Colton Underwood Reveals He Gained 12 Pounds While On ‘Bachelor In Paradise’

Colton Underwood is getting a jump start on his dad bod. The 26-year-old Bachelor in Paradise star, who made headlines for his tumultuous relationships with both Bachelorette Becca Kufrin and his Paradise co-star Tia Booth, has revealed that filming the ABC reality show in Mexico did a number on his usually-fit body.

Underwood, a former NFL player who has admitted he has devoted his life to sports while putting dating on the back burner, told Us Weekly he put on some serious weight during the filming of the summertime spinoff series Bachelor in Paradise. Underwood said that while he “tried” to work out on the beach while shooting the show, he wasn’t very successful.

“I gained 12 pounds during filming. Chips and guacamole straight to the hips.”

Underwood explained that with so many members of Bachelor Nation coming and going on the ABC reality show, Paradise was more about hanging out than working out.

“It’s a big bro-session with the guys. For the girls too, a lot of hanging out and having fun. We’re eating a lot of chips and a lot of guacamole and a lot of jicama. We got our tan on, we got after the chicken tacos. It was a lot of fun.”

While it is unknown how long Colton Underwood lasted in Paradise, even contestants who score enough roses to make it to the finale aren’t filming in Mexico for very long. Bachelor spoiler king Reality Steve previously revealed that filming of the summertime reality show has traditionally been just under three weeks. That means Underwood’s 12 extra pounds were packed on pretty quickly.

Earlier this year, Colton Underwood spent time in The Bachelorette mansion, which also does not have a gym. The contestants are tasked with finding ways to work out on their own without any workout equipment. According to People, last year’s Bachelorette “winner,” Bryan Abasolo, actually brought his own ab wheel to use during his stint on fiancée Rachel Lindsay’s season of the ABC dating show.

“I actually brought a device like this on the show,” Abasolo said on the health show The Doctors. “There is no gym at the mansion on The Bachelorette, so a lot of the guys were using this. There was a line out the door.”

While he clearly found his way to the chip bowl, Colton Underwood is staying mum on whether he found a love connection this time around. The Bachelor in Paradise star did reveal that he learned that “everyone has their own pace. There shouldn’t be pressure in relationships.”

Bachelor in Paradise airs Mondays and Tuesdays at 8 p.m. on ABC.