Who Is John Paul Jones? New Details On 'The Bachelorette' Contestant And Why He's Looking For Love On TV
He's not just a person. He's a lifestyle.
ABC Another season of The Bachelorette is here, which means fans around the nation are gathering around their TV sets to see which one of the hunky contestants Hannah Brown will choose. It may be early days in the competition reality show, but that doesn't mean people aren't already making their own decisions about who she should end up with. There's one guy who has stood out for another reason, though!
Ladies and germs, please meet John Paul Jones. He has three names, the longish mop of yellow hair that every teen icon of the 90s aspired to and a laidback attitude that has captured at least one very important person's attention. But does he have what it takes to win Hannah Brown? Let's break it down and see for ourselves. Who is John Paul Jones?
1. John Paul Jones
The latest season of The Bachelorette is currently underway, and this season's would-be bride-to-be Hannah Brown has only just begun her journey to find lasting love on a TV show surrounded by men who have been selected to court her based exclusively on their ab count and their ability to stir up shit. While the season might only have recently started (relatively speaking) some of the bachelors have already made a serious impression on Hannah and viewers alike.
24-year-old John Paul Jones from Lanham, Maryland hasn't spent a lot of time on camera yet, but that doesn't mean we all didn't take notice when this dude with 90s style blond locks so fine they put Devon Sawa to shame strutted onto the screen insisting that Hannah Brown use all three of his names. John Paul Jones, I want to roll my eyes at that request, but legit even typing your three names is fun so I'm on board.
2. Acting Chops
Lots of people want to go on shows like The Bachelor or The Bachelorette. Some people genuinely want to go on these programs because they see that sometimes they are successful at pairing folks up and they really are looking for a chance at that once-in-a-lifetime kind of love. Unfortunately, because it is a popular TV show on a major network, people go on the show for other reasons too and not all of them are so nice. What John Paul Jones' motives are for going on the reality competition show are we don't really know yet. He's saying that he is there to find love and make a connection with Hannah, and with his little boy smile it's easy to want to believe this financial analyst. But then you find out stuff about how seriously he took studying acting when he was an undergraduate at Catholic University and it begs the question...does this guy just want to be famous?
3. Instagram
We're going to have to wait to see how the show pans out if we want to discover what's really going on with this guy and how pure his motives are. Until his story with Hannah unfolds, all we have are the clues about him that we can glean from social media. Interestingly, prior to the show, John Paul Jones had just 19 pictures up on his Instagram account. Most of them feature him in sort of state of undress, so that's fun.
While his Instagram account might not exactly be chock full of images, he already has 40K and counting followers, so he's clearly made an impression on the viewers at home, only time is gonna tell if he's made the same sort of impression on Hannah. Oh, did I mention that his username for Instagram is @johnpauljonesjohnpauljones? Because frankly, that is the best thing I have heard in quite some time.
4. The Right Reasons
So the big question: is John Paul Jones on this show for the so-called "right reasons", namely, is he legitimately interested in love with Hannah? So far it's hard to say for certain, all we have are a few clues to go by. Firstly, the whole gimmick with his name. Could be a way to make an impression on Hannah, could also be his way of getting his brand out there. There's also the issue of his passion for acting and sharing scantily clad images of himself...
The guy has a pretty clear history of enjoying being in the limelight, so he could be on the show just to be a star. That said, actors are people too, so there's no guarantee that he might not be there for both fame and love. Plus, he comes from a family with brothers and sisters, so the guy obviously thinks family is important. There are a lot of factors are play. None rule out his intentions being good...OR not so good!
5. Chris Harrison Loves Him
My own theories and conspiracies about John Paul Jones and his potential motives to one side, there's someone else who is much closer to the TV show who is already absolutely obsessed with the guy. We're talking, he just can't get enough. That's right, it's another dude, and no it isn't some bromance brewing in the mansion, it's the host, Chris Harrison!
Since the moment the duo met, Chris Harrison has been passionate about John Paul Jones, going so far as to say that the guy isn't just a person "he's a lifestyle." He even went so far as to compare him to the character of Spicoli from Fast Times At Ridgemont High! “JPJ isn’t as much a contestant as much as he is a mood. He’s a way of life…he might be my new spirit animal," said Chris.
Rebecca Jane Stokes is a writer living in Brooklyn, New York with her cats, Batman and Margot. She's an experienced generalist with a passion for lifestyle, geek news, pop culture, and true crime. For more of her work, check out her Tumblr.