'BiP's Jill Explains Her Pre-Paradise Relationship With Romeo and Her 'Unexpected' Connection With Jacob

Jill Chin
ABC/Craig Sjodin

The reality star also discussed her 'unexpected' connection with Jacob.

Jill is revealing the full extent of her history with Romeo. ET spoke to the Bachelor in Paradise star on Thursday, and she broke down when she met Romeo, the status of their relationship before they hit the beach, and what ultimately led to their downfall.

"So Kira and I and a couple of the other girls from the season met Romeo when we were in New York," Jill told ET. "At first, it was just friend vibes, and then it was flirty friend vibes."

Even when some flirting began and "there was definitely some interest" in Romeo from both women, the trio stayed "really good friends," according to Jill.

"We never really crossed that line. We never kissed, we never went on a date, nothing like that," Jill said of herself and Romeo. "So, then when I found out that [Romeo and Kira] had kissed in the club, I was a little hurt, because they didn't tell me about it. The trust was broken at that point."

Even so, Jill said that she, Kira and Romeo had "squashed the beef" before they all arrived on the beach.

"I talked to both of them and it was fine. I thought we were fine, but we all just decided to go our separate ways," Jill said. "... Then when I showed up to the beach, it was definitely a bit of a shock that this was all resurfacing again, because I thought that we were going to be fine."

Jill was shocked that the love triangle was built back up, mostly because she didn't expect to see Romeo on the beach at all.

"I had heard a rumor he was going to go to Bachelor in Paradise Canada, so I was like, 'Oh, sweet. I'm chilling,'" Jill said. "... And then when I saw him come down and I saw Kira come down, I'm like, 'Oh, this might actually have to be a conversation.'" 

When they had that conversation, Jill was surprised to learn that "he was still interested in me romantically, because I hadn't talked to him for months and months."

After that talk, Jill thought she'd reopened the door to a potential romance with Romeo, so she found it "really crazy" when he started showing interest in Kira and Brittany.

"Romeo had decided, 'OK, I want to pursue you.' I'm like, 'Fine,'" she recalled. "I wanted to see actions from him. He was very much not giving me the time of day... I just didn't see him show up for me."

"And then he goes and pulls Brittany right in front of my face. I had no idea, no one had any idea, that he'd wanted to speak to Brittany," Jill added. "If I had known that, and if he hadn't pursued me so strongly, then that would've been a different story. I would've been more understanding... but don't tell me one thing and then go and do another thing in front of my face."

Ultimately, Romeo burned bridges with all three ladies, though he did try to repair stuff with Jill by offering her a rose and telling her she was free to use it to pursue him or someone else.

"He tried to repair things, but once I give someone a second, third, fourth chance, I really have to shut the door firmly and be serious about it," Jill said. "I wanted to be able to give myself some time to explore other connections, because the whole first week I was just focused on that connection."

The first person to catch her attention was Rodney, whom she called "the sweetest, brightest light ever" with an energy that "is just unmatched." The problem? Lace also had her eye on him.

"I was definitely interested, but I'm so afraid of confrontation, so I'm just pouty about it. Will I do something about it? I don't know," Jill said. "It's going to be interesting to watch next week. You'll definitely be able to see some of that happen."

But, according to next week's preview, Jill will also start to build a connection with Jacob when they have a naked date together.

"That is a super unexpected couple, I think, for both of us. I had totally written him off from the first day I saw him. I was like, 'That dude is not for me. Absolutely not,'" she admitted. "But then we end up having a really sweet connection and I think people should be really excited about seeing that kind of blossom and see a different side to both of us."

Even if that date leads to a good relationship, it won't be without its bumps, as, later this season, the women will be forced to leave the beach to make room for some new ladies.

"The twist was really, really hard on me... You see the lineup of women and you're like, 'Oh, my God... They're fresh from the AC, they're looking really good and we look like dogs. We've been living on the beach forever,'" she recalled. "We were sad because that place had become our home, so to have to leave our guys and have to have them [with] all this temptation, it was really tough."

"You'll see me probably spiral a bit trying to grapple with that change, but I think we all handled it in very different ways," Jill teased. "It was very unexpected."

Following all of the ups and downs of Paradise, Jill told ET, "I'm happy today."

"Paradise was the craziest experience of my life and I'm so grateful to have been able to do that. But... it was tough," she said. "You'll see how it ends up for me, but I am happy today."

Season 8 of Bachelor in Paradise airs Mondays and Tuesdays on ABC. Follow along with ET's coverage of the show to stay up-to-date on all the drama on the beach

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