The Sept. 2 episode of Bachelor in Paradise begins with Clay Harbor’s ex, Angela Amezcua, arriving in Paradise…just as his relationship with Nicole Lopez-Alvar is really heating up. Clay is noticeably shaken up by Angela’s arrival, which worries Nicole. Nicole pulls Angela aside to let her know that she and Clay are exclusive. Angela ensures Nicole that she has no intention of ruining anything that she has with Clay, but there’s clearly some tension. Tayshia Adams is especially concerned that Clay might not be invested enough in Nicole and she calls him out on it. He insists he’s ready to be in a relationship with Nicole, but Tayshia does not seem convinced.
Meanwhile, Angela asks Mike Johnson out on her date. He wastes no time bringing up Angela and Clay’s relationship, and she is open about the fact that her split from Clay was the hardest breakup of her life. Things go well between them on the date, though, and by the end of the night, they are making out. The general consensus on the beach, though, is that Angela still has feelings for Clay and hopes to rekindle them in Paradise.
Another awkward situation is that Haley Ferguson is crushing on John Paul Jones, but he has strong feelings for Tayshia…who’s been seeing Derek Peth. Haley is completely blindsided and confused when Derek lets her know that JPJ is into Tayshia. She does NOT want to be JPJ’s backup plan, and she abruptly pulls him aside to confront him about it. Haley is left in tears when JPJ tells her that Tayshia is who he wants to pursue. He apologizes about how it all went down, but Haley is clearly devastated.
We've shaved a special surprise for you, Bachelor Nation. 😉 #BachelorInParadise https://t.co/sDuOEcjoqh
— Bachelor in Paradise (@BachParadise) September 2, 2019
Later that night, though, Haley’s anger comes out, and she goes off on John for stringing her along by giving her a rose if he was actually interested in Tayshia. She breaks down over the situation again, because she truly thought JPJ was interested in her, and then chats with Tayshia to get some more clarity. Their conversation leaves Tayshia torn over how she feels about JPJ, as she realizes that he might be more immature than she thought.
Meanwhile, JPJ is continuing his tirade against Derek, who he’s been accusing of manipulating women by allegedly using his fame to hookup with them. When Derek tries to pull him aside to hash things out, JPJ refuses at first, but eventually the conversation happens. John tells Derek that he’s not the right man for Tayshia, and Derek accuses JPJ of fabricating stories about him. They get in each other’s faces and things get pretty intense. The conversation does not end well, and Tayshia is not happy about all the drama. In fact, she admits that she’s kind of “over” both of the guys.
It’s the perfect time for some new men to arrive on the beach. Matt Donald — who was eliminated on night one of Hannah Brown’s season of The Bachelorette — shows up first, and the remaining single women are thrilled. He’s followed by another guy from Hannah B’s season, Luke Stone. The guys are given a double date, so they each get to ask someone out. After chatting with the women, Matt picks Sydney Lotuaco and Luke opts for Kristina Schulman. Sydney and Matt hit it off, and things go well for Kristina and Luke, too, although he’s admittedly worried that she might not be over Blake Horstmann.
The next morning, Tayshia and JPJ finally have a chance to talk. He apologizes for the fight with Derek and confesses to Tayshia how he feels about her. She lets him know that the fight “rubbed [her] the wrong way,” and JPJ breaks down in tears because he desperately wants to be with her.
Tayshia is left torn over where her heart lies, so she pulls Derek aside to talk things over. She admits that she doesn’t think she can get to a romantic place with him, and he’s pretty confused. Tayshia lets Derek know that she doesn’t want to lead him on, which is why she’s closing the door on their relationship at this point. He’s admittedly hurt, but she makes sure to let him know that her decision to end things has nothing to do with everything that went down with John Paul Jones.
Since Derek is no longer interested in anyone else in Paradise, he decides to leave the show. Everyone is sad to see him go, and he’s left in tears, wondering if he’ll ever be able to find someone to settle down with. Now, Tayshia is left to decide whether or not she wants to pursue something with JPJ…or if she made a mistake by letting Derek go.