By: Lucy Mazzucco

Many of you may remember Tasos Hernandez as a contestant and eligible bachelor on ABC’s Bachelor in Paradise, along with the most recent season of ABC’s The Bachelorette, which featured Andi Dorfman as the leading lady. This week, I got to sit down and chat with him about his experience on the show as he competed for Andi’s love.

“I had heard of The Bachelorette, but had never really watched it until I found out that a friend of mine, Desiree Hartsock, had been chosen to be a contestant on Sean Lowe’s season of The Bachelor,” said Tasos. “After she left, she was chosen to be the next Bachelorette; and after talking to a few people I knew, we all decided that it would be fun if I was chosen to be on her season. Essentially, I would be fighting for the love of a girl who I already knew prior to being on the show.”

Although Tasos had hoped to be on Desiree’s season, he did not hear back from ABC until casting for the following season began, which featured Andi Dorfman. “I was a little hesitant, but only in regards to what the attitudes of the other men were going to be like. I figured there’d be a lot of competition and alpha male personalities, but surprisingly, the moment I walked in, there was no sense of superiority and there were even friendships being built,” said Tasos.

Beyond the living arrangements, the show’s purpose was to fight for Andi’s attention, which is something Tasos struggled with. “It was a different experience, that’s for sure. When it comes to my significant other, I’m very territorial. It was hard to allow other men to spend time with the person I was interested in while I was around,” he said. “Although it was uncomfortable watching Andi date other men, I ultimately didn’t get a lot of time with her, so my feelings at that point weren’t strong enough for me to experience jealousy.”

Tasos was on The Bachelorette for a total period of four weeks, which he felt was long enough to establish a connection. Although he wishes he had been given more time, he says he would not have done anything differently and is happy that he was able to remain true to himself. “The whole point of the show is to meet someone and fall in love with them. Even though I wish I’d been given more time to spend with Andi, I wouldn’t have done anything differently,” said Tasos. “What viewers saw, was only a snapshot of what truly happened. I usually only had two to five minutes with her and it’s disappointing because even then, the episode only showed about 30 seconds.”

Despite the fact that only fragments of the conversations between Andi and Tasos were aired, he genuinely believes that his personality was accurately portrayed on the show. “I wanted to stay true to myself even though I knew it’d be hard to show her who I was in such a short time span. I’m proud to say that I never said anything on the show that was out of character for me, nor did I act in a manner that wasn’t natural,” said Tasos. “If I was ever given the opportunity to be on another season, I would continue to keep in mind that the things you say or don’t say can have an effect on people’s lives. I would always make sure that I had something positive to say and I’d always take everyone’s emotions into consideration.”

So what’s next for Tasos Hernandez? As someone who has a passion for the stage, he hopes to continue establishing himself as a performer. Along with acting and being in a band, he is also an MC at weddings. “As far as my future goes, I want to buy a home and start a business. I’d like to set up a trip to France or Australia and eventually settle down, build my own home, get married and have kids,” said Tasos.

“Ideally, I’d also like to try and do more TV and film. Even though I still don’t feel like viewers were too inclined towards me, I’m flattered because if they were, they liked me for me and not for how I was portrayed on a television show.”

For updates from Tasos, follow him on Twitter and Instagram.