Plus, Tayshia also addressed her tearful breakups with Riley and Blake.
Not many men are eliminated twice from The Bachelorette (we're still trying to get over our Luke Parker PTSD, OK?) -- but Bennett Jordan is one of them. The standout contestant returned on last week's episode of The Bachelorette, telling Tayshia Adams that he was shocked to be eliminated on a two-on-one with Noah Erb, and that he was in love with her.
Tayshia invited Bennett to the following rose ceremony, where she sent him home without so much as a conversation at a cocktail party (she canceled it). The pair next came face-to-face at Monday's Men Tell All.
"That was really, really tough -- kind of feeling like I had the rug pulled out from underneath me was one of the hardest things I've ever been through. I spent 24, 36 hours crying," Bennett recalled. "I was very insecure and super nervous, but at least wanted to tell you how I felt and what I had come to. And then the cocktail party was canceled and I was sent home. It was really, really tough without any sort of explanation."
"I'd love to hear your thoughts. I'm a big boy, maybe you just weren't that into me. But I'm curious," he added.
Tayshia admitted she was "caught off guard" by Bennett's return.
"It was a lot to take in at that moment. I had just come off of a date, and I wanted to give you the respect also of thinking about it. I didn't want to say goodbye to you just then and there, because I respected those words from you and I respect you," she shared. "But we just weren't exactly there yet. And there were relationships that had formed and were a little bit stronger at the time."
"I understand. It's tough," Bennett offered, as Tayshia apologized again.
The Bachelorette also addressed her more dramatic goodbyes to Blake Moynes and Riley Christian, which played out earlier on Monday's episode.
Tayshia told Blake that she subconsciously put a wall up against Blake to protect herself after he revealed early on that he still had feelings for Clare Crawley. "I didn't want to start investing... what if I was blindsided because you couldn't get over that?" she asked. "So, in that moment, I just didn't know if we could get there."
"When it comes down to it, I can only say amazing things about you," Blake shared. "That was brutal for the longest time."
Then, Riley had a chance to address his breakup with Tayshia.
"I've tried my best to just try to get it out of my mind. Seeing it right now, it just brought everything back, and I feel like I did myself a disservice by waiting so long to tell you exactly who I was," Riley said.
"I realized when I got home, I fell hard, way harder than what I thought I would," he continued, explaining he didn't "move" for the first week after being home. However, he also praised Tayshia, saying he appreciated their relationship.
"Like I said then, you're incredible," Tayshia shared, tearing up. "And I don't want you to think that -- everybody has things in their past. Everybody has things ... they're scared to open up about, but that can't hold you back."
The Bachelorette continues Tuesday at 8 p.m. ET/PT on ABC, and next week, with a two-night finale on Monday and Tuesday.
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