October 13, 2022 • bachelor insider
Rodney Shares His True Feelings About Teddi Leaving ‘Paradise’ and If He Considered Leaving
Opening up.
Bachelor Nation fans first met Rodney Mathews on Season 18 of “The Bachelorette,” and he’s back on our screens looking for love on Season 8 of “Bachelor in Paradise.”
Now, Rodney just stopped by the “Talking It Out with Bachelor Nation” podcast, where he discussed his time on the beach so far.
Co-hosts Mike Johnson and Bryan Abasolo asked Rodney what his initial thoughts were about going to “Paradise” and Rodney revealed he was hesitant.
He got candid, saying, “I didn’t want to be stuck in all the love triangles. Mike and I had a long talk about it. When I would talk to the producers about it, I would constantly say I was good and no, thank you. I didn’t really think it was for me because I didn’t know how I would react in that environment. I’m so built on being a one-woman man. When I’m talking to a woman, all my focus and attention is there.”
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Rodney went on, explaining, “I wasn’t trying to be talking to multiple women. It wasn’t what I was used to. It took a lot of convincing. I think I was the last person that was cast to sign on, that’s probably why I wasn’t a day one guy. At the end of the day, I’ve so grateful for the experience as a whole and I’m glad that I went.”
Mike and Bryan also asked Rodney how he really felt about Teddi leaving as soon as he got to “Paradise.”
Rodney shared, “I think you guys kind of saw my true reaction. I was really shocked. I was like ‘Wait, what?!’ I was the last one to find out, so I was sitting there waiting and I came down all excited to ask her, not knowing what’s going on. I asked if anyone had seen Teddi so I could ask her on the date, and Jill and Justin told me to sit down and Serene told me she was gone. I asked if she was coming back and I found out that she was gone for good from ‘Paradise.’”
He continued on, saying, “I was shocked like everybody else, but more importantly, I wanted to check in on her to make sure she was okay. I also wanted to check in on Andrew to make sure he was okay. I didn’t come down there to cause any drama or anything like that. I wanted to make sure that everyone was all right. In Teddi’s defense, I wasn’t mad at her at all. I 1,000 percent respect her decision to protect her own privacy and mental health. I support her and just wanted to make sure she was okay because I know how difficult that environment can be.”
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Mike asked if there was any part of Rodney that considered chasing after Teddi and leaving the show with her.
Rodney said, “I thought about trying to go see her for a second. It was a really quick thought of maybe being the guy who should chase after her to change her mind. I had just met her and had a quick amazing conversation with her, but I didn’t think it was appropriate to try to be that person. She had all her friends down there and she had already been with Andrew. I trusted Teddi to make the decision that was best for her, and she did.”
He added, “I didn’t want to add any more stress to her; she already had a lot going on. She made the best decision for her to move on from the process and I can relate to that because going there I didn’t think it was for me either, but I didn’t want to leave yet. I still wanted to give the situation a chance. I was just glad she was happy and doing better.”
To hear more of Rodney’s conversation with Mike and Bryan, check out the full episode of “Talking It Out with Bachelor Nation” below.