Next week things are finally going to get good on The Bachelorette! Jojo Fletcher goes to the Hometowns of her remaining 4 men and starts to dig in and ask questions about past relationships.
Unfortunately there is more than one guy this season with a lingering ex girlfriend and two of those guys get a Hometown Date! One of those guys is 27-year-old former swimmer Robby Hayes from Sarasota, Florida.
On Monday Robby opened up to Jojo about his ex girlfriend Hope Higginbotham whom he dated for almost 4 years.
He tells Jojo that the relationship ended in December of 2015 so four months prior–although our sources say the relationship ended in January of 2016, but who’s counting!
Jojo expresses concern that the break up was so recent, ‘Are you sure you’re ready?’ she asked him.
Robby insists the 3 and a half year relationship was very unhealthy in that time he had never even been to her home!
So what gives? Well according to sources, to start the relationship was sort of long distance. Robby was living in Sarasota and Hope was living in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida over 200 miles away. And the two had not lived in the same city for more than 3 years. BUT Robby’s family is in Ponte Vedra Beach as well as Sarasota so there would have been ample opportunities for Hope to show Robby her home.
The claim is interesting. I’d say perhaps Hope was feeling embarrassed of her home since Robby’s family is filthy rich, but Ponte Vedra Beach is pretty ritzy so I can’t imagine that she doesn’t have money herself.
Next Monday we will head to St. Augustine, Florida to meet Robby’s family (I wonder if she will be put off by the fact that he lives at home!), and she will get to learn more about the ex girlfriend situation.
Allegedly Hope cheated on Robby with his brother’s best friend so hopefully this rumor will be addressed on Hometowns. In the meantime Jojo is clearly falling for Robby.
“All of my conversations with these guys were great, and there were moments when I thought the rose was headed to each guy. But my conversation with Robby stood out above the others; he was just so expressive with his feelings and his emotions. I just felt so confident in Robby’s feelings for me, and that’s really why I chose to give him the rose to meet his family. Despite being a little worried about the ex-girlfriend situation (more on that next week!), his attempt to ease my concerns proved he was in this for me and I chose to trust in him and believe him.”
Given how recent the breakup was and how close Hope was to Robby’s family Robby’s Hometown is going to be epic. I’m sure we will see lots of uncomfortable glances with his family.
Additionally, interesting to note is that it was Robby’s sister who sent in his application while he was with Hope!
One insider said this about the 24-year-old realtor for Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices,
“She spent more time with his family than she did her own I believe. She would drive to Sarasota where he worked and visit almost every chance she got if he didn’t come home.”
Maybe she will be at his parents house when Jojo arrives! That would be an amazing situation!
Incidentally will meet Robby’s father, Robert Hayes Senior and mother Holly Hayes in addition to his 24-year-old brother John Michael Hayes, Patrick, 23, and sisters, Katie, 26 and Grace, 20.
That’s a clever answer to a tricky qusoiten