'Golden Bachelor' Star Kathy Swarts Admitted She Was Harsh With Theresa

The Gist:

• Kathy Swarts and Theresa Nist are best known for their time on Season 1 of The Golden Bachelor.
• The two were good friends, but drama emerged when Theresa "boasted" about her connection with Gerry.
• Kathy revealed where she stands with Theresa during "Women Tell All."

Spoiler alert: This article contains spoilers for those not caught up on The Golden Bachelor.

We didn't expect any drama to arise during The Golden Bachelor, but it did — and it was petty! Early in the season, Kathy Swarts kickstarted a feud with one of her good friends, Theresa Nist, and their brief disputes almost always ended with plenty of tears.

Keep scrolling for all the known details. Plus, stick around to find out if Kathy and Theresa have moved on from the drama and rekindled their close friendship!

In the third episode, tensions rose among the women as Leslie Fhima's fears of cattiness came true. Kathy gossiped about Theresa, expressing envy and stirring the pot by claiming Theresa "boasted" about her connection with the 72-year-old widower. She brought this up to Gerry, and he offered her a rose to make her feel a little bit better. Theresa attempted to reconcile with Kathy, but the latter wasn't having any of it.

The conflict escalated in Episode 4, when Kathy and Theresa joined the leading man for a pickleball group date. Kathy confronted Theresa and criticized her for oversharing, which led to a heated exchange. Theresa then told Gerry about Kathy's "zip it" comment, causing concern for Gerry about the rift

In a not-so-shocking twist, Kathy's drama with Theresa led to her departure. At the rose ceremony, Gerry gave his final rose of the night to Theresa, leaving Kathy heartbroken and disappointed.

"I'm really sad to say goodbye," Kathy told producers after she and Gerry went their separate ways, "but I have to face the reality he's made stronger connections with some of the other women." She also joked she "might burn the house down" before she left for good because "rejection's not fun."

Following the Oct. 12 episode, Theresa took to Instagram and opened up about the tension between her and Kathy.

"This past episode was a bit hard for me to watch," she explained. "Never in a million years did I think that I was going to find myself involved in drama. That is so not who I am."

Theresa said she thought she could "be open and honest with a new friend about how I was feeling," implying that she never wanted to hurt anyone, especially Kathy. "As you saw, I acknowledged that everyone felt a connection to Gerry, and I welcomed that. We were all on a journey to see who was the best fit for Gerry."

During the much-anticipated "Women Tell All" episode, host Jesse Palmer gave Kathy the opportunity to set the record straight on everything that went down between her and Theresa on the show.

"In the moment, we were all dating one man," Kathy explained to the audience. "And people who know me know that I'm a straight shooter, so watching the show back, could I have been a little more delicate? Yes, absolutely!"

She continued, "Maybe we both should've zipped it, but truly, it's in the past. It was in the moment, and it's over, and I think Theresa knows that too. I only wish everyone the best. I think, to me, this show — yes, it's about love — [is] also so much about hope and friendship and what life offers all of us."

Although it doesn't sound like they're BFFs, we hope Kathy and Theresa are at least on friendly terms!

Catch new episodes of The Golden Bachelor on Thursdays at 8 p.m. EST on ABC. Stream the next day on Hulu.