EXCLUSIVE: 'Bachelorette' Runner-Up Robby Hayes On Those Fame Rumors, And Possibly Being the Next 'Bachelor'

The Bachelorette may have finished its season, but I
still had lots of questions for runner-up Robby Hayes. He stopped by ET’s
offices Thursday and set the record straight on his motives for joining the
show – plus, talked whether he’ll return to Bachelor Nation! 

Hayes said recovering from his split from JoJo Fletcher was
“very difficult,” and seeing her at After the Final Rosewas “not easy
at all.” But, the former competitive swimmer says JoJo's fiance Jordan Rodgers is a close
friend, and he’s happy for the pair. 

“[I
have] no regrets at all from the show,” Robby said. “The only thing that I was a
little disappointed in was [there are] certain specific moments in a guy’s life
-- asking for that blessing from the parents, picking up that diamond ring that
she is going to keep forever and that pre-proposal speech -- that I will never
get back. Those are, in my eyes and my family’s, traditions that should only be
done once in a lifetime.”

WATCH: Inside
‘Bachelorette’ JoJo Fletcher and Jordan Rodgers’ Double Date With Ben Higgins
and Lauren Bushnell!

After
our interview, Hayes headed home to Florida to see that family, who he says
helped him recover from the breakup. Watching the show back was the hardest
part –- Robby admits that he skipped
through JoJo’s interactions with other men when watching the final episodes of
the show because it was all too painful. 

So,
after what he’s been through, would Robby consider being the next Bachelor? “I know the journey works because
I fell in love once,” he said. “I believe I could do it again, and if it taught
me anything, it taught me not to rule out any avenue to find love.”

EXCLUSIVE: 'Bachelorette: Men Tell All': The Most Shocking Things That Didn't Air

This video is unavailable because we were unable to load a message from our sponsors.

If you are using ad-blocking software, please disable it and reload the page.

Up Next

Still, some fans questioned whether Robby was on the show
for, as the saying goes, the right reasons. But he says going on The
Bachelorette wasn’t about fame. “There is no career move in that,” he said.
“I was working on my Masters in Finance beforehand, and I will go right back to
doing that. So, it's not like I am going to try and make some great move up in
the film industry or anything.”

Robby was also criticized for allegedly reaching out to Bachelor
alumni, asking them to help him get more
social media followers. Robby confirmed the rumor to be true, but also shared his side of the story:
“I had been working with a person who had worked with other people, and they
thought it would be strategically within each other’s benefits to try to help
each other out,” he said. “[But] there was never any compensation exchanging
hands.”

WATCH; ‘Bachelorette’
Villain Chad Johnson Apologizes for His ‘Paradise’ Debut

And
like many of this season’s contestants, Robby hasn't been able to escape "the Chad." Chad Johnson dated Robby’s ex, Hope Higginbotham. On The
Bachelorette: Men Tell All, Chad claimed Robby has “threatened”
Hope. But, Robby denies the claim. “I
didn't threaten her,” he says. “To
threaten somebody you have to be in contact with them … As you saw in Bachelor
in Paradise, [Chad really has] no regard for women's emotions … I cared for
the girl, I did, and seeing her stoop to that level was hard.”

To find out which of JoJo’s
exes have confirmed they’re in talks to be the Bachelor, watch the video below! 

EXCLUSIVE: Luke Pell and Chase McNary Are Both in Talks to Be the Next 'Bachelor'

This video is unavailable because we were unable to load a message from our sponsors.

If you are using ad-blocking software, please disable it and reload the page.

Up Next