'Bachelor In Paradise Canada' season two may be over, but for Joey Kirchner and Tessa Tookes, the real-life romance has only just begun. After months of secrecy, the not-so-newly engaged couple is finally able to share what they’ve been up to in Toronto and what their plans are for the future. The duo sat down with Narcity’s Frankie Cena for a candid tell-all, dishing on everything from their favourite local haunts and future wedding plans, to where they might actually settle down in Canada. The reality TV stars weren’t afraid to spill some tea either, revealing exactly where they left things with Maria Garcia-Sanchez after all the drama that unfolded toward the end of the season.
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TravelTranscript
00:00 I lived in New York for 10 years, but Toronto, I don't know.
00:03 It may take the cake for food.
00:05 I couldn't believe how seen I felt by Tessa
00:08 on so many different levels.
00:09 Why don't I flip the narrative and just, like,
00:11 show you my commitment in one singular act?
00:14 Hey, what's up?
00:15 It's Frankie Chenna, and I'm here
00:17 with Bachelor in Paradise Canada winners--
00:20 I like to call it winners--
00:22 Tessa and Joey.
00:25 Finding love is winning, so--
00:26 Yeah, for all intents and purposes, we won the show.
00:28 Yeah.
00:29 Exactly.
00:30 I mean, game shows, you win cash.
00:32 Cash-- you spend cash quick.
00:34 And love is forever, right?
00:36 Some shows, you win people.
00:37 And I won a person once you talked about it.
00:40 As are diamonds.
00:41 Diamonds are, in fact, forever.
00:42 So yes.
00:43 First and foremost, congratulations.
00:46 I'm so, so, so happy for you two.
00:49 Just huge congratulations.
00:52 Thank you so much.
00:52 We appreciate it.
00:53 We're also very happy for us.
00:55 Tessa, you proposed first.
00:58 Tell me the thought process.
01:00 When did you decide to do this?
01:02 How did you pick the ring?
01:03 And was it nerve-wracking?
01:04 So Joey kind of threw a curveball.
01:06 Fantasy Suites night, he was like, hey, I love you,
01:09 but I'm not sure if I'm in love with you.
01:11 And I don't know if I want to pursue this in the real world.
01:13 And I was like, whoa.
01:15 I knew we had two options here, but leaving together
01:17 was always on the table.
01:19 And I kind of convinced him that night
01:21 that what we had was so special, that it was worth
01:23 pursuing in a real way.
01:25 And then I was like, wait, why don't I flip the narrative
01:28 and just show him my commitment in one singular act?
01:31 So I decided to propose because I loved him and I wanted to.
01:34 And I chose my own ring, which is pretty cool.
01:39 It was definitely the most understated, I think,
01:41 out of the options and definitely
01:43 reflected, I think, my style.
01:45 So didn't know that Joey would have it in a box for me,
01:48 but it worked out.
01:51 That moment was an encapsulation of just how authentic you
01:54 were as a reality TV star.
01:55 So thank you for giving us that.
01:57 Joey, did it catch you off guard?
01:59 Did it make your proposal even better?
02:01 What was it like for you?
02:02 Even that night in the fantasy suites,
02:03 it felt like Tessa really kind of just found
02:06 the Rosetta Stone for Joey.
02:07 And she just figured out how to talk to me,
02:09 kind of put my mind at ease, and make me feel at home with her
02:14 and realize that, yeah, this is-- what am I doing?
02:16 I was just nervous.
02:18 Guys always get scared, try to cut and run.
02:20 But I was just like, no, there's no way
02:23 I'm leaving this person ever.
02:25 That's just crazy talk.
02:27 And so when she proposed to me, I mean, as you could see,
02:30 I was just--
02:31 I didn't cry at all.
02:32 I had really good composure.
02:34 I held myself together very well.
02:36 So no, definitely just wasn't surprised at all
02:40 and definitely made my job a lot easier.
