Bachelor in Paradise alum Joe Amabile has revealed that he and fiancee Serena Pitt played matchmaker and brought Chris Bukowski and new girlfriend Anna Redman together.
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Following months of dating speculation, Anna and Chris went Instagram official with their relationship in late March by posting photos from a wedding they had attended together in Costa Rica.
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Joe -- who is engaged to and planning a wedding with Serena, whom he met on Bachelor in Paradise's seventh season -- revealed he's "not surprised" Chris and Anna are dating because he actually "hooked them up."
"I hooked them up!" Joe boasted on a recent episode of his "Click Bait with Bachelor Nation" podcast, which he co-hosts with The Bachelor alums Natasha Parker and Tia Booth.
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"So, I forget exactly how it went down, but I think Serena is friends with Anna and so Serena was on the phone with Anna. And I think [Anna] mentioned how she's sick of being single."
Joe told Natasha and Tia not to quote him on that, but he noted, "I kind of think that's how it went."
"And then that night, I met up with a few people to watch whatever game was on, some sporting event was on. And I met with Chris, and he was talking about, like, 'Yeah, I'm sick of being single,'" Joe explained.
As Joe shared this story, Natasha's jaw nearly touched the floor.
"I was like, 'Well, yeah, actually, I know somebody who is also sick of being single,'" Joe recalled.
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"It was that easy?!" Natasha asked in disbelief.
"It was like that, and then I'm like, 'Here, why don't you text her?'" Joe said. "And I think I texted Serena. I was like, 'Hey, I think Chris would be into Anna,' and then that was it!"
Joe claimed he didn't have to show Chris a picture of Anna, 25, because the 35-year-old The Bachelorette 8 alum already knew who she was.
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"Because Chris is from Chicago and she lives in Chicago," Joe explained. "So he knew she existed, and he was like, 'Yo, I'm definitely [down].' I remember, too, I was like, 'Chris, do it now! Text her right now while the kitchen is f-cking hot!'"
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Joe apparently warned Chris that if he waited too long, Anna may not respond.
"I was like, 'This is the perfect timing and you've got to take advantage of timing,'" Joe said.
Tia called the new Bachelor Nation couple "interesting," adding, "You never know what you're going to see!"
And Natasha pointed out how if Chris appeared on Bachelor in Paradise just one more time, he might have met Anna on his own.
"She's really funny, so I hope he's funny too or has a good sense of humor. She cracks me up," Tia said.
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Anna, who originally competed on Matt James' season of The Bachelor, and Chris, who has appeared on multiple seasons of The Bachelor franchise, started out as friends before they became exclusive.
Chris began dating Anna after his failed engagement to Katie Morton, whom he proposed marriage to on Season 6 of Bachelor in Paradise in 2019.
Chris and Katie worked on their relationship for several months but announced they had decided to call it quits and end their engagement in December 2019.
In January 2022, Chris said on the "She's All Bach" podcast that his dating life was "good," according to Us.
"You know, it was bad for a while. After Katie, I didn't date anybody really. Recently, it's been pretty good," Chris said.
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But Chris wouldn't admit that he had a romantic connection with Anna brewing at the time.
"I'm not going to confirm or deny those allegations," Chris said of dating rumors that had been floating around. "But I know Anna. She's a great girl... We're definitely friends. I enjoy spending time with her."
Chris said he was really enjoying his time dating off-camera and on his own terms.
"I don't want to put an extra spotlight on it by any means because genuinely, like, for the first time in a long time, [I'm] happy with no stress behind it," Chris shared on the podcast.
"[I'm] just kind of, you know, enjoying good company... No stress, very free, very natural. All of it very unexpected, but obviously, you know, happy that it's happening with whoever that might be."
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Chris found fame when he competed for Emily Maynard's heart on The Bachelorette's eighth season. He later appeared on Season 3 of Bachelor Pad and finished as the runner-up.
Chris crashed Andi Dorfman's season of The Bachelorette but she rejected his advances and didn't allow him to join the cast.
Chris then returned for Season 1 of Bachelor in Paradise, after which he announced his retirement from The Bachelor franchise. However, he decided to look for love once again on television via Season 6 of Bachelor in Paradise.
For Anna's part, she attempted a relationship with James Bonsall in Paradise in Summer 2021 but left the show single.
RELATED LINK: 'THE BACHELOR' FRANCHISE COUPLES NOW: WHO IS STILL TOGETHER?? (PHOTOS)
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