Entertainment
The premise for The Bachelorette entails multiple men vying for one woman's heart. This is a transparent situation that no one should be surprised by. But what was very surprising is when one of Becca Kufrin's contestants revealed that he dated one of her friends. The fans had plenty of tweets about Colton and Tia on The Bachelorette.
Just as a refresher, Becca and Tia both appeared on Arie Luyendyk Jr.'s season of The Bachelor. So they've both dated Arie, and now they've both dated Colton. To make matters even more complicated, Tia appeared on Monday night's group date with other girls from Arie's season. Of course, Colton was "coincidentally" on this date. You could cut the tension with a knife, and it was all even more awkward considering that Tia was just wearing a robe and Becca had Colton clip her toe nails.
As if running into an ex with the woman you're currently trying to date isn't uncomfortable enough, this was the reality TV equivalent of watching a car crash on the highway. No one actually wanted to see this, yet people just couldn't look away. Almost everyone felt vicariously awkward and just as confused watching Tia, Colton, and Becca in the same room during the spa date.
So, what does it mean when Tia and Colton say they "dated"? They went from having a vague "relationship" of some sort, to spending a weekend together (which sounds a lot more significant than just one date), to just kissing all within the course of the episode. Needless to say, the viewers were perplexed.
Tia shared her point of view in a June 11 interview with People. The Arkansas native revealed, "We started talking before my season started airing." Tia continued, "Colton was in the casting process for The Bachelorette, and he followed me on Instagram." That in itself is a little bit sketchy. Why would he randomly follow her on Instagram before she was ever on TV?
After that, it was actually Tia who initiated the conversation. She confessed, "I DM’d him first and within a few days he told me he had applied to be on The Bachelorette. But he hadn’t gotten the final call so we thought, we get along well, we might as well just keep talking and doing whatever this is. The whole time I kept thinking, ‘What are the odds that he would get on the show?’" Colton is a good-looking athlete who loves charity work. Of course, he was going to get on the show.
Apparently, they met up in Los Angeles for a date. Then Colton found out he was selected for The Bachelorette. Tia said, "things came to a halt" at that point. Tia's explanation does clear up a lot, but there are still so many unanswered questions and lots of confusion in response to this week's episode. The viewers had a lot to say about the Tia, Colton, and Becca love triangle.
1
Why Go On 'The Bachelorette' If You're Dating Someone?
If Colton thought Tia might be the Bachelorette, then why would either of them both going on the show? Why couldn't they just date in real life? What did they discuss during this "relationship"?
2
Did Colton Think Tia Would Be The Bachelorette?
That just has to be what happened. Right? Not that it makes a ton of sense.
3
When Did The Producers Put This Group Date Together?
Putting Colton in the same group date when Tia visited was an amazing move by the people behind the scenes. Was this the plan the entire time, or did they just put this together right after Colton came clean to Becca about his past with Tia? No matter how this happened it was simultaneously awkward and amazing to watch.
4
Are Becca & Tia Even That Close?
How did Becca not know about this? If Tia and Becca are close friends, wouldn't she mention that she flew from Arkansas to California for a date? Don't close friends talk about this sort of stuff?
5
Why Does This Backstory So Confusing?
Bachelor alum Ashley Spivey is just like the rest of the viewers. The more information that Tia and Colton provide, the more confusing that it seems to get.
6
Why Does This Matter When Becca & Tia Both Dated Arie?
Tia went on several dates with Arie for a weeks and Becca and Arie had a short-lived engagement. Why does it really matter that Tia and Colton hung out once?
7
Did Tia Really Hope That Colton Was There For Becca?
Tia told Becca "I hope he's truly here for you," but did she really mean that? Even if she thinks she did, there has to be at least some part of her hoping that he ends up on Bachelor in Paradise this summer.
8
Does It Matter If Colton Wanted Tia To Be Bachelorette?
This is such an interesting point. No one applied for The Bachelor last season thinking it might be Arie. Peter Kraus was the definite frontrunner for the lead role, yet they all stuck around to "date" Arie.
9
If This Bothers Becca So Much, Why Did Colton Get The Rose?
Becca didn't even make Colton sweat it out until the rose ceremony. She gave him the GROUP DATE rose during the same date that Tia was at. Is she really that bothered by his previous "relationship" with Tia?
10
Why Is There So Much Focus On Tia During Becca's Season?
Becca is the lead this season. Can the show just get back to that? She already lost a fiancé on The Bachelor. She doesn't need to get usurped as the lead of the The Bachelorette as well.
11
What Does It Mean When Colton & Tia Say They "Dated"?
This is so unclear in this instance and in a more general sense. What is "dating" these days?
12
Tia & Colton Will Get Engaged In Paradise, Right?
This will all continue on Bachelor in Paradise, right? Isn't that how most of the viewers envision this story? At the very least, they'll have another awkward encounter in a group setting.
As interesting and uncomfortable that Tia and Colton interaction was, it is just such a confusing situation for Becca and the viewers to assess. There are questions on questions on questions.
