Bachelor Nation
Rachel Recchia Reveals ‘The Bachelorette’ Star Who Turned Down ‘Perfect Match’
Either the Perfect Match casting directors are really invested in Rachel Recchia finding love, or they were hoping to drum up some Bachelor Nation mess this season because this midseason reveal has us rethinking everything.
On August 5, the former Bachelorette lead went on Nick Viall‘s The Viall Files to chat about her messy reconciliation with Clayton Echard on Perfect Match. As one of the two Bachelor stars to join the Netflix Reality Universe, Rachel revealed that Netflix had approached her to join the show. She recalled, “I got a call from my team, and they were like, ‘Would you take an interview [for Perfect Match]?'”
When she arrived on the show, Freddie Powell immediately alerted Rachel that her ex, Clayton, was already part of the mix. Fortunately, this allowed her to prepare for their unexpected reunion, while Clayton exclusively told Swooon that he was completely blindsided by her arrival. Believing that their reunion was a product of fate, not a well-thought-out casting process, Clayton asked her to match with him the moment he saw her.
On the podcast, Rachel admitted, “Every time I’m with Clayton, I go into a state of absolute delusion.” Perhaps that’s why she chose to match with him over exploring a relationship with Freddie or one of the other guys. The next day, she was left single again after Clayton realized that fate had no hand in their reconnection. As Rachel put it, “[Clayton] said, ‘My intuition told me to dump you for a third time. Things are speaking to me in the night, and they’re telling me this is not good.'”
Rachel’s Viall Files visit proved that her Bachelor Nation journey was certainly on the minds of the Netflix casting directors. According to Rachel, another member of Bachelor Nation with close ties to her was invited on the show. She stated, “I really thought I was going to be the only [Bachelor Nation member] because I only knew one other person who interviewed, and he turned it down.” The interviewee in question? None other than two-time The Bachelorette and Bachelor in Paradise alum Blake Moynes.
View this post on Instagram
Rachel, who is a close friend of Blake, indicated that Blake had gotten far in the interview process. However, she revealed, “I think he was like very on the fence about it. Like, he just didn’t know if it was right for him.”
This news comes after years of The Bachelor fans theorizing that her close connection with her Bachelor in Paradise Season 9 costar was more than just platonic. While the duo has been seen on red carpets together, and they’ve traveled together multiple times for Blake’s wildlife non-profit work, Rachel told The Viall Files hosts, “I’ll be saying this for the rest of my life: We’re friends.”
Seeing as both Clayton and Blake were approached to star in this Season 3 of Perfect Match, we can’t help but wonder if Rachel is watching this season back, asking the casting directors the ever-so-memed Euphoria question, “Wait. Is this f***ing play about [me]?”
Perfect Match, Season 3, Episodes 7-8, August 8, Netflix
