August 23, 2022
Thom Carroll/for PhillyVoice
The Wildwood boardwalk was featured on ABC's 'The Bachelorette' after film crews visited back in April. The home town date between Tyler Norris and Rachel Recchia didn't end well for the host, but he says he's moved on from the experience.
For months, local fans of ABC's "The Bachelorette" had been waiting for the Wildwood boardwalk to make its cameo on the hit series. A production crew filmed at the Jersey Shore hotspot in April, building anticipation for a hometown date for one of the show's contestants.
And in the end, it wasn't meant to be.
On Monday night's episode of the matchmaking series, now in its 19th season, Rio Grande native Tyler Norris welcomed co-bachelorette Rachel Recchia to the boardwalk to play games, ride bumper cars and eat funnel cake together.
Norris, 25, is the owner of the Spirit Ball shop on the Wildwood boardwalk and a graduate of both Wildwood Catholic and Cabrini University in Radnor Township. Recchia is a 26-year-old commercial pilot and flight instructor based in Florida. She's sharing the spotlight this season with co-bachelorette Gabby Windey. Both women were finalists in the last season of "The Bachelor" and were dispatched by polarizing star Clayton Echard.
Norris and Recchia met in front of the iconic Wildwood sign on a cold day in late April — not exactly great vibes for a date, even if they had the boardwalk to themselves.
As the date wore on, it became apparent that Recchia wasn't having the best time. At one point, she's heard in a restaurant bathroom saying, "I feel like I am going to throw up."
Normally, hometown dates give contestants a chance to introduce bachelorettes to their families. In this case, Recchia let Norris down on a boardwalk bench right as he was attempting to open up his heart to her. She then promptly skipped town.
"I just felt like everything was going so great," Norris said during an interview with Extra TV. "And I felt really good. The biggest thing for me was, I love where I come from, and being from the Jersey Shore, I've had so many amazing experiences there. So bringing somebody who's never been there before, I was so excited for it."
#TheBachelorette: Tyler Norris on his heartbreak during hometown dates and if he still has feelings for Rachel Recchia. https://t.co/8TPeJmTW3g@bacheloretteabc pic.twitter.com/UQtLJfHNcH
— ExtraTV (@extratv) August 23, 2022
Norris said his family was taken off guard when he later met up with them and Recchia wasn't with him.
"For them, it was just tough to see how I felt in the moment. Being a parent, you want the best for your son. They've seen me through other breakups, too. But the biggest thing is ... I would not trade my family for anybody. They always know how to make me happy, how to bring me up."
Ultimately, Norris took a gracious approach to his exit from the show, but he's not hung up on Recchia.
"I'm okay with it not being me with Rachel, and there's going to be somebody for me," Norris said. "So, understanding that and saying to yourself, okay, if you want that, go find it as long as you know you're over what you had before. And I'm over it. I've moved on. My heart is going to be for somebody else someday."
At least Norris is doing good work repairing wider perceptions of the Jersey Shore. That has to count for something.
