Bachelor Nation was in for a shock when former Bachelorette Katie Thurston and Blake Moynes announced on their various social media accounts that they were splitting up. Though it was done "with mutual love and respect" according to their Instagrams, fans couldn't help but wonder why the couple --that had gotten engaged during the finale of Thurston's season of Bachelorette-- were ending things after just a few months.
While there's nothing to guarantee couples from the reality TV series will stay together after their season ends, fans do get invested in their timelines and hope that all the drama led to true love. In the case of Thurston and Moynes, fans on Twitter didn't appear to be shocked in the slightest by the news of their split, as these hilarious reactions will attest.
Putting In The Work
Not all couples that are part of The Bachelorette or The Bachelor franchise last, but Matt James and Rachael Kirkconnell defied the odds, even after the news broke that images of Kirkconnell attending a fraternity event in the traditional clothing of plantation-owning gentry had surfaced on social media. James called it quits at first, but Kirkconnell put in the work to educate herself and they got back together.
If Matt and Rachael can navigate the tumultuous topic of race relations with sensitivity and grace and remain one of the most popular Bachelor couples on Reddit, the Bachelor Nation wants to know what's so insurmountable for Katie and Blake?
Don't Settle For Less!
The Bachelorette is ostensibly about a woman getting to choose from a bevy of different men, each with their own distinct looks, hobbies, and personalities, but what happens when she has to make the best of a bad situation?
One Twitter user, using the comedic stylings of the fabulous Fran Drescher on The Nanny, acts faux-shocked at the thought that Thurston and Moynes couldn't make it work especially since he was the only one left after all her prior picks were gone from her season. Many fans felt he was inauthentic, fake, and only interested in being on the series to gain social media followers.
A Full Serving Of Truth With A Side Of Irony
There's always been a little irony to The Bachelorette, and Bachelor Nation is well aware of it. With all the fast and loose editing and heavy-handed drama instigated by producers, every season is full of irony and storylines designed to ensnare viewers. Especially Katie Thurston's season, which featured contestant Mike Planeta, the self-professed virgin discussing his decision to wait until marriage to have sex in an emotional letter written to Thurston and recited in front of the cast.
Having Mikey be the one to call Blake Moynes' social media post (which was identical to Thurston's) "classy" is incredibly ironic, because while Mikey's letter was full of earnest and heartfelt feelings, Bachelor Nation doubts very much if Moynes wrote his himself and if the feelings are genuine.
The Last Man Standing
Throughout Thurston's season, there were several other men she connected with that were either manipulated into going home or went home on their own accord (looking at you, Mike and Andrew), so she wasn't left with many options except for Blake (even dependable Justin wasn't given a fair chance).
Fans often pointed out that in both Thurston and Moynes' case, they were each other's last picks, and weren't all that interested in one another to begin with. This left fans cold to their entire romance in general, which is probably why so many of their Twitter reactions are filled with unabashed sarcasm.
Over Before It Began
Some fans have been scratching their heads wondering what Thurston and Moynes could possibly have had in common to even remain in a relationship for the three months since their engagement.
Thurston has even said that they're opposites in a lot of areas, from everything involving liking scary movies (he definitely doesn't!) to love languages. "I'm words of affirmation," she told People," And he's physical touch."
No Means No
Now that the two are no longer a couple, some fans feel that they shouldn't be allowed to go anywhere near another Bachelor or Bachelorette-related series, including Bachelor in Paradise, which is a notorious breeding ground for romances that didn't quite work on a regular-season of either show.
In fact, several former contestants on both series have ended up finding romance on BIP. But if previous Bachelorette Becca Kufrin can make things work with Thurston’s ex Thomas Jacobs from Bachelor in Paradise's season 7, even though she broke things off with him before they ever got to overnights on her season, then Bachelor Nation seems to agree that neither of these two deserves to be there because they've already wasted enough of their time.
Sad Ben Reacts Only
Some members of Bachelor Nation are taking their faux-shock and faux-concern a little far, going so far as to respond to the news of Thurston and Moynes with Sad Ben Affleck memes and lots of angst. Moynes lived in Canada while Thurston lived in first Washington state and then San Diego, California, and those sorts of miles would test even the most solid of loves.
Still, this marks one of the shortest engagements in the franchise, only adding to what fans have known for some time; though quite a few contestants get engaged in the finale, they don't stay together after they appear on the show.
Justice For Greg Grippo
There are some fans who will never get over how dirty Thurston was to Greg Grippo, one of the more charming contestants on her season who became a fan favorite. His caring for her seemed genuine and authentic, but she sent him packing, professing to love Blake the whole time.
This Twitter user thinks somewhere Greg is smiling at the news that this Bachelorette didn't get her happily ever after, while fans everywhere continue to campaign for Greg to be a Bachelor in 2023.
Let Chaos Reign
To many fans, the writing was on the wall with Thurston and Moynes the moment they settled for each other, but in After The Rose things really came to a head when she read Greg Grippo the riot act. Would anyone go to such emotional depths if they were truly over that person? Could Greg have had something to do with the breakup?
By waiting to share the news of the split until after Season 18 of The Bachelorette is underway, producers might have hoped to put a damper on the inevitable fallout, but Bachelor Nation is here to ensure that Twitter will be a random cacophony of chaos.
No One's Ever Really Gone
In the world of The Bachelor and The Bachelorette, there are ample opportunities for contestants to return to the franchise in some way. Runner-ups become the next Bachelor/Bachelorette, or perhaps former contestants and castmates frolic on tropical shores in Bachelor in Paradise, or feud on After the Rose.
Twitter fans are already certain that the producers will want to take advantage of the tumult the split has caused and have Katie, Blake, or both of them on another franchise installment. After all, there's no such thing as bad press, and at least the franchise is trending on Twitter.