Raven Gates was jilted by The Bachelor star Nick Viall when he selected Vanessa Grimaldi and proposed marriage to her instead at the conclusion of his televised search to find love.
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During The Bachelor's Season 21 finale Monday night on ABC, Nick proved the fourth time is the charm and got down on one knee to ask Vanessa's hand in marriage. The 29-year-old special education teacher from Montreal, Quebec, Canada couldn't have been more thrilled to accept Nick's proposal in Rovaniemi, Finland.
But with Nick's decision came heartbreak for the runner-up, Raven, a 25-year-old clothing boutique owner from Arkansas. Nick can definitely relate to Raven since he finished as the runner-up twice before on both Andi Dorfman and Kaitlyn Bristowe's seasons of The Bachelorette.
During a conference call with reporters on Tuesday, Raven talked about her upcoming appearance on Season 4 of Bachelor in Paradise, which she confirmed when speaking with Chris Harrison on After the Final Rose. Below is what she had to say.
How do you know you're ready to find love on Bachelor in Paradise, and who are you hoping you will see there from the franchise?
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Raven Gates: Well, I really trust The Bachelor system, whether it be Bachelor, Bachelorette or Bachelor in Paradise. I feel like I'm surrounded by a bunch of love matchmakers. So that's why I'm kind of confident in finding love in Paradise because I just believe in the process.
And you know what? I'm so open-minded when it comes to meeting someone. There's no one that comes straight to the forefront of my mind. But I can tell you that I want to find someone that is my [Evan Bass] to [Carly Waddell], that's the kind of relationship that I want. And you know, they found love on Paradise, and so I want to find Evan and Carly type of love.
Did you have to really think about doing Bachelor in Paradise before accepting the offer? What was that process like for you, and how did you finally make up your mind?
Raven Gates: Well, you know, looking back on The Bachelor, being on The Bachelor and having that experience, I had such a wonderful experience. Even though it ended up in a heartbreak, it was just all worth it, because, you know, I never let the what-ifs [bother me] and I had this amazing group behind The Bachelor [scenes] to help guide me in love.
And it's just kind of dating experience that I'm not used to. You get a lot of help from producers to, you know, guide you and to really bring out your emotions, and that's hard for me. And so, it was really -- and I trust this process completely.
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So I never hesitated about doing Bachelor in Paradise just because I knew that it was beneficial for me being in The Bachelor experience. So I really have no hesitations. I'm ready for love. I just totally believe in this process, so I think it can happen for me. It wasn't a hard decision at all.
[JoJo Fletcher's ex James Taylor from The Bachelorette tweeted at you "meet me in Paradise" and said you deserve a "good southern gentleman."] So we saw that James already offered to take you on a date in Mexico. Will you take him up on that?
Raven Gates: I think James is very sweet from what I know. I haven't met him yet... As for a date if he's on Paradise, I'm very open-minded. I want to -- I want to get to know James. So it's definitely not a no.
What qualities will you be looking for in a man on Bachelor in Paradise?
Raven Gates: I want someone who, if we are out having drinks and dinner and there's a band playing, and no one is dancing on the dance floor -- No. 1, he has the initiative to take my hand and bring me on the dance floor. Two, [someone] who doesn't care what anyone else thinks and [focuses] on time with me, and three, choose me to dance first.
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And so those are kind of the three things that I'm looking for -- someone who has initiative, someone who is fun loving, and someone who chooses me. And I think those are the three qualities I'm looking for.
Is there any specific strategy you're kind of going into Bachelor in Paradise with or are you just open to whatever might happen?
Raven Gates: I'm totally open. I have no strategies. I'm just going to be on the lookout for somebody that wants to get to know me, and I don't know. I have no strategies. I'm super open and I feel like I really don't have a type, so we'll see what happens!
For more from Raven Gates' post-The Bachelor interview, click here and here.
About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski