“Her name was Olivia Lewis . Last year, she was gorgeous, and I think she didn’t get the proper love that she deserved,” Hakeem, 29, exclusively told Us Weekly at The Bachelorette ’s Men Tell All episode taping earlier this month. “I think I have all that love to give to her, and she's gorgeous, and she has an expressive personality just like me. So, I think I would mesh very well with her.”
Shooting his shot early, Hakeem added: “[Olivia], if you hear this, if you see this, slide in my DMs before I do.”
Olivia, 26, was one of the first contestants eliminated on Zach Shallcross ’ season 27 of The Bachelor before making a comeback on season 9 of BiP last year. She ultimately left the beach single after a slew of failed connections. She sparked romance rumors with fellow BiP contestant Tanner Courtad not long after the season’s December 2023 finale, but the pair never confirmed their relationship status. (Tanner, 31, has since been rumored to be dating The Valley star Brittany Cartwright , who filed for divorce from husband Jax Taylor on Tuesday, August 27.)
Hakeem was announced to be joining the BiP season 10 cast during The Bachelorette ’s Men Tell All episode on Tuesday. “I was at a loss for words,” Hakeem told Us of his casting news. “You know, [I’m] so thankful. I just want to express my gratitude to everybody who allowed me to be a part of that. But honestly, what I learned from this process [on The Bachelorette ] is, you know, just show your emotions.”
Taking advice from Bachelorette Jenn Tran , Hakeem said he’s going to “lead with my heart first” heading into BiP and is “gonna take it as serious as possible.”
Joining Hakeem on the BiP beach is fellow Bachelorette contestant Jonathon Johnson , who was eliminated by Jenn, 26, during Tuesday’s episode after the fantasy suite dates. Jonathon, 28, accepted an invitation to join the BiP cast during his Men Tell All interview with host Jesse Palmer .
Peter Cappio and Olivia Lewis ABC/Craig Sjodin
“I honestly was shook [when they announced it tonight]. I had no expectation. Nobody warned me. I wish they would have so I didn't just, like, freak out,” Jonathon told Us of the BiP surprise. “Because, like, in my mind, I'm like, ‘I don't know if I would ever do TV again,’ and then Jesse's like, ‘So, there's this thing on the beach that you'd be great for.’ And now, I'm just coming out of that mentality of like, I don't ever want to miss again or hold myself back.”
He continued: “So, you’re sitting there with that mindset, and then somebody has this opportunity where there's incredible women for you to meet. You're like, ‘Well s–t, OK. I guess I gotta say yes, I'll be there.’”
Unlike Hakeem, Jonathon said there’s no particular person he’s hoping to see on the beach. “I've never seen Paradise . I don't know how it works, how it operates,” he revealed. “I'm just gonna go in with an open mind and open heart and hopefully take the lessons I learned from this and apply it to looking for love.”
Both Hakeem and Jonathon are hoping to see more of their Bachelorette season 21 buddies join the BiP cast. Luckily for them, several cast members expressed their interest in continuing their Bachelor Nation journey.
Disney/Michael Kirchoff
“I think if the invitation’s there, and if I'm single, and if the timing works, of course. It’s gonna be an awesome time, a chance to meet someone special,” Aaron Erb — whose twin brother, Noah Erb , met fiancée Abigail Heringer on BiP season 7 — shared. “I mean, it did work for Noah, that format, and I think it fits my style better. So we'll see where the future holds, but I'd be open to it.”
Jeremy Simon told Us he would “love to hang out with my boys” in Mexico, while Spencer Conley said he would “need to go back and watch a little bit more [of The Bachelor ] to get a good idea of who I might want to be able to see on the beach.”
Joining BiP is a thought Sam McKinney told Us didn’t even “come to [his] brain,” but it’s one he’d be down for. “If I do get the opportunity for [the show], what I do know is I will come in growing from my experience being on The Bachelorette and pretty much just putting my guard down again, just seeing what happens,” he stated.
The Bachelorette season 21 finale airs on ABC Tuesday, September 3, at 8 p.m. ET.
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