Bachelor in Paradise's Derek Peth Calls Rival John Paul Jones' Comments About Him 'Disgusting'
Derek Peth may not have left Paradise with a fiancée, but he certainly had his share of drama.
The 32-year-old commercial banker initially fell for Demi Burnett on ABC’s Bachelor in Paradise, but after she got back together with girlfriend Kristian Haggerty, he set his sights on Tayshia Adams, thus beginning a feud with fellow contestant John Paul Jones, who was also interested in Adams.
During a heated exchange at Chris Randone and Krystal Nielson’s wedding, Jones accused Peth of manipulating Adams and “taking advantage” of women he encounters on social media.
“Saying I take advantage of women is a powerful statement, and this is super disgusting,” Peth tells PEOPLE. “It’s really gross when people use language that is about abuse and shouldn’t be used in that respect. There are people out there who really are being taken advantage of.”
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With regards to Jones, Peth says his feelings for Adams clouded his rationality.
“Jealousy is crazy,” says Peth. “He himself called the ‘facts’ not the facts on camera. I think he was taking all the things he had done and putting them on me because he was ashamed of them. He kissed three girls in three days!”
Nonetheless, “I don’t wish him ill will,” says Peth. “I hope he lets go of [the past]. And if he wants to say something to me in a positive way, I would be open to that because I would love to help him move past that. I don’t want him to hold onto negativity. But somebody who does that is never going to be a part of my life.”
As far as Adams and Burnett, Peth has no bitterness.
“You can’t tell people how to feel,” he says of his two breakups. “What good does it do to react in a crazy way? If there is an open-ended answer, continue to try. But if somebody knows, let them go and find your own person.”
RELATED: Bachelor in Paradise Exes Demi Burnett and Derek Peth Are Friends — and She Wants Him for Bachelor!
And Peth hopes to do just that — soon.
“I haven’t dated at all since Paradise,” he says. “But I’m very ready!”
The season finale of Bachelor in Paradise airs Tuesday at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.
