TV & Movies

Thomas Made A Surprise Bachelorette: Men Tell All Appearance & Twitter Is Not Happy

He was a big topic of conversation.

by Kadin Burnett
Bachelorette contestant Thomas during a group meeting.
ABC/Craig Sjodin

Perhaps the messiest part of each season of The Bachelorette is the annual Men Tell All, wherein the season’s contestants reunite on stage in front of a live audience to air their grievances and speak their truth. It’s a great spot for fan-favorites to get a little extra screen time, and it’s also a great opportunity for season villains to try to save their reputation. One such contestant from Katie Thurston’s season who certainly earned himself a villain-edit was Thomas. Yet instead of returning to Bachelor Nation to tell his side of his story, he opted not to attend in-person at all.

Fans of Katie’s season will remember Thomas emerging as an early favorite, with his towering height and winning smile. Katie was taken by Thomas in the first several episodes before the entire Thomas love affair came crashing down. Once Thomas admitted to having thought about becoming the next Bachelor, the house promptly turned on him, culminating in one of the more dramatic bait-and-switch eliminations in the franchise’s history. Because Thomas spent several episodes being painted as a duplicitous villain, it would make sense if he returned to the spotlight to speak his truth. Still, Thomas was nowhere to be found for the majority of the Men Tell All... That is, until he made a surprise appearance over Zoom.

Despite not appearing on the reunion at first, the men did spend several minutes unpacking the Thomas saga as it pertained to both Karl, Cody, and Hunter, aka the three other contestants who received the villain treatment. By the time the men had finished rehashing the Thomas situation, any chance of a surprise appearance had all but gone out the window. Some fans on Twitter noticed Thomas’ absence and even defended Thomas’ Bachelor speculation, believing that the majority of the men also considered the possibility of being a future franchise lead.

Even Katie had Thomas on the brain, as evidenced by her calling Aaron “Thomas” in an unfortunate slip of the tongue.

Needless to say, when Thomas did arrive, it was a bit of a surprise. Predictably, not everyone was happy about it.

During Thomas and Katie’s brief conversation, Thomas ultimately apologized for “speaking any kind of doubt or uncertainty” over Katie’s journey towards love. He also stated that “everything that happened in New Mexico is still something that sits with me,” adding, “I am so sorry for that.” Their virtual moment did ultimately provide some closure for Thomas.

While Thomas’ time on Katie’s season didn’t necessarily go according to plan, there’s always the possibility that he may be a contestant on Bachelor In Paradise, premiering on Aug. 16.