How much does "Bachelor" Ben know about Becca?

As the premiere of the latest season of ABC's romantic reality show "The Bachelor," starring Ben Higgins, approaches , fans will likely want to learn everything they can about the contestants before they step out of their limousines and into this year's leading male role. all information. arms. Unlike the regular cast of "The Bachelor ," the two contestants vying for his heart previously appeared on the show's 19th season with star Chris Soules. But with certain rumors swirling around Bachelor Nation, I have to ask a question we all want answered: Did Ben Higgins and Becca Tilley talk before this season of The Bachelor ?

This isn't the first time contestants from previous years have competed in a season. Kaitlyn Bristowe welcomes Andy Dorfman's Nick Viall to the ranks of men fighting for her love on The Bachelorette Season 11. However, this is a completely different situation since Bristowe and Vale were already in contact before she became The Bachelorette. Plus, he wasn't a part of the season for a few episodes from the beginning, which became a major source of drama. However, it appears that Tilley and previous contestant Amber James (who also appeared on Bachelor in Paradise last summer) will be on "Bachelor" Season 20 from the beginning.

So, what was Higgins and Tilley's relationship like before the show? First, before it all started, when Higgins was first announced as the next Bachelor, Tilly took to Twitter to express her crush on Higgins:

But does that mean Tilly and Higgins were talking before she even stepped out of the limo during their introduction? Rumors about their off-show contact began when Reality Steve claimed that Higgins asked Tilly not to participate in Season 20 of The Bachelor . According to rumors, the pair had a "brief contact" but noted that it was not similar to the situation between Vuillard and Bristol (who spoke on social media before the season). Reality Steve also claimed that Higgins asked her not to come back to the show because Higgins allegedly wanted a season with all-new contestants. Well, we know that hasn't happened since both Tilly and James joined the cast. However, if a conversation between Higgins and Tilly does occur, it could lead to some interesting drama in which she ignores his pleas.

What's even more interesting is that since this rumor surfaced, Higgins has commented to reporters about Tilly and James' appearance in Season 20. Higgins said he was shocked and "very grateful" they wanted to come back to meet with him, but he didn't know either woman well because he rarely watched the Soules' season. The reason he avoided the season was because he wanted to go into The Bachelorette without knowing much about the woman he was going to date, "I wanted to go in with a clear mind and not have a lot of preconceptions about who the person was. Concept." Yes. Hopefully this will all be resolved when he meets Tilly and James in the Season 20 premiere.

So what does this all mean for Higgins and Tilley's relationship before the show? Well, in my opinion, they don't really have a relationship. Between the rumors and Higgins' desire to enter his season with a clear head, it sounds like his only contact with Tilley was allegedly asking her not to join. Also, this is just a rumor, so who knows if he talked to her, since his comments to reporters seemed to indicate that he communicated with neither Tilley nor James before the show.

Tilley was a part of the season from the start and it was all above board in my opinion. But, then again, all of The Bachelor's best secrets will be revealed once the season starts, so maybe we'll just have to wait and see.

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Photo: Rick Rowell/ABC