02:42 So what's next for you as a couple?
02:45 Maybe most importantly, where do you plan to live?
02:48 Yeah, so we're right now living in Toronto.
02:51 So I'm new to Canada.
02:53 I'm now a resident of Canada.
02:56 Yeah, I love it here.
02:57 I honestly-- I'm a big Degrassi fan from back in the day.
03:01 So I'm kind of living out my childhood dreams
03:03 of living here.
03:04 But I think we're trying to find a place that's
03:06 convenient for both our families to have access to us,
03:08 like down the line with getting married and having kids.
03:11 So I feel like Toronto, maybe Calgary.
03:14 Calgary's on the table.
03:15 Yeah, for sure.
03:16 Not taking Alberta off the table.
03:18 But for now, kind of just with our pursuits and career-wise
03:22 and stuff like that, I think Toronto's going to be home
03:23 for a little bit anyways.
03:24 Yeah.
03:25 When is the wedding?
03:28 Good question.
03:29 Being that we're just finally getting to celebrate
03:32 our engagement openly, we are going to start there
03:36 and try to just celebrate our relationship
03:39 that we've had over the past year being engaged.
03:41 But with that being said, we're thinking maybe like fall 2024.
03:45 I watch almost every single love show under the sun.
03:48 And I must say, you guys seem to fall so genuinely in love
03:53 so fast.
03:55 Was it love at first sight?
03:56 Was that an accurate depiction of the edit?
04:00 Yeah, I would say like that--
04:02 I don't know if I'd say love at first sight.
04:04 Our first conversation was a little bit kind of like,
04:06 what are either of us doing?
04:08 But that helicopter ride, like when we went on our first date,
04:12 I think that was like--
04:13 I don't know.
04:14 For me, I was in an awestruck moment for sure.
04:15 I've never felt anything but at home with Joey.
04:18 Like even when you walk into a group of strangers
04:21 and their cameras and it's hot and you're just like--
04:24 just having a safe space in those environments
04:26 just to make you feel like any sort of semblance of home
04:29 is super important.
04:30 So for me, yeah, our helicopter date was definitely one I knew
04:33 that love was on the table.
04:35 Oh, yeah.
04:36 I mean, even for me, I don't think--
04:37 even in that moment, I couldn't believe how seen I felt
04:41 by Tessa on so many different levels
04:43 just on a one date in a helicopter ride
04:46 and having just spoken to her for that short of a time.
04:48 I was like, how does this person see me so clearly?
04:50 Whatever people believe in, I believe in.
04:52 So I believe in love.
04:53 And it was very, very fun to watch.
04:55 What's something we didn't see on TV
04:57 that you're wanting to share, if you're allowed to share?
05:00 There was one moment that wasn't on camera.
05:02 Just like Joey and I had a very just mundane morning scenario.
05:06 And it was the first time that I saw Joey as a person
05:09 with a cup of coffee in his hand, sitting down.
05:12 And I became a little kid who couldn't speak
05:16 around her childhood crush, freaking out.
05:18 I was so nervous.
05:19 I bopped him in the head with a water bottle.
05:21 And it was just the most awkward experience
05:23 I think I've ever had.
05:24 But I-- yeah.
05:26 It was so strange because we were off camera.
05:29 And they didn't really let us hang out off camera.
05:31 We somehow snuck it.
05:32 And we were sitting there.
05:33 I was just like, I'm not a morning person.
05:35 I need my coffee.
05:36 But to wake up, I'm sitting beside Tessa,
05:37 and we're just hanging out.
05:38 I have a coffee, and I turn, and she's like, oh.
05:39 And I'm like, what just happened?
05:43 Do I love her more now, or do I need more coffee?
05:45 I don't know what's happening.
05:46 It was a really kind of cute, strange, and genuine moment
05:50 for us to kind of see into each other's comfortable sides
05:54 of each other. - Very cute.
05:55 OK, well, it wouldn't be a reality
05:56 to be interviewed without a little bit of drama.
