Pieper James says she doesn't have any regrets following her Bachelor in Paradise reunion with Brendan Morais, which left Natasha Parker feeling betrayed and brokenhearted.
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Pieper said while attending the PrettyLittleThing x Teyana Taylor NYFW Show at Gotham Hall in New York City on Thursday night, "It is what it is, and it happened. I honestly try not to live with regrets. What happened, happened, and I'll deal with whatever happens next."
Pieper also insisted she and Brendan didn't have a preexisting plan to reunite on Bachelor in Paradise.
In fact, Pieper claimed she had "no idea" the 31-year-old roofer from the Boston area would even be on the beach when she arrived in Mexico for Bachelor in Paradise's seventh season.
"I was shocked to see everyone there, including him, including every relationship that was happening," Pieper claimed.
"As new as it was to the viewers was as new as it was to me."
Pieper also insisted she and Brendan were not in an exclusive romance prior to filming the summer spinoff, although Pieper revealed to Natasha that she and Brendan had hung out about 10 times in the real world.
"Beforehand, Brendan and I obviously had been talking, but it wasn't a serious relationship," Pieper, an Oregon native who even visited Brendan in Boston, told the magazine.
"As we both said on the show, we didn't have a plan."
Pieper added, "I have so much going on I couldn't have put that together. But obviously, I liked him and I was excited to see him, but that was the extent of it."
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RELATED LINK: 'THE BACHELOR' FRANCHISE COUPLES NOWPieper also confirmed that she liked Brendan's recent apology on social media and has personally apologized to Natasha in private.
"I did say that I'm sorry to Natasha," Pieper shared with Us. "I really hope to get the chance to talk to her in person. I know healing takes time and I completely respect that."
Bachelor in Paradise's September 6 episode appeared to catch Brendan using Natasha for roses while waiting for Pieper -- whom he apparently dated for about two months "without labels" before Season 7 began filming -- to arrive on the beach.
Brendan admitted to Pieper he had downplayed the extent of their pre-Paradise relationship in order to "navigate" the Paradise process, and Natasha called Brendan "a liar" and clout-chaser for stringing her along and insisting he just had a "super casual" fling with Pieper before the show.
As Natasha struggled to mend her broken heart, Brendan and Pieper appeared to laugh about "playing the game" and were shown discussing their thousands of Instagram followers, which have since plummeted.
Pieper told Us on Thursday prior to the fashion show, "I didn't go into Paradise with the intention of hurting anyone, nor would I ever want to be the reason why someone had a bad experience."
"I went in excited to see a guy that I had connected with and liked before the show started filming, and was looking forward to seeing if that connection would grow into something more."
Pieper also accused Natasha of knowing about her pre-show romance with Brendan, even though Natasha has said she had "no idea" Pieper and Brendan were dating until rumors began swirling on the beach in Mexico.
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"I had a friendship with Natasha before the show and had spoken to her about me and Brendan talking," Pieper alleged.
"With that said, I am truly sorry for any hurt that I caused her and hope that I get the opportunity to speak to her soon and make things right."
Pieper also previously blamed Bachelor in Paradise's editing and production, in part, for making her and Brendan look bad. She claimed in her Instagram Stories last week that a two-hour episode cannot possibly capture the whole story.
As shown on Bachelor in Paradise, Pieper immediately asked Brendan out on a date once she entered the resort.
"There were certain things that had to be done and certain ways I navigated this to bring us to this particular moment," Brendan explained to Pieper during their date.
"I can't have a girlfriend entering this whole journey, like, if you have a full girlfriend going into Paradise... it's not a good look. So if I tell everyone, 'Hey, Pieper might be coming, so nobody talk to me,' what would happen is I would go home."
Pieper replied with a smile, "And then I would be here just twiddling my thumbs."
Brendan continued, "Obviously I was just navigating this in a way to allow myself to potentially, hopefully be here while you're here."
Pieper said, "I get it. Thanks for playing the game."
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Once Pieper and Brendan returned to the beach from their date, Pieper called Brendan her "boyfriend" and they didn't hide their feelings and affection for one another.
At the sight of them, Natasha lamented, "I feel like a casualty in [Brendan]'s convoluted plan."
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When Natasha confronted Brendan about having lied about the extent of his pre-show relationship with Pieper, Brendan accused Natasha of having had "selective hearing" when they'd talk about their connection, which he ultimately dubbed just "a friendship."
Natasha therefore accused Brendan of "gaslighting" and being disrespectful to her on Twitter.
Brendan was also shown bragging to Pieper on Bachelor in Paradise about how Natasha didn't have any other "prospects" and so he essentially did her a favor by giving her a rose so she could stay on the show longer.
Pieper said of Natasha during the episode, "I think you did the heavylifting for me so I could just swoop in."
"I paved the way," Brendan confirmed with pride.
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The majority of Bachelor Nation appeared shocked and disgusted by Brendan and Pieper's apparent ploy for fame, and so the pair faced major backlash online.
"After taking time to begin to process the events that unfolded over the past few days, I have realized I was wrong on so many different levels," Brendan subsequently wrote on his Instagram Stories on September 8.
Brendan admitted he had been "completely insensitive" by poking fun of the situation on Instagram, and he added, "I apologize to you, Natasha. I hurt you. I am deeply sorry for doing so. I understand that the damage is already done and all I can do going forward is acknowledge the error of my ways."
Brendan added, "For those of you that felt my actions triggered certain feelings and emotions I am truly sorry."
"Lastly, despite the fact that Pieper and I had misunderstandings going into paradise (and I can't stress this enough) -- If you feel the need to express disdain for the situation, please do so at my expense," he concluded.
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Prior to appearing on Bachelor in Paradise, Pieper competed for Matt James' heart on The Bachelor earlier this year.
Brendan competed for Tayshia Adams' heart on The Bachelorette's sixteenth season last year and Natasha was one of the bachelorettes on Peter Weber's The Bachelor season.
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About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski
