s hard to tell what conversations have happened off-camera that could have sparked John Paul Jones’s uncharacteristic wrath, but one thing’s for sure: our long-locked happy-go-lucky bro is sure that Tayshia’s the one that he’s been waiting for since he first started searching for his wife at age 18, and he’s not going to leave Paradise without her. Tl;dr: JPJ is jealous. Super, super jealous.
This translates into a helluva lot more drama for all of us at home as JPJ tries to keep it together for the remainder of his time on the show. At least there’s chicken nuggets to be had though, amiright?
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