Mike Johnson recently explained why he broke up with Sydney Lotuaco on Bachelor in Paradise, since there wasn't a clear explanation of how it ended on the show. Bachelor Nation was simultaneously rooting for Johnson to find love in Paradise while also hoping he would leave single so he could be the Bachelor. Now that neither scenario played out, it's appropriate for The Bachelor fans to wonder how in the world Johnson walked into Paradise as one of the most adored contestants from the past season and left without a girlfriend.
Let's get it out of the way, first and foremost, that Johnson is doing fine now. He and Demi Lovato appear to be dating after her initial advances when he was on Hannah Brown's season of The Bachelorette. It begs the question: if someone like Lovato was interested in Johnson, why wasn't the Paradise cast? Though Johnson went on several dates, none of his romantic endeavors turned into anything serious. His most promising partnership was with Lotuaco, the NBA dancer from Colton Underwood's season. The two seemed to have a mutual interest in each other, and, due to the endless storylines that existed with other Bachelor in Paradise characters, the audience never truly was able to see why the relationship between Lotuaco and Johnson fizzled out so quickly.
Johnson, speaking on the Bachelor Happy Hour Podcast (via: Cosmopolitan), said he ended things with Lotuaco for a multitude of reasons. He said, “I broke it off with Sydney. I felt a couple things. I felt like she didn’t find me sexually attractive [and] I felt like our connection was just not there whatsoever.” This helps put one scene in perspective, when Johnson talks about wanting to kiss Lotuaco before it actually happens. While the moment wasn't as forced as her first kiss with Matt Donald, it was still a sign that they didn't have that spark that some of the more enduring couples on Bachelor in Paradise possessed.
Johnson admitted that he gave the relationship his best shot. He said on the podcast, “I think that we both were trying, and I think that Sydney is a diamond. When I say a diamond, I mean that. She is absolutely spectacular and very, very hard to crack - and that’s what I mean by diamond. I call her ‘ruby’ as well. But that diamond wasn’t for me. So I broke things off with her." Regardless of which precious stone Lotuaco most accurately resembles, Johnson knew he wasn't going to drop to a knee for any of the women in Paradise. Perhaps his current love interest with a similar last name will be the one to earn Johnson's diamond.
It's worth wondering whether Johnson's stock to be the Bachelor fell so significantly during his shortened run on Paradise that it pushed him out of the running for the position. Had he avoided Mexico altogether, would he have been more neck-and-neck with Peter Weber? Or maybe he never even had a chance in the first place. Nonetheless, it seems Johnson learned more about what he does and doesn't want from his time on Bachelor in Paradise. And Bachelor Nation has learned exactly what they want, which is for Johnson and Lovato to fall in love immediately.
Source: Bachelor Happy Hour Podcast, Cosmopolitan