Reality TV wasn’t foreign to Ashley Iaconetti as she made her “Real Housewives of Rhode Island” debut in April. She spent multiple seasons in The Bachelor franchise, where she became known for her … well, crying.
Being in front of the camera and talking about her life wasn’t difficult, but she did admit taping “The Bachelor” and the inaugural Rhode Island season weren’t that similar. How it came about, however, seemed almost too perfectly lined up.
“No, it’s the weirdest thing ever, and every day I pause to be like, ‘OK, so I’m a huge fan of ‘The Bachelor,‘ and I got on ‘The Bachelor,’ and then I met my husband on ‘The Bachelor,’ and then my husband is obsessed with Rhode Island, and I made the promise that we would move back there,” Iaconetti said on an episode of “Not Skinny, Not Fat.”. “And then we moved to Rhode Island, and then reality TV followed me to Rhode Island, and they wanted me to be a housewife. It’s the weirdest thing ever.”
Ashley Iaconetti on Her Move to Rhode Island with Bachelor Alum Husband
The conversation to move back to Rhode Island stemmed from a conversation between her and her husband, Jared Haibon, where she said she wanted to return to his home state. They have been living in Rhode Island since 2021. The two met while filming The Bachelor’s spinoff show, “Bachelor in Paradise.” Which means he was also familiar with reality television.
Getty“So we moved over to Rhode Island, and everything was so great and breezy, and then I got pregnant, actually, like soon after we moved to Rhode Island,” Iaconetti said.
There must be something in the air.
Ashley Iaconetti Embraces Crying Reality TV Reputation
And as for the crying, that doesn’t just go away.
“I just feel like I’m still crying, and I’m actually gonna try to work on the crying if I’m like on next season … It’s so crazy the way that, like, I’m actually just crying all the time still,” Iaconetti said. “And I tell people I’m not always crying like this in real life. It’s so weird. I can go like a month without crying in real life.”
Iaconetti is certain about one thing. When it comes to reality TV, you’re oftentimes at your most vulnerable. Situations are heightened, and naturally, you’re reminded that a lot of people are watching you on the screen exist in these moments. She swears it’s for good reason, though.
“I’ve only ever thought that I cried that much over love and like romance and like getting the guy and heartbreak,” she said. “Apparently, I just cry all the time on TV.”
“The Bachelor” Season 19 contestant was known for being outspoken about her personal life and decisions about staying a virgin. However, she also experienced a pretty significant heartbreak when the bachelor at the time, Chris Soules, dumped her after a two-on-one date. It was portrayed that she was essentially abandoned in the wilderness.
However, the other contestant on the date, Kelsey Poe, was also at the end of a breakup.
Soules left … on a helicopter.
The moment was so memorable, former host Chris Harrison called it one of the Top 20 of the most amazing moments on the show.
With all that said, she managed to be the one cast member on the Rhode Island season who avoided drama for the most part.
That doesn’t stay for long …
