00:00I lived in New York for 10 years, but Toronto, I don't know.
00:03It may take the cake for food.
00:05I couldn't believe how seen I felt by Tessa
00:08on so many different levels.
00:10Why don't I flip the narrative and just, like,
00:11show him my commitment in one singular act?
00:14Hey, what's up?
00:15It's Frankie Chenna, and I'm here
00:17with Bachelor in Paradise Canada winners.
00:20I like to call it winners, Tessa and Joey.
00:25Finding love is winning, so.
00:26Yeah, for all intents and purposes, we won the show.
00:28Yeah.
00:29Exactly.
00:30I mean, game shows, you win cash.
00:32Cash, you spend cash quick.
00:34And love is forever, right?
00:36Some shows, you win people.
00:38And I won a person once we talked about it.
00:40As are diamonds.
00:41Diamonds are, in fact, forever.
00:42So yes.
00:43First and foremost, congratulations.
00:46I'm so, so, so happy for you two.
00:49Just huge congratulations.
00:52Thank you so much.
00:52Thank you very much.
00:53We appreciate it.
00:54We're also very happy for us.
00:55Tessa, you proposed first.
00:58Tell me the thought process.
01:00When did you decide to do this?
01:02How did you pick the ring?
01:03And was it nerve-wracking?
01:04So Joey kind of threw a curveball.
01:06Fantasy suites night, he was like, hey, I love you,
01:09but I'm not sure if I'm in love with you.
01:11And I don't know if I want to pursue this in the real world.
01:13And I was like, whoa.
01:15I knew we had two options here, but leaving together
01:17was always on the table.
01:19And I kind of convinced him that night
01:21that what we had was so special that it was worth
01:23pursuing in a real way.
01:25And then I was like, wait, why don't I flip the narrative
01:28and just show him my commitment in one singular act?
01:31So I decided to propose because I loved him and I wanted to.
01:34And I chose my own ring, which was pretty cool.
01:39It was definitely the most understated, I think,
01:41out of the options and definitely reflected,
01:43I think, my style.
01:45So didn't know that Joey would have it in a box for me,
01:48but it worked out.
01:51That moment was an encapsulation of just how authentic you
01:54were as a reality TV star.
01:55So thank you for giving us that.
01:57Joey, did it catch you off guard?
01:59Did it make your proposal even better?
02:00Like, what was it like for you?
02:02You know, even that night in the Fantasy Suites,
02:03it felt like Tessa really kind of just found
02:06the Rosetta Stone for Joey.
02:07And she just figured out how to talk to me,
02:09kind of put my mind at ease, and make me feel at home with her
02:14and realize that, like, yeah, this is, what am I doing?
02:16I was just like, just nervous.
02:18Guys always get scared, try to cut and run.
02:20But I was just like, no, there's no way
02:23I'm leaving this person ever.
02:25That's just crazy talk.
02:28So when she proposed to me, I mean, as you could see,
02:30I was just, I didn't cry at all.
02:32I had really good composure.
02:34I held myself together very well.
02:36So no, definitely just wasn't surprised at all.
02:40And definitely it made my job easier.
02:43So what's next for you as a couple?
02:45Maybe most importantly, where do you plan to live?
02:49Yeah, so we're right now living in Toronto.
02:51So I'm new to Canada.
02:53I'm now a resident of Canada.
02:56Yeah, I love it here.
02:57I honestly, like, I'm a big Degrassi fan
03:00from, like, back in the day.
03:01So I'm kind of living out my, like,
03:02childhood dreams of living here.
03:04But I think we're trying to find a place that's, like,
03:06convenient for both our families to have access to us,
03:08like, down the line with, like, getting married and having
03:10kids.
03:11So I feel like Toronto, maybe Calgary.
03:15Calgary's on the table.
03:16Not taking Alberta off the table.
03:17But for now, kind of just, you know,
03:19with our pursuits and career-wise and stuff
03:22like that, I think Toronto's going to be home
03:24for a little bit anyways.
03:25When is the wedding?
03:28Good question.
03:29Being that we're just finally getting to celebrate
03:32our engagement openly, we are going to start there
03:36and try to just, you know, celebrate our relationship
03:39that we've had over the past year being engaged.
03:41But with that being said, we're thinking maybe, like,
03:43fall 2024.
03:45I watch almost every single love show under the sun.
03:48And I must say, you guys seem to fall so genuinely in love
03:53so fast.
03:55Was it love at first sight?
03:56Was that an accurate depiction of the edit?
04:00Yeah, I would say, like, that.
04:02I don't know if I'd say love at first sight,
04:04because our first conversation was a little bit kind of,
04:06like, what are either of us doing?
04:08But that helicopter ride, like, when we went on our first date,
04:12I think that was, like, I don't know.
04:13For me, I was in an awestruck moment, for sure.
04:15I've never felt anything but at home with Joey.
04:18Like, even when you walk into, you know,
04:20a group of strangers and their cameras, and it's hot,
04:23and you're just, like, just having
04:24a safe space in those environments
04:26just to make you feel like any sort of semblance of home
04:29is super important.
04:30So for me, yeah, our helicopter date
04:32was definitely when I knew that love was on the table.
04:35Oh, yeah.
04:36I mean, even for me, I don't think, even in that moment,
04:38I couldn't believe how seen I felt
04:42by Tessa on so many different levels
04:43just on a one date and a helicopter ride
04:46and having just spoken to her for that short of a time.
