Following the September 6 episode of Bachelor in Paradise, thousands are unfollowing Brendan Morais after his lies Natasha Parker were revealed. In the episode, Pieper James arrived in Paradise with a date card and asked Brendan to go on the date. He pretended to be shocked by her invitation and accepted it. After agreeing to go, Brendan had a private conversation with Natasha, with whom he had been building a bond. He offered a weak excuse about exploring his relationship with Pieper. However, Natasha referenced the rumors linking Brendan to Pieper and wondered why he came to the show if he had a strong connection with Pieper before Paradise. Brendan denied the existence of a relationship and said things had been "super casual" between them up to that point.
During Brendan and Pieper's date, it became obvious there was a relationship between them. But while Pieper talked about their situation openly, Brendan seemed awkward and uncomfortable. Attempting to be politically correct, Brendan talked around the situation, admitting to doing certain things to bring them to this point. He confessed that having a girlfriend coming into Paradise would not have looked good. Pieper thanked Brendan for playing the game, and they laughed about it and kissed afterward. The next day, the cast noticed how close Pieper and Brendan were. Natasha approached Pieper, seeking the truth. After asking her certain questions, she discovered Brendan lied about the depth of his bond with Pieper. Natasha had a similar conversation with Brendan, who became defensive when she accused him of being dishonest. After chatting with Natasha, Brendan and Pieper cuddled up, leading many people to think they were on the show to amass followers.
The effects of Monday night's episode are already being noticed. Thousands of people are unfollowing Brendan on social media because of his lies. On Twitter, TheBachBabes tweeted two pictures showing Brendan lost a thousand followers in six minutes. Many fans responded to the tweet by expressing their anger towards Brendan and mocking his behavior. Some posted memes and gifs depicting their reaction to some of Brendan's words during the episode, while others said they had lost all respect for him. At this time, Brendan has already lost over 40K followers as more people cut their ties with him on social media. He currently sits at 299K followers.
Pieper has also not been spared from the fan backlash, as thousands have unfollowed her on Instagram as well. However, the pair don't seem to be fazed by what their actions have caused and their latest posts on Instagram suggest they are not remorseful. Brendan shared a picture that showed him topless and inside a pool. In the post's caption, he wrote, "Here for the wrong reasons 😏." Pieper shared two pictures of herself posing on a pathway while clad in a stylish white crop top and black pants. In her post's caption, she said, "All’s fair in love and war 😉."
Brendan and Pieper may be perfect for each other but look set to lose more followers if the backlash for their behavior continues. The lovebirds can salvage the situation by apologizing to fans or explaining their actions. However, their recent posts show they may not be doing that anytime soon, which may be interpreted as cocky and antagonistic behavior. There is no doubt more people will be paying particular attention to the pair on Bachelor in Paradise as season 7 progresses. What is uncertain is just how many followers they will lose in the coming days.
Bachelor in Paradise airs Mondays and Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.
Sources: TheBachBabes/Twitter, Brendan Morais/Instagram, Pieper James/Instagram