The Untold Truth Of Bachelor In Paradise's Wells Adams

Bachelor in Paradise's Wells Adams first rose to national fame on ABC reality show The Bachelorette when he was a contestant on Season 12 competing for JoJo Fletcher's heart. He later returned to the Bachelor franchise as the bartender on Bachelor in Paradise, following an appearance on Paradise as a contestant. However, prior to his stints on these Bachelor shows, Adams made a name for himself as a radio DJ in Nashville, according to his LinkedIn page.

While Adams may be most closely associated with the dramas of reality TV, his cheery personality has endeared him to his legion of fans online and on the radio. Adams has more than 230,000 followers on Twitter and more than 1.2 million followers on Instagram. There, he frequently posts photos of his life, demonstrating his trademark joie de vivre and goofy spirit. More often than not, his love Sarah Hyland of Modern Family fame makes an appearance, too.

Despite Adams' refreshing honesty, there's still much about him that people don't know. Read on to discover the untold truth of Wells Adams.

According to an interview Bachelor in Paradise's Wells Adams gave to ET Canada, he and Sarah Hyland connected via social media DMs.

But at least a few of their initial social media interactions were public, with the Modern Family actress tweeting at the actor in July 2016 and expressing her admiration for him during his appearance on The Bachelorette. "Ugh! @WellsAdams making a Lord of the Flies reference on men tell all???," Hyland tweeted, adding the hashtags "#knewhewasthebestfromthestart" and "#menwhoreadarehot."

Later, a series of tweets the two exchanged in 2017 demonstrated their mutual attraction for all to see. "OH MY GOD @WellsAdams IS THE FRIKKIN BARTENDER?! Best. Season. Ever. #BachelorInParadise," Hyland gushed on Twitter. In response, Adams said, "Taking applications for #BIP5 bar backs now. Please send references..Preferably from [Modern Family patriarch] Phil Dunphy. I'm kidding the job is yours @Sarah_Hyland."

It's no surprised the two got together given their sweet online interactions!

When Wells Adams proposed to Sarah Hyland in July 2019, it was the stuff of fairy tales, as the two of them vacationed in Fiji and Adams got down on one knee on the beach. Even better: he captured the romantic — and oh-so-adorable — moment via drone and then posted the footage on Instagram afterwards. His caption: "I'll be Johnny, you be June. But forever."

However, as with all good proposals, Adams managed to throw Hyland off the scent initially. When asked if she was expecting it, Adams revealed during an interview with Us Weekly that he managed to throw Hyland off by dressing down. "I put on bathing shorts and a T-shirt," he said, causing a previously expectant Hyland to get confused.

On his Your Favorite Thing With Wells & Brandi podcast, Bachelor in Paradise's Wells Adams gave more behind-the-scenes details on the proposal. "She said yes, which was surprising, I think, to everyone involved. Real touch and go there," he cracked.

Even though Bachelor in Paradise's Wells Adams and Modern Family actress Sarah Hyland are together, their parents still hadn't met by May 2019. On his podcast Your Favorite Thing With Wells & Brandi, Adams explained that the duo had kept their parents apart because of political reasons. "My parents haven't met Sarah's parents and for good reason," Adams said, "because they both fall on different ends of the political spectrum, and I'm just sure someone's going to get into a fight about something."

Considering their parents' differences, it's no wonder Adams is nervous about their families interacting. "It's going to be a bunch of liberal actors and then my dad and my family who are a bunch of conservatives," Adams said. "My dad's a doctor ... my brother-in-law is from oil money in Texas. It's going to be so weird." 

Adams plans to keep the peace by restricting contact. "They are getting to hang out one time, and that's going to be at a wedding, and the directive is no one's allowed to talk about politics," he said.

Bachelor in Paradise's Wells Adams lived in Nashville for over a decade, moving there sometime after graduating from the University of Mississippi in 2007, according to his LinkedIn page. In 2012, a years after moving to Music City, Adams starred in a viral video called "Sh!t Nashville People DON'T Say," where he dropped gems like, "I absolutely love Downtown," "There are a lot of jobs on Music Row right now," and "I wish people would say Nashvegas more often."

After Nashville was effected by a tornado in March 2020 (via USA Today), Adams demonstrated his love for his former city, linking to a donation fund on his Instagram profile. In a post, he wrote, "Nashville could use some love right about now. The city I lived in for 12 years was hit by a massive tornado and could really use a little help."

