‘BIP’: Joe Assures Serena She’s His ‘Main Priority’ After His Ex Kendall Arrives

All eyes were on Joe Amabile when his ex, Kendall Long, arrived on this week's 'Bachelor in Paradise' -- just as his new relationship with Serena Pitt was heating up.

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September 6, 2021 8:38PM EDT
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BACHELOR IN PARADISE - ABC's "Bachelor in Paradise" stars Abigail. (ABC/Craig Sjodin)
BACHELOR IN PARADISE - “708” – Heading into the long-awaited cocktail party, five women prepare to be sent home, but first, they’ll have to make it through one of the craziest nights in Paradise history. Starting off with a bang, the beach’s most controversial couple faces a reckoning they can’t come back from. Then, one couple pays a visit to the Boom Boom Room, another endures a birthday breakup of epic proportions, and one unlucky lady gets a second chance at love, all before the rose ceremony even begins. When the roses are finally handed out, there’s one more surprise in store…WHAT?! Lil Jon has arrived as the next guest host and he’s not playing around, OKAY? In fact, he brought a whole new batch of guys with him who will make their entrances soon. Later, as a new day begins, it feels like a fresh start in Paradise. But is there more hope or heartbreak on the horizon for these beachgoers? Only time will tell on “Bachelor in Paradise,” TUESDAY, SEPT. 14 (8:00-10:01 p.m. EDT), on ABC. (ABC/Craig Sjodin) THOMAS, REBECCA KUFRIN
BACHELOR IN PARADISE - “705” – Watch out Paradise, there’s a storm brewing. As the women prepare to hand out their roses, nerves are getting the better of the men. But just when the future seems written, guest host Lance Bass has one more surprise up his sleeve, and it’s a big one. For the first time, a Bachelorette has made her way to Mexico and Becca Kufrin – rose in hand – is bringing the heat to the beach. Is that all? Not a chance. More familiar faces will make their entrances and the remaining couples will be put to the test, none more than Joe and Serena who will face their biggest challenge yet … and her name is Kendall, on “Bachelor in Paradise,” TUESDAY, AUG. 31 (8:00-10:01 p.m. EDT), on ABC. (ABC/Craig Sjodin) ABIGAIL, NOAH
Image Credit: ABC

Kendall Long and Joe Amabile reunited when she arrived to Mexico on the Sept. 6 episode of Bachelor in Paradise. The exes met on season five of the show and were together for more than a year before splitting in Jan. 2020. Joe came back to Paradise this season to find love once again, and he was well on his way thanks to a hot new romance with Serena Pitt. However, Kendall had a different idea in mind.

“We still loved each other when we broke up and I feel like this is the last time I can have a conversation with him and find out what we’re really meant to be before Joe finds someone else,” Kendall explained in a confessional. “I still love joe and I hope he still has love for me.” Immediately upon arriving, Kendall pulled Joe aside to have a talk.

She started by telling him that she was doing “okay” but not great, and admitted that she was surprised to see how well he was doing. Joe told Kendall that he almost left Paradise after the first few hours, because being on the beach brought up so many memories of where he fell in love with her. “We were really in love, and for me, it hasn’t been easy,” he said.

joe amabile serena pitt
Grocery Store Joe and Serena Pitt on ‘BIP.’ (ABC)

“It’s difficult for me to not have you be a part of my life,” Kendall told Joe. “I do want you in my life. You’re a special part of my life and I want you to be in my life in some capacity. It’s hard not to have that. You try to move on, but for some reason it doesn’t feel right. It’s hard.” Kendall and Joe broke up because they couldn’t agree on where to live, which she said made the breakup harder for her. “We broke up, not because we didn’t love each other, but because of logistics,” she revealed. “That’s what’s difficult for me. Something doesn’t really feel done.”

Meanwhile, Serena had to watch all of this go down while sitting just a few feet away. She began crying as she opened up about how she felt about it. “Everyone has exes, that’s completely normal, but rarely do you have to explore a relationship with someone when their ex is just ten feet away,” she said. “I don’t want this to get in Joe’s head and ruin a good thin we have going. It’s just a lot.”
Joe filled Kendall in about his relationship with Serena and admitted that he really liked her. Then, the conversation turned to discussing the breakup. Joe explained that he was upset with Kendall for not at least trying to live in Chicago like he wanted. However, she insisted that she knew she would never settle down there, so she didn’t see a point in it. “I didn’t change my mind [about wanting to move there], and I think you were hoping that I would,” Kendall explained.
Joe Amabile and Kendall Long
Joe Amabile and Kendall Long before their breakup. (Shutterstock)
“Your whole thing was that you didn’t want to move anywhere for a man,” Joe said. “I should’ve been more than just ‘a man’ at that point. We could’ve tried it.” He also told Kendall that he “liked” where he was at with Serena, but didn’t know where it was going to lead just yet. In a confessional, he added, ” I don’t know if I still love Kendall. I have something going on with Serena that I don’t want to just throw away. I like where that’s going. This is messy. I don’t know what to do in this situation. I’m confused now, and this is going to be a problem.”
Afterward, Joe pulled Serena aside to explain what was happening. “She initially started it off like she was coming back here for me,” he explained. “But she ended it [by saying] that she wants closure so we can be friends so she can date here. So there’s clearly some kind of misunderstanding between her and I still as far as why she’s even here, because it kind of sounded like both.”
He continued, “I’m assuming we’re going to be having more conversations that I’m going to have to have. It’s just going to be weird. I don’t know what to tell you. Coming into this experience, I told myself that I was over her. But being back here now with her there, I don’t want to mislead you in case I’m not. I also don’t want this to potentially ruin your chances here if this just ends up getting too messy and you’re uncomfortable.”
Serena was hesitant after hearing that, but Joe assured her that he was all-in on their relationship. “I don’t know what’s going to happen,” he said. “It’s going to be weird, but right now, you are my main priority. I really, really like you and I want to see where this goes.” Serena double-checked with Joe that he was 100 percent over Kendall, and he insisted that he was. She also asked him to be completely honest with her if that changes at any point in the process, and they agreed to continue seeing where their relationship would go.
However, she was still a little anxious and upset about the situation. “I feel so vulnerable to getting hurt now,” she admitted, while wiping away tears in a confessional. “I don’t see myself walking away. That leaves the ball in his court. That’s really scary.”