One of the most heartbreaking moments from Rachel Lindsay's season of The Bachelorette had nothing to do with romance. During his hometown date with Rachel, Dean Unglert reunited with his father for the first time in years, and their deeply personal meeting took place as cameras rolled. The situation quickly became uncomfortable for the audience and painful for Dean after he and his estranged father argued. However, on Monday, March 12, Dean shared a photo of himself and his father on Instagram that makes it seem like the two may be working on repairing their relationship.
The picture features Dean and his dad, Paramroop, with their arms around each other in front of the Two Rivers Cafe in Basalt, Colorado. The caption reads,
"Sometimes the apple actually does fall far from the tree. But at the end of the day, family is family."During the hometown date, Dean confronted his father about his feelings that he wasn't there for him or his siblings after their mother died. The Bachelorette contestant lost his mother at the age of 15, and it was clear during the episode that he was still processing many of those emotions years later. Ultimately, their first reunion didn't end with a reconciliation. Instead, Paramroop, a converted Kundalini yogi, was unhappy about his son bringing negativity into his home, and accused Dean of being stuck in the past. The entire situation was deeply personal and hard for viewers to watch, which makes the update from the 26-year-old all the more emotional.
Dean and his father deserve a chance to move forward, and since this is clearly something that the Bachelor Nation member wants, then this news should make his fans happy too. In an August interview with People, Dean explained that even though the confrontation was awkward and didn't happen under ideal circumstances, he was still grateful for the chance to say what he needed to say to his dad. He told the magazine,
"These are conversations I never would have had had we not been in that situation, so I'm grateful for the opportunity to have had that conversation with my father. It kind of sucks that there were cameras around I guess, but at the end of the day, it would have been just something else for me to shoulder had I not had the chance to speak up about it."Knowing that Dean was able to remove at least some of the weight of the situation from his shoulders is encouraging. The 26-year-old now has a chance to build some sort of relationship with his dad, if that's what he wants, and that's definitely a positive. Seeing that he's on better terms with his family after their intense reunion is a relief, and it's one more reminder of just how much Dean has grown as a person since his Bachelor Nation journey began.
His fans are definitely taking notice, and are flooding his Instagram with positive comments and encouragement. One user wrote, "This warms my heart @deanie_babies really happy you both are able to make this happen!" And another added, "Not everyone has the picture perfect, traditional family. I'm so glad you showed that on the show! Glad you can find some common ground with your dad."
Dean emerged as a favorite in Rachel's season, even though he wasn't ultimately the man for her. He then went on to join Bachelor in Paradise, where his attempts to romance two women at once didn't go over well with fans. Finally, Dean found love with Lesley Murphy on The Bachelor Winter Games, and started his own Deanie Babies clothing line with part of the proceeds going to the charitable organization Vanderpump Dogs.
Things are definitely looking good in Dean's world right now, and the photo he shared of himself and his father points to the beginning of yet another new chapter in the life of this young member of Bachelor Nation.
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