Before his time on Bachelor in Paradise, Wells Adams made a name for himself on JoJo Fletcher's season of The Bachelorette, but he almost didn't make it on the show. "My brother was going to be on The Bachelorette about six years ago, but at the last minute, he bailed, because he got into a relationship," Adams explained to Refinery29 in 2016. "He was still friends with some of the casting directors and when I became single about a year ago, he was like, 'Hey, this is my brother, and he's a radio DJ in Nashville, and I think he'd be great for the show.'"

While on The Bachelorette, Adams and Fletcher dated but never experienced the romantic fireworks the show is known for. "It became pretty evident that she liked other guys a lot more than myself," he said on E! News' podcast Just the Sip. At one point during the show, he felt, as he told the podcast, he was merely her friend. But after he had a successful date with Fletcher, he said he believed his conversational skills gave him an edge. However, Adams soon received the boot, with Fletcher saying, as Adams recalled, "You know, we're just not as far along." Ouch.

While giving an interview to the Bobby Bones Show, Bachelor in Paradise's Wells Adams discussed his decision behind making the life-changing jump to reality TV. "I was all for the experience," Adams explained when Bones asked if he went on The Bachelorette to advance his radio DJ career.

Adams, who is one of several former Bachelor franchise stars who live insanely lavish lives, admitted to Refinery29 that he initially didn't take The Bachelorette seriously. "If nothing else, I thought I'd at least be able to tell the story about the time I auditioned for a reality TV show and didn't get it, of course," he shared. "But it became evident that they were going to have me on the show and it became really exciting." Adams decided to look at the entire experience as "a crazy adventure."

Judging by how things have worked out for Adams — rising to national fame and eventually meeting his love Sarah Hyland — we'd say it was clearly the right decision to take the reality TV leap.

Before dating actress Sarah Hyland, Wells Adams had another noteworthy, longterm relationship that lasted for years and even nearly veered into marriage territory. During an interview with Refinery29, the Bachelor in Paradise star revealed the seriousness of this previous relationship. "We were together for four years, we flirted with the idea of getting married, but we made this really mature decision to uncouple," Adams shared. While he didn't explain the circumstances behind the split, he added, "We're still friends." 

Audiences got to learn more about Adams' take on romance on The Bachelorette, when he memorably took several episodes to kiss Bachelorette JoJo Fletcher. "I remember JoJo saying, 'You don't ever kiss on the first date?'" Adams recalled to Refinery29. "And I said, 'No, I don't, ever.'" Fletcher protested that they'd had six dates, but Adams wasn't swayed by the show's format. He recalled, "I was like, 'No, we've hung out in a group setting six different times. This is our first date.'"

Although Wells Adams and Sarah Hyland enjoy a loved-up relationship, constantly posting cute photos boasting their partnership on Instagram, they're not yet ready to have children — though it is on the horizon. Adams' childhood and family life clearly plays a role in his hopes for the future, as he's a part of a huge family. "I'm the youngest of five, so I would love to have kids, and I'd like to have more than one," he revealed to Us Weekly in October 2019.

Bachelor in Paradise's Wells Adams explained the reason why he and Hyland are waiting to have children, citing Hyland's relatively young age. "I'm older, I'm mid-30s, but she's still in her 20s, so I don't think we're there yet," he said. "But I think it'll be a thing that eventually happens for sure." Once the couple finally does decide to have a family, their kids will no doubt be as adorable as the two celebs are.

Although Wells Adams made a name for himself as a radio DJ in Nashville, hosting shows on stations like 105.9 The Rock, Adams has hosted multiple popular podcasts in the years following his time as a contestant on The Bachelorette and Bachelor in Paradise. As of this writing, he's the co-host of a podcast called Your Favorite Thing with Wells & Brandi, which he co-hosts with Brandi Cyrus, Miley Cyrus' older sister.

As noted by a post on Adams' official Facebook page in 2017, the podcast's topics are far flung, ranging "from music to politics, to Game of Thrones, to my stupid outfit...we talk about it all."

