Despite starting as a result of that dramatic cast twist, Rodney Mathews and Eliza Isichei’s Bachelor in Paradise romance has been one of the smoother (and swifter) love stories of Season 8. Last week, Rodney made his feelings clear after sending a tearful Lace Morris home. “I didn’t want to lie to her, lead her on, any of that,” he told Eliza. “It’s just like, this is where my heart’s at.”
But during the Oct. 31 episode of Bachelor in Paradise, things took a sharp turn — and Rodney and Eliza’s relationship status is now way less certain than it seemed before. Justin Glaze returned to the beach this week, and, as he told Jesse Palmer, he was specifically there for Eliza. “From what I’ve seen from her and what I’ve heard about her, they’re all characteristics that I look for in somebody ... when I caught wind of her potentially being here, I found my way back on the beach,” he explained.
Once Justin had a chance to speak with Eliza, he learned the feeling was mutual. “I didn’t think I could, like, see anyone else coming down those steps that I’d be, like, interested in enough to talk to,” she said. “But then you came.”
Eliza talked to Rodney about potentially going on a date with Justin but felt like he wasn’t fighting for her to stay with him instead. “I kind of want you to tell me you don’t want me to go,” she said.
“I don’t want you to go, like, clearly ... but that might be what’s best for you to truly gain clarity,” Rodney explained. Ultimately, Eliza did take the date with Justin and seemed to have a lovely time. But what does that mean for the former sweethearts? And are Rodney and Eliza still together today?
As of Oct. 31, Rodney and Eliza do follow each other on Instagram — while Justin and Eliza are not mutuals. Neither of their respective feeds gives much away, but if you want a more conclusive answer, a report from Reality Steve has the details of Rodney and Eliza’s Paradise outcome. Spoilers ahead for Bachelor in Paradise Season 8!
According to Reality Steve, Eliza will end up giving her rose to Rodney at the next ceremony. But there’s a twist: Eliza reportedly walks Justin out but has a change of heart when she returns to Rodney. She tells him she “felt pressured to give him a rose,” and they both leave Paradise single.
The Bachelor Nation expert added that he has “no idea” if Eliza and Justin coupled up post-Paradise — but again, they don’t follow each other on Instagram, which could be a clue.
Ironically, before all this love triangle drama, Eliza said she hoped to meet a completely different man at the beach: Olumide “Olu” Inajide. In February, Eliza told Click Bait with Bachelor Nation that there were “definitely some cuties from past seasons that [she] wouldn’t mind meeting” in Paradise before specifically naming Olu from Michelle Young’s season. “He is definitely someone that I would, you know...”
Tragically, Eliza and Olu missed each other on this season of Paradise — as they were part of separate groups of newcomers introduced to shake things up, and they never got to meet on the beach before Olu was sent home.
But for what it’s worth, they do follow each other on Instagram. Maybe Olu pulls a Justin and comes back for Eliza, or the pair connects after the show? Either way, it seems that Eliza’s relationship status will be the center of some drama as Season 8 continues.
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