From friends to foes. Rachel Lindsay and Raven Gates are not the first Bachelor alums to become friends while filming the show, but their subsequent feud has been one of the biggest mysteries in the franchise’s history.
The attorney and the Grey Suede boutique owner met during Nick Viall’s season 21 of The Bachelor, which filmed in late 2016 and aired from January 2017 to March 2017. Lindsay finished in third place, while Gates was the runner-up. (Vanessa Grimaldi got engaged to the leading man, but they called it quits in August 2017.)
Although Lindsay and Gates did not find love on the ABC reality show, their tight bond with one another was evident when the Miss Me With That author was named the season 13 Bachelorette.
“My day one, my soul friend, my person!! Not only is she making history by being the first African American female to have a bachelor/ette lead BUT she is MORE than that!!” Gates wrote via Instagram in 2017. “To list all of her attributes and qualities that I love would be too long to type. America will soon find out that She IS laughter. She IS friendship. And she IS LOVE. I am ALWAYS in your corner Rach! I love you so much!! Now go show America what they’ve been missing!!!! & bring home the Love of your Life!!!!!!”
Despite their once close relationship, fans noticed that the Bachelor in Paradise alum was not present for Lindsay’s August 2019 wedding to Bryan Abasolo, prompting questions about where the former pals stood. The Extra correspondent confirmed in September 2019 that she and Gates had a falling out.
The following month, Viall weighed in on the feud while appearing on Lindsay’s “Bachelor Happy Hour” podcast.
“I quite like Raven. This is not about me criticizing Raven because I don’t like her; I think she’s great. I think she’s great in person,” the former Bachelor said in October 2019. “I think sometimes the characters she portrays herself to be on the TV show and on Instagram is totally full of s–t and lying and bulls–t, and I think she talks s–t about people all the time, and I think that’s totally fine. I don’t like when people sometimes pretend to be a certain way.”
Viall added that Gates “had a bit of a dark side to her” and “could be manipulative and all those things and the whole picture of Raven that was charming.”
Scroll through the gallery below for a full breakdown of Lindsay and Gates’ friendship and eventual falling out:
Source: Source: Cinema Blend
