Bachelor in Paradise has been known, over the years, to spark a few feuds. Season 10 is markedly different, though. Instead of sparking a new feud, the series helped two Bachelor Nation alums mend fences. Spending time together at the beach allowed Kathy Swarts and April Kirkwood, both of The Golden Bachelor season 1, to work out their past dispute and rekindle their friendship.

April Kirkwood was feuding with several ‘The Golden Bachelor’ contestants before ‘Bachelor in Paradise’

The Golden Bachelor season 1 had just a couple of moments of pettiness between the contestants. Kathy Swarts famously telling Teresa Nist to “zip it” was as aggressive as it got, at least while they were at the bachelor mansion. After the season, a bit of a feud erupted between four ladies who were initially fast friends.

In January 2024, Kathy, Susan Noles, and Nancy Hulkower traveled to St. Martin together. April Kirkwood had been invited and initially planned to travel with them. She later backed out of the trip, citing work and family responsibilities. April said she offered to cover any cancellation fees, but soon found herself iced out of the group. Kirkwood claimed the women unfriended her on social media, directed harassment her way, and stopped speaking to her. She labeled the incident “adult bullying” and then moved on. Kathy, Susan, and Nancy hadn’t talked to April in nearly two years, it seems. That had to change quickly for some of the ladies. Three of the former foursome were recently in the same place.

April and Kathy are friends again

While April labeled the January 2024 incident as “adult bullying,” she didn’t want to lose her connection to her friends because of it. Kirkwood spoke with Us Weekly and revealed that it was important to her to reconnect with Kathy Swarts while they both filmed Bachelor in Paradise. She told the outlet that she approached Swarts immediately and that they quickly fell back into a friendly rhythm.

Kirkwood said her drama with Swarts was officially over and that they speak daily now. She praised the Bachelor Nation alum, noting how funny and caring Swarts is. To aid in their reconciliation, both Swarts and Kirkwood were interested in different men during their time in Costa Rica, so there was no jealousy or resentment.

Swarts took a liking to Keith Gordon, while Kirkwood was interested in Kim Buike. Kim later turned down Kirkwood. She gave her first rose to Jonathan Johnson, so the younger contestant could stay and find love. We have yet to see what becomes of the golden contestants romantically in paradise, but it’s nice to know at least one friendship was restored on the island.