In addition to Your Favorite Thing, Adams has also hosted a podcast on iHeartRadio called WellsCast, where he interviewed celebrities like Bret Michaels, Lance Bass, and Gavin DeGraw. Interestingly, although Adams now has solo duties, the podcast was initially called Pratt Cast when it launched in 2019 and was co-hosted with Stephanie Pratt from The Hills.

During a Q&A with Nashville Lifestyles magazine, Wells Adams and his fellow Bachelorette contestant Luke Pell chatted and laughed about their surprising talents and things people wouldn't necessarily know about them. When asked who is handier, Adams revealed that he has an impressive talent: "I like to do a lot of woodwork and stuff." Pell said that Adams fixed up an old car at one point, before joking that Adams is also handy on Snapchat.

The Bachelor in Paradise star also shared that he thinks he's funnier than Pell — not to mention a better cook. Proving his point, he stated, "On the show, remember I made gumbo for everybody?" And staying true to his typical wisecracking form, Adams joked about his dancing. "I do a lot of spinning of girls," he said, adding, "It only works at weddings. That's the only time it looks cool." We're sure Sarah Hyland would beg to differ!

On his season of The Bachelorette, Bachelor in Paradise's Wells Adams stood out as a charming and funny guy, in contrast to the other, more physically fit contestants. "I was aware of the fact that they were chiseled out of granite, but it never bothered me, because that isn't my strength," he said to Refinery29. "I don't have these amazing abs and lats and traps; my strengths are that I'm a good conversationalist and funny." He added that he's more focused on his professional life than the time he spends in the gym.

However, Adams does actually have an athletic past. As a student at the University of Mississippi, Adams played collegiate rugby, and he told Refinery29 that he was an athlete growing up, though he prefers not to bulk up these days. He shared, "I used to be a bit bigger. But now that I've gotten older, I'd much rather stay lean, so I do a lot of long-distance running."

Before getting involved with Sarah Hyland, Bachelor in Paradise's Wells Adams revealed his relationship dealbreakers in his audition video for The Bachelorette, as he shared with People. He apparently wouldn't be interested in a woman if she "doesn't like dogs." If she doesn't, he said, "You can just count me out." Adams has a bloodhound dog named Carl and he volunteers with the Nashville Humane Association, so it's understandable he'd feel this way.

In fact, dogs are so important to Adams that he told People his biggest worry before moving in with Hyland was mixing their dogs. "The big concern was I have a big dog and she has two dogs and how that was going to work out," he shared with PeopleTV's Chatter.

In an interview with Refinery29, Adams revealed more of his fondness for canines, talking about how he'd rather use his social media platform to highlight animals than share sponsored posts. "To quote freaking Peter Parker, 'With great power comes great responsibility,'" he said. "I would much rather save a dog's life than sell teeth-whitening s**t. That seems like a much better use of my time."

During his seasons as the bartender on Bachelor in Paradise, Wells Adams actually made drinks for the contestants, putting his drink-making skills to use. He spilled behind-the-scenes details to TVInsider in September 2019, saying, "I'm there every day and would usually work like an eight to nine-hour shift." According to the interview, Adams would work later on rose ceremony nights and then would be off-duty the following morning. "I'm there really, really late and then they'd give me the morning off," he said.

After Adams' first season on the show, he decided to take bartending classes. He revealed on Lauren Zima's Roses and Rose Live show that he learned "all the crazy, fruity drinks that would be perfect for Paradise." However, once in Paradise, Adams realized that everybody was too calorie-conscious to enjoy his concoctions. "I get there, and people only drink the same drink," he said –  a tequila and soda. "Everyone is terrified of sugars and carbs and anything that makes their abs not be perfect," he explained.

While quarantining in 2020 revealed cracks in the relationships of many couples, for Wells Adams and Sarah Hyland, hunkering down and spending so much quality time together has been positive. "If anything it's, like, reconfirmed that I made a good decision," Adams told Us Weekly. "I mean, it's obviously been — this whole thing has been scary and anxiety-ridden just because you don't know the future — but it's been nice spending a lot of time with her."

Adams would have otherwise been away from Hyland for the whole summer for work, including his gig on Bachelor in Paradise, so he chose to see the positives of following a slower pace of life. "It's been nice to get to spend a bunch of time with my fiancée," he said.

It's good the couple enjoys each other's company so much, as they purchased a home in Studio City, Calif. together in May 2020, according to Variety.