Over the years, we’ve seen many different kinds of Bachelor and Bachelorette parents. Some of them have blatant, legitimate doubts about the show itself; others couldn’t be more supportive. Some are Barb Weber. But every once in awhile, it’s nice to see someone who’s really willing to ask the tough questions — which is what Tayshia’s dad, Desmond Adams, Sr., did when we first met him back on Colton Underwood's Bachelor season. And according to clips we can piece together from several previews, he might share some difficult truths this season, too.
“Why him?” Desmond asks in the Bachelorette season promo. “As your father, it’s my job to protect you from making possibly the biggest mistake of your life.” Although this could just be an out-of-context sound bite, let’s take a look at the exact words he uses in the preview for next week’s finale, because they aren’t exactly the same: “I don’t want you to be making the biggest mistake of your life,” he tells Tayshia here. Basically, he expresses concerns about his daughter making the “biggest mistake” of her life at least twice during this conversation, which will likely appear in Tuesday’s finale.
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Chris Harrison also teased that Desmond will have strong feelings about Tayshia’s various relationships. “I will just say this: amazing people,” he told Us Weekly, “but [Tayshia’s] dad definitely was not shy about expressing his opinion on his daughter in those relationships.”
Before her hometown date with former Bachelor Underwood, Tayshia described her dad as “kind of a hard ass” and “intimidating.” He definitely seemed skeptical of the Bachelor, but mostly, he just came across as one of the most emotionally wise Bachelor Nation parents we’ve seen yet. For one thing, he saw right through Colton’s use of a quintessential Bachelor phrase. “You actually say you’re falling in love with her...that’s a strong word,” he said. “You seem like a smart man, right, and so I’m sure you can pick the right words. And sometimes, if somebody’s just falling back on their default word of saying ‘falling in love’ and whatnot, that’s just the wrong thing to be doing.”
He then asked Colton whether he was also falling in love with his other contestants, too. Every season, at least one parent or sibling asks some version of this question, but Desmond followed it with the request that Colton respect Tayshia — and the other women, too — enough to communicate his feelings every step of the way. “Just don’t lead anyone on,” he said. The conversation (or the on-screen part of it, anyway) ended with Colton asking for Desmond’s blessing to theoretically propose to Tayshia, to which he responded, “I appreciate you, if you will, manning up, but… I just met you.”
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It was his subsequent conversation with Tayshia, though — in which he warned her not to “microwave relationships” — that was most memorable. “He seems like a nice guy, but I meet a lot of nice guys… I’m sure you meet a lot of nice guys,” he said. “But it’s not about being nice. It’s about what people can provide for you and bring to the table.”
Ultimately, he gave Colton his approval, citing Tayshia’s evident feelings for him. “I think every dad is just happy if their kids are happy,” he said. But this makes it even more worrisome that he thinks Tayshia’s at risk of making such a big mistake this time around — as of now, she seems pretty happy with all of her remaining contestants, but we still have two episodes left. During finale week, everything's on the table.