August 10, 2020 • bachelor insider
This Week in Bachelor Nation History: Major 'Bachelor in Paradise' Firsts!
"Bachelor in Paradise" is the perfect place for "Bachelor" and "Bachelorette" alums to get their second (or third, or fourth) chance at love. The romantic beach in Sayulita, Mexico, is a place where love stories are written and relationships begin — a representation of many "firsts" in a relationship.
No "Paradise" couple embodies that more than Jared Haibon and Ashley Iaconetti.
Jared and Ashley first crossed paths on Season 2 of "Paradise," but their feelings weren't initially reciprocal. Ashley walked on the beach with her eyes set on Jared and was smitten from the moment she met him. Jared, however, took some more time to warm up.
Ashley invited him on a one-on-one date, where they went off-roading and felt an instant connection. That all crumbled when Jared then invited Clare Crawley on his one-on-one date and Ashley broke down in tears. Afterward, Jared made it clear to Clare he didn't want to pursue a relationship with her and then rectified his standing with Ashley in a subsequent conversation, which aired August 10, 2015.
Jared found Ashley sitting on a couch and told her she looked "beautiful" that evening.
He said, "Right now, I’m just trying to find out where my emotions are and my chemistry, and we do get along. I went on a date with Clare and we had a good time, but it’s different. I want to be here and want to get to know you better and do what feels right. Do you agree?"
Ashley responded, "I completely agree."
Then, like a moment straight out of a rom-com, Jared grabbed her and kissed her.
Jared and Ashley would continue to have an up-and-down romance for the next few years, but Ashley never gave up on her hopes for her fairy tale ending with Jared.
Once Jared came to his senses, he proposed June 18, 2018, and they wed August 11, 2019.
Ashley and Jared's kiss was a major "Paradise" first, but so was Wells Adams' debut as the beach's bartender.
Wells made his Bachelor Nation start on JoJo Fletcher's season of "The Bachelorette" and then looked for love on the beach on Season 3 of "Paradise." He would then go on to return the next three seasons, but in a different capacity.
On the first day of Season 4, which aired August 14, 2017, Chris Harrison gathered all the beachgoers around and explained the gist of "Paradise." Before letting the men and women go to explore their relationships, he warned the cast in pure Chris Harrison fashion that "everything is about to change."
Jorge had tears in his eyes as he shared his news, and many of the "Paradise" cast members gasped when they learned he wouldn't be there this season.
He continued, "I'm going to miss you, but I cannot go before introducing your new bartender."
Wells ran in and Vinny Ventiera jumped up and gave him a giant bear hug.
Wells said, "I was here last year. It didn’t work out great for me, but I’m back. I’m not here to go on any dates, I’m not here to steal anyone’s girl. I’m here for the right reasons, and that’s to make drinks."
The Nashville-based DJ became a de facto bartender therapist, as well as witness to some of the more intriguing "Paradise" Season 4 moments, such as "scallop fingers."