Entertainment

Here's Why Amanda Stanton Is Back In 'Paradise'

by Kayla Hawkins
Bob D’Amico/ABC

Often, relationships that begin on TV — especially on The Bachelor, The Bachelorette, and Bachelor in Paradise — end unsuccessfully. But sometimes, there's more than just reality TV to blame behind a breakup. One of Bachelor in Paradise Season 3's most successful couples, who left the show engaged, Amanda Stanton and Josh Murray, broke up after their season aired. And now, with Amanda participating in Bachelor in Paradise Season 4, the question that begs to be answered is why did Amanda and Josh break up? Because it seems like there was a lot going on under the surface with this couple.

On the show, things seemed perfect between Amanda and Josh, whose whirlwind romance closely resembled Josh's former relationship with Andi Dorfman on her season of The Bachelorette. But after the cameras stopped, their relationship came to an unfortunate end. At first, when the news broke that Josh and Amanda split up, both were supposedly wishing one another well. "Josh and I did break up," Amanda said to People Magazine. "I wish him the best." Then, according to Us Weekly, reportedly Amanda and Josh kissed after splitting in January.

But everything changed in late March 2017, when Josh reportedly called the police on Amanda over "an incident where it was a dispute over a car and perhaps some items in the car. It basically resolved itself. No arrests were made. There was no criminal activity of any sort," according to Us Weekly's source at the Irvine Police Department. In April 2017, Amanda told E! News why she and Josh broke up from her perspective. "I think he knew he was going to date me, so I think he kind of pretended to be exactly what he knew I wanted," Amanda said to E!, but that she noticed "red flags" as their relationship progressed outside of Bachelor in Paradise.

After Amanda's E! interview, Josh responded with a lengthy, lengthy statement, also to E! News, saying "I just want Amanda to stop lying about me." He also said, "I moved on with my life. ... Amanda was correct in saying I want her to leave me alone, so I'm not sure why she can't just do that and not speak of me because I don't speak of her."

When he finished channeling his inner Whitney Houston, Josh also alleged that the couple were still sexually connected. "At the end of the day, in the past few months, she still had me coming back and staying in our place in LA together, being intimate, and interacting with the kids as a family again," Josh said. "She even flew to Atlanta to spend time with me and stayed with me, so obviously there was interest in being with me."

While both members of the couple see things differently, it's undeniable that this was a messy breakup. And now, in the wake of her split from Josh, Amanda is returning to Bachelor in Paradise. And based on what she's said about Josh, it seems like she'll be a bit more guarded when meeting new people in her second round on the show.