If you watched Monday night's episode of The Bachelor, you might have been shocked by a number of things:
Maybe it was the return of Alayah Benavidez, or the way Alayah was able to steal the spotlight after the other women put themselves at risk for CTE, or the fact that there was an entire two-hour episode with no freakin' rose ceremony ...
Whatever the case, the storyline that's getting the most attention in Bachelor Nation today is the unexpected Peter Weber-Victoria Fuller-Chase Rice love triangle.
If, like us, you had no idea who Chase Rice was before last night, it turns out he's a prominent figure in the world of bro-country, a genre which has boldly replaced cowboy hats with flat-brimmed snap-backs.
The Bachelor often plays host to lesser-known country acts, who croon their latest pickup truck ballads to cap off one-on-one dates.
But for Peter and Victoria, the moment was a less romantic than usual for a couple of reasons:
For one thing, the date consisted of a rainy day at a theme park in Sandusky, Ohio.
On top of that, the guy Dodge Ram balladeer of the moment was an ex-boyfriend of Victoria's ex-boyfriend.
Yes, in a moment that was almost certainly orchestrated by the show's producers, Victoria found herself being serenaded by a former flame as she danced with a guy whom she'd come to think of as future husband material.
(Peter suggesting that Chase might one day sing as he exchanges vows with Victoria was one the show's all-time cringiest moments.)
Obviously, the encounter left us with a lot of questions -- fortunately, Chase answered many of them in a radio interview this morning.
"I was pissed. I was really pissed off to be honest," said Rice on Seattle's Fitz In the Morning show.
"I was just going there to try and promote 'Lonely If You Are,' and 'Eyes On You,' and I wanted nothing to do with ... If there's anything I've ever wanted, it's to have nothing to do with the drama of that show."
Wow. Fans speculated that Chase was in on the surprise, but clearly that's not the case.
In coming clean to Peter (Was it just us, or did she make way too big a deal out of the whole thing?), Victoria said that she and Chase had "dated," but she was vague about how the seriousness of their relationship.
Rice was much more specific in his remarks:
"I know her, we spent a night together in Charlotte. She's a cool chick from what I know of her. I got no problem with her, I got no problem with him," the singer continued.
"I knew she was going on the show. I was still surprised. I was still pretty surprised. I told my manager and my publicist and they were like 'Don't even worry about that. They're not going to do that to you, that's a weird coincidence but they’re not going to, there's no way they’re going to do that to you.'"
Yes, Chase seems to be suggesting that he and Victoria had a one-night stand -- although it's worth noting that they seemed pretty familiar with one another when they interacted on the show.
"I didn't expect it, but at the end of the day it happened," he went on.
"I don’t know if it's the producers, or if they just got lucky as hell. I know what I think, but I'll let everybody figure out what they think."
Asked if he would ever consider being the Bachelor, Chase made his disdain for the franchise abundantly clear:
"Unless they paid me a billion dollars," he said.
"I'd do it for a billion dollars," he added. "Give me a billion and I'll do it."
Calm down, Chase.
It's worth mentioning that this guy was a contestant on Survivor a few seasons back, and before last night, most of America probably thought Chase Rice was some sort of spicy Thai dish, so we're guessing dude would go on the show for a lot less than a billion.
Anyway, if you've been keeping up on spoilers, you know that this is just the first of many Victoria Fuller surprises awaiting Peter this season.
Best of luck, bro!
