The Bachelorette eliminee Jordan Vandergriff has revealed if he would've been interested in staying on the show and dating Gabby Windey after Rachel Recchia eliminated him on their date.
|
ADVERTISEMENT
|
RELATED LINK: GABBY AND RACHEL'S 'THE BACHELORETTE' SEASON 19 BACHELORS -- MEET THE MEN! (PHOTOS)
Rachel said while she really wanted to like the 27-year-old drag racer from Alpharetta, GA, she didn't think their relationship could "get there" and eventually become an engagement.
But instead of throwing Jordan back into Gabby's dating pool, she sent him packing.
During a recent appearance on the "Talking It Out with Bachelor Nation" podcast hosted by The Bachelorette alums Bryan Abasolo and Mike Johnson, Jordan was asked if he would've liked to pursue a romance with Gabby once Rachel let him go.
After acknowledging that's "definitely a good question," Jordan shared, "I think I went into the experience knowing that I was going for Rachel. That's kind of how I went into it."
Jordan, however, pointed out how "Gabby is a great girl."
"I had a lot of things that I wanted to talk to Gabby about, actually, like her relationship with her grandfather. I can relate to that very much so," Jordan said.
"I actually have a tattoo on my arms in tribute to my grandfather, so I think I could have related to Gabby in some sort of way. But I really went in for Rachel, and I was going to give all of my effort to her. And I did that."
"You know what? It didn't work out and it is what it is," he added.
RELATED LINK: 'THE BACHELOR' FRANCHISE COUPLES NOW: WHO IS STILL TOGETHER?? (PHOTOS)
Although Jordan's journey on The Bachelorette's nineteenth season was cut short, he said it was "a great honor" to accompany the flight instructor on her first one-on-one date.
RELATED LINK: 'THE BACHELORETTE' COUPLES NOW"Not in my wildest dreams did I think I was going to get the first one-on-one," he noted.
Although Jordan said he felt like he and Rachel were connecting, he ultimately believes Rachel was "right in that decision" to oust him.
"She's got to do what's best for her. It's her journey. I was just lucky to play a little part in it," Jordan noted.
But Jordan has admittedly thought about what would've happened if Rachel had decided to keep him around longer.
"[If] she knew that something was missing but she still decided to keep me and move me forward, would that be doing me a disservice? So I respect her for just being honest with herself and being honest with me and just telling it like it is, like how it should've been," Jordan explained.
Jordan reiterated how he really respected Rachel's decision and continued, "Do I think maybe that if I stuck around a little longer could we have built on the connection that we already had? Possibly. But when you know, you know, and I think she knew in that moment during that night."
Jordan concluded that Rachel respected him enough to tell the truth.
RELATED LINK: 'THE BACHELORETTE' COUPLES NOW: WHOM DID 'THE BACHELORETTE' STARS AND THEIR BACHELOR PICKS ULTIMATELY END UP WITH?! (PHOTOS)
ADVERTISEMENT
Jordan admitted to Mike and Bryan that he never even thought about kissing Rachel that first evening at The Bachelor mansion.
"Honestly, it wasn't [a thought]. Honestly, I didn't even think about it," Jordan said.
"I wasn't going into the first night thinking, 'I'm going to kiss her.' I wasn't thinking that. I was just focusing on the connection. I wanted to have a conversation. My goal was to get a conversation and just let her know that I was there and get to show her a little side of me."
Jordan therefore said watching the premiere back and hearing that Rachel had wanted him to kiss her, he had no idea and "should have, looking back on it."
"But I was just focused on building a connection, showing her the race car and the controls and stuff like that," Jordan explained. "And I think I made a good first impression -- just not good enough for the first rose."
RELATED LINK: 'THE BACHELOR' FRANCHISE COUPLES NOW: WHO IS STILL TOGETHER?? (PHOTOS)
Interested in more The Bachelor news? Join our The Bachelor Facebook Group!
About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski
