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Jill Chin and Kira Mengistu both wanted to pursue Romeo Alexander on season 8 of Bachelor in Paradise, and it led to some tension between the former friends, who were both on season 26 of The Bachelor. Both ladies had history with Romeo before the show, and fought on the beach during the season 8 premiere. Filming has now been over for months, but they haven’t been able to mend the friendship. “We have not spoken since Paradise,” Jill told HollywoodLife EXCLUSIVELY.
It may not just be temporary, either. “I’m not sure if there’s going to be any reconciliation or if we’re going to speak,” Jill admitted. “I think, as of right now, ever since that happened, I think we’re just fine being in our own lanes. I respect her from a distance — I respect the hell out of her — and I don’t want there to be any bad blood. I think a lot of it was miscommunication and when there’s feelings involved, it’s very difficult. So I’m not really sure what the future holds for that.”
Jill described her pre-show relationship with Romeo as a “flirty friendship.” Although the two never went as far as going on a date or kissing, she said that it was clear that there was “interest” between them. However, things changed when she found out that Romeo and Kira kissed in the club. When Kira wasn’t forthcoming with her about it, it took a toll on their friendship. “My feelings were really hurt because they were people that were close to me,” Jill explained. “Then we had talked about it, we squashed the beef. I talked to Romeo and I talked to Kira and I thought we were good. So when I got down to Paradise and realized this was all coming to a head, that really surprised me, because I thought everything was going to be okay.”
Jill stopped talking to Romeo and Kira in February, so when she got to the beach, she knew the situation was going to be something she had to deal with. Romeo wound up telling Kira that he wanted to pursue Jill on the show. However, he broke Jill’s trust when he started pursuing other women ahead of the first rose ceremony. She agreed to accept his rose, but made it clear that she was doing so in order to have more time to pursue other possible connections on the beach. Meanwhile, Kira was eliminated at the first rose ceremony.
Even though Romeo still tried to shoot his shot with Jill after that, she “shut it down really quickly” because he had broken her trust. “I felt really bad about it because I do care about him as a person, but I think you have to really set boundaries in relationships,” she shared. “Unfortunately, he just crossed that boundary multiple times. I just had to know for myself that tis was not something I wanted to pursue.”
Luckily, Jill’s journey isn’t over yet, and she teased that there’s more to come from her this season. “I think you’re going to see a quirky couple come into the mix!” she revealed. “There’s definitely something super unexpected, but definitely really fun and I think some things to be excited about. I’m excited [for viewers] to see a budding love story. I haven’t really had much love on the show yet, so I’m excited for people to see me in that light and be able to explore a meaningful relationship.”
Bachelor in Paradise airs on Mondays and Tuesdays at 8:00 p.m. on ABC.
