ABC/Craig Sjodin
Bachelor in Paradise’s Brendan Morais and Pieper James Split After Backlash: ‘Things Went Downhill’
Bachelor in Paradise stars Brendan Morais and Pieper James have reportedly decided to go their separate ways after exiting the show early to focus on their relationship.
The season 7 alums broke up amid criticism from fans of the show, an insider told Us Weekly on Friday, October 1.
“Things went downhill once Paradise started airing,” the source explained, noting Pieper, 23, finally “got to see what really happened” before she arrived and she “had no idea” that Brendan, 31, was actually considering other connections. “She wasn’t OK with everything that unfolded thus far.”
Viewers watched the couple’s romance heat up shortly after he got close with fellow BiP star Natasha Parker. When Pieper stepped on the scene, she asked Brendan to join her on a date and even called him her “boyfriend” at one point.
Following her arrival and their PDA, Brendan quickly ended things with Natasha, and he began spending all of his time with Pieper. In turn, it caused Natasha to feel played and heartbroken on top of leading other BiP stars to speculate that Brendan and Pieper had a relationship before coming on the show.
After being confronted by some of their costars including Joe Amabile and Demi Burnett, the pair decided to leave in order to keep the peace and so they could continue their relationship.
“They tried to make it work [after leaving BiP] but ended up deciding it was best to break up,” added the insider close to the reality TV duo.
Brendan and Pieper did not immediately respond to Life & Style’s requests for comment regarding their split.
In the wake of their controversial exit, Pieper took to Instagram Stories to address the non-stop backlash they were facing online. “Just a gentle reminder that reality TV isn’t real. An edited, produced and cut down show isn’t going to show you every single thing said and done,” she wrote on September 7, adding, “I don’t believe men are prizes to be won at the expense of someone’s feelings. I believe in open communication to get answers, not name calling on the internet.”
Natasha, 33, also slammed claims that she wanted to be a part of the drama, saying that couldn’t be further from the truth.
“People are literally saying that I planned this with Brendan and Pieper — a person I’ve met once in my life and a person I’ve never met, who are in a relationship, who did me so wrong,” she said during a September episode of her “Click Bait” podcast. “When he said to me that it was casual [and] they only hung out twice … I believed him. That was a choice.”
Brendan, for his part, admitted to being “wrong on many different levels” while reflecting on the situation in hindsight.
“Despite the fact that Pieper and I had misunderstandings going into Paradise (and I can’t stress this enough) — if you feel the need to express disdain for the situation, please do so at my expense,” he wrote via Instagram. “I am completely at fault.”
