While TLC’s latest show 90 Day: Hunt for Love is all about making new love connections, Tim Malcolm exclusively tells In Touch that it was “a surprise” seeing his ex Jeniffer Tarazona on the beaches in Mexico.

“Obviously, you can tell by my face I was not expecting her at all. It never even had dawned on me [that] it was a possibility,” Tim, 44, admits. “That changed the entire vibe for me on night one. And as you watch the show, you’ll kind of see that I struggle with it a bit, especially in the beginning.”

Tim made his franchise debut on season 3 of 90 Day Fiancé: Before the 90 Days, appearing alongside his Colombian ex, 30. During the spinoff, he traveled from North Carolina to Colombia to meet her in person for the first time, after connecting on a dating site tailored to meeting Colombian women. While their visit didn’t lead to an engagement — or even intimacy, something he was later mocked for — they continued dating for a while before officially calling it quits later in 2020.

“I’m hoping at some point Jeniffer and I can bury the hatchet,” he tells In Touch. “She’s the only ex in my life that I can’t pick up the phone and have a cordial conversation with. And I usually leave on pretty good terms, but I feel like her and I never had that closure moment, you know? So maybe that’s something we need to do.”

Tim said it would “be nice” for them to run into each other and “not fight” but he wishes his ex well. “In fact, the reason I’m sitting here is because I started my journey with her. So I have a little bit of love in my heart for her from that,” he adds.

After Tim and Jeniffer’s split, the mom of one starred in season 2 of 90 Day: The Single Life and started dating another 90 Day Fiancé alum, Jesse Meester, who is known for his former relationship with Darcey Silva. After Tim caught wind of the relationship, he wasn’t shy about predicting Jesse and Jeniffer’s relationship fizzling out.

“They seem like the perfect match for each other,” he said during an October 2021 episode of 90 Day Bares All. “They’re both self-centered, kind of egotistical, narcissistic. They’ll be a great match until it fizzles out. I would put my bottom dollar that you won’t ever see them together long-term, and he better have a big wallet to keep her happy.”

Jeniffer later confronted her ex and his comments during the 90 Day: The Single Life tell-all filmed in January 2022.

“I am an architect and fashion designer, I don’t need money from a man,” Jeniffer fired back. “The fact that we train every day, that we wake up at five in the morning, do meditation, go run 10 kilometers every day, love each other and take care of us — that’s not being self-centered, that’s having self-respect and self-love. I wish one day you will stop being negative and throwing shade to other people like you only can do.”

Jeniffer and Jesse’s relationship did eventually come to an end, with her rep confirming to In Touch in September 2022 that they had separated.