The Truth About Rachel Lindsay And Raven Gates' Relationship

Every year, dozens of men and women compete on The Bachelor, The Bachelorette, and Bachelor in Paradise to find love and see if their soulmate is out there. Of course, not everyone can walk away with their happily ever after, so, instead, contestants befriend one another throughout their time on the ABC series.

As a result, there have been some amazing friendships to come out of the franchise, including JoJo Fletcher and Becca Tilley, Jared Haibon and Nick Viall, Jade Roper and Carly Waddell, and Jason Tartick and Blake Horstmann — just to name a few.

After Rachel Lindsay and Raven Gates competed on Nick Viall's season of The Bachelor in 2017, the two formed a tight bond and took #friendshipgoals to the next level. From going on vacation together to double dates with their significant others, they were inseparable. However, there was trouble in paradise when Rachel confirmed she was no longer pals with Raven in October 2019. 

So, what happened? How did Raven and Rachel go from being besties to not speaking? We dissect their relationship below. 

Rachel Lindsay and Raven Gates both competed for Nick Viall's heart on The Bachelor in January 2017. While neither ended up engaged to Nick, they both went on to find love later on. Rachel was cast as The Bachelorette a few months later, where she met her husband, Bryan Abasolo. During Rachel's season, she sent home contestant Adam Gottschalk, who, as of this writing, is engaged to Raven.

Rachel and Bryan tied the knot in August 2019, and Raven was noticeably absent from the ceremony. Soon enough, fans realized the former friends hadn't posted a photo with one another since July 2018 when they were in Bermuda, Entertainment Tonight reported.

In October 2019, Rachel finally revealed where she stood with Raven during an episode of Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen. "What happened between you and your ex friend Raven?" one fan asked on the show. "I can't say. I promised I wouldn't say," Rachel responded. "But it was enough for me to not want to be friends with her anymore."

"And you're still not friends with her?" Andy asked. "No, not at all. And I never will be," Rachel replied. Ouch.

Not only do fans of Bachelor Nation want to know what went down between Raven Gates and Rachel Lindsay, but Raven would like to know as well! "Everyone's going to think I'm totally bullcrapping this, but this is the truth — I don't know exactly [what happened between us]," the Arkansas native told Entertainment Tonight in January 2020. "I tried to reach out to her to either squash it or figure out what the problem was to fix it. She didn't want to talk to me."

Ultimately, Raven admitted that she has always "supported" Rachel "from the beginning" and still does, but, unfortunately, that doesn't seem to matter anymore. "We're just closing the chapter," she added. "And that's all I can do at this point, you know? I feel like I've done everything I know how to do, and I'm so confused about it all ... I don't think I ever will know [why she's upset], and that's fine with me."

Raven maintains her innocence, though. "I know everyone's probably like, 'Oh, she did something. And Rachel said she knows what she did.' I don't know what I did!" she exclaimed.

Raven — who was supposed to marry Adam Gottschalk in May 2020, but postponed the wedding due to the coronavirus pandemic — also acknowledged that Rachel was not invited to the nuptials because "she doesn't like [her]." Raven added, "I don't want people at my wedding that don't like me. That's all I know."

So, is Raven Gates willing to give her friendship with Rachel Lindsay another shot? "I would say never say never," the reality star told Entertainment Tonight in January 2020. "I've loved her. I've had a very, very deep love for her."

"But it's just gotten so nasty and ugly and I'm still, like, kind of trying to get through the murky water of what really happened," she continued. "We would have to have a conversation, and we're not even having that. So, it's just like — it's fine, I'm okay with it."

For better or for worse, Raven admitted she has "mourned the loss" of Rachel's friendship and is ready to move on. "I'm over that now. But I will not argue with her in the media, and I will not talk bad about her," she said. Meanwhile, Raven knows she has a great support system — with or without Rachel. "I know who I am. Adam knows who I am. My family and friends know who I am, so at the end of the day, it's fine. I don't know what else to say."

Raven and Rachel were friends for the right reasons, so here's hoping they can work past their issues one day.