Bachelor Nation will remember Caila Quinn from season 20 of The Bachelor back in 2016, when she was one of the many women trying to win the heart of 26-year-old Ben Higgins, the tall and handsome software salesman from Warsaw, Indiana. Since then, Caila has made appearances on other shows, including Bachelor in Paradise, and moved on in life for good!
But Caila has certainly had some ups and downs during and after her time on season 20.
What happened to Caila during and after her appearance on The Bachelor?
Ben Higgin’s Bachelor season was memorable for many reasons — from filming in exotic locations like Pig Island in the Bahamas to the celebrity cameos from comedian Kevin Hart and soccer star Alex Morgan to the contestants themselves, which in season 20, even included a set of twins.
Caila was one of those contestants, and she immediately bonded with Ben over their careers. Caila, then 25 years old, also worked in software as a sales representative. Hailing from Ohio, Caila was proud of her heritage, being half Filipino and half German, Irish, and Swiss.
While Caila made it to the final three, she ultimately lost to fellow contestant Lauren Bushnell, whom Ben proposed to, and later moved in with in Denver (although the couple split within one year). During that season’s “Women Tell All” episode, Caila expressed no ill will against Ben.
“Ben is amazing, and he made me feel really comfortable. And I fell in love with him.”
However, the experience was painful for Caila, and she shared with host Chris Harrison how “it was really hard to feel like I really was in love with somebody. To feel it and to say it, and then for him to say that he never loved me back was really hard.”
After season 20 ended, Caila thought the worst was over when she was almost chosen to star in the twelfth season of The Bachelorette. Caila went so far as to film introductory packages for the series and did several screen tests. However, Caila was dropped shortly before filming, with the producers opting to replace her with her fellow season 20 contestant Joelle “JoJo” Fletcher.
But Caila was still determined to find love with Bachelor Nation. Even though she hadn’t been chosen for The Bachelorette, she took a spot in the third season of Bachelor In Paradise, hoping to find love in the exotic beach location, and bond with other cast members, strengthening her ties to the community.
What happened to Caila Quinn on Bachelor in Paradise?
Unfortunately, Bachelor in Paradise threw Caila yet another curveball, and she’s since spoken out about how hard the experience was for her. Early in the show, Caila mentioned in confessions that Jared Haibon, of The Bachelorette season 11, had caught her eye.
However, Jared had already been on the second season of Bachelor in Paradise, where he had a relationship with Ashley Iaconetti from season 19 of The Bachelor, featuring farmer Chris Soules. The two ultimately decided not to pursue a relationship, and Jared insisted to Caila that Ashley was just his friend. Throughout the season, Caila picked up on the fact that Ashley and Jared weren’t really over. Ashley even admitted that she still had strong feelings for Jared.
This created an immense amount of stress for Caila, causing tension between her and Ashley, and ultimately fracturing her relationship with Jared. Despite the chaos of their relationship, Caila did leave Bachelor in Paradise with Jared, choosing to pursue their burgeoning relationship. This choice was a major blow for Ashley, who claimed Caila broke the “girl code.” The love triangle divided fans, with some vilifying Caila as even some fellow contestants chose to ostracize her.
Unsurprisingly, she and Jared broke up shortly after the show ended, which was followed by Ashley and Jared reconciling and getting engaged by June 2018. They married in 2019 and had a son together in 2022.
Caila has been outspoken about highlighting her tough time on Bachelor in Paradise, even saying on her Instagram Story that it was the worst experience of her life. Caila explained she was devastated by the isolation she experienced and was hurt by how many of the people she thought were friends chose to abandon her due to her choice to leave the show with Jared.
What is Caila doing now?
Even though Caila has faced many hardships, she’s finally found her happy ending, albeit far away from Bachelor Nation. After stepping away from her life as a reality TV contestant, she found love with Nick Burrello, a real estate investor from Chicago, in 2017. The lovebirds married in 2021 and have a daughter together. The family now lives in Austin, Texas, and Caila has made a successful career for herself as an influencer, working with many fashion and retail brands.