Over the last seven weeks, Bachelorette Rachel Lindsay has sent home two-timer DeMario Jackson, here-for-the-wrong-reasons Lucas “WhaBoom” Yancey and more than two dozen other potential grooms without batting an eye.
But after her hometown dates with Dean Unglert, Eric Bigger, Bryan Abasolo and Peter Kraus on the Monday, July 17 episode, the star struggled with goodbye, says pal and Bachelor Nation fan-favorite Alexis Waters. (Watch the beauty spill all in the video above!)
“She loved her top four guys,” Waters, who competed for Nick Viall’s heart on season 21, exclusively tells Us Weekly. “She was really nervous.”
Lindsay’s heart especially ached for Unglert. During his shocking date in Aspen, the startup recruiter, 26, tried to reconnect with his estranged dad, but as viewers witnessed, the reunion was far from rosy. “Dean, she always cared for,” says the dolphin enthusiast. “She was so protective of him.”
Now as the proverbial journey nears its end, Waters is making her final predictions. (Refresher: An emotional Lindsay cut Unglert, leaving Kraus, Abasolo and Bigger in the running for future Mr. Lindsay.) “I think she has a really strong connection with Peter and Bryan and Eric, too but I think her and Eric are more like friendship,” the New Jersey native explains. “They have a really good mutual respect for each other but I don’t see the sexual chemistry like there is with Peter and Bryan.”
Though the drama will surely continue, one thing is certain: Lindsay got her fairy tale ending. She’s creepily happy,” jokes Waters. “Every time I hang out with her she’s talking about him 24/7. . . .She’s in love.”
For more on Waters, watch the video above and catch her on Bachelor In Paradise, premiering on ABC Monday, August 14th. The Bachelorette airs Mondays at 8 p.m. ET.