‘Summer House’s Ben Waddell Was on ‘The Bachelor’: What Happened With Him & McKenna Lea?
Summer House is introducing a whole new batch of cast members in Season 10, including Ben Waddell, who is no stranger to reality television. The Melbourne native recently appeared on The Bachelor in Australia.
Ben was one of three leads on the show alongside Luke Bateman and Wesley Senna Cortes. He chose McKenna Lea as his final pick, but are they still together today? Scroll down for everything we know about Ben’s time on The Bachelor, his relationship with McKenna, and more.
Are Ben Waddell and McKenna Lea still together?
No, Ben and McKenna are no longer together. The two split while their season of The Bachelor was airing, and announced the breakup right after the finale.
“While distance and communication over the last few months prevented us from exploring our romantic connection and Ben and I aren’t together, we are still in contact as friends and I only want the best for him,” McKenna wrote on Instagram at the time. “This may not have been the outcome I’d hoped for, but I’ve taken so many lessons from this amazing experience. I walk away with a renewed sense of self, a full heart and beautiful friendships.”
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In his own now-deleted post, Ben wrote, “It is with sadness that I share things with myself and McKenna didn’t work out the way we had hoped. In the end distance was difficult; we both had extended commitments overseas in different time zones, which was challenging.”
He called McKenna “bright, vibrant, and [a] truly incredible person,” and confirmed that they were “still great friends.”
When was Ben Waddell on The Bachelor?
Ben’s time on The Bachelor was in 2023. His season was filmed in July 2023 and aired throughout the month of December 2023.
While Ben gave his final rose to McKenna, his runner-up was Angela Valenti. “No disrespect to McKenna, but Ben made a huge mistake. Good luck, you’ll need it,” Angela said after being dumped.
Does Ben Waddell have a girlfriend now?
Ben is currently dating a woman named Sabrina Jet. While Summer House previews seemingly reveal that he was single while filming the show during summer 2025, he confirmed he was in a relationship in a September 23, 2025, Instagram post.
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“You can always tell when a man gets a girlfriend… his IG goes from 0 to curated real quick. Love you @sabrinajet_,” he captioned the video.
By December, Sabrina had traveled to Australia to spend time with her man Down Under. The two also posted a joint Instagram photo at the beach in October 2025, which Ben captioned, “Number one girl 🌹,” with the rose seemingly being a nod to his Bachelor days.
Summer House, Season 10 Premiere, Tuesday, February 3, 8/7c, Bravo
