Victoria Fuller called Chase Rice her ex-boyfriend on The Bachelor, but Chase is singing a different tune and suggesting she was more like a one-night hookup he barely knew at all.
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But in an interview to promote his new music, Chase appeared to challenge the idea that he was Victoria F.'s former boyfriend.
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"I've known her from -- we spent a night together in Charlotte, [North Carolina], and she's a cool chick from what I know of her," Chase said during a Friday appearance with Seattle's Fitz In the Morning radio show.
"Yeah, I've got no problem with her. I've got no problem with him. I knew she was going on the show."
Chase did not reveal how he found out Victoria F. was going on the show.
However, Chase admitted he had contemplated what to tell the world about his prior relationship with Victoria F. and their unexpected reunion on The Bachelor and claimed he had eventually arrived at a simple conclusion.
"Me and my tour manager were talking about it, like, 'Okay, what should we say about this?' Because you could go a million different ways with it," Chase recalled on the radio show.
"And I was like, 'Just tell them the truth.' I mean, it's easy to tell them the same story a bunch of times when it's what happened."
But Victoria presented her relationship with Chase as more than just a one-night fling on The Bachelor.
On Monday night's episode of The Bachelor, Victoria F. told the cameras at the amusement park, "We turn the corner and I see Chase, my ex-boyfriend. Nothing could be worse. I'm freaking out right now."
"I want to die. Chase Rice is my ex-boyfriend. Chase and I dated before I came on the show."
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Victoria F. later told a producer Chase was "making these faces" at her while he was singing onstage because he had allegedly told her that he didn't want her to come on the show to begin with.
Although Chase knew Victoria F. would be competing on Peter's edition of The Bachelor, he admitted he was still blindsided to have been scheduled to serenade her on a date with Peter.
"I was still surprised. I was pretty surprised," Chase said.
"I was told by my manager and my publicist, 'Don't even worry about that. They're not going to do that to you. That's a weird coincidence, but there's no way they're going to do that to you because they've never brought somebody else in like that and surprised the guest on the show.'"
Chase therefore felt "duped" by show producers and wanted no part of the drama.
"So for them to do that to me, it's over the top," Chase said. "It's unnecessary. I didn't expect it. But at the end of the day, it happened."
After letting out a laugh, Chase continued, "I don't know if it's the producers or if they just got lucky as hell. I know what I think, but I'll let everybody else figure out what they think."
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And ABC reality chief Robert Mills did in fact recently admit producers took advantage of Victoria F. and Chase's dating history on the show.
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"I was really pissed, to be honest, because I was just going on there trying to promote 'Lonely If You Are' and 'Eyes on You,' and I wanted absolutely nothing -- if there's anything I've ever wanted, it's to have nothing to do with the drama of that show," Chase explained on the radio show.
Chase therefore confirmed on Friday's episode of Fitz In the Morning there's "not a shot in hell" he'd ever be The Bachelor star or compete as a contestant on The Bachelorette.
"I'm not even letting you finish that sentence," Chase said when asked if he'd be interested in appearing on a future season of the franchise.
"Not a shot in hell, unless they pay me a billion dollars. I'd do it for a billion dollars. Give me a billion and I'll do it."
Chase was then asked whether he believes a person can truly find love on a reality dating show -- and in his answer, also insisted he isn't looking for a serious relationship right now.
"Oh sure you can. I think a couple people have, but I'm not looking for love right now," Chase insisted.
"I don't even want that right now, for my own personal life. So why would I do that?"
In addition, Chase said, "I wouldn't want to put who I am into the hands of somebody else, which would be a producer. I did it before. I did it with Survivor, and I learned that that's how that goes."
Chase competed on Survivor: Nicaragua in 2010 and made it to the Final 3 castaways.
However, Chase didn't win the season's jury vote and lost Survivor: Nicaragua's million-dollar prize and "Sole Survivor" title to Jud "Fabio" Birza via a 5-4 vote.
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"You put who you are and how they make you look in the hands of somebody else," Chase elaborated.
"And I think the key is you've got to surround yourself with the right people, because I surround myself with a great group of people that will -- when I have that mindset -- push back and say, 'Hey, I understand this is why you want to do it.'"
Chase added, "But at the end of the week, I don't want to be calling the producers saying, 'Screw you.' I want to be calling them saying, 'Hey, thanks for helping me get a No. 1 album.' Simple as that."
Chase went on to boast his hit "Lonely If You Are" hasn't even peaked yet on the charts.
In the radio interview, Chase also said he never dated Olympian Aly Raisman, saying she's just a good friend.
After Chase finished his concert on The Bachelor's latest episode -- which filmed on October 2, 2019 -- he spoke to both Peter and Victoria F. separately backstage when cameras were still rolling.
Victoria F. asked the country singer if he had known he'd be performing on her date, and he assured her that he was equally as taken aback by the whole thing.
Victoria F. told Chase that she didn't want their dating history "to become a thing" because she liked Peter and had a shot to make it to the end, but Chase told her to do what's best for her and just be honest.
"I'd just be real with him," Chase advised his ex at the time.
Victoria F. knew she had to tell Peter about her past, but she was afraid to ruin a fantastic day as well as Peter's trust in her. Victoria F. didn't want Peter to be sad or hurt by her former relationship, because she could envision marrying him down the road.
When Victoria F. finally did open up about her romance with Chase during the evening portion of her date with Peter, the Bachelor's jaw dropped and he didn't know how to react to the news.
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Once the shock wore off, Peter comforted a crying Victoria F. and let her know the situation wasn't her fault and he appreciated her being upfront and honest. Peter then kissed the bachelorette and gave her a rose.
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About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski
