It's the phrase that reverberates through frat halls across the nation: bros before hoes. And it seems, indeed, that, ahem, male friendships dominated over romance on Tuesday night's Bachelor in Paradise, where one contestant was dealt a round of whiplash from Dr. Joe, who went from bedazzled to bewildered by Natasha in less time than it takes to guzzle a giant margarita. (Which, if you're Natasha after this BiP run, should be no more than five seconds, truly.)
It started beautifully enough — with a date card and a dream. Dr. Joe and Natasha bonded over a Mexican dinner that would make Chili's cry, the former absolutely stunned by the fact that Natasha had yet to find another half at the resort.
"How would you still not be attached?" he asked Natasha, before she clarified that Brendan (of Brendan and Pieper infamy) had "completely jeopardized this experience for me."
"Brendan?" Dr. Joe responded. "My Brendan?"
The words "my" and "Brendan" in the same sentence together should have been enough of clue that things were about to go as haywire as a birthday on the beach, but it was an incredulous response that would seem almost charming — no one wants to think ill of their best buddy, especially one who he had posted an IG video with just prior to the episode's run. But then, the moment completely unraveled with Natasha's further explanation of the clout chasing heard 'round the world.
Let us take a look at the carefully phrased poetry from Dr. Joe that followed:
I didn't know they were dating dating ... um ... I mean, listen. I love Brendan. But also, I understand, honestly where you are coming from. And I'm sorry that you went through that. It's not what you came here for. It's not what you wanted out of it. And, um, yea, it's, um — um, it had to be Brendan, huh. It had to be Brendan. But, um, still, however it came to be. But this is the point, like, right? I think you're beautiful, and, un, we'll be here, and I think just organically, what will be will be. And find your true, find your happiness. So yeah, I say we just let it ride, and then just be.
If you couldn't see Dr. Joe's shift in his words, you could certainly see it in his face. Here's a play-by-play:
Going from "how are you single?" to "find your happiness" within one paragraph? That's a tonal shift that would make Greg Grippo proud.
Does it mean that Dr. Joe simply insists on putting his friend before anyone else? Or was it all a carefully crafted narrative to try to shield the fact that Dr. Joe might have known about Brendan and Pieper all along?
Either way, Dr. Joe, grab the defibrillators: one does not easily come back to life on Bachelor in Paradise after wronging Natasha.