Bachelor in Paradise host Chris Harrison is weighing in on Josh Murray and Amanda Stanton's love connection in light of skepticism he's dating the bachelorette for the right reasons.
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"Is Josh a really great guy, or is he just trying to attach himself to Amanda to look good?" Harrison wrote in his Yahoo! TV blog.
Stanton, a single mom and one of the sweetest girls in the cast, began the third season of Paradise dating Viall. However, once Murray arrived, Stanton was completely smitten with the bachelor and seemed to forget anyone else even existed in Mexico from that point forward.
Viall -- who really cared about Stanton -- and Bass, a fellow single parent, decided to plant seeds in Stanton's mind that Murray may not be the best guy by referencing his ex-fiancee Andi Dorfman's It's Not Okay memoir in which she had accused him of being verbally abusive in their short-lived relationship.
Bass flat out threw Murray under the bus in the hope of winning the blonde beauty over, while Viall suggested Stanton should simply ask the hard questions sooner rather than later.
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"Amanda has gotten a warning from Evan and another semi-warning from Nick. While no one has really told her that Josh is a bad guy, they have advised her to be very careful," Harrison wrote.
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Murray had a strong reaction to the situation, saying no man should ever talk behind another man's back or judge him without getting to know him first. Murray therefore confronted Bass looking for answers.
"I understand Josh's point of view as well. If I were him and I felt that my intentions were true, I would be very upset to hear that people are talking badly about me behind my back," Harrison explained.
"At the same time, Nick and Evan have the right to be protective of Amanda, who everyone loves and cares about. Caught in the middle of this firestorm is Amanda, who is just earnestly looking to find love."
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Harrison said Bachelor Nation will have to just "keep watching" and "hope that Amanda makes the decision that is the best decision for her."
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After winning Dorfman's heart on Season 10 of The Bachelorette, Harrison confessed in his blog he never anticipated Murray would create this many waves in Paradise.
"[People] really love talking about Josh. I never expected Josh to be so polarizing," the host said.
However, Harrison pointed out that Murray's storyline is analogous to seasons past in the franchise.
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"Now that we are seeing it all unfold, it seems very reminiscent of a lot of the drama that takes place on a typical season of The Bachelorette. A lot of the time, the Bachelor or the Bachelorette sees one side of a person they're dating and everyone else sees a different side," Harrison wrote.
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Harrison then referenced how Jordan Rodgers was the target of JoJo Fletcher's season of The Bachelorette.
"Just as in this season a lot of people were worried that Jordan wasn't the right guy for JoJo. While she took that into consideration, she obviously had to follow her own heart, and the two are happily engaged," the host noted.
"In this case, Amanda is very much like the Bachelorette. She took time away from her beloved children to be here, and she is perhaps the most sought-after woman in Paradise to date."
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At this point in the Bachelor in Paradise season, Viall has moved on from Stanton and is dating Jennifer Saviano. Bass is wrapped up in wooing Carly Waddell, and finally, Murray and Stanton are still going strong as a couple.
About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski