Did a certain guitar-playing reality star just find a new Bachelor runner-up to write love songs about? After Nick Viall broke Raven Gates‘ heart during the Bachelor season 21 finale on Monday, March 13, The Bachelorette season 12 standout James Taylor took to social media to throw his hat in the ring for Gates’ affections.
During the finale, fans watched as Gates — who had previously professed her love for Viall — calmly reacted to the Bachelor telling her that he had stronger feelings for winner Vanessa Grimaldi. Gates replied, “I’ll never regret standing here and telling you how I feel.”
This led Taylor to tweet about Gates, “Lord have mercy, raven meet me in Paradise?! You deserve a good southern gentleman.” (Gates hails from Hoxie, Arkansas; Taylor is originally from Katy, Texas, and recently moved to Nashville.)
Earlier in the episode, Taylor tweeted that he found Gates and Grimaldi to be very different. “Raven’s so chill just fun! Vanessa is so strong and thoughtful… I’m just so confused who would you pick and hoooww?!?” he wrote.
Gates told Us Weekly during a conference call on March 14 that she had seen Taylor’s flirty message, and that she hasn’t met him yet but thinks he is “very sweet.” She added, “I want to get to know James, so it’s definitely not a no.”
During After the Final Rose on March 13, the 25-year-old boutique owner told Viall, 36, about the finale rejection: “I was always optimistic. I definitely thought I was going to get engaged that day. I think you can see on my face how shocked I was.”
Taylor — who became a fan favorite by performing silly songs throughout season 12 — vied for JoJo Fletcher‘s affections last year before she sent him home in week seven. The official cast list for Bachelor in Paradise season 4 has not been announced, although Chris Harrison said during the After the Final Rose on March 13 that Gates will appear on the show.
The Bachelorette returns to ABC Monday, May 22, at 9 p.m. ET. The network has not yet announced a premiere date for Paradise.
