DeMario Jackson's surprising 'The Bachelorette' return -- Rachel Lindsay: I felt a wave of anger wash over me

DeMario Jackson isn't out of The Bachelorette picture yet, but based on Rachel Lindsay's reaction to the incident regarding his alleged girlfriend back home, the suitor's chances of returning to the competition are slim.


Rachel's last date during Monday night's episode was a basketball group date in which her guys played a game against each other in two teams. Once the game was over, DeMario's girlfriend from home, Lexi, arrived and confronted Rachel about her bachelor's betrayal and lies.

Lexi claimed DeMario had been dating and having sex with her right up until he cut off communication -- with no alleged explanation -- several days before he appeared on Nick Viall's The Bachelor: After the Final Rose special to meet and get to know Rachel before filming for The Bachelorette commenced.

Rachel wrote in her People blog that the moment Lexi stepped foot on the basketball court, "the entire date fell apart."

"After the game a young woman pulled me aside before we could head to the after party and reminded me that this journey wasn't all fun and games, it was also an emotional minefield. All I asked was everyone keep it 100 with me," Rachel explained.


"I can forgive past mistakes and understand how someone could come to this experience having recently ended a relationship, but what I can't put up with is some idiot trying to play me. This woman explained coherently how DeMario had never ended their relationship and just ghosted her when he moved into the mansion."

Rachel immediately grabbed DeMario from the locker room to ask him about Lexi's accusations.

"I [wanted] to hear his side of the story, and his first reaction was pretending he didn't even recognize this woman he had been in relationship with for months!" Rachel said, referencing how Lexi insisted she had been romantically involved with DeMario for about seven months.

Lexi claimed DeMario still had the keys to her apartment and never stopped texting her, while DeMario tried to muster up an explanation that made sense. DeMario told Rachel that he had dated Lexi on and off, and that she was "psycho" and making things up about the extent of their history together.

"It took 10 minutes of listening to DeMario talk in contradictions and circles, change his story, mix up his dates and make every other stupid move players go to when caught, before I stopped letting him dig his grave any deeper and just kicked his ass to the curb," Rachel explained.


"I'm a very chill person -- until I'm not. Once he was gone I started reeling from the realization that, throughout this journey, at any second, things could completely change in the worst way."

Rachel was definitely upset over DeMario's betrayal, saying she "didn't sign up for this." She vented to the cameras about how she didn't want to look like a fool, and she questioned whether she even wanted to move forward in The Bachelorette process.

"I was worried I wouldn't be able to get back in the right head space at the after party that night. Luckily the concern and honesty the remaining guys approached me with that night carried my head and heart back to where they needed to be. It was clear to me that first impressions were already over and the men were trying to make connections," Rachel wrote in her blog.

"[Josiah Graham] out of all of them seemed the most affected by DeMario's lies because he felt the closest to him in the house. He felt played, too -- we shared that... His focus was still on protecting me."

Later that week, at the cocktail party preceding Season 13's second Rose Ceremony, The Bachelorette host Chris Harrison interrupted Rachel's conversations with her suitors.


"[Chris] asked to speak with me and I knew something serious was about to go down. I love Chris, he's my rock through the good and bad times, he's challenged me when I needed it and comforted me too. But there are certain situations where he walks in and you just know the news isn't going to be good," Rachel noted.

Waiting outside of the Los Angeles mansion was DeMario, who was hoping to be granted an opportunity to better explain himself to Rachel and seemingly offer up an apology. DeMario was shown saying on Monday night's episode, "I did f-ck up."

"DeMario Uber-ed his way back into my life. I felt a wave of anger wash over me," Rachel admitted.

"I thought about leaving him out in the driveway and not wasting another second of my time on him when there were so many guys who were still waiting for an opportunity to share my company, yet something in my gut told me to hear him out."

The 32-year-old Dallas attorney added, "I hate going through life leaving loose ends, wondering what if, so I needed to know if he was here to apologize or to offer up more excuses and lies."


Rachel teased in her blog that fans will "get the scoop" on DeMario's return in next week's episode as well as witness "the end of the most dramatic cocktail party" of her season.






About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski