Tenley Molzahn and Ben Higgins were rumored to be dating in September of last year right before Higgins left to film The Bachelor, and Molzahn has finally addressed the speculation.

ADVERTISEMENT

"It was definitely a very special relationship," Molzahn, who competed on three shows in The Bachelor franchise, told Us Weekly. "I will be forever grateful because Ben really did set a bar for me in the way that I looked at a man, you know, what I hoped for."

Higgins, 27, and Molzahn, 31, were apparently just good friends but he seemed to make a dramatic impact on her life.

"It was definitely more casual," Molzahn said. "We got to get to know each other really, really well, and he became a close friend. I feel like he supported me through Bachelor in Paradise airing, and then I was supporting him along his road to being the Bachelor."

However, they clearly got along so well that Molzahn was asked to join the cast of The Bachelor's twentieth season and compete for Higgins.

"I didn't really consider it," she admitted of the opportunity. "Ben is an amazing guy and I'm so fortunate to have known him and have gotten to know him. He's incredible, but I also just really, really want to be pursued."

But when reflecting on all previous The Bachelor stars, Higgins would still be her first choice to date.

"Knowing the friendship and relationship that Ben and I had it would 'absolutely' have been fun to compete on his season," Molzahn told Us.

Molzahn also understands what makes Higgins' bachelorettes so drawn to him. At this rate, he'll probably end up being the Bachelor who made the most women fall in love with him.

"I can tell you [why he's so great]," she explained. "It's his honesty and his transparency and that genuine interest in others."

Molzahn is currently dating Taylor Leopold, a product line manager for a sandal company whom she met through a friend. She recently acknowledged he's the man she's "going to marry."  

Molzahn initially vied for Jake Pavelka's heart on Season 14 of The Bachelor and finished as the runner-up. After competing on Bachelor Pad and experiencing traumatic heartbreak from her split with longtime boyfriend Kiptyn Locke, Molzahn decided to put herself out there again and join the second-season cast of Bachelor in Paradise.

Molzahn, a city girl at heart, fell in love with former The Bachelorette suitor Joshua Albers on Paradise, however, she didn't think she could make a long-distance relationship work with him.

Due to their different lifestyles, Molzahn called it quits with the Idaho welder on the last day of filming.


About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski

FOLLOW REALITY TV WORLD ON GOOGLE NEWS