Joel Bierwert is excited to pursue a romance with Bella Barbaro after meeting on “Love Island USA” — even after discovering her secret hotel hookup with Chazz Bryant.
“There has not been a discussion yet about her hotel kiss with Chazz,” Bierwert tells Page Six exclusively, admitting that he had no idea about the pair’s post-show relations. “I don’t know about that.”
Bierwert remains unbothered, though, noting that he briefly explored a connection with Barbaro’s villa BFF, Phoebe Siegel, in the villa as the singer-songwriter shared a meaningless smooch with Bryant off-camera.
“At the end of the day, I feel like we’re friends,” Barbaro previously told Page Six of Bryant, insisting any attraction to him quickly fizzled.
“I was kissing Phoebe at the same time, so it’s not a huge deal. She deserves to explore her options as I was exploring mine,” Bierwert tells us. “Again, that’s just affirmation for me and also for her that our feelings for each other were true.”
The reality star continues, “She had that kiss with Chazz and wasn’t feeling much for him. I had my kiss with Phoebe, wasn’t feeling much for her. Everything is just … the universe telling us we need to pursue this and go for it.”
Bierwert and Barbaro — who light up when speaking about each other in interviews — are certainly going for it. After reuniting at the recently taped “Love Island USA” Season 4 reunion, the duo plans to meet up on the East Coast, where they live mere hours from each other.
“She’s just in Long Island,” the Massachusetts native raves. “I can get there probably in three hours, three-and-a-half hours. So I can do weekend trips there, she can come up and see me. All the stars aligned for us.”
Bierwert notes that he and Barbaro are currently dating “for marriage” — and hopes his New York girl is open to the idea of one day relocating.
“I have a lot of ties to Massachusetts. So hopefully I could convince her to move to Massachusetts with me and move in,” says the hunky welder, who owns a home and is poised to take over his father’s business in the Bay State.
“But we’re going to take things one step at a time. There’s no rush on anything. I don’t have any particular timeline. I’m just going to go with the flow and when the time’s right, the time’s right. If it doesn’t work out, too, that’s OK,” he explains.
“But I’m really excited to see if we can make something happen.”
Dating on their own terms feels like a “relief,” Bierwert tells Page Six, after his relationship with Barbaro was cut short in a heartbreaking dumping ceremony that left both Islanders in tears.
“It’s such a deep, emotional connection and I think it’s because we’re both so genuine and real. Every question I asked her about her future and what she’s looking for in a partner, I felt I could provide all of that to her,” the part-time model and actor says, beaming.
“I feel truly honored that she even wants to be with me. It’s such a great feeling to have.”
The “Love Island USA” Season 4 reunion is available to stream Thursday, Sept. 1, at 9 p.m. ET on Peacock.
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