Did Victoria Fuller & Chase Rice Date Before 'The Bachelor'?

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published 25 January 2020

Spoilers for The Bachelor ahead. As the most recent The Bachelor preview makes clear, contestant Victoria Fuller once dated country musician Chase Rice. While that in and of itself might not be a huge deal, the producers invited Chase Rice to perform...and then brought Fuller and Peter Weber to see the show as part of their one-on-one date (the producers get sneakier and sneakier, I tell ya!). Chaos ensues, at least according to the show trailer. So what, exactly, went on between Fuller and Rice? And what does it mean for Fuller's chances with Weber?

Rice says there's no love triangle.

So as of this moment we're not totally sure how long the two dated/hooked up/whatever, but Fuller still follows him on Instagram. Rice was asked about the interaction and said, definitively, that he wasn't a fan of how it worked out for the show. "I wanted to go on there and promote my music," he said. "But [ABC production] brought a little extracurricular activity into that."

"They set everybody up. I didn’t sign up for that,” Rice explained. "That’s my problem with it. At the end of the day, they have a job to do. I don’t have to be a part of that."

"There ain’t no love triangle, I’ll tell you that. The love is on their side," he's also on record as saying. Soooo yea. Not only is he mad at the show, but clearly there's nothing going on anymore between him and Fuller.

The Rice appearance is a surprise to Fuller.

As you can clearly see in the previews, Fuller is clearly not aware that Rice is going to be performing at her one-on-one with Weber, thanks to her look of abject horror (lol) when she spots him:

Although, take note: Weber may not find out about all this context in exactly the way the previews are making them out to be.

The relationship is brought up by another contestant.

So, according to Reality Steve, Fuller and Weber do get the chance to talk to Rice after the show, but apparently the beans are not spilled at that moment (I'm quite pleased that Rice wouldn't immediately be like, "Hey Peter, GUESS WHAT."). Instead, the information is apparently delivered via Alayah Benavidez, who's brought back by the producers to stir up some sh*t. She and Fuller get into it, and this might be the first time we see...let's call it a more "fiery" side to Fuller. She's being painted as this season's potential villain, FYI.

Eventually, Benavidez goes home and Fuller stays—for now. This won't be the last time we hear about Fuller's off-show behavior, though. Expect for her dating history (though not with Rice) to make an appearance later on this season. Go here to see everything we know about how she, and the other contestants, do this season.

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Katherine’s a contributing syndications editor at Marie Claire who covers fashion, culture, and lifestyle. In her role, she writes stories that are syndicated by MSN and other outlets. She’s been a full-time freelancer for over a decade and has had roles with Cosmopolitan (where she covered lifestyle, culture, and fashion SEO content) and Bustle (where she was their movies and culture writer). She has bylines in New York Times, Parents, InStyle, Refinery29, and elsewhere. Her work has also been syndicated by ELLE, Harper’s Bazaar, Seventeen, Good Housekeeping, and Women’s Health, among others. In addition to her stories reaching millions of readers, content she's written and edited has qualified for a Bell Ringer Award and received a Communicator Award.

Katherine has a BA in English and art history from the University of Notre Dame and an MA in art business from the Sotheby's Institute of Art (with a focus on marketing/communications). She covers a wide breadth of topics: she's written about how to find the very best petite jeans, how sustainable travel has found its footing on Instagram, and what it's like to be a professional advice-giver in the modern world. Her personal essays have run the gamut from learning to dress as a queer woman to navigating food allergies as a mom. She also has deep knowledge of SEO/EATT, affiliate revenue, commerce, and social media; she regularly edits the work of other writers. She speaks at writing-related events and podcasts about freelancing and journalism, mentors students and other new writers, and consults on coursework. Currently, Katherine lives in Boston with her husband and two kids, and you can follow her on Instagram. If you're wondering about her last name, it’s “I go to dinner,” not “Her huge ego,” but she responds to both.