One of the contestants vying for Peter Weber's heart on The Bachelor dropped a huge bombshell in the January 20 preview for next week's episode: contestant Victoria Fuller dated country singer Chase Rice. While the former relationship doesn't have much bearing on her current romance with Peter Weber, Fuller is forced to confront the issue when her former beau appears as the musical guest on her one-on-one date.
Although we're only three weeks in, Fuller has already established herself as a contestant to watch on Weber's season. Describing herself as "meek and shy," Fuller has struggled to take control of the uncomfortable situation. Instead, of stepping forward and aggressively showing her interest for Weber like some of the other women, Fuller often appears awkward and ill-at-ease in front of the cameras. Still, she's managed to catch Weber's attention. On last week's episode, Fuller was the finalist on the fashion show date, where she faced off for the grand prize with fellow frontrunner Hannah Ann Sluss. When Sluss won, Fuller broke down, continuing her up and down pattern of sudden confidence followed by dramatic tears when things don't go her way.
Despite her volatile emotions, Weber is definitely interested in Fuller. In the preview for the January 27 episode, fans can see that Fuller receives her first one-on-one date of the season. Things quickly fall apart, however, when Weber announces that the two will be attending a private Chase Rice concert. Off-camera, Fuller can be heard telling a shocked Weber, "Chase and I dated," before dissolving into tears and announcing that she "can't do this." A quick flash to Weber's face shows that he's clearly shocked by the news. The entire clip is intercut with footage of Rice at the concert, who looks none too happy with the unfortunate run-in.
According to Us Weekly, Rice definitely didn't appreciate his relationship with Fuller being exploited on the show. Although they dated before Fuller left for filming, the country star showed his distaste while chatting with Claudia and Jackie Oshry at the CMAs. Rice had explained, "They set everybody up. I didn’t sign up for that." He continued, "That’s my problem with it. At the end of the day, they have a job to do. I don’t have to be a part of that." He echoed his unhappiness on The Morning Toast podcast, adding that things between him and Victoria were definitely over. He reiterated, "There ain’t no love triangle, I’ll tell you that." He reaffirmed, "The love is on their side.”
While producer manipulation is common on The Bachelor, they found a gold mine in Fuller's past relationship with Rice. Knowing that the two dated, the producers clearly orchestrated the date, ensuring that Fuller would run into her former flame. While it provides the drama viewers search for, it feels a little slimy on the producers' part. The encounter clearly shakes Fuller, and Rice has made it clear that it wasn't a walk in the park for him either. Such outright producer manipulation certainly provides the drama they're searching for, but at what cost? After all, these are real people and real emotions being exploited for the sake of a TV show, seemingly without remorse on the side of the producers.
Source: Us