‘Bachelor in Paradise’: Demi Burnett’s Girlfriend Appears and Forces Her to Make a Choice About Derek Peth

Demi Burnett had to follow her heart when it came to her conflicted feelings for Derek Peth and girfriend Kristian Haggerty as she explored her feelings on Bachelor in Paradise. On Tuesday’s episode of ABC dating show, The Bachelor alum admitted to host Chris Harrison that despite her burgeoning romance with Derek, she couldn’t help but think of the woman she had been dating in Los Angeles before coming on the show.

“I don’t want to lose anyone,” she said. “One of them deserves to have all of me, but I’m scared that I’m not going to make the right choice.”

For Derek, knowing that the woman he was falling for so hard still had doubts about their relationship was difficult: “Demi confirmed that she still has these feelings for somebody else and I don’t care if that’s a man or a woman,” he said. “It’s just hard to know that there is another person there.”

Things got even more real for Demi when Kristian appeared on the Paradise beach, promising to “pursue and show Demi my level of commitment.”

Seeing Kristian for the first time in weeks, Demi knew her mind was already made up, telling her, “The second that I saw you, I knew — it’s you. It’s always been you. I want to be with you.”

The hardest part was breaking the news to Derek, who was heartbroken to hear that he was not Demi’s ultimate choice.

“I think that you are super amazing and you’re the best dude on this beach, hands down. I’m so lucky that I met you and I’m really glad that you were here,” Demi told him, breaking the news gently. “But she’s here now and I wanted her here so I could get some clarity. When I saw her, I knew it was her. That’s just where my heart is and this is going to suck for you and this isn’t fair, at all, but she’s going to stay here and I’m going to pursue my relationship with her.”

“It’s really hard,” he responded, beginning to cry. “To go from kissing you to this, I don’t know how to feel.”

Derek may have been left without a partner in Paradise, but Demi had never been more sure about her feelings for Kristian, telling her, “Being with Derek, the more I was with him, the more I thought about you, and I don’t want to run from it anymore. I want to risk it because I will do whatever I need to do to make sure that I’m with you.”

“I want to commit to you,” she added. “And I’ve never wanted to commit to someone like this before.”

Bachelor in Paradise airs Mondays and Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.

Photo credit: ABC/John Fleenor