Bachelor in Paradise star Connor Saeli is standing strong after a rough ride on the ABC dating show. The Bachelor Nation alum was left brokenhearted on Monday night’s episode after his main squeeze, Caelynn Miller-Keyes, decided to leave Paradise with Dean Unglert.
Caelynn rode off into the sunset with a clean-shaven Dean after the previously departed Bachelor in Paradise veteran came back to claim her. Caelynn took a few minutes to mull Dean’s offer over, then went and told Connor she was leaving.
“I don’t think he’s changed,” Connor said as he reminded Caelynn that Dean dumped her on her birthday.
But Caelynn’s decision was made. She didn’t even tell a crushed Connor that she was sorry for hurting him as she was leaving.
After the Bachelor in Paradise episode aired, Connor took to Instagram to reflect on his experience on the rose-filled reality show.
In a caption to a photo of him walking alone on the beach, Connor admitted that sometimes things don’t work out the way they are expected, but that it’s important to stay hopeful. The Bachelor in Paradise star added that “everyone deserves love,” then teased that he is still looking for it.
Several Bachelor in Paradise stars commented on Connor’s post with supportive comments and emoji.
Franchise veteran Chris Bukowski wrote the following.
“You handled yourself incredibly well in a sh*tty situation. Good things to come for you my friend.”
Of course, while Connor is brokenhearted over Caelynn’s departure, fans of the franchise could see him find love before Bachelor in Paradise ends its summertime run.
WARNING: POSSIBLE SPOILERS AHEAD
According to Bachelor spoiler king Reality Steve , Connor initially signed on to the show with the hopes of meeting Whitney Fransway, a former contestant on Nick Viall’s season of The Bachelor . Whitney is actually a friend of Caelynn’s, and she was a guest at Krystal Nielson and Chris Randone’s wedding, which was also attended by Connor and the other Bachelor in Paradise cast members.
Reality Steve revealed that when Connor landed on the Paradise beach in Mexico, he had been hoping to see Whitney there. When she wasn’t, he took Caelynn on the body painting date and formed a connection with her.
According to spoilers, Connor leaves Paradise just as — unbeknownst to him — Whitney joins the show. But producers, looking for any type of love connection they can get, reportedly send Whitney to Connor’s hotel room before he leaves Mexico, and the two pull a Caelynn and Dean and leave Paradise together.
There is no word if Connor and Whitney are still together, but his new Instagram post makes it appear that he is single. Fans may have noticed he posted to Instagram from Malibu, California in early August, in which he teased that he was finding his “own paradise tonight.” Whitney lives in Southern California, so that could be a hint they were still together as of last month.
Meanwhile, Bachelor in Paradise fans have mixed reactions to Caelynn’s decision to leave Connor for Dean. While she was originally ripped for rebounding with Connor the day after Dean left, as previously reported by The Inquisitr , fans thought the two had a cute connection.
Bachelor in Paradise airs Mondays and Tuesdays at 8 p.m. on ABC.