Why did Kendall Long and Joe Amabile split? Inside 'Bachelor in Paradise' stars' relationship

Kendall Long and Joe Amabile left 'Bachelor in Paradise' Season 5 as a couple and now return for Season 7, hoping to find love after heartbreak
Kendall Long and Joe Amabile arrive at The Gentle Barn's 20th anniversary celebration at The Gentle Barn (Photo by Morgan Lieberman/Getty Images)
Kendall Long and Joe Amabile arrive at The Gentle Barn's 20th anniversary celebration at The Gentle Barn (Photo by Morgan Lieberman/Getty Images)

Not everyone finds love on reality dating shows. But sometimes, the second time is the charm. For the contestants of 'Bachelor in Paradise' the show is most certainly their shot at love, without the added pressure of fighting off a hoard of people for one person's affection.

And for Kendall Long and Joe Amabile, that certainly seemed like the case. However, the formerly happy couple is no longer together. Although that's part and parcel of life, there might be more drama than we know of, seeing that the former exes are all set to star on 'Bachelor in Paradise'

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How did Kendall Long and Joe Amabile meet?

Kendall was originally a part of 'The Bachelor' Season 22 (Arie Luyendyk Jr. season) while Joe Amabile was on Season 14 of 'The Bachelorette' (Becca Kufrin's season). The couple met on Season 5 of 'Bachelor in Paradise' and continued their relationship after the show ended. The two were all set to tie the knot as well, seeing that they spoke to Life and Style Mag about the same. 

"We don't have a specific timeline, but we talk about it a lot," Long said back then, with regard to marriage and starting a family. "I gotta keep it a surprise, I can't just tell her when I'm gonna ask her to marry me! But we're moving in the right direction," added Amabile. The pair eventually moved together to Los Angeles in April 2019. However, just within a year of their big move, they announced that they had called it quits in 2020.

(L-R) Kendall Long and Joe Amabile attend Clayton Kershaw's 7th Annual Ping Pong 4 Purpose at Dodger Stadium (Photo by Tibrina Hobson/Getty Images for Kershaw's Challenge)

Why did they break up?

Turns out, relocation is what tore the couples apart. "Kendall had expressed to me that she would never want to live in Chicago. She just wouldn't. She loves L.A. She doesn't want to leave L.A. That's her thing … I had a hard time with that because if I'm living [in L.A.], that compromise needs to be open," Amabile stated on his podcast 'Click Bait'.  

"She did express at the beginning of our relationship [that] she would never want to do it. In my head, I thought maybe that would change as time moved on. But she would just never want to live in Chicago," he explained. "At the time, the way I looked at it was, what am I doing in L.A.? There was not really much for me to do there. I didn't want to be the guy who was on a reality show living off of, 'I was on The Bachelor a year ago. Look at me, yay.' I needed something else." he said, as reported by Life and Style Mag. 

Twist in the tale

While Long and Amabile are still dealing with what's left of their relationship, Reality Steve reports that Becca Kufrin joins the show just before the first rose ceremony. This definitely adds drama, seeing that Amabile had originally competed in Season 14 of 'The Bachelorette', which happened to be Kufrin's season. 



 

Who do they end up with?

As per spoilers by Reality Steve, who is fairly accurate when it comes to the outcome of the show, Amabile actually ends up with Serena Pitt, who was on Matt James season of 'The Bachelor'. The pair are even rumored to be engaged. Long on the other hand, who had a romance blossoming with 'The Bachelorette' Season 16's Ivan Hall, particularly struggled to watch Amabile's relationship grow throughout the show. As a result, she ends up leaving the show, on account of the same. Whereas Becca Kufrin, who was with 'The Bachelorette' Season 17 villain, Thomas Jacobs, called things off right before the show's overnight segment, resulting in both of them being single. 

Catch 'Bachelor in Paradise' on Monday, August 16, at 8 pm ET on ABC. 

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