The Bachelorette star Katie Thurston has revealed whether she had any type of contact or relationship with Blake Moynes before she began filming Season 17.
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RELATED LINK: MEET ALL OF KATIE THURSTON'S 'THE BACHELORETTE' SEASON 17 BACHELORS (PHOTOS)
In one preview, Blake appears to hold up a radio to serenade Katie with music while she's standing on a balcony, and she seems to recognize the bachelor right away!
While Katie didn't confirm Blake's upcoming appearance on The Bachelorette, she shared with Us Weekly in a video interview that they actually spoke before she left Washington to tape her season in New Mexico.
"I definitely knew who he was," Katie told Us. "[He is] also [Tayshia Adams]' ex-boyfriend! So that's weird."
Blake previously appeared on Season 16 of The Bachelorette last year and competed for both Clare Crawley and Tayshia Adams.
While Clare quit the show early to pursue a relationship with her frontrunner Dale Moss, Tayshia really liked Blake and kept him around for quite a while. Blake, however, was sent home a few bachelors shy of a hometown date.
"We had chatted before, but usually what happens is, like, the guys will reach out to the women once they're eliminated [from The Bachelor] and be like, 'Good luck, you did great.' Like very generic, you know?" Katie explained.
"And so to see him, I was like, 'Why is he here?' Like, 'What's happening?'"
Well over a month before The Bachelorette even premiered, reports swirled Blake was going to be on Katie's season because he was spotted filming at the show's resort for Season 17, The Hyatt Regency Tamaya Resort & Spa in Santa Ana Pueblo, where the entire season taped due to the coronavirus pandemic.
RELATED LINK: BACHELORETTE SPOILERS: WHO DID KATIE THURSTON PICK AND END UP WITH? WHAT HAPPENS ON THE 2021 SEASON OF 'THE BACHELORETTE' (SPOILERS)
When asked if she had any hesitations about Blake joining her cast late in the game, Katie dodged the question.
RELATED LINK: 'THE BACHELORETTE' COUPLES NOW"I mean, we have to see if that's even why he's there," she teased to Us. "Like I said, he's Tayshia's ex-boyfriend, so I don't know what's happening."
Ironically, Tayshia and fellow former The Bachelorette star Kaitlyn Bristowe are filling in for Chris Harrison on Season 17 and co-hosting together. The women apparently guided Katie throughout her entire journey to find love on the set.
In a December interview with the magazine, Blake recalled having a "very slow" connection with Tayshia.
"But every time that we'd make a step, I think I opened her eyes more and more and more," Blake said after Tayshia sent him packing during their first one-on-one date of Season 16.
"And I think you saw that a couple of times, like [Tayshia saying], 'Every time I talk to Blake, he shows a different side of him.' And that's what happened. I think she had her guard up just like she said at The Men Tell All, I walked in with a red flag over my head [because I had feelings for Clare too]."
Blake said he actually saw a lot of "potential" with Tayshia, who got engaged to winner Zac Clark in the show's finale.
"If it was Tayshia from the beginning, I think my story would have been a little bit different," Blake said.
"It was tough because I felt, like, even emotionally, I could feel it, like, she could see something there. And it was so frustrating to get in the limo and be like, 'There's something here but you're just not letting it happen.' And that was the most unfortunate."
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Once Clare quit The Bachelorette's sixteenth season a couple of weeks into the process, Blake chose to stick around and give Tayshia a chance. But Tayshia eliminated Blake in the process of determining her Final 4 suitors.
"I care for Blake, but when I looked in his eyes, I was looking for more validation and confidence in the situation. I don't see it. Maybe that's why we haven't progressed like some of the other relationships," Tayshia shared in a confessional.
Tayshia said both of their hearts were fully open but then she suddenly realized, "I don't think he's my guy -- and I have to tell him that."
Blake told Tayshia that he needed more time to show her all that he has to offer, but Tayshia believed they had run out of time with family dates right around the corner.
"I wish we had more time. I just don't know if we can get there. It's not that you're not an incredible guy, I just don't know if the timing was just off for us. I think it's time to go our separate ways," Tayshia told Blake.
Tayshia said Blake has all the qualities she wanted in her person and he's "such a great guy," but she knew her heart was "more invested" in some of her other relationships, including her romance with Zac.
Tayshia broke down into tears upon saying goodbye to Blake and nearly dropped down on the ground hysterical with emotion after he left.
"I didn't see that coming -- at all," Blake said following his ouster. "How did that change so quickly? She still has no idea -- no clue -- I'm, like, so crazy about her."
Tayshia said the goodbye "really hurt" but she felt confident in her decision.
The Bachelorette currently airs Monday nights at 8PM ET/PT on ABC, and Katie was shown narrowing down 30 bachelors to 23 suitors in the show's premiere.
Click here to read The Bachelorette spoilers for Katie's season and to find out how far Blake reportedly makes it and whether Katie gets engaged.
RELATED LINK: 'THE BACHELOR' FRANCHISE COUPLES NOW: WHO IS STILL TOGETHER?? (PHOTOS)
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About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski
