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Demi's Girlfriend Made A Game-Changing Appearance On 'Bachelor In Paradise'

Demi's having a watershed season on Bachelor in Paradise. From coming out as queer on the show to telling her Paradise ~connection~ Derek that she had lingering feelings for a woman back home, Demi has been making huge strides, both for herself and for the franchise. But when Demi's girlfriend Kristian made an appearance on Bachelor in Paradise, all bets were off. It was truly a groundbreaking moment, but also one that's bound to make things complicated for a bunch of people.

It all began with a visit from recent Bachelorette Hannah Brown, who confused the rest of the beach by coming down just to chat with Demi. But it soon became clear that she was there to check in on her friend and gauge where Demi's very conflicted heart lie. Demi confessed that she was still thinking about Kristian, despite hitting it off with Derek, which she wasn't expecting. After coming out to Chris Harrison (yet another heartwarming moment out of all this), Demi was surprised when he came back down to the beach with a special guest just for her. The guest in question turned out to be none other than Kristian, who had come to Paradise to help Demi sort through her feelings in person.

This sort of thing isn't without precedent. Plenty of non-Bachelor Nation ex-boyfriends have come on The Bachelor/Bachelorette in the eleventh hour to try and woo contestants back. But never before has an outsider been welcome into the fold like this. When Kristian and Demi were reunited, Demi said she instantly knew this was the relationship she wanted to pursue. To her credit, one of the first things she realized was that she needed to have an honest conversation with Derek.

She broke up with him basically on the spot (though very gently and with a lot of cheerleading), but Derek seemed pretty devastated nonetheless. Unfortunately, that wasn't the end of his challenges. Demi went on to reveal that she's actually be pursuing her relationship with Kristian in Paradise. And she presciently acknowledged that it wasn't going to be easy for Derek to watch. It's a huge departure from the way things are normally done, but hey, if this is our entry to the queer Bachelor in Paradise storylines 2019 demands, so be it.

Surprisingly, Derek decided to stay on, which must have been an excruciating call. He even asked Demi if he could meet Kristian face-to-face so they could process their complicated emotions together. It was an impressively mature move, and the sit-down, though very strained, left no doubt in anyone's mind that they all wanted what was best for Demi.

As if that wasn't enough for one episode's worth of big feelings, Demi then went on to introduce Kristian to the rest of the gang, most of whom didn't even know Demi was queer yet. But everyone took it in stride without missing a beat (Dylan even chimed in with a "We love you, Demi!" while she gathered her thoughts). The couple received a date card almost immediately, and it seems pretty clear that this was the right decision for Demi. The pair seem super smitten and I wouldn't put an engagement at the end of the season past them. Translation: Stay tuned, folks.