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Dean Unglert Is Heading to Bachelor in Paradise: Why He Decided to Join the Show

Exclusive: After being sent home by Rachel on The Bachelorette, Dean Unglert tells E! News why he decided to join Bachelor in Paradise

By Tierney Bricker Jul 18, 2017 7:49 PMTags
Watch: Why Dean Unglert Joined "Bachelor in Paradise"

Meet Paradise's most eligible Bachelor.

While he didn't end up getting Rachel Lindsay's final rose on The Bachelorette, Dean Unglert is still going to be looking for love on TV this summer, as ABC announced the fan-favorite will be a cast member of Bachelor in Paradise when it premieres on Monday, Aug. 14. And given Dean's vulnerability, buzzed-about hometown date and huge online following, we think the 26-year-old is going to be quite the hot commodity among the ladies in Mexico. 

After his heartbreaking exit in Monday night's episode, E! New sat down with Dean, who explained why he signed up for Bachelor in Paradise so soon after The Bachelorette.

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"I think that in the back of our head we all kind of want to find the one," Dean said of the decision to join the cast, "So if this is another opportunity then better...but I was just more sold on the fun experience that we could have in Paradise. I think we all had a good amount of fun. I'll be excited to see it all play back." 

But was Dean really over Rachel when he hopped on a flight to Mexico? "I had some time to clear my head and move on," Dean said, adding he had about "a month and a half" in between the filming of the two shows. 

While he was ready to move on, Dean didn't have any ladies from previous seasons in mind prior to filming.

Josh Vertucci/ABC

"I was never really a big fan of the show," Dean said. "So I really didn't know much about Nick [Viall]'s girls or even Ben [Higgins]' girls or anything like that. But I was really excited to see a lot of the guys from my show!"

Aside from some of the other men from Rachel's season, Dean also revealed he bonded with some of the contestants from earlier seasons of The Bachelorette, including JoJo Fletcher's runner-up Robby Hayes and Ben Zorn from Kaitlyn Bristowe's season.

To hear more from Dean about Bachelor in Paradise, including whether or not he's been in touch with DeMario Jackson following the controversy that shut down production, watch our interview above. 

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Here's the full cast list for the new season: 

Raven Gates of The Bachelor season 21 (Nick)
Corinne Olympios of The Bachelor season 21 (Nick)
Amanda Stanton of The Bachelor season 20 (Ben) and Bachelor in Paradise season 3
Alexis Waters of The Bachelor season 21 (Nick)
Derek Peth of The Bachelorette season 12 (JoJo)
DeMario Jackson of The Bachelorette season 13 (Rachel)
Lacey Mark of The Bachelor season 21 (Nick)
Kristina Schulman of The Bachelor season 21 (Nick)
Nick "St. Nick" Benvenutti of The Bachelorette season 12 (JoJo)
Danielle Maltby of The Bachelor season 21 (Nick)
Taylor Nolan of The Bachelor season 21 (Nick)
Robby Hayes of The Bachelorette season 12 (JoJo)
Ben Zorn of The Bachelorette season 11 (Kaitlyn)
Jasmine Goode of The Bachelor season 21 (Nick)
Vinny Ventiera of The Bachelorette season 12 (JoJo) and Bachelor in Paradise season 3
Alex Woytkiw of The Bachelorette season 12 (JoJo)

Bachelor in Paradise premieres Monday, Aug. 14 at 8 p.m. on ABC. The Bachelorette airs Mondays at 8 p.m. on ABC.