‘BIP’: Kendall Long Isn’t Afraid of Commitment Anymore With Boyfriend Mitchell Sage
The Bachelor and Bachelor in Paradise star Kendall Long is finally opening up about her new boyfriend, Mitchell Sage. And unlike her relationship with co-star Joe Amabile, this time, Long says she isn’t afraid of committing.
Kendall Long envisions her future with Mitchell Sage
Viewers met Kendall Long in The Bachelor Season 22 — Arie Luyendyk Jr.’s season. Then she appeared in Season 5 of Bachelor In Paradise, where she met and began dating Bachelorette alum Joe Amabile, aka Grocery Store Joe.
Long and Amabile dated for two years and broke up in early 2020. They reunited in the latest season of Bachelor in Paradise when Amabile got engaged to Serena Pitt.
After leaving the island single, Long met Mitchell Sage. And in a recent interview with Us Weekly’s Here for the Right Reasons podcast, she confirmed their romance and revealed her excitement for the future.
“It’s weird because when I was on the show, I was almost, like, a commitment-phobe or I was afraid of marriage and afraid of all that happening,” Long said. “But the show really taught me a lot [about] actually being able to visualize my future and wanting marriage and talking about wanting marriage.
“I told myself that I would never be public or be in a full, like, relationship unless I saw that future with that person,” she added. “Right now with Mitch, I feel like that’s the direction that we are headed, and I’m comfortable with that and I’m excited about that. It’s crazy to be in a relationship where you’re like, ‘Oh wow. I can see it with this person and not be terrified.'”
How did Kendall Long and Mitchell Sage meet?
Unlike Joe Amabile and Kendall Long, Mitchell Sage has no reality TV connections. Long told Bachelor Nation the two met through a mutual friend during a pregame party. And she revealed they hit it off because of their shared love of science.
“It was right before Christmas and the day before Mitch’s birthday, actually,” Long recalled. “The thing that made me really attracted to him right off the bat was we were talking about aliens and space, and I was talking about this moon off of Jupiter that could potentially harbor alien life. And he was like, ‘That’s Europa.’
“And I was so surprised he knew the name of that moon,” she mused. “It’s rare that I meet someone that’s as interested in certain things like science as I am.”
The ‘Bachelor In Paradise’ star reveals what she loves most about her new beau
When speaking with Bachelor Nation, Long revealed that although she and Sage are deeply in love, they don’t always see eye-to-eye. But she admitted the process of growing and learning together is what she loves most about their relationship.
“My favorite thing about Mitch is that it’s so rare to find somebody that challenges me the way he does,” Long said. “If I believe something, he always asks why I believe it and challenges me in a lot of different ways. He doesn’t always agree with me right away or he’ll play devil’s advocate, but it’s really fun to challenge each other in that way.”
The Bachelor In Paradise star added, “We’ll have random hours-long discussions over random, fun, obscure topics, so it’s never, ever boring. I just feel like he mentally stimulates me beyond anyone I’ve ever met.”
