Tia Booth's feelings toward "Tatty Daddy" Blake Monar shifted quickly on Bachelor In Paradise when she felt his words and actions weren't lining up, and now, she's sharing more context as to why this hit such a nerve. When Blake, who many fans struggle to remember from Clare Crawley and Tayshia Adams' season of The Bachelorette, arrived, Tia was captivated. On their date, she felt physically connected to him, unlike James Bonsall, who previously gave her a rose. However, after witnessing the other couples on the beach, Tia is starting to realize that physical attraction isn't everything.
Currently, Tia is trapped in a love triangle with Blake and James and must decide who should receive her next rose. Viewers were convinced that, after Tia and Blake formed such an intense connection, James' time on Paradise was about to end. But this may no longer be the case. On the most recent episode, James set up a thoughtful mini date for Tia, during which he wanted to know all about her hometown of Weiner, Arkansas, and major move to Nashville. Blake, on the other hand, hardly made an effort to speak to Tia. When she called him out on this, Blake got defensive and said how he regularly tells Tia how much he likes her. The conversation escalated rapidly because in Tia's opinion, Blake wasn't fighting for her. She wanted to see his actions match his words.
Shortly after the episode aired, Tia shared more information on her Instagram Story as to why she reacted so strongly in the situation. According to Tia, at the start of the cocktail party, she saw contestant Thomas Jacobs bring love interest Becca Kufrin a tray of chicken nuggets and photos of their dogs as a sweet gesture. "This dude [Blake] says, 'You know I'm not gonna set anything up for you right? You should know how I feel about you. All that stuff other guys do is fake for TV,' and I lost my mind," recounted Tia. "This ain't my first rodeo. It ain't that hard. Gimme nugs and fries."
Following Tia's post, Blake Monar took to Instagram to share a brief yet telling response. On his Story, Blake posted a photo of himself seemingly yelling at the gym while lifting weights. Blake captioned it, "When you refuse to simp after knowing someone for 3 days..." It's clear that Blake didn't feel obligated to try and impress Tia. Since she was head-over-heels on their date, he surely assumed he'd get her rose without question. But Tia, who endured a heartbreaking split from Colton Underwood on Paradise season 5, began to realize that listening to her "china pot" doesn't always result in happy endings.
For weeks, fans have been upset that James hasn't found someone, aside from his endearing bromance with Aaron Clancy. He took the time to make Tia feel special, even though he was fully aware of her strong feelings for Blake. With an impending 3-hour episode, Bachelor Nation is anxiously waiting to see who Tia chooses. She openly admitted that Blake is her type with his tattoos and "bad boy" persona, but that blonde-haired, blue-eyed James would be good for her heart. If Tia decides to pursue Blake, it's safe to say James won't have to look farther than his DMs on Instagram to find women who would happily date him.
Bachelor In Paradise airs Tuesdays at 8pm EST on ABC.
Source: Tia Booth/Instagram, Blake Monar/Instagram