Two years after handing out roses, former Bachelorette Katie Thurston is in search of love once more on actuality TV — and this time, she is aware of for positive that a number of the males is probably not there “for the suitable causes” on the appropriately titled FBoy Island.
“This time round may be very completely different as a result of I’ve had my expertise, which additionally means not solely can individuals be on the present for their very own expertise, however then possibly they might be going after me for — dare I say, the flawed causes — as a result of I’ve a platform now,” the 32-year-old actuality TV persona solely advised Us Weekly.
Whereas Katie is well-versed in how filming works after showing on Matt James‘ season 25 of The Bachelor and starring because the season 17 Bachelorette, she advised Us that “extra insecurities had been current” for her third stint in entrance of the cameras. “As a result of I’ve gone by means of it and I don’t know who’s making an attempt to make use of me to get to the top in and expertise that 5 minutes of fame or no matter,” she continued.
Bachelor Nation watched Katie get engaged to Blake Moynes in the course of the 2021 finale of The Bachelorette. The twosome cut up two months after the finale aired.
“We lived in several international locations in the course of the pandemic. I believe we had been simply already up in opposition to rather a lot,” Katie advised Us when requested what she realized from the failed engagement. “So that you simply obtained to search out somebody who’s prepared to place within the work. And that’s not even to him or myself. It’s simply usually, long-distance is difficult and possibly not the suitable selection for somebody like me who actually needs a hands-on, in-person relationship.”
Katie Thurston Adam Rose/CW
Followers will see Katie and Blake’s first dialog since their breakup when she makes a cameo on an upcoming episode of Bachelor in Paradise.
“I used to be very nervous over all the pieces else simply to see Blake. … You need to tune in and discover out [where we stand now]. I did just lately share although [that] I forgot to cease sharing my Uber rides with him. For the previous two years, he’s been getting the notifications, so we’re at the very least on speaking phrases,” she advised Us. “And I discovered that out and have since turned that off.”
Katie went on to this point one in all her different contestants — John Hersey — debuting their romance weeks after information broke that she and Blake had been over. They cut up greater than a 12 months in the past, however she just lately heard from him. “My girlfriend who’s in Washington occurred to see him on the courting app. So by means of the grapevine he discovered that I knew that and he was like, ‘Yeah, I used to be in your hometown and wished to say hello and allow you to know.’ After which I simply didn’t reply. However there’s no dangerous blood, we’re good,” she mentioned.
She advised Us that her largest takeaway from the months-long romance was “don’t arduous launch too early.”
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“Once you’re in such a public highlight, I believe you do should hold issues somewhat nearer to your coronary heart and personal and guarded, possibly, longer as a result of as enjoyable as it’s to be public within the glad moments, it’s actually arduous to undergo a public breakup,” she mentioned.
So, why did Katie need to give in search of love on actuality TV one other shot to start with?
“There have been so many alternative [reasons]. I imply, Nikki Glaser being the host, clearly, it was an enormous pull for me as somebody who’s chasing my very own comedic desires. I watched season 2 once I was invited and mentioned, ‘OK, properly let’s see what this present’s about.’ And watching it, it was so hilarious — satirical, nearly — that it was simply such a special expertise from my Bachelor expertise and I used to be in search of one thing somewhat extra lighthearted,” she advised Us. “So yeah, there’s an opportunity I fall in love, there’s an opportunity I win cash, there’s an opportunity I make new girlfriends. It was only a win-win win all the best way round.”
Katie stars alongside mannequin Hali Okeowo and influencer Daniella Grace as they date a wide range of “FBoys” and “good guys” who could also be in it for the $100,000 prize. If the leads choose a “good man,” they cut up the money and in the event that they choose an “FBoy,” he has the choice to maintain the cash for himself or choose to share.
“It’s very, very attention-grabbing to navigate since you assume you recognize a man after which afterward there’s a reveal and then you definitely’re, like, thoughts blown,” Katie advised Us, including that she cherished working with Hali and Danielle. “It felt like nearly each day we had been writing the names of the blokes on these little scraps of paper and simply shuffling them round of who we had been for positive must be an FBoy. There have been those who had been on the fence and as individuals obtained eradicated, we’re making an attempt to do the maths, ‘OK, what number of FBoys are left?’ Which even then we had been flawed. So each day we actually are simply working collectively and speaking about our personal experiences with the blokes.”
Whereas there’s a recreation present aspect of the present, Katie advised Us that the courting side of the present really felt extra actual than The Bachelorette.
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“On Bachelor and Bachelorette, it’s very fast. You’re nearly all the time wanting over your shoulder anticipating to get snagged away. Throughout FBoy Island, I felt like I obtained to have a lot uninterrupted high quality time with these guys even on group periods the place I might simply neglect, like, 20, 25, half-hour later, after which lastly one other man’s coming. I’m like, ‘Oh yeah, there’s different guys right here,’” she mentioned. “It was such a traditional expertise in a really un-normal [environment]. There wasn’t lots of outdoors interference.”
As a brand new skilled on the subject, Us requested Katie what number of of her Bachelorette contestants she now believes had been “FBoys.”
“Oh gosh, I might say 75 %,” she admitted with amusing. “They modified after the present. Possibly, they got here in as a pleasant man — issues change.”
Whereas she didn’t identify names for the “FBoys,” Katie put Thomas Jacobs within the 25 % of “good guys” regardless of his villain edit on the present. “That’s the loopy factor about actuality TV — on the finish of the day, it’s all only a present and in the actual world we’re who we’re,” she concluded.
FBoy Island season 3 premieres on The CW Monday, October 16, at 8 p.m. ET.
