'The Bachelorette' alum Katie Thurston slams Bachelor Nation's bachelors, reveals if she'd ever date someone from the franchise again

The Bachelorette alum Katie Thurston has slammed the men of Bachelor Nation as "cringy" and "interchangeable" and revealed whether she'd ever search for love on the franchise again.


Katie and John Hersey -- a San-Diego based bartender who was eliminated during Week 2 of Katie's The Bachelorette season -- went Instagram official in November 2021, and then Katie  announced in late June that the couple had called it quits on their relationship.

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Before getting romantically involved with John, Katie had been engaged to her The Bachelorette 17 winner, Blake Moynes, but she and the wildlife manager broke up after less than six months together.

Katie shared during a recent episode of the "Off the Vine with Kaitlyn Bristowe" podcast that she has no interest in appearing on another reality dating show, whether it be on ABC or any other channel or streaming platform.


"I don't think so," Katie noted. "I think reality TV can be fun, but dating in reality? No."

Katie added, "The Bachelor franchise, I am not dipping into that pool anymore."

"Why?" asked Kaitlyn, who got engaged to Shawn Booth at the end of The Bachelorette's eleventh season and is now engaged to The Bachelorette alum Jason Tartick.

"I don't want to generalize that much, but it's a certain type, you know what I mean?" Katie explained.

"They're all, to a certain extent, they're either a certain type or the show changes them a little bit -- and then they become a certain type."


Kaitlyn's co-hosted suggested the men are "thirsty," and Katie agreed, "You said it!"

"But, you know, I've already done it twice. I'm just not interested," Katie elaborated. "There have been some that have slid into my DM's, and talking to them, it's so cringy."

Katie refused to share who had DM'd her in order to "respect their boundaries and privacy."

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Katie said she knows "for sure" that the people mixed up with The Bachelor franchise are "too interchangeable."


"I can't explain it," Katie admitted. "I feel like I'm so open [otherwise]."

Katie revealed she's actually "very, very excited" to be single and she's been dating herself and going out alone. She said some of the best things have happened to her when she's by herself.

"I'm just focusing on myself, truly. Am I open to finding someone? Sure, I hope so. But it's not a priority," Katie shared.

Katie told Kaitlyn that her future partner must love animals and will be confident and secure in himself, especially given her background of having dated 30 guys on television.

Katie also revealed during the podcast how John was the one who dumped her and his explanation for the breakup still, to this day, doesn't make much sense to her.


Katie also admitted "friends" is a strong word for her current relationship with her ex.

Katie said what really pissed her off is that John had accused her of not wanting to embrace his passions, such as surfing and finding adventures.

"I look at him and I go, 'You realize I jumped out of a f-cking plane three times [and] twice solo, skydiving,'" Katie complained, adding, "At that point, I knew nothing I did was ever going to be good enough."

Katie also lamented to Kaitlyn that she had bought John a travel van so they could have road trips together.

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"I let this man quit his job. I was like, 'Whatever you need me to be, I will be' -- which, in hindsight, that's not healthy, that's not good," Katie said, acknowledging she had lost herself in the relationship.

"But it is a little, like, offensive to be like, 'Damn, like, I gave you everything,' and you're still being like, 'This isn't working out.'"

Katie told Kaitlyn that she's in the process of moving out of the San Diego apartment she had shared with John for several months.

After all, Katie said the apartment has "bad vibes" and brings "bad luck" because John initially helped her pick out the apartment for her and Blake to live in after the former couple got engaged.

"There's too many memories. Blake's been there. John's been there. I'm so done with this apartment. Get me out!" joked Katie, who plans to stay in San Diego but find a new apartment.

Katie and John, who became Katie's best friend after filming, went public with their romance in November 2021, only three short weeks after Katie and Blake announced in late October they had split and decided to end their engagement.


Katie had faced backlash for having moved on from her former fiance too quickly with a "rebound," but both Katie and John denied any wrongdoing in the press, and Katie insisted she never emotionally or physically cheated on Blake.

John even posted a long Reddit message to fans at the time defending his romance with Katie, saying their connection was innocent and they always maintained the best of intentions and utmost respect for Blake.

Katie allowed John to move into her apartment in Spring 2022, and then Katie announced in the following June statement that their relationship was over: "Statement: no we aren't together," and declined to provide any details or specifics.

When John confirmed his split from Katie, he wrote in a statement of his own, "I love being able to share special moments with you all -- the funny ones. The happy ones. The outrageous, embarrassing, and heartfelt ones. But I don't know if it will ever get easier to share the sad ones."

"As Katie stated earlier, we are no longer dating. This decision was not made lightly, and it was obviously not an easy one to make," he continued.

"I appreciate every one of you that has supported us throughout this journey. We could not (and would not) be here without you."


Katie later shared in a Q&A session with fans how her breakup was "complicated" but she and John were on "good terms," adding, "At the end of the day, you just want the person you love to be happy and you support whatever path they want to take to find that."

Once Katie and John's split made headlines earlier this summer, John had the former The Bachelorette star's back on social media.

A troll wrote on the @BachelorWhatever Instagram account, "I feel like Katie is the reason she can't get a guy."

And John responded in the comments, "You will speak a finite number of words throughout your life. I urge you to speak more kindly, especially about someone you don't know."

"I have never been so supported or unconditionally loved by a partner," he added. "Assuming and implying that Katie is doing something wrong does not sit right with me. The Internet can be a mean place -- let's not add to it."

Prior to starring on The Bachelorette, Katie competed on Matt James' season of The Bachelor.


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About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski