Bachelor Nation Alums Chelsea Vaughn, Austin Tinsley Are Dating

More than one year after meeting on season 2 of Bachelor in Paradise Canada, Chelsea Vaughn and Austin Tinsley are ready to share their love story exclusively with Us Weekly.

“Chelsea was obviously attractive, but she had a lot more depth to her than people give her credit for,” Austin, who was eliminated on night 1 of Katie Thurston’s season 17 of The Bachelorette, told Us. “Even just in general, like, people think models are just a pretty face. She has a lot of depth — like, you think you know one thing about her and then you ask her a different question, she takes a left turn. It was the fact that she has so much going on and so much perspective on things that I don’t know normally think about in certain ways that drew me [to her] initially. And I think the fact that we think so differently is what’s going to drive us toward more growth.”

Chelsea, who appeared on Matt James’ season 25 of The Bachelor and season 7 of Bachelor in Paradise, admitted that she was “scared to be attracted” to Austin after failed dating attempts within Bachelor Nation.

“I just looked at him and I just thought like, ‘OK, he’s that good looking, he’s 6’6. He’s a California guy.’ I just didn’t think I was gonna be his type. And I told him this, like, … ‘He’s not going for me.’ And then he caught me by surprise and then the whole time he just kept catching me by surprise,” she told Us. “But it was really once we started talking more that it was really like, ‘Wow, we really connect mentally and emotionally a lot. I was just drawn to that and attracted to that. And I think I was just really intrigued by the way that [Austin] thinks in general because like he said, we don’t really think the same. And so it made both of us gain a new perspective and see where the other person was coming from. And we continue to do that now.”

Bachelor in Paradise Canada wrapped in mid-2022 but didn’t air its finale until Sunday, July 9. Chelsea, who lives in New York City, and Austin, who was California-based, dated long-distance for eight months until moving into together in her apartment in February.

“I’m a fast-paced guy. Obviously, New York’s a fast-paced city, so I feel like I’m blending in here pretty well,” Austin told Us, adding that he’s proud he hasn’t “taken the wrong train yet.”

With the exception of not having a dishwasher — the pair are looking for a new apartment with that “luxury” — Chelsea gushed to Us that she “loves coming home” to Austin.

“I wanna make sure one that she’s comfortable with me being around and having another person in the house and then making sure I’m on top of things. I think dishes are probably my weakest point,” he quipped.

When discussing the differences between BiP Canada and the original version of the show, which films in Mexico, Chelsea agreed with Us that there’s more pressure to get engaged on the U.S. installment.

“Neither one of us was like, ‘Oh I really hope [to get engaged].’ We were, like, ‘Wow, we found love. That’s crazy enough. It’s been like, yeah, less than a month. Let’s just take the W and go,’” she said. “It’s the fantasy suites [in Mexico] too. They really make it like, ‘If you’re not serious, like, if you don’t think you’ll maybe get engaged, don’t even go to fantasy suites.”

Another difference between the two BiPs is the man behind the bar. While Wells Adams has served the drinks for years in Mexico, fellow BiP alum Kevin Wendt — who met wife Astrid Loch on season 5 of the beach spinoff — is the bartender on BiP Canada.

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“I gotta give it to Kevin,” Chelsea admitted to Us when asked who the better bartender was. “I think he was just a lot more present. Wells kind of just, like, popped in and popped out. I didn’t get to talk to him or interact with him that much. He was also kinda, like, playing a hosting role on my season. … Kevin was genuinely every single day, like, nine to five behind the bar. He watched me and Austin from the beginning and he was like, ‘You and Austin remind me the most of how me and Astrid were.’ That was really cute and reassuring.”