Dean Unglert on Relationship With Kristina and Whether He'll Join Peter on 'Winter Games' (Exclusive)

The 26-year-old reality star also revealed whether he'd date a fan.

Things are still "complicated" between Dean Unglert and Kristina Schulman. 

Unglert joined ET's Lauren Zima for Tuesday's episode of ET's Bachelor Nation YouTube series, Roses & Rose, where he revealed he and Schulman haven't exactly resolved their Bachelor in Paradise drama. 

"It's complicated," the 26-year-old reality star explained, using the word to also describe his relationship status. "I'm not interested in pursuing anyone [else]. We're at least having an open line of conversation. ... But we're still figuring everything out."

A lot has changed for Unglert since he was dubbed the biggest "f**kboy" in Paradise by his fellow castmates; life seems to be on the upswing after a rough summer. He now has a podcast, appropriately called Help, I Suck at Dating!

"I think I'm getting better [at dating]," he said. "I've been very reluctant to open up to people, and I'm still hesitant to open up to people, but I've become much more willing, through this entire experience." 

"I didn't really grow much from Paradise in that regard," he noted. "But the podcast is helping me share my story a little more, and that's important. More than anything, I think I'm recognizing my faults, and I think that's pretty important." 

"I need to be more decisive in my actions, more clear in my feelings and make better decisions early on in relationships," he said of what he's learned since starting his podcast in September, adding that now the hardest part about life post-Bachelor is "blocking out the negativity. There's a lot of that." 

The Colorado native got backlash from fans over his love triangle with Schulman and Danielle Lombard. He revealed he and Lombard are no longer in touch. 

Things seemed much simpler for Unglert as a contestant on The Bachelorette. He quickly became a fan favorite and made it all the way to hometowns before Rachel Lindsay sent him home. Lindsay, of course, ended up with Bryan Abasolo, but Unglert came away with a friendship with the Bachelor who almost was, Peter Kraus. 

"I think it was during the second rose ceremony when I was like, 'This dude is pretty cool,'" he admitted. "I looked up to him as an older brother very early on." 

"He was very generous with letting me borrow his clothes, because I didn't pack anything! I thought I would be there for five days," he explained. "It's so intimidating walking into that situation. I was like, 'My career's good, but it's not that great.' Tickle Monster's a doctor. I was like, 'There's no way.' I told my three best friends about it, and that's it.'" 

As for why Kraus didn't end up as Bachelor No. 22 (which premieres Jan. 1 on ABC), Unglert said he just "got in his own head" too much, but would be a "fantastic Bachelor...maybe next year." 

"I would do The Bachelor if everything made sense," Unglert said of himself. "It's not a goal of mine to be there, but if I was presented the opportunity and I wasn't seeing anyone... I'd consider it." 

Perhaps more likely is a future at the Bachelor Winter Games, which Kraus has been confirmed to appear on. 

"I would love to reunite with Peter on Winter Games," he confessed. "I grew up in Aspen, so I'm very winter savvy." Unglert says the idea of him appearing "has been broached." 

For now, though, he's trying to "remove" himself from the drama of Bachelor Nation. For example, he's not one to date fans. 

"Maybe if the circumstances were right, but you get all these DMs in the course of a day or a week, and I don't really have any interest in responding to all that," he said, adding that he doesn't like "the drama that ensues" from being a Bachelor alum. "There's a happy balance between Bachelor people and the friends I had before I went on the show." 

"Ashley [Iaconetti] is great, Becca [Tilley] is great, I hang out with Ben [Higgins] every once in a while, and the guys from my season," he said. "But at the same time, I don't want to lose sight of those true friendships I had before going on the show." 

Listen to Help! I Suck at Dating With Dean Unglert here. And watch Roses & Rose every Tuesday on ET's YouTube channel. 

Latest News