In a social media post, Bachelor in Paradise host Chris Harrison threw shade at arguably the two most forgettable cast members of season 6, Kevin Fortenberry and Jane Averbukh. With a Bachelor Nation who's who of a cast, Harrison decided it would be funny to shine the spotlight on the two contestants who entered with the least amount street cred - or Bachelor Mansion cred, as it were.
Averbukh was a nonentity on Colton Underwood's season of The Bachelor, departing with seven other women on night one - technically, morning two, since the first cocktail party drags on until the sun comes up the next day - to little fanfare. To Fortenberry's credit, he stuck around a little longer on Hannah Brown's season of The Bachelorette, making it all the way to week five. Fortenberry, however, failed to out stand out among the early exits, as future Bachelor in Paradise contestants John Paul Jones and Cam Alaya left more of a lasting impression. Averbukh, who has already been eliminated on Bachelor in Paradise, built her brand by becoming known as the woman who drinks hot sauce. Fortenberry's airtime has largely been focused on his physique, which he has not been afraid to put on display in Mexico.
Following the latest episode, Harrison plastered a cast photo on Instagram writing, "True story I broke 3 ribs sliding into this photo between the biceps of Clay and that guy to my left (not really sure who that is???) While we’re at it who’s the woman in yellow in the middle? Definitely need a cheat sheet". The guy to Harrison's left was Fortenberry, while the yellow-clad woman in question was almost certainly Averbukh. Fellow contestant Onyeka Ehie, who was standing above Averbukh and also wearing yellow, commented, "For a second, I thought you were talking about me lol".
The post clearly drew the attention of Bachelor Nation, as other cast members from this season offered their reactions. Sydney Lotuaco wrote, "Shots fired" and Chris Bukowski said, "Amazing." Both comments were punctuated with crying emojis. Tanner Tolbert, from season two of Bachelor in Paradise, responded simply with the same laughing-so-hard-it-makes-me-cry emoji.
Harrison has long poked fun at the fringe characters who don't seem to possess a gravitational pull toward airtime like Blake Horstmann or don't have the natural ability to humorously narrate a season like Demi Burnett. Even Brown once wondered who Averbukh was during the Women Tell All episode of Underwood's season when the unremarkable premiere boot decided to speak up. As inconsequential as the runs of Averbukh and Fortenberry on the show may be, it's become somewhat of a pastime for casual fans of the franchise to wonder who a certain contestant is when the season is already five weeks in and then cheer for that person for their underdog edit. If that near-invisible root-ability comes with a side of hot sauce and bulging biceps, all the better.
Bachelor In Paradise airs Mondays and Tuesdays at 8pm EST on ABC.
Source: Chris Harrison