Beginning on Sep. 28 and concluding on Dec. 7, Bachelor In Paradise season 9 was quite the whirlwind, with only three couples coming out of the The Bachelor and The Bachelorette alums who hit the shores of Sayulita, Mexico this summer: Kylee Russell and Aven Jones, Kat Izzo and John Henry Spurlock, and Eliza Isichei and Aaron Bryant.

Since the show, all three of these couples have split, but Kylee Russell is finally giving fans of The Bachelor franchise the answers to their burning questions regarding Bachelor In Paradise on a recent episode of The Viall Files podcast. In said episode, she even answered one of the most frequently asked questions of the season, which had to do with her relationship with Aven Jones: Were they dating before the show began?

For those who are unfamiliar, Kylee entered the beach on day one, and despite having a spark with Will Urena from season 18 of The Bachelorette — even sharing the first one-on-one date of the season with him — she was always looking out for Aven’s arrival. While she did not confirm or deny any pre-existing relationship at the time, she did admit that he had sent her a fire emoji on Instagram before heading to the beach, something that was discussed over and over again on the show.

When Aven entered the beach just hours after Kylee and Will had their one-on-one date, her head immediately turned, pursuing the hot new bombshell instead. Given how quickly the two lovebirds hit it off, fans of The Bachelor franchise speculated that Kylee and Aven had a pre-existing relationship with one another, and after months and months of mystery, the former Charlotte Hornets dancer finally put the rumors to rest on Jan. 23.

“I’m here to set the record straight. Aven and I never met prior to walking on the beach. That second day I was there, that was the first time we were face to face in the same place… I’ll never forget the night of the premiere of my Bachelor season, Aven had liked my promo picture on Instagram, and I was literally in my apartment and may have screamed just a little bit, and so it kind of just trickled from there. I had liked some back. It was that back and forth, you know the Instagram games, and so I think I liked two, and then it was just that constant back and forth.”

While Kylee and Aven liked each other’s photos on Instagram, seemingly confirming their interest in each other, neither party sent a message, making Bachelor In Paradise the first time that the pair had actually had a conversation with one another.

“He never DMed me… I think literally right before Paradise I posted like a fire picture on my close friends, and I was like ‘If this doesn’t do it to him, nothing will.’ He had sent the ever so famous fire emoji. Even on the plane to Mexico, I posted a picture on my close friends saying like ‘Here goes nothing,’ expecting him to swipe up, saying like ‘See you there.’ Silence.”

​There you have it folks! Despite showing interest in one another prior to Bachelor In Paradise, Kylee Russell and Aven Jones were not dating before hitting the beach.

Fans of The Bachelor franchise can watch the pair’s love story (or lack thereof) blossom from the very beginning by streaming season 9 of Bachelor In Paradise via Hulu. It is jam-packed with juicy drama!

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