February 12, 2026 bachelor insider
Blake Moynes Reveals He Almost Joined Rachel Recchia on ‘Perfect Match’ — More Here
Spilling the tea.
Bachelor Nation got to know Blake Moynes as he looked for love on Seasons 16 and 17 of “The Bachelorette” and again on Season 9 of “Bachelor in Paradise.”
Blake is well known for his love for animals and wildlife, often sharing about his conservation efforts.
The Bachelor Nation star is also known for being great friends with former Bachelorette and podcast co-host Rachel Recchia, as the two will often hang out together.
Last year, Rachel gave love another shot on Season 3 of Netflix’s “Perfect Match,” where she coupled up with someone, but they ultimately didn’t work out.
Now, it has been revealed on the “Bachelor Happy Hour” podcast that Blake almost went on the show as well.
During his interview, Rachel shared that the Bachelor Nation star was supposed to go on the show, and Blake replied, “I was very, very, very close to going with Rachel and last minute I just could not. I couldn’t pull a trigger on it.”
Blake explained there were a variety of reasons for why he didn’t go, including already seeing someone.
“There was a combination of things,” he said. “I was seeing somebody kind of at the same time. Rachel, you remember. And so it was, it wasn’t like a full relationship, but it was like, I don’t know. And then at the same time going to do another show that I was unsure about. There was too much hesitation and I didn’t feel really confident or like excited to go, so I wasn’t. The saving grace was knowing Rachel was likely going. When I was at her apartment talking about it and we were close to going. Rach, it was only like what, maybe weeks before or something? [They were casting and] I was on the phone at your place.”
Rachel’s podcast co-host Charity Lawson then asked Blake if he thinks former Bachelor Clayton Echard took his spot on the show.
Blake replied, “I don’t know. I mean I know they were pressing hard to make it happen. Like they were on me every day, and then, I don’t know. I think around the same time too, it was out there that Rachel and I were always hanging out and doing the sea turtle stuff together and all these things. So I think actually they wanted some type of curiosity around who’s going to be there with Rachel. Whether it’s Clayton or I.”
Charity chimed back in, “I mean I guess we’ll never know, but I would’ve loved to see that play out.”
Hear the rest of Blake’s conversation with Rachel and Charity in the full episode of “Bachelor Happy Hour” below!