- Rachael Kirkconnell sparked dating rumors after she was spotted getting cozy with Shane Parton during a recent Virgin Islands vacation.
- Shane’s sunset dinner photo with Rachael caught the attention of fans, who theorize the pair may be secretly dating and could announce their relationship later.
- ICYMI, Shane was originally supposed to appear on Taylor Frankie Paul’s scrapped season of The Bachelorette.
Could Rachael Kirkconnell finally have another shot at love? The Bachelor Nation alum, who originally competed on season 25 of The Bachelor in 2021, is raising eyebrows due to some photos of her getting cozy with a new man…who just happens to be a Bachelorette alum himself.
In case you missed it: Rachael joined Maria Georgas (who competed on Joey Graziadei’s season in 2024) on a trip to Lovango Cay with not one, but two (!!) contestants from Taylor Frankie Paul’s scrapped season of The Bachelorette, Shane Parton and Mike Turitto. And, according to their many TikToks, Instagram Stories, and photo dumps from the trip, it seems like the group reeeeeally enjoyed one other’s company during the Virgin Islands getaway. (Dare I say it’s giving double date?)
Shane’s post in particular caught the attention of fans, since he snuck a shot with Rachael at a sunset dinner in the middle of his carousel. Naturally, folks in his comments section started shipping them together, which has also led to fans on Reddit theorizing that they may already be an item.
“I feel like Shane and Rachael are dating on the low. I wouldn’t be surprised if they hard launch later this year,” they wrote, as someone else pointed out his resemblance to Rachael’s ex, Matt James.
It’s unclear whether she and Shane are actually an item, since neither of them has reacted to the rumors (yet, anyway). But it’s important to note that this could potentially be platonic, since she also posed in front of the same sunset with Mike, as seen in his post.
Wondering how this trip even came to be? Back in April, it was announced that Maria and Shane were taking part in the forthcoming mafia-themed reality series, The Mob, which is set to hit Hulu later this year. So…chances are the two became fast friends while filming.
And this isn’t Shane and Rachael’s first hang, either. The two also went to Stagecoach together and included pics of each other in their respective photo dumps from the weekend. Cute!
As a reminder: In the wake of her split with Matt, Rachael admitted that she wasn’t willing to settle when it comes to love.
“I would rather be alone without kids as much as I do want a family,” she said during an August 2025 appearance on Jason Tartick’s Trading Secrets podcast. “I will live my life alone without kids if I don’t find someone who is the perfect person for me.”
Well, we’ll be staying tuned to see if Shane could be that guy!