05:59 How's Maria?
06:01 Yeah, so that's a fun topic for me.
06:04 I think it's most fun because Maria and I actually
06:07 had a very mature Instagram conversation almost a year
06:12 and two months ago, where essentially, I
06:15 took accountability for taking away from her experience
06:17 finding love.
06:19 And after getting engaged, I was like, holy crap.
06:21 If I made someone have a harder time doing this,
06:24 I should probably address that with someone.
06:27 So she and I have been good.
06:28 I think when you rewatch the show, emotions come back up.
06:31 You start kind of going back in the mindset
06:33 that you were performing.
06:35 But in hindsight, rewatching, I think
06:37 I know why I was so passionate about my argument,
06:40 because I was dealing with someone
06:42 that I wanted to marry from the start.
06:46 Yeah.
06:47 I think for me, because I was not privy to any
06:49 of the information, and I was told different stories.
06:52 So when I was able to go back and just see
06:55 the way in which Maria was dealing with and handling
06:59 literally every situation with Tessa and things happening,
07:03 I wish I'd known more at the time,
07:04 because I would have said more.
07:05 And I also just think seeing it back now that it was dealt
07:08 with very just immaturely and from not a great space,
07:14 especially from someone who says that they were my friend
07:16 to speak that way to someone that they
07:17 know I do have an interest in.
07:19 Whether you think it's real or not,
07:20 that's not a choice for you to make.
07:23 So at this point, there is nothing for me
07:27 more to say to her.
07:29 I mean, basically, don't fuck with my fiancee,
07:32 because if you think I'm going to take anyone else's side,
07:34 that's just not going to happen.
07:35 I love it.
07:36 I mean, the love is real.
07:38 The emotions are real.
07:40 Sorry to bring us back to that place one more time,
07:42 but we'll move on now.
07:43 Let's go to something lighter.
07:44 Let's do something lighter.
07:46 Favorite place as a couple in Toronto.
07:49 It can be a restaurant.
07:50 It can be a landmark.
07:51 Just favorite place as a couple in Toronto so far.
07:54 Beach.
07:55 I was going to say our beach.
07:56 Our beach.
07:57 The bottom of Spadina.
07:58 It's just like this tiny little man-made beach.
08:00 There's no water access.
08:01 But it's just like so close to where we're living.
08:03 We just hang out.
08:04 We took our cat there the other day,
08:06 just hanging out at this fake little beach in Toronto.
08:08 Funny enough, actually, the closest
08:10 the internet came to realizing we were engaged
08:12 was because we both Instagrammed a photo at the same beach.
08:16 They were like, we must be together.
08:17 I see Joey's shadow in Tessa's photo.
08:19 Tessa, as a soon-to-be-new Canadian,
08:22 favorite restaurant in Toronto?
08:23 That's a great question.
08:25 Well, first of all, the food in Toronto is just next level.
08:28 I lived in New York for 10 years, but Toronto, I don't
08:31 know, it may take the cake for food.
08:33 OK, good.
08:35 I think my favorite food I've had thus far,
08:38 Project Gigglewater in Ossington.
08:41 So good.
08:41 They have like--
08:43 what is it?
08:43 They have like spring rolls, but they're actually Big Macs.
08:48 It's like Big Mac spring rolls.
08:49 It's a lot of different fusion food.
08:51 It's really, really tasty.
08:53 I took my brother and my sister-in-law over there
08:55 like last month, and they were blown away.
08:57 I cannot wait to see you out and about finally revealing
09:00 your relationship in Toronto.
09:02 Thank you so much for this interview.
09:04 I wish you both the best of luck in your next journey in life.
09:07 I'm Frankie Chena with Narcity, and this
09:09 was our Bachelor in Paradise Canada interview.
09:11 Thank you so much.
09:12 Thank you.
09:13 - Thank you. - Thank you.
09:15 (electronic music)