Bachelor in Paradise bachelorette Jessenia Cruz has slammed Andrew Spencer for a lack of communication and dropping a bomb on her about his lingering feelings for Teddi Wright.
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Jessenia recalled connecting with Andrew on their similarities and hobbies, and she said she felt "open" to the idea of dating him after the show during the latest episode of the "Click Bait with Bachelor Nation" podcast.
Jessenia therefore told the podcast's co-hosts Joe Amabile, Natasha Parker and Tia Booth that she was surprised when Andrew chose to accept a date with Ency.
"What's unfortunate is so much was left out about the moments we did spend together... We both agreed that we wanted to take things slow... and at our own flow," Jessenia explained.
"And he did say he was a little guarded considering everything that happened, and I felt like he was on edge most of the time -- but for what reason I did not know."
That reason was apparently Teddi, who was Andrew's first love interest in Paradise.
Andrew seemed head over heels for Teddi, but several days into filming, Teddi said she realized something was "missing" with the pro football player. Teddi therefore dumped Andrew and abruptly left the show.
Andrew attempted to move on with Brittany Galvin, Jessenia and then finally Ency, but he ultimately departed the show single and alone.
When Andrew finally broke things off with Jessenia, he claimed that a big piece of his heart was still with Teddi and he needed clarity from that relationship in order to fully invest himself in a romance with someone new.
But Jessenia claimed that Andrew never talked to her about the Teddi situation while they were together on the beach.
"I heard around the grapevine about Teddi leaving, but I didn't know exactly how hard Andrew took it. I didn't realize it. All the crying and stuff after she left, that was news to me," Jessenia said on the podcast.
RELATED LINK: 'THE BACHELOR' FRANCHISE COUPLES NOW"I didn't know that he was that invested. I was aware they tried something, but I took it as, 'Oh, I guess it just fell through and it didn't work out.' And of course naturally, he connected with [Brittany Galvin] but that was still very new."
Jessenia continued, "So to me, it felt like, 'Okay, he's fair game. He's open to exploring, as he said. So I'm going to go ahead and see where this goes.'"
RELATED LINK: 'THE BACHELORETTE' COUPLES NOW: WHOM DID 'THE BACHELORETTE' STARS AND THEIR BACHELOR PICKS ULTIMATELY END UP WITH?! (PHOTOS)
Jessenia said she had no idea why Andrew was struggling so much in Mexico at the time.
"Whether or not he, the entire time, was still thinking about Teddi, even while we were connecting, I don't know... That was a bomb for me, just as much as it was for everyone else," Jessenia said.
"I knew that they were linked, but I didn't know that he was that invested."
Andrew also took it very hard when his best friend Rodney Mathews got his heart broken by Eliza Isichei. Once Rodney left Paradise, Andrew briefly considered following him out.
"He wears his heart on his sleeve, and so when he finally revealed to me where his head was at the whole time, I remember thinking, 'I don't blame him for that... but I wish that was a realization sooner because I could have changed my direction entirely,'" Jessenia shared.
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"You have to sit and really evaluate yourself and where your head's at and what your feeling, and then you have... [to think], 'Who are the people I need to have a conversation with so that they don't become collateral damage in my emotional journey?' I get that athlete mentality of pushing through, but it does not work in this, at all," Justin said.
Andrew, however, insisted on the "Talking It Out with Bachelor Nation" podcast last week that he and Jessenia were never serious.
"I said to all of the women I was involved with, 'Hey, I'm not all the way there yet... I'm going to give you everything I've got; it's just not a lot right now,'" Andrew explained.
He added, "With Jessenia, I never told her that she has to be with me."
RELATED LINK: 'THE BACHELOR' COUPLES NOW: WHO DID 'THE BACHELOR' STARS AND THEIR BACHELORETTE PICKS ACTUALLY END UP MARRYING? (PHOTOS)
Andrew also said he was always upfront and truthful with Jessenia about how he was feeling when they were dating.
"She was obviously way more into you than you were into her," podcast co-host Bryan Abasolo pointed out. "I don't want to use the words 'led on,' but she seemed like she thought you guys were on the same page. Were you in constant communication?"
Andrew enthusiastically replied, "Oh, always man!"
And when Bryan asked Andrew if he let Jessenia know where he stood at all times, Andrew responded, "Absolutely."
Andrew continued, "Here's the thing about being an athlete. The one thing you talk about is, 'The eye in the sky never lies.' It's always on-camera, and so the truth will always come out if they choose to show it."
On a recent episode of Bachelor in Paradise, fans watched Jessenia question Andrew's intentions and whether he truly went on the show looking for love. She accused him of being on a boys' vacation, but Andrew swore that he always remained hopeful he could meet his person on the show.
"I could not get to a point where I felt anything crazy [with you]," Andrew told Jessenia before he left Paradise. "I'm here for the right intentions."
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And Andrew said he was upset because he had lost what could've been a "powerful" love with Teddi in the first few days of filming the show.
Andrew revealed how he had contacted Teddi after filming Bachelor in Paradise, and he discussed whether he thinks they could have a future together on the "Talking It Out" podcast.
Bachelor in Paradise airs its Season 8 reunion special Tuesday night at 8PM ET/PT on ABC.
RELATED LINK: 'THE BACHELOR' FRANCHISE COUPLES NOW: WHO IS STILL TOGETHER?? (PHOTOS)
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About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski
