"I could see how the energy there was really heavy": Bachelor Nation star Jessenia Cruz opens up on her relationship with Andrew Spencer

Earlier this year, Jessenia Cruz, the popular Bachelor Nation alumni, returned for season 8 of Bachelor in Paradise. Cruz first made her appearance in the fourth week of the dating reality series' eighth season. She immediately went on to form a strong connection with Andrew Spencer.

However, that connection did not last long as Andrew still had unresolved feelings for Teddi Wright. After finding out about this, Cruz made her exit from Bachelor in Paradise Season 8 in the show's 14th episode, which was released on the ABC Network on November 15, 2022.

In a recent interview with Click Bait, Jessenia Cruz opened up about her emotional journey on this season's Bachelor in Paradise. The interview was dropped on YouTube on November 19, 2022, by Bachelor Nation.

During the interview, while recalling the day she arrived at the beach, Cruz said:

"After I arrived, I could see how the energy there was really heavy."

Continue reading to learn what else Jessenia said in her interview with Click Bait.

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Bachelor Nation star Jessenia Cruz felt that Andrew Spencer "definitely struggled" with his feelings for Teddi

What happened between Cruz and Spencer?

Things were going pretty well between Jessenia Cruz and Andrew Spencer until the arrival of a newcomer on the beach named Ency Abedin. Andrew felt an instant attraction towards her and when she asked him out on a date, he began to explore his connection with her.

However, when confronted by Cruz, Andrew revealed that he still felt strongly for Teddi Wright and thus, could not continue the paradise journey any longer. Thereafter, Spencer left paradise despite Ency Abedin's emotionally driven pleading.

In the same episode, Jessenia Cruz also left the show after learning about how Andrew felt.

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What did Jessenia Cruz say during her interview?

In the Click Bait interview, Cruz began by saying how she did not like the energy of the season from the moment she arrived at the beach. She said:

"I’m telling you, there was a moment on the beach where I really missed my cast from last season. I feel like we were so much better at bouncing back. We could have a hard day, but the next day we would start anew. This cast had such a hard time bouncing back."

Speaking about how she felt after finding out about Andrew's feelings for Teddi, Cruz said:

"I’m not going to blame them for it, but I feel like Andrew definitely struggled with that. Whether or not he was still thinking about Teddi while we were connecting, I don’t know. That was a bomb for me during our conversation just as much as it was for everyone else. I knew that they were linked, but I didn’t know that he was still that invested."

Jessenia further explained that although she did not blame Andrew for feeling the way he did, it would have been better if he had admitted it earlier on in the season:

"When he finally revealed to me where his head had been the whole time, I remember thinking I don’t blame him. He’s completely valid to feel that way. I just wished he had made that realization sooner. Because I could’ve changed my direction completely."

While talking about some potential red flags during her connection with Andrew, Cruz said:

"I definitely was worried about the slow pace at some points. There were moments where I remember certain conversations being awesome and making great strides. But then the next day, there were more moments where Andrew was spending time with his friends than he was with me. That’s when it started to click for me."

Jessenia Cruz further added:

"I wondered if this was a boys vacation or was he there to do ‘Paradise’ the way you’re supposed to. As the days went by, I realized he was definitely tuned out of this process."

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Watch the finale episode of Bachelor in Paradise Season 8, which aired on November 22, 2022, on ABC.