Monday night’s episode of The Bachelor aired with plenty of drama, a large chunk of which revolved around the pre-show relationship between Alayah Benavidez and Victoria Paul. Although both women admitted to know each other through their time on the pageant circuit, their descriptions of their relationship were totally at odds. Unfortunately, the differing stories made it difficult for Peter Weber to trust either contestant.
On last week’s episode, Alayah was the target of major hate from the majority of women in the house. Fellow contestants accused her of being fake, of “turning it on” for the camera, and of coming on the show for the opportunities rather than the chance to build a relationship. Although Weber asked nearly every woman in the house about Alayah, he seemed inclined to believe that she was being genuine…until he talked to one of his front runners, Victoria Paul. When Victoria explained that she knew Alayah from her time in pageants, she also told Weber that Alayah asked her to lie about their relationship to producers. Victoria simultaneously stated that she had a very shallow relationship and had spent “maybe three hours” with her fellow contestant. The news of Alayah’s supposed lies hurt Weber, and he sent her home during the following rose ceremony. This week, however, Alayah returned to set the record straight, particularly regarding her relationship with Victoria. According to Alayah, the two women were fairly close friends before the show, even planning a trip to Vegas together a few months prior. Victoria maintained that while the two women were friendly and had pals in common, she wouldn’t describe them as friends.
So what is the truth regarding Victoria and Alayah’s relationship? According to Cheat Sheet, this partnership definitely runs a little deeper than Victoria expressed. A quick Instagram search reveals that the two women attended the same Sheri Hill event all the way back in 2018. In the caption of her pictures – one of which features Victoria - Alayah wrote, “I can’t wait to take on Miss USA with all of these beauties.” Later, in May 2019, Alayah wrote another caption about her fellow Miss USA competitors, saying, “Even though I did not walk away with the title of Miss USA, I walked away with 50 beautiful friendships that will last me my entire life. These girls are so supportive and wonderful and it never once felt like a competition with all of these beauties cheering each other on.” Although the minor evidence is far from damning, add it on top of the admittance from both women that they went to Vegas together and it’s clear their relationship spanned much longer than three hours.
In addition to Cheat Sheet’s social media evidence, Reality Steve posted his own proof of Victoria and Alayah’s relationship. His information included numerous social media images of the two of them in Vegas, pictures from Miss USA where Alayah and Victoria are standing together, and many complimentary comments from Victoria on Alayah’s Instagram photos. The popular spoiler columnist claimed that Bachelor producers likely pushed Victoria to misrepresent her relationship with Alayah, and once she realized it was a bad idea she couldn’t take back what she said. Whatever her motives were, Steve’s evidence clearly shows that the two women had a decently friendly relationship.
It’s fair to admit that none of this evidence suggests that Victoria and Alayah were best friends. However, there’s quite a bit of space between “best friends” and “we spent three hours together.” Considering the fact that the women were at an event together all the way in 2018 and then went to Vegas in early 2019, it’s likely that they spent much more than three hours together. Whether Victoria considered Alayah a close friend or not is beside the point. She misrepresented their relationship, which makes it difficult for Weber to trust anything else she says moving forward.
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The Bachelor airs Mondays at 8pm EST on ABC.
Source: Cheat Sheet, Reality Steve
