Bachelor franchise finale shows are meant to be chock full of drama and surprises, but the Season 8 reunion of Bachelor in Paradise seemed to contain a little extra sauce.
Accusations of cheating, differences of opinion on the relationship timeline, verbal abuse, flying to another country to meet another guy “for a drink,” and just basic incompatibility were the death knell for briefly engaged Victoria Fuller and Johnny DePhillipo.
And apparently the Virginia Beach native and human Bratz doll admitted to once throwing a wine glass at her fiancé during a heated argument, so we can add physical violence to the list.
Almost immediately after airing their romantic beach proposal (which was filmed in July) in the Season 8 BIP finale, Victoria and Johnny made the announcement that they were no longer together (big surprise) and that Victoria is now dating Greg Grippo (from Katie Thurston‘s season of The Bachelorette).
US Weekly reported that Victoria and Greg are telling their side of the story on Nick Viall’s podcast, The Viall Files.
“I’m so f–king tired. If I don’t want to be with somebody because it is a toxic environment, I shouldn’t have to be with that person because the world wants me to,” Victoria said during the joint interview with Greg, breaking down in tears. “I should be able to move on . . . I never cheated on Johnny.”
While Victoria claims the couple broke up “three weeks” after they left Mexico in July, Johnny insists it was more like the middle of September.
Additionly, Johnny believes that things took a turn after Victoria saw Greg, with whom she’s been friends since 2021, at a birthday party in late August for former Bachelor Nick Viall’s girlfriend Natalie Joy.
“I was not there at the party,” Johnny says (maybe cause they’d already broken up at that point?) “I just know everything kind of changed after that day.”
Victoria and Greg were subsequently forced to go public with their relationship in October, when they were spotted in Rome, where they had gone to “have a drink” together. Um, okaaaaay.
“It sucked, for sure,” the Bachelorette alum said of watching his former fiancée move on with another guy so quickly. “It just kind of made me believe that anything she said didn’t hold weight anymore, and I had my suspicions and I kind of thought that there was always something going on. And then it just makes you think, ‘When did it start?’ It’s a weird feeling.”
When the exes were on stage together during the reunion, Victoria accused Johnny of calling her a “f—king c—t” (not okay in any language) and asking, “You don’t cook, you don’t clean, what do you provide to a relationship as a woman?”
Whoa! Sexist much? These two allegations alone are enough to make me take her side, even though Johnny claimed he was “just joking.” Not funny, dude. Just no.
RELATION: Has Bachelor Nation’s Victoria Fuller Found Actual Paradise With Greg Grippo?
In addition to denying Victoria‘s allegations, Johnny also claimed that she once threw a wine glass at him during an argument. While that accusation was cut from the broadcast, it was brought up in a subsequent interview.
“When things get toxic so fast . . . and it’s already getting to the point of, you know, I’m yelling at him, he’s calling me terrible names, maybe I’m throwing a wine glass here and there,” Victoria said, arguing that she wasn’t aiming for Johnny when the glass was thrown. “Whatever, it’s out there. When it gets toxic that quick, I’m not gonna stay.”
In Johnny‘s defense, I’ll just say that it’s not okay to throw things at your partner, no matter how “toxic” the argument gets.
Sounds like these two are both pretty immature and not ready for a grownup relationship. Only time will tell if the relationship with Greg lasts — although it’s already been announced that he’s thinking of moving to Nashville to be with Victoria.
Victoria‘s also said she wants lots of little “Grippo babies.” I’m not gonna hold my breath.
TELL US – WERE YOU SURPRISED THAT VICTORIA AND JOHNNY HAD ALREADY BROKEN UP BEFORE THE REUNION? DO YOU THINK SHE AND GREG ARE A BETTER MATCH? HOW LONG DO YOU THINK SHE AND GREG WILL LAST?
[Photo by Mindy Small/Getty Images]
