Juan Pablo Galavis was the first Latino The Bachelor lead, and it’s time to talk about his romance timeline with Nikki Ferrell. While he had one of the most entertaining seasons, he didn’t exactly win fans’ hearts. However, he did win Nikki’s heart at the season finale, and the two dated for seven months. Seven years later, the couple had a brief and heartwarming The Bachelor reunion. Galavis originally entered the franchise in Desiree Hartsock’s 2013 season of The Bachelorette, before exiting quickly. On his own season, he became known by everyone as the “it’s ok” guy. It usually wasn’t “ok” for the ladies, except in Nikki’s case.
While Juan Pablo claimed he was trying to be as fair as possible, future Bachelorettes Andi Dorfman and Clare Crawley both rose to fame for their justified criticism of him. Before each of their exits, they took a moment to share their two cents. They both told Juan Pablo off. Clare said at the time (after he was ready to send her home after hooking up with her), “I thought I knew what kind of man you were. What you made me just go through, I would never want my children having a father like you.” Juan Pablo has since shared his side of The Bachelor breakup story. On the other hand, Nikki was open to a future with Juan Pablo. The pair were together after the final rose, but there was no proposal in several months of dating.
On their stint on VH1’s Couples Therapy, Ferrell felt like she was putting her all into someone who wouldn’t reciprocate. According to Us, when Juan Pablo was accused of holding back, he said, “She wants to hear I love you. It’s a word issue. It’s a feeling. It’s a word.” He added, “I feel like I cannot be without her… She wants to hear ‘I love you.’ To me, it kind of sucks that just three words will make her feel 100 percent confident.” At the end of his Bachelor season, Chris Harrison tried to assert that Juan Pablo was in love even though he wasn’t. It was a last-ditch, doomed effort to reinforce a romantic delusion.
Juan Pablo Galavis & Nikki Ferrell Tried To Make Things Work
Ultimately, the much-dissed Juan Pablo didn’t make things work with Nikki. According to Us, Nikki told Chris in 2015 that the couple really tried in the real world, but their differences ended up being irreconcilable. She said, “He lives in Miami, and he’s in the entertainment industry and that’s his job and his lifestyle. It was really hard for me to fit into that. At the end of the day, we gave it a go, but we’re just two different people.” The geographical differences, beyond the seeming playboy status, appeared to make the impending split quite obvious to fans. Ultimately, the couple couldn’t quite make it work, and it clearly wasn’t ok, despite Nikki’s hopes that it would be.
The Exes Reunited Over Ice Cream
Reality star Juan Pablo remarried fellow Venezuelan model Osmariel Villalobos in 2017, but they divorced two years later. Nikki (seen above) is still together with her husband Tyler VanLoo, whom she married in 2016. After a less rocky road than the other contestants back in 2013. Nikki seemed to be able to set the past aside for a reunion. She met her ex in Kansas City and they shared ice cream. It’s been seven years since the couple split, and the one-on-one Bachelor reunion seemed like one of the most pleasant yet. Clearly, Nikki was able to see something in Juan Pablo that audiences and other cast members couldn’t. If there is ever an all-star edition of The Bachelor, for better or worse, Juan Pablo should be in it.
Sources: US Weekly, Us Weekly
