Watch: Is Rachael Kirkconnell Dating a Contestant From Taylor Frankie Paul’s Bachelorette Season? She Says…
Rachael Kirkconnell loves Shane Parton, but loves him not.
Although the pair raised eyebrows with their vacation outings in the months since Taylor Frankie Paul’s season of The Bachelorette—which Parton competed on—was shelved, Kirkconnell is trying to prevent unnecessary rumors from hitting full bloom.
Maintaining she’s “not really” dating anyone at the moment, the Bachelor alum shared insight into how she and Parton instead became fast friends.
“We actually grew up in the same area,” Kirkconnell explained during an Oct. 22 appearance on the Scrubbing In podcast. “He’s great, he’s the best. I think he’s an incredible guy. He’s one of my good friends.”
Plus, the 30-year-old pointed to another rosy rumor keeping her from pursuing a possible relationship.
“There’s a lot of chit-chat, a little chatter about him maybe being the lead for the next season,” Kirkconnell revealed. “I don’t know.”
And while Kirkconnell met ex Matt James on The Bachelor, with them breaking up four years after their bumpy road beyond the final rose, she’s not interested in being asked if she’ll accept any more roses.
“Don’t get me wrong, he’s a great guy,” she reasoned. “I could definitely see myself going on a date or two with him, figuring things out, I just don’t want to cross that line. We spend time together and everything but again, that sounds messy right now.”
As for whether Kirkconnell would ever consider handing out roses of her own on The Bachelorette? She’s still plucking the petals.
“I always say never say never but I don’t know,” she admitted. “It’s so different nowadays. I feel like back then I do think people were going on there with the hope of finding a spark, I don’t know if it’s like that anymore.”
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When it comes to new participants in Bachelor Nation, Kirkconnell posited, “I think a lot of people are in it for just themselves.”
Not that that is always a bad thing. After all, Kirkconnell admitted that the nearly two-years since her breakup from James in 2025, she’s learned to put herself first.
“It’s hard being in the lead’s shadow,” she reflected. “I feel like even when we got back together and we were together for years, I still felt like that. I didn’t know if I could ever stand up on my own. I thought people only did like me because of the relationship so it was scary not being in said relationship anymore.”
But now, “I think being able to stand up on my own two feet and show a little bit more of just who I am not like who I am in this relationship, that’s been fun.”
For a pulse check on all the Bachelor Nation couples, keep reading…
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