Former contestant Olivia Caridi might just be one of the most notorious villains in Bachelor history. While her relationship with Ben Higgins started off strong on season 20 of the show — she even snagged the highly-coveted first impression rose — things with the other girls didn’t go as smoothly. Her fellow contestants couldn’t stand her bragging about getting roses and making snide comments, like when she likened Amanda Stanton‘s kids and ex situation to an episode of Teen Mom, and eventually their complaints to Ben caught up to Olivia.
But the blonde beauty’s drama didn’t end after being booted from the show during a two-on-one date with Emily Ferguson in week 6. The online hate continued for months on social media, leading to one of the “lowest points” in Olivia’s life. “I wouldn’t do the show again,” she told fellow Bachelor villain Courtney Robertson in 2016. “I am confident in saying I would never involve myself in reality television again. The hardest part was just dealing with depression in general. During and after the show, I felt like I was being wrongly judged by just about everyone, and that put me in a really dark place.”
Luckily, the 27-year-old former news anchor is doing much better these days! Read on to find out what happened to the controversial Bachelor Nation star.
Who Is Olivia Caridi’s Boyfriend?
Olivia struggled with dating for a while after her reality TV debut. “When I first moved to New York, I joined some dating apps and immediately started getting messages saying, ‘I recognize you! I want to see your toes! You’re crazy!'” she told Courtney. “I immediately deleted everything.”
She eventually found love with Derek Peth, who appeared on season 12 of The Bachelorette fighting for JoJo Fletcher‘s heart, in 2017. Unfortunately, that didn’t end well. According to Reality Steve, the hunk dumped her, claiming he didn’t want to date anyone from Bachelor Nation, and then went on Bachelor in Paradise and got engaged to Taylor Nolan.
Luckily, Olivia now seems to be in a happy, loving relationship. “Missin you and feelin’ grateful for video chat right about now,” Olivia wrote on Instagram beside a cozy photo with a man named Justin from Amsterdam. “All of you in long-distance relationships, especially during this scary pandemic, my heart is with you. Stay strong!”
Where Does Olivia Caridi Live?
Immediately after Bachelor wrapped, Olivia packed up and moved to New York City. “I love it so far!” she told Courtney at the time. “I was born here, some of my family lives here, and I’ve always wanted to move here. I was at a crossroads in my life after the show and decided to take a risk and move out here and it’s been incredible.”
However, she later moved to Austin, Texas, where she currently resides. She’s also been spending a lot of time overseas with her boyfriend. “He’s the reason I’ve been spending a bit of time in Amsterdam,” she wrote on Instagram. Between that and her love of travel, who knows where she’ll end up!
What Does Olivia Caridi Do Now?
Fans will likely remember Olivia was working as a news anchor when she was featured on Ben’s season, but it doesn’t seem like she returned to it afterward. “I left my broadcasting career to do the show, so yeah, I stepped away from my former job to be on The Bachelor,” she told Courtney in 2016. “But I don’t regret that, and it’s possible that there was a reason I stepped away. Right now I’m exploring writing and modeling and I’m really enjoying it.”
Despite not working in news anymore, Olivia is using her journalism skills hosting her podcast, “Mouthing Off With Olivia Caridi.” In it, she has candid conversations with fellow reality stars, including Jenna Cooper, Love Is Blind‘s Jessica Batten, 90 Day Fiance‘s Danielle Jbali and Too Hot to Handle‘s Rhonda Paul, plus many more!