Jared Haibon & Ashley Iaconetti Talk Their 'Bachelor In Paradise' Returns, Calling It 'Less Of A Fantasy'
Ashley Iaconetti and Jared Haibon are Bachelor Nation pros.
Iaconetti, 33, appeared in season 19 of The Bachelor, and again in seasons 2 and 3 of Bachelor in Paradise, while Haibon, 32, made his debut in season 11 of The Bachelorette, before starring alongside his future wife in those same two seasons of the popular spinoff.
In the wake of Joe Amabile, 34 — who was eliminated in the first week of The Bachelorette season 14 — being set to make his triumphant return this month in BIP season 7, the alums had a lot to say about the upcoming season, and what their own experiences were like with Bachelor Nation.
The reality stars talked with Us Weekly about what it was like returning to the franchise, and what made it different from the first time for them.
"It was hard for us," Jared opened up, referring to coming back to the show after previous seasons. "I think it’s more difficult because when you go through it a couple of times, and then you’re removed from it, to go back into that world, you’re not as naïve as you first were."
He went on to say that while it doesn't make it any "less real", returning to the show is "a different experience" than it is the first time. "The first time, [you’re like], ‘Holy crap.’ Everything is sparkly and glowy," but the next time, he claimed that it was difficult not to be "a little bit more jaded" about the process.
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Ashley immediately agreed, calling it "less of a fantasy" the second and third times.
She later spilled, "Everything was fun and young and innocent. Everything seemed like just the biggest deal. And then you’re like, 'Oh, this is not the biggest deal. This is just fun.'"
The happy couple met in BIP season 2 in 2015, but the romance didn't stick until three years later, when they realized that the spark between them was the real deal. The lovebirds got married in August of 2019, and they are currently eagerly expecting their very first bundle of joy.
As OK! previously reported, they are eagerly looking forward to being parents for the first time, and even said they wouldn't mind if the little one eventually went on to star on The Bachelor one day.
"I think we would have no problem with that, if they were of age," Iaconetti shared, but she had one caveat. "I don’t think we’d want them to be on before the age of 25, though. Because both of us went on at 26, and I think that was the perfect time."
