If you have been keeping up with Bachelor In Paradise season 9, you might have caught onto a nickname that the contestants consistently use to reference blonde bombshell Jess Girod, calling her “Baby Jess” repeatedly during their time on the beach.
For those who are unfamiliar with the Bachelor Nation beauty, she first graced our television screens as a member of The Bachelor, vying for the heart of Zach Shallcross during season 27. Her official biography from her time on the show reads, “Jess is a sweet soul from Orlando, Florida, who says Zach is her dream man! While Jess is one of the younger women, she is mature, knows what she wants in a partner and doesn’t want to settle for anything less than her soul mate. Jess describes herself as a hopeless romantic and is ready for her fairytale romance worthy of a Taylor Swift love song. Jess comes from a big Puerto Rican family and hopes Zach is ready for her to spice up his life. Jess hopes Zach is as excited about her as she is about him!”
Although Jess was eliminated in week six on The Bachelor, she sure made a splash (no pun intended) by joining the cast of Bachelor In Paradise season 9, instantaneously sparking up a connection with Blake Moynes, despite Sean McLaughlin trying time and time again to pursue her (using the fact that they’re both Swifties as a means for flirting).
While things seemed to be smooth sailing between Jess and Blake, things quickly took a turn during the episode on November 30, where the duo ended up terminating their relationship once and for all — yikes!
After his ex-fiancé and former The Bachelorette lead, Katie Thurston, hit the beach, Blake Moynes got the clarity he needed, determining that his relationship with Jess Girod was nowhere near where it should be during that point in the competition — after all, proposals are just a few days away!
Because of this, Jess and Blake amicably split from one another, in what might have been the most mature breakup in the history of Bachelor In Paradise. Given that Jess is only 24 years old, she has garnered the nickname “Baby Jess” (as mentioned previously), but after showing so much poise in her breakup with Blake, is it fair to continue to call her that?
After showing some disdain towards those who call her “Baby Jess” during the infamous Bachelor In Paradise roast battle a few episodes prior, the bartender of the show, Wells Adams, weighed in on the situation, determining whether or not this nickname is actually offensive. Keep scrolling to see his opinion for yourself…
Kicking off the conversation, Kristen Baldwin at Entertainment Weekly asked, “Given how everyone on the beach called her “Baby Jess,” were you surprised at how mature and thoughtful she was about her breakup with Blake?”
Wells put the rumors to rest, determining that this nickname was never really an insult towards Jess, it was simply because she was the youngest individual on Bachelor In Paradise all season long.
“I think that nickname really just derives from her literal age,” the Bachelor In Paradise bartender dished. Just because someone is young doesn’t mean they aren’t emotionally mature. I mean look at me, I’m almost 40 and still do a lot of fart jokes at the bar! I found her to be incredibly evolved and was really proud of how she handled herself with Blake.”
He concluded with an ear-to-ear grin, “Everyone is rooting for ‘Baby Jess!'”
Heading into the finale of Bachelor In Paradise season 9 with no real connections on the beach (despite giving her rose to Tanner Courtad, indicating that she wants to explore their relationship further), what does the future have in store for Jess Girod? Tune into the last episode of the show on Thursday, December 7, to find out for yourself…