04:48I was like, how does this person see me so clearly?
04:50Whatever people believe in, I believe in.
04:52So I believe in love, and it was very, very fun to watch.
04:55What's something we didn't see on TV
04:57that you're wanting to share, if you're allowed to share?
05:00There was one moment that wasn't on camera,
05:02just, like, Joey and I in a very, like,
05:04just mundane morning scenario.
05:06And it was the first time that I saw Joey as, like, a person
05:09with, like, a cup of coffee in his hand, like, sitting down.
05:12And I became, like, a little kid who couldn't speak
05:15around her childhood crush, like, freaking out.
05:17I was so nervous.
05:19I, like, bopped him in the head with a water bottle.
05:21And it was just the most, like, awkward experience
05:24I think I've ever had.
05:25But I, yeah, I.
05:26It was so strange, because, like, we were off camera.
05:29And they didn't really let us hang out off camera.
05:31We somehow, like, snuck it.
05:32And we were sitting there.
05:33I was just like, I'm not a morning person.
05:35I need my coffee.
05:36But to wake up, I'm sitting beside Tess.
05:37And we're just hanging out.
05:38I have a coffee, and I turn, and she's like, oh.
05:39And I'm like, what just happened?
05:43Do I love her more now, or do I need more coffee?
05:45I don't know what's happening.
05:46It was just, it was a really kind of cute, strange,
05:49and genuine moment for us to, like,
05:50kind of see into each other's, like, you know,
05:53comfortable sides of each other.
05:54Very cute.
05:55OK, well, it wouldn't be a reality
05:57to be interviewing without a little bit of drama.
05:59How's Maria?
06:01Yeah, so that's a fun topic for me.
06:05I think it's most fun, because Maria and I actually
06:07had, like, a very mature Instagram conversation
06:11almost a year and two months ago,
06:14where essentially, I took accountability
06:16for, like, taking away from her experience finding love.
06:18Like, after getting engaged, I was like, holy crap.
06:21If I made someone have a harder time doing this,
06:24like, I should probably address that with someone.
06:27So she and I have been, like, good.
06:28I think when you rewatch the show, emotions come back up.
06:31You start kind of going back into the mindset
06:33that you were performing.
06:35But in hindsight, rewatching, I think
06:38I know why I was so passionate about my argument,
06:40because I was dealing with someone
06:42that I wanted to marry, like, from the start.
06:44So.
06:46Yeah, I don't know.
06:47I think for me, because I was not
06:49privy to any of the information, and I
06:51was told different stories.
06:52So when I was able to go back and just
06:55see the way in which Maria was dealing with and handling
06:59literally every situation with Tessa and things happening,
07:03I wish I'd known more at the time,
07:04so I would have said more.
07:05And I also just think seeing it back now
07:07that it was dealt with very just immaturely,
07:11and from not a great space, especially
07:14from someone who says that they were my friend
07:16to speak that way to someone that they
07:17know I do have an interest in.
07:19Whether you think it's real or not,
07:20that's not a choice for you to make.
07:23So at this point, there is nothing for me
07:27more to say to her.
07:29I mean, basically, don't fuck with my fiancee,
07:32because if you think I'm going to take anyone else's side,
07:34then that's just not going to happen.
07:35I love it.
07:36I mean, the love is real.
07:38The emotions are real.
07:40Sorry to bring us back to that place one more time,
07:42but we'll move on now.
07:43Let's go to something lighter.
07:45Let's do something lighter.
07:46Favorite place as a couple in Toronto.
07:49It can be a restaurant.
07:50It can be a landmark.
07:51Just favorite place as a couple in Toronto so far.
07:55Beach.
07:55I was going to say our beach.
07:56Our beach.
07:57The bottom of Spadina.
07:58It's just like this tiny little man-made beach.
08:00There's no water access, but it's just
08:02like so close to where we're living.
08:03We just hang out.
08:04We took our cat there the other day.
08:06Just hanging out at this fake little beach in Toronto.
08:08Funny enough, actually, the closest
08:10the internet came to realizing we were engaged
08:12was because we both Instagrammed a photo at the same beach.
08:16They're like, we must be together.
08:18I see Joey's shadow in Tessa's photo.
08:20Tessa, as a soon-to-be new Canadian,
08:22favorite restaurant in Toronto?
08:23That's a great question.
08:25Well, first of all, the food in Toronto is just next level.
08:28I lived in New York for 10 years, but Toronto, I don't know.
08:32It may take the cake for food.
08:34Oh, OK, good.
08:35I think my favorite food I've had thus far,
08:38Project Gigglewater in Ossington.
08:41So good.
08:42They have like, what is it?
08:43Like spring rolls, but they're actually Big Macs.
08:47It's like Big Mac spring rolls.
08:49It's a lot of different fusion food.
08:51It's really, really tasty.
08:52I took my brother and my sister-in-law over there
08:54like last month, and they were blown away.
08:57I cannot wait to see you out and about finally revealing
09:00your relationship in Toronto.
09:02Thank you so much for this interview.
09:04I wish you both the best of luck in your next journey in life.
09:06I'm Frankie Chena with Narcity, and this
09:09was our Bachelor in Paradise Canada interview.
09:11Thank you so